Matt Damon may be gearing up to play Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic The Odyssey, but off-screen, he’s still navigating a real-world mission to solve the global water crisis. The Hollywood star recently revealed that his drive to expand safe water access was sparked by Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus. According to Damon, adapting Yunus’s microfinance model—which empowers low-income communities through small loans—was the key to turning his nonprofit, Water.org, into a global force for change.
Founded by Damon and Gary White in 2009, Water.org applies a brilliant financial strategy called WaterCredit. Instead of relying solely on charity, the organization partners with local lenders to provide affordable loans so families can install water connections and toilets at home. It works because the poor often already pay exorbitant prices for water; these loans simply redirect that spending into an asset they own, saving families time and money while creating lasting infrastructure.
The impact has been staggering. In 2025 alone, Water.org empowered 9.9 million people across 15 countries with access to safe water or sanitation. To date, the nonprofit has reached more than 95 million people worldwide. The results go far beyond a running tap—recent surveys show that 77% of participants report better family health, and 63% note that household members get sick less often. This is profoundly transformative, especially since 90% of the borrowers are women, who gain valuable time to earn an income and care for their families when water is closer to home.
Despite these milestones, the need remains critical. Globally, 2.1 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water—roughly one in four people on Earth. Water.org is pushing forward with an ambitious goal to reach 200 million people by 2030, proving that an idea inspired by a Bangladeshi economist can ripple across the globe.
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