The Worth of Water

Praise

“A heartfelt invitation to get involved in the pursuit of clean water for everyone.”
–Kirkus Reviews

“I feel lucky to have been there for that first, fateful meeting—at the Clinton Global Initiative in 2008—between a movie star with a passion for global development and a water and sanitation engineer with years of on-the-ground expertise. More than a decade later, that unlikely pair has helped transform the lives of millions of people around the world through safe water and sanitation. Matt and Gary’s vision is clear, their strategy is smart and effective, and their faith in their fellow human beings is at the heart of everything they do. This book isn’t only an exciting read, it’s a rewarding and important one.”
–President Bill Clinton

“The Worth of Water is a powerful testament to every person’s ability to overcome their own challenges. As Gary White, Matt Damon, and the organization they lead—Water.org—have shown, a small loan can have a transformative effect for families and communities living in poverty. This book tells that story—a story of empowerment, change, and, above all, hope.”
–Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace laureate 2006

“Healthy people, healthy businesses, healthy societies—all begin with ready access to clean water. This requires all of us, from CEOs to government officials to citizens, to do our part and work together. As the founders of Water.org, Matt Damon and Gary White have been showing the way—and now, thankfully, they’re sharing their story. This book, just like its authors, is brilliantly insightful, full of warmth and humor, and radiates optimism about our ability to create change on a global scale.”
–Indra Nooyi, former chair and CEO, PepsiCo

“White and Damon share a compelling story that hits on the most important factor missing in empowering people around the globe without access to water: giving them a chance to reinvent themselves to gain new opportunities for a higher standard of living. Reinvention is typically done by outsiders fundamentally questioning the assumption bedrock of entire industries, and with water, the notion of using microfinance to fund public services was radical… until it wasn’t.”
–Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures and cofounder of Sun Microsystems

“Water is the ultimate systems challenge. It is a unique resource that underpins all drivers of inclusive and sustainable growth, and yet we are facing a global gap of 40 percent by the end of the decade. Gary White and Matt Damon have helped develop—and prove—one of the most groundbreaking ideas in decades: that people living in poverty have the capacity to solve this crisis. The Worth of Water describes how they’ve done it—and how closing this gap requires the centrality of those who are still in need.”
–Professor Klaus Schwab, executive chairman, World Economic Forum, and cofounder, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship

“A seamless rendering of their journey of discovery, setbacks and solution finding . . . White and Damon succeeded where others have failed, at least in part because they focused on solving the water delivery problem with the community and not by parachuting in with a solution decided from afar.”
–Associated Press