Everything 

you 

didn’t 

know 

about 

Dopper 

in 

Nepal.

Access to water is a human right. Yet an estimated 1 in 10 people around the world can’t just turn on the tap. Instead, they spend hours fetching water to drink, wash, cook and clean. Time in which they can’t go to school or work. The good news? Change is under way. Thanks to local changemakers, NGOs and... you. Because by buying a Dopper you’re supporting safe drinking water projects in Nepal.

Before we get to the bit where your Dopper contributes to tackling the issue (whoop), here’s a quick summary of the problem. Nepal is home to one of the largest freshwater reservoirs in the world: the Himalayas. Yet due to a lack of infrastructure, 3.5 million Nepalis don't have access to basic water services. And for those that do have access, the water quality often leaves a lot to be desired, resulting in water-borne diseases. Because while that mountain meltwater starts off pretty pristine high in the mountains, it’s polluted by rubbish dumps on its way down.

Clean water has been at the core of Dopper since day one. Both in our oceans and from the tap. You see, Merijn Everaarts founded Dopper back in 2009 to tackle the plastic pollution in our oceans. But he realised a reusable water bottle to drink tap water from isn’t much help if you’re one of the 785 million people (that's nearly 1 in 10) around the world who don’t have a tap with safe drinking water running from it. And so investing in safe drinking water projects in Nepal has been part of our work from the start.

So how have we managed to reach 30,000 Nepalis with (drinking) water projects so far? With another 150,000 to come till 2022? It wouldn’t have been possible without our long-standing partnerships with two changemaking organisations: Dutch NGO Simavi and Kathmandu-based social enterprise SmartPaani.

Simavi operates globally to work towards a healthy life for all, which naturally includes access to water. Together with Simavi, we work with their local partners on the ground in Nepal to bring water and education to some of the most remote areas of Nepal. Currently, we help fund the construction of water tap points and toilets in those areas as part of Simavi’s Kapilvastu programme. And we’re only just getting started!

While our investment in Simavi reaches very remote areas, our work with SmartPaani impacts lower- and middle-class Nepalis around the country – both in rural and urban areas. SmartPaani itself exists of experienced technicians, researchers and businesspeople who together strive to tackle any (drinking) water problems the country faces. Very cool.

It’s exactly the kind of social enterprise Dopper believes in. Local initiatives that stand up to fill the gaps or failures in the system. Because of this, Dopper has chosen to collaborate with SmartPaani as a co-entrepreneur. Sounds fancy. But it’s quite simple. What it means is that we not only invest financially – for example in installations that capture and filter rain- or groundwater at schools – but are also involved with the development and marketing of products like an affordable water filter. Products with an impact.

Unsurprisingly, it’s these projects that provide the Dopper team back in the Netherlands with a lot of their motivation. Even more so after we saw some of the impact with our own eyes. Because that’s what we did in February 2020, when we took an educational trip to Nepal.

During what was an incredible learning opportunity, we spoke to the community about local challenges surrounding water and hygiene. We witnessed what it’s like not to have access to clean water. So we understand better than ever what our work here means. And how, together with local changemakers and a global community of Dopper users (that’s you, btw), we have the opportunity to create change.

We came back more determined than ever. Ready to make an even bigger impact, having seen how much clean water can transform lives.