The #TeamWater campaign led by YouTube stars MrBeast, also known as Jimmy Donaldson, and Mark Rober in partnership with WaterAid has successfully raised more than $40 million to provide clean water to millions in need.
In a joint statement, they confirmed that the campaign, launched on August 1, reached its $40 million goal by the August 31 deadline, thanks to the efforts of content creators from 144 countries with a combined audience of over two billion subscribers.
Funds were raised through videos, livestreams, social media content and donation challenges among creators, as well as contributions made through Teamwater.org.
“Reaching our $40 million goal means that millions of people will experience the life-changing impact of clean water for years to come,” they said, as quoted by The Wrap.
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Guinness World Record-breaking donation
The announcement came a few days after MrBeast raised over $12 million for the campaign during his first Kick stream with Adin Ross and xQC, breaking the Guinness World Record for most money raised in a charity stream.
On August 14, the trio had initially planned to raise at least $5 million during the nearly 18-hour stream but ended up surpassing the previous record, which belonged to Adrien Nougaret and Alexandre Dachary’s Z Event in October 2021 that raised $11,972,930.19 over multiple days.
Major donors during the stream included Kick and Stake co-founders Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani, as well as Airbnb co-founder Brian Chesky.
MrBeast later celebrated the achievement with a post on X alongside a picture of him pointing to the donation figure, writing: “Just did my first stream and we raised $12,000,000 for charity! Most money raised in a live stream.”
Funds to be used for long-term solutions to water crisis
The donations will go toward long-term, sustainable clean water solutions that are expected to help two million people globally over the next two decades.
Every donated dollar will provide one person with clean water for an entire year and improve reliable access for marginalised and vulnerable communities.
In addition to clean water supply, funds will support sustainable infrastructure projects such as solar-powered wells, gravity-fed pipelines and rainwater harvesting systems.
Kelly Parsons, chief executive officer of WaterAid America, expressed optimism that the campaign would make a significant step toward a sustainable future.
“Thanks to Jimmy, Mark and the #TeamWater community, millions will soon have access to something most of us take for granted: clean water,” she said.
Fans praise MrBeast, #TeamWater community
Following the campaign’s success, fans praised MrBeast, the #TeamWater team, and everyone who supported the initiative across social media.
One X user even described MrBeast as a “saviour of humanity,” while others thanked him for using his platform to spotlight humanitarian issues on a level beyond governments and international institutions.
Despite the praise, MrBeast and Mark emphasised that the campaign’s success was due to the unity of global content creators who used their platforms to support the cause and raise awareness about the importance of clean water.
“Mark and I are blown away by what the creator community has accomplished — we could never have achieved this on our own. So thank you to the thousands of creators who helped make this possible,” they said.
They had earlier noted that the campaign could amplify the voices of those in need and inspire global action.
A timely, relevant campaign
The campaign’s success is especially timely as the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed in late August that 2.1 billion people worldwide — one in four individuals — still lack access to safe drinking water, including 106 million who rely on untreated surface water sources.
WHO also reported that 3.4 billion people lack safely managed sanitation, while 1.7 billion still lack basic services at home, including 611 million without access to any sanitation facilities, underscoring the severity of the global water crisis.
These figures highlight the urgent need to ensure safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene for all, not as a privilege but as a basic human right.
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