Bentonville-based Lifewater International merges with Water for Good, aims to amplify impact

Lifewater International, a safe water access, sanitation and hygiene nonprofit based in Bentonville, and Water for Good of Indianapolis have merged. According to a news release Wednesday (Feb. 14), the deal was completed on Jan. 1.

According to the announcement, the merger decision is driven by the organizations’ shared goal to accelerate the delivery of sustainable, safe water and improved sanitation and hygiene practices in underserved areas.

Both organizations work to end the global water and sanitation crisis in rural parts of the world.

“With 703 million people lacking basic access to safe water, and 1.5 billion lacking improved sanitation globally, the union of Lifewater International and Water for Good marks a pivotal step toward addressing these pressing needs,” the news release said.

Lifewater CEO Dave LeVan will be the chief executive of the new organization, which will operate under the name Water for Good. New branding and full integration of systems will be completed during the next year.

Founded in 1977 in California, Lifewater uses a sustainable, community development approach in rural, hard-to-reach areas.

LeVan’s resume includes PricewaterhouseCoopers, Kraft and owning a consulting firm in Chicago for 20 years. After selling that business, he led a Walmart team through a three-year project in Bentonville. When the assignment ended in 2020, LeVan knew Lifewater was a good fit since he’d been a supporter and board member for years.

As CEO, LeVan moved Lifewater’s headquarters to Bentonville to be more centrally located and offer proximity to company headquarters and the supplier community in Northwest Arkansas.

The new organization will be headquartered in Bentonville and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and serve communities in Cambodia, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda.

Spokesman André Arceneaux said Water for Good has 318 employees, most of them in foreign countries where the nonprofit operates. The breakdown is:

• Cambodia – 10
• Central African Republic – 144
• Ethiopia – 90
• France – 4
• Tanzania – 15
• Uganda – 17
• United States – 38

The Bentonville headquarters employs 12 full-time workers.

“The heart of what we do is ending water poverty and improving health by providing sustainable, safe water, and improved sanitation and hygiene in the most vulnerable communities,” LeVan said. “We believe that together, as one organization, we can do that faster and more effectively.”

More details about the merger are available at this link.