In a village in Assam, India, many villagers once carried out a daily ritual of lowering a clay pot into the village well, even when they were unsure whether the water was safe to drink. Today, they can rest assured that the well’s water is safe, thanks to the village’s Water Quality Champion, a local volunteer trained and supported by the INREM Foundation to test, monitor, and explain water quality in clear, practical ways.
A deep-seated water challenge
Across India, access to water is not just about availability but quality. In some rural areas, wells and handpumps draw from sources that may contain naturally occurring contaminants such as fluoride, nitrate, or salinity.
Over time, unsafe water can affect health, soil, crops, and livestock. INREM estimates that more than 150 million people across India are living with the effects of water contamination.
It is within this context that INREM was established, guided by a clear vision: a future where every rural community in India has access to clean and safe water.
As one of the grantees of AVPN’s APAC Sustainability Seed Fund 2.0, supported by Google.org and the Asian Development Bank, INREM works at the intersection of science, policy, and grassroots action to help build Water-Safe Communities.
At the heart of this work is empowerment. Rather than delivering one-off solutions, INREM equips communities with the knowledge, tools, and local leadership needed to manage water safety over the long term.
Its key beneficiaries include rural households (especially women and children), farmers, and local volunteers, who serve as trusted Water Quality Champions within their villages.
Extending the flow of impact
Over the years, INREM has built technical expertise and deep community relationships. Yet as its work expanded across states and thousands of villages, new challenges emerged, from tracking outcomes at scale to strengthening data systems and communicating impact more consistently.
At the same time, INREM’s ambitions continued to grow. The organisation plans to work across multiple states, partner with government and nonprofit programmes, onboard more Water Quality Champions, and refine the use of digital and AI-enabled tools.
Through AVPN’s Sustainability Solutions Lab (SSL), INREM received targeted guidance and mentorship to strengthen organisational foundations, so that its work could go further, faster, and more effectively.
On the technical side, SSL helped INREM enhance monitoring, evaluation, and data systems. This included building a comprehensive data inventory, visualising data flows, and mapping user journeys across programmes.
Stronger data systems now support better tracking for water safety outcomes, clearer insights across geographies, and readiness for national-scale expansion.
Equally important was communications support. SSL helped streamline INREM’s communications strategy, clarify messaging, and develop impact-focused case studies.
New digital platforms and visual formats, such as short videos, now enable INREM to share learning across teams and showcase community stories to partners without losing the human heart of the work.
From capacity to change on the ground
These capacity-building efforts have already led to tangible outcomes, laying the groundwork for INREM to pursue its ambitions in the years ahead.
Improved digital infrastructure has strengthened INREM’s readiness for new partnerships and supported expansion into states such as Maharashtra. Enhanced technical capacity has enabled a more secure, AI-enabled digital environment designed around real user needs.
At the community level, stronger systems have made it easier to onboard and support new Water Quality Champions. In Khadhuki village, for example, a community health officer was empowered to educate more than 200 villagers about water-related health risks, demonstrating how improved backend systems can amplify frontline impact.
For local teams, SSL support has built greater confidence and motivation. Technology and data are now practical tools embedded into daily work, supporting better decisions at the village level.
Creating lasting ripples of change
At its core, SSL exists to help organisations move from promising ideas to enduring impact. By strengthening capabilities behind the scenes, SSL enables organisations like INREM to deepen their work on the ground while scaling effectively.
Rani’s morning routine may look simple, yet it reflects something powerful: how trust, knowledge, and local leadership can turn water into a source of life and resilience.
To learn more about how SSL supports grantees across the region, explore the rest of this blog series here and see how capacity building is helping sustainable solutions take root, one community at a time.
