More than half of the 1.2 billion people who do not have access to water are women and girls. Daily, they are responsible for collecting water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, hygiene, and sanitation. The huge burden of fetching water hinders women’s and girls’ participation in activities such as education, politics, economic endeavors, rest, and recreation.

Distance and time. Collecting water is often the most time consuming, yet important daily activity for women and young girls in developing countries. In rural areas, they can spend four to five hours per day gathering water, making it hard for women to focus on other economic activities and for their daughters to attend school. The weight of the water they carry also exposes them to a greater risk of malnutrition, back problems, and anemia. They expend immense amounts of energy and often times don’t have enough food to replenish their weary bodies, which is especially dangerous if a woman is pregnant. The weight also limits the amount of water they can carry.

Water Quantity. The precious, small amounts of water gathered are often only used for drinking and food preparation, leaving little hope for disease-fighting hygiene practices like hand washing. Too little water for proper hygiene behaviors perpetuates bacterial diarrheas, which are a major cause of sickness, malnutrition, and death. Women bare the majority of these statistics as the caregivers in the family. Lastly, women are commonly the ones to water and care for the crops, if they have access to land. Without adequate amounts of water for irrigation, crops suffer and women are not able to feed their families.

Water Quality. In many places, women’s long walks to fetch water result in sickness for their families. This hard earned water, if left untreated, has the potential to kill their babies. Unfortunately, women may lack time or energy to seek out scarce firewood to boil and treat the water. Many times new technologies for water treatment are taught to the men in the village and do not get shared with the women who manage the water collection and storage for the family.

Improved water sources are the first step to empowering women in developing countries. As the main users of water, women’s lives, like Nsonge’s, are waiting to be radically transformed by Lifewater’s well drilling and pump repair programs, which provide safe water close to their homes. Partner with Lifewater to change women’s lives around the world through the gift of water, gift of life.