women for water is a GWC platform building community resilience by empowering women and girls through access to clean water, sanitation, hygiene and life skills.

Grounded on the pathbreaking Ripple Effect Study, GWC established women for water to mobilize collective action for holistic, women-led solutions.

Scaling across Africa, the Americas, Middle East and Central Asia, women for water mobilizes collective action for clean water access for every woman and her community.

OUR GOAL

BY 2030, WOMEN FOR WATER WILL SUPPORT THE EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS ACROSS 10,000 COMMUNITIES THROUGH WATER, SANITATION, HYGIENE AND LIFE SKILLS.

When women are empowered, communities are healthier, economies grow and environments thrive.

Access to WASH is a critical enabler of improved access to education, economic opportunities, good health and well-being for women and girls.

Around the world, women and girls bear the burden of water collection and spend their days walking miles, waiting in long lines and experiencing harassment for water that is often unsafe to drink.

Sources : 1. Collecting Water is Often a Colossal Waste of Time for Women and Girls, UNICEF 2. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment Facility, 2019 3. UNICEF 4. Facts and Figures: Economic Empowerment, UN Women

Sources : 1. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment Facility, 2019 2. UN Women, Progress of the World’s Women 2002, Volume 2: Gender Equality and the Millennium Development Goals, 2002, 3. FAO 2010 The State of Food and Agriculture 2010-2011 Women in Agriculture, Closing the Gender Gap. 4. UNESCO Institute for Statistics: Fact Sheet No. 49, 2018 5. Collecting Water is Often a Colossal Waste of Time for Women and Girls, UNICEF 6. The Power of Parity: How Advancing Women’s Equality Can Add $12 Trillion to Global Growth, McKinsey Global 7. Facts and Figures: Economic Empowerment, UN Women 8. IRC WASH, Gender(ed) Issues of WATSAN Services, 2019

THE DATA TELLS US THAT WATER IS THE COMMON THREAD TO ALLEVIATE BARRIERS TO WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT.

women for water’s theory of change is based on evidence that water uniquely catalyzes a shift towards women taking greater control over their lives at personal, household and community levels, which in turn uplifts communities.

Findings from the recent Ripple Effect Study, conducted in partnership with the Water and Development Alliance - (WADA) and Ipsos, shows that access to clean water is linked to improved reproductive health, increased income, decreased gender-based violence and reduced risk of water-borne illness.

women for water mobilizes, manages and monitors innovative, inclusive and sustainable solutions.

Community Water Access

Community Water Access


Providing reliable drinking water and water for productive use to communities – saving women time, improving family health, and reducing violence during walks to water sources.

WASH Enterprise Development

WASH Enterprise Development


Improving access to sinks and handwashing facilities and distributing soap and personal protective equipment (PPE). Supporting community Covid-19 prevention and recovery.

Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainable Agriculture


Equipping women farmers with resources and training needed to overcome barriers to agricultural productivity and pursue income-generating opportunities.

Sanitation

Sanitation


Supporting menstrual hygiene management (MHM), addressing menstruation-related taboos and increasing young women’s ability to attend school during menstruation to improve health, privacy and dignity.

Business Skills Development

Business Skills Development


Facilitating trainings and resources, such as access to microfinance, that enable women to start and manage their own water related enterprises and address their communities’ WASH-related challenges.

WOMEN FOR WATER PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMS IMPROVE HEALTH, FOOD SECURITY, EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE.

women for water's partners include:

Today, 2.2 million Americans lack water access at home, with minority and low-income women most impacted.

SUPPORT US!

WHEN YOU SUPPORT WOMEN FOR WATER YOU ENABLE WOMEN AND GIRLS TO SPEND MORE TIME IN SCHOOL, GENERATE INCOME, TAKE TIME FOR THEMSELVES AND ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.

Follow women for water

Follow women for water