Finding their wealth in safe water

Jacqueline's story is a testament to the determination so many women and their families demonstrate as they endure and overcome one of the world's greatest challenges, a lack of access to safe water at home.

Living in the municipality of Ocara, with her husband and children, Jacqueline and her family struggled with daily difficulties due to water scarcity. Life working in agriculture, raising livestock, including pigs, sheep, cattle, and growing cashew trees, was incredibly challenging without access to safe water at home.

Before getting access to safe water at home through our local partners, Banco do Nordeste, Jacqueline and her family depended on a nearby reservoir for their water needs. The water was of poor quality, often muddy and contaminated, which made daily tasks, like washing clothes and bathing, difficult and sometimes harmful. Jacqueline recalls a time when her son developed a rash from bathing him in the water, "When I remember it, I get emotional. My husband asked a neighbor for water to bathe my son, because we bathed him with water from the reservoir and he got a rash all over his body. Then my mother took his clothes to wash at her house. It was very difficult, really very difficult."

Despite the difficulties associated with their water crisis, Jacqueline remained hopeful. She and her family saved money to start a project that would provide them with their own safe water source at home.

A small loan through Banco do Nordeste empowered the family to construct their own safe water storage tank which has completely transformed their lives. It provides safe, clean water, and Jacqueline says that it feels like they are now "rich" because of the ease and security the solution has brought them.

Access to safe water at home has allowed Jacqueline more time to care for her animals, manage their small grocery shop, and ensure her children’s well-being. She highlights how the children, who had experienced health complications as a result of their water crisis, are now grateful and very understanding and careful with how they use water. They learned to conserve it, knowing the struggles that came with water scarcity.

Jacqueline's story emphasizes how water is not just a necessity for survival, but a symbol of hope, empowerment, and the ability to improve quality of life. For her and her family, having access to safe water has changed their lives. Celebrating the power of safe water to improve their incomes, health, and futures, Jacqueline shared, "Having water for us is everything! It is our wealth.