From safe water flows hope

Aucilene's story is one of resilience, transformation, and hope. Aucilene lives in a rural part of Brazil with her parents, her son, who works at a local gas station, and her nephew, who is a student. Aucilene herself works tirelessly raising cattle, sheep, and chickens, planting corn and beans, and managing her household. Until recently, Aucilene’s time and daily activities were dominated by a daily struggle for water.

Before they had access to a reliable water source, Aucilene felt every day was a battle. “It was tough,” she recalls. “We had to collect water from far away.” For drinking water, the family had to travel to distant sources or buy bottled water. For the rest of their household needs, they relied on a water truck, but even that wasn’t without challenges. The water truck supplied water from reservoirs that weren’t always trustworthy, and they had no way of knowing the quality of the water. Water was a constant worry for Aucilene.

The family’s struggles didn’t end with the lack of availability and quality of their water. Aucilene’s family once had a rustic well that provided water, but it was unreliable, especially during the dry season when the well would often run dry. “We would go and collect water from other places,” she says, recalling the desperate efforts to find water. “During the dry season, it was impossible to keep it full. So, my father, son, and I would all collect water with our donkeys. That’s how it was because there were a lot of small reservoirs around here.”

It was a routine that required a great deal of effort, time, and coordination. But despite the challenges, they kept going, because survival without water was unimaginable.

Things changed when Aucilene made a series of improvements to her homestead. She took out a small loan through our local partner in Brazil to purchase a large cistern that collects rainwater, providing a safe and lasting water source. “This cistern is excellent,” she says, her gratitude clear. “Before it was very hard to get water.”

Now, with the cistern in place, Aucilene no longer has to worry about paying high prices for potentially unsafe water from a truck or making endless trips to distant reservoirs to collect water. The cistern provides her family with water that’s safe for drinking, and there is always enough for washing clothes, cleaning dishes, and tending to her animals.

The days of relying on unreliable and unsafe sources of water are over. “Things have improved,” she says, “because I don’t have to worry about this today. I no longer have to go to a well or buy it here. Everything has improved, it’s much easier now. It makes life easier in many ways.”

For Aucilene, the cistern has provided more than just safe water; it has restored her sense of hope. "Water is everything!" she exclaims. "It is the foundation of our lives. We cannot live without it; we need it all the time. It’s even more essential than food. It holds greater value. It is very important."

Aucilene's story is similar to that of millions of women around the world. Through our work, we're helping change their lives with affordable, accessible, sustainable safe water and sanitation solutions. This means women and families can get reliable access to the safe water solutions they need at home to redirect their time and resources to caring for their families, increasing their household incomes, and building the lives they want.