Meet Grace
Access to safe water at home empowered Grace with the health and strength she needed to carry her baby to term in Ethiopia.
Read her storyA Women's Crisis
How does the world water crisis affect women and girls?
For women, the water crisis is personal. They are responsible for finding a resource their families need to survive - for drinking, cooking, sanitation and hygiene. They may stand in line and wait for water, they may walk long distances to collect water, or they may pay exorbitant amounts of money to secure water. In their efforts to get water for their families, they often face an impossible choice - certain death without water or possible death due to illness from dirty water.
Women and girls around the world spend a collective 200 million hours collecting water each day. In addition to time spent collecting water, millions may also spend significant amounts of time finding a place to go.
Time, health, and safety
Water collection and finding a safe place to go are major activities of the day for millions of women. Time spent collecting water takes time away from work, school, and caring for family. Without water or toilets at home, women cannot live up to their full potential.
Access to safe water is critical to the health of women and their babies during pregnancy and after. Walking to collect water and carrying heavy vessels of water can be dangerous for a pregnant woman. Further, the consumption of unsafe water can be harmful to the health of both mom and her baby. From maintaining a healthy pregnancy to nourishing a newborn child, women need safe water at home.
Women and children bear the primary responsibility for water collection.
Empower a woman with water and she can change her world
When women are empowered with safe water and toilets at home they are empowered to change their world. No longer burdened by the water crisis, they can care for their families. They can start small businesses, adding to their household income. They have the time and water to garden and cook food for their families. And, they no longer face unsafe situations when defecating in the open or walking to distant sources for water.
Access to safe water at home gives women hope, health and opportunity.
Meet Manjula
For women like Manjula, few things are more valuable than time.
Read how we're empowering momsMeet Sabina
Sabina is a farmer and a single mom living in a rural village in Kenya.
Read how water at home changed everything
For women, the water crisis is personal
They are responsible for finding a resource their families need to survive. These women are inspiring. Their strength transforms communities. Their efforts allow their children to stay in school, to learn and to dream. At Water.org, we are bringing women together, helping them get access to safe water.
Join us and empower more women to help their families and communities, because they are not trying to change the world, but they will.
Narrated by Jodie Foster, see how the water crisis is a women's crisis.
References
- World Health Organization and UNICEF. (2025). Progress on Household Drinking Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene 2020-2024: Special focus on inequalities.
- World Health Organization and UNICEF. (2024). Progress on Drinking Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in schools 2015-2023: Special focus on menstrual health.
- World Health Organization, UNICEF, and World Bank. (2022). State of the world’s drinking water: an urgent call to action to accelerate progress on ensuring safe drinking water for all.
- World Health Organization and UNICEF. (2020). State of the World's Sanitation: An urgent call to transform sanitation for better health, environments, economies and societies.
- Hutton, G., and M. Varughese. (2020). Costs of Meeting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal Targets on Drinking Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene.
- United Nations. (2019). UN-Water Policy Brief on Climate Change and Water.
- United Nations. (2021). Summary Progress Update 2021: SDG 6 — water and sanitation for all.
Empower a woman with water and she can change her world.
Donate