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Women's empowerment stories

Together, we've empowered millions of people with access to safe water and sanitation. We invite you to meet some of them and read their stories.

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Access to water and sanitation creates time and opportunity

Evidence found through Water.org’s programs demonstrates that household access to water and/or sanitation can liberate anywhere from six to 14 hours a week to be reallocated from tending to water and sanitation needs to however an individual chooses. While not every person with access to improved water and/or sanitation ultimately opts to use this extra time to earn additional income, the majority of people empowered through the work of Water.org direct their newly-freed time towards income-generating activities.

Water makes dreams come true

Water has the power to make dreams a reality. With a small, affordable loan made available to Rose by her local bank, Rose was able to give her family a long-term water solution. Now she has money to pay for her daughter's schooling, bringing to life Maggie's dream of becoming a nurse.

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How the water crisis affects families in Brazil

Like 27 million Brazilians, Maria lacked access to adequate sanitation in her home, where she lives and works and helps raise her granddaughter. Read about how a small loan gave this mother and grandmother the resource needed to keep her family healthy.

Unlocking her potential

Nimfa’s story is a story shared by many women in her village. After spending too many girlhood hours searching for water, and spending too much money paying for what they lacked, they grew up to recognize their potential and knew they needed safe water to unlock it.

Elizabeth's dream

When one has time to follow their dreams, those dreams can become reality. However, millions of women around the world don’t have time to realize their dreams. Women like Elizabeth. Instead of pursuing her dream of making dresses to support her family, she spent that time each day collecting water. Mile after mile, heavy bucket after heavy bucket of water, it seemed there was no end in sight.

Health and hope are flowing

Namulondo is a hardworking health assistant at a local hospital and a loving single mom who has dedicated her life to caring for her children. A small, affordable loan helped Namulondo pay for a rain storage tank, providing her family with enough water for several months.

Ariacelle

When given a choice and an opportunity to pay for water and sanitation improvements over a reasonable period of time, families in need often choose to finance long-term solutions versus pay high prices, or struggle day-to-day, to get that next liter of water. Ariacelle once struggled daily to pay for bottled water and find a safe place to go. A small, affordable loan empowered Ariacelle with the funds needed to pay for the installation of a toilet and sink in her home.

Because of you

Because of you, life is different for millions of people around the world. It’s different for people like Dora and Moses in Peru, and Birtukan in Uganda, for Sariati in Indonesia, and for Birtukan in Ethiopia.

Water means Lomitu saves time and earns more

The people with the least access to safe water are spending the most time and money to get it. People like Lomitu. See how access to safe water at home saved Lomitu time, empowering her to earn more income.

Ruth can read

Proud of herself, Ruth read to her mother. The two sat enjoying Ruth's book just a few feet from their new water connection. This connection means Ruth will never know the water crisis like her mother once did. Instead, Ruth can focus on school, and reading her favorite books.

The cost of Leneriza's water, then and now

The people with the least access to safe water are spending the most to get it. People like Leneriza.

Three moms and their stories

Narrated by Jodie Foster, watch the inspiring stories of three mothers who broke the cycle of poverty and found a path to water. Each from different parts of the world, these women shared the need for access to water and sanitation at home. Discover how they overcame their water crises with small, affordable loans. The loans empowered each woman with the funds needed to purchase safe water and sanitation solutions for their families. As moms, these resources further empowered them to do more for themselves and their families.

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Together, we can empower more families with safe water.

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