The latest on our work and those supporting it
International Women’s Day 2024: Don’t Leave Some Behind
Today, March 8, is International Women’s Day. When I looked at the International Women’s Day website, I was struck by their missions: — https://www.internationalwomensday.com/ Of course, these are all admirable missions for women. But when I tried to relate all of these missions to the women we serve at The Water Project, it was difficult. […]
How Water Scarcity Breeds Violence
Where essential resources are scarce, the likelihood of violence of any type goes up. When people get desperate, they fight with others to secure enough resources for themselves and the ones they love. Constant strife, or even constant discomfort, is bound to make anyone irritable. This concept makes sense intuitively. But it’s still shocking to […]
Change Happens Once People Get Access to Water
Like rings that expand outwards from a drop of water in a pool, big changes start to happen once The Water Project installs a new protected water source in a community.
Gender in Water-Fetching Culture: Even Within Kenya, It’s Not Always the Same
In Western Kenya, it is the role of women, girls, and children to fetch water. Growing up as a young girl in Kenya, I saw only women and girls fetching water, and not men. We also rarely take the time to understand why fetching water is predominantly considered the “woman’s job” (or that of children). […]
Dreams of College and Careers: Why Water is Essential to Women’s Equality
Saturday, August 26th was National Women’s Equality Day in the United States — a holiday created in 1973 to commemorate women’s right to vote. In the United States, women’s equality has made great strides, but there are still ways in which women are at a disadvantage. All inequality is worth addressing, of course. But it’s […]
Why Becoming Educated is Hard in Sub-Saharan Africa – Especially for Girls
Here in the United States, late summer is the time of year when kids and parents alike start thinking about heading back to school. In the U.S., the process involves kids getting supplies, meeting teachers, and maybe even scouting the trendiest outfits. It’s unlikely that any U.S. parents are worried about whether the kids will […]
What Does Water Have to Do with Domestic Violence?
This is another entry in a series where we answer questions we’ve received from curious donors, website visitors, and casual commenters. As we’ve said before, it can be difficult for those of us who have always had water piped into our homes to understand what it’s like not to have water. We haven’t needed to trek long […]
How Clean Water Empowers Girls
The global water crisis impacts millions of families, but the burden is heaviest on women and girls. We are especially mindful of that fact with the upcoming International Day of the Girl Child on our collective calendar. The United Nations established this day to recognize the accomplishments made by girls around the world despite physical […]