Over 3.4 million people die per year from poor water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions. Global Women's Water Initiative (GWWI) trains African women to build and sell water filters, promote good hygiene practices and become social entrepreneurs launching WASH businesses. Help GWWI support female technicians to build 200 biosand filters providing clean water and promoting good hygiene to 1000s of students and families in Kenya and Uganda, keeping girls in schools and women earning income!
Over 42 million people in East Africa can't access a clean water supply. This burden falls on women and girls who must cook, clean, and fetch water, carrying over 40 lbs of water (often dirty) on their heads. Schools spend money on medicine when children get sick from dirty water instead of buying books and materials. With no access to water or toilets, 1 in 10 girls to drop out of school when they get their periods. Women can't work. Girls can't get an education. The negative cycle continues.
GWWI is transforming women's water burdens into economic opportunities. Unlike other WASH programs, we invest in the leadership and knowledge of those who use water the most: women. This project will help 20 African women improve health in their communities by building biosand filters, which can clean water using local indigenous materials! Women not only reduce water illnesses but also launch their careers as local WASH experts, providing thousands of students and families with clean water.
GWWI graduates are already bringing solutions that improve health, eradicate diseases, save money for local schools, and increase girls' attendance. They have built technologies, challenged gender stereotypes and become local WASH experts and leaders. Women are taking the lead in addressing an issue that affects them deeply and helping their communities at the same time, inspiring a ripple effect that GWWI predicts will uplift the lives of 25,000 more people as the women expand their programs.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
