Kayapó women bathe their children in the waters of the Xingu. Photo by Glenn Switkes.
In many parts of the world, women and girls bear a large burden of the domestic work providing water to their families and communities – collecting and carting it from wells and tanks to do the washing, cooking, cleaning, watering of animals, and growing fruits and vegetables.
Yet when it comes to decision-making around water resources, women are seldom at the table. In remote boardrooms and government offices, decision-makers are usually male, and they make development decisions that can drastically alter the lives of thousands of people. Women typically have little or no say over these decisions.
But rather than simply accepting this situation, women all over the world are stepping into community leadership roles.
They’re standing up for water and their rights, and challenging powerful government and corporate interests. From Brazil to Uganda, women are leading the charge to protect our freshwater resources.
Meet three women who are standing up for their rivers. We are proud to call these women […]
Full article: Saluting Women Water Warriors
More about women and water around the world:
- Water and women: we need to know more
- Jordan’s Water Wise Women
- Kenya’s Water Women
- Women’s Day: Access to water crucial to emancipating women – AWWASHNet
- The women fighting a pipeline that could destroy precious wildlife
Water Warriors and Other People Stories
- Long-time protector of Ottawa River, Patricia Tait, offers tips on how to preserve local water resources
- Researcher crusades for policies to protect water: Dr. Deborah Swackhamer
- This is amazing – Eva got the clean water she demanded!
- Animation, Storytelling Chronicle the Yellow Quill First Nation’s Water Struggles
- Meet the visionary who restored 5,500 acres of wrecked Texas land to paradise
- Mahlagha Mallah: Mother of Iran’s Environment