Why It's Smart to Care about World Water Day

World Water Day is March 22. So what, right? Well, for about 663 million people in the world, it’s a big deal. They live without access to clean water. This causes a ton of problems, including water-related illnesses. But lack of water impacts women and girls the most, because they are often the “water fetchers” in a family. They spend hours each day, walking to fetch water (which is usually still contaminated). During these walks for water, women and girls are often at risk for abduction or rape. And the hours spent fetching water are lost for school or work, which means women and girls often cannot get the education or employment they need to be empowered or independent, much less make a better life for themselves or their families.

For these reasons (and more that we’ll share on World Water Day), Society B is honored to support Water.org with a portion of our sales of goods that give back. But let’s put a face on this situation, shall we?

Aisyah's Story

Together with Water.org, we have helped empower smart women like Aisyah through access to safe water. Aisyah is a wife, a mother, and a farmer. Most critical to all of her roles is time. Aisyah explained, “Time to work my rice fields means more money I can make for my family; our life is better.” As a smart businesswoman growing one of Indonesia’s most desired crops, Aisyah recognized lack of access to water at home as the main obstacle keeping her from having the time needed to farm.

Until recently, a typical day for Aisyah included waking before sunrise to walk a few kilometers, all for the purposes of collecting water. Her options for water varied—a river, a community pump, or her neighbor’s bore well—but none was reliable. After several back-and-forth trips to collect enough water for her family’s needs, finally a tired and often frustrated Aisyah made her way to the rice field.

It is for people like Aisyah that Water.org created WaterCredit. Water.org connects them to affordable financing, empowering them to install household water connections and toilets at home. A smart solution for a smart businesswoman, Aisyah knew water at home meant more time to produce a larger harvest. With these benefits in view, she confidently approached taking a loan to construct her very own water tap.

Now the obstacle between Aisyah and time to work has been removed. And now, as we have seen for millions of others, Aisyah continues to change her world.