The Project
The African Women and Water Conference is a 5-day intensive
that will equip thirty African women with the technologies, skills, and
networks they need to dramatically improve the water conditions in their
communities. Thirty women from throughout Africa have been selected to take
part in this conference based on their proven leadership and their commitment
to community development. By participating in this gathering, these women will
gain the skills and leadership they need to become powerful water stewards.
The Need
- The average distance a woman in Africa and Asia walks to
collect water is 6 km.
- The weight of water that women in Asia and Africa carry on
their heads is equivalent to the baggage weight allowed by airlines (20 kg).
- One in ten school-age girls in Africado not attend school
during menstruation or drop out at puberty because of the absence of clean and
private sanitation facilities in schools.
- High prices charged for water, whether by private or public
companies, force poor women to buy from vendors or use contaminated, unsafe
water.
- A woman living in a slum in Kenya pays at least five times
more for one liter of water than a woman in the U.S.
- Many women face the threat of violence or rape when they
engage in daily tasks such as fetching water.
- Both in rural and urban settings, women have an important,
but often unacknowledged role in water management, as collectors, porters,
storers and users of water.
The Results
Upon completion of the workshop, every woman will walk away
with:
- The training and skills to implement a community-based water
service project from start to finish (ie. household water filter, solar pasteurization,
rainwater harvesting)
- A $1,000 seed grant to launch a project in her community
- A set of organizational development, grant-writing, and entrepreneurial
skills
- A global peer network of women leaders with whom to share
information, best practices, and support
- A new level of credibility and leadership in her community
Who Will Participate?
   
Women from throughout Africa have been nominated in teams of
two, based on their proven leadership in community organizing and/or water
issues. They must have shown a commitment to starting a water service project
when they return home. Read about the thirty selected women here.
How You Can Help
For More Information
Visit www.africanwomenandwater.org
The lives you touch will never be the same. We invite your
partnership--for women, for water, for a thriving planet.
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