Here’s something exciting: More and more women are occupying leadership positions in the water sanitation field to help the billions of people worldwide who don’t have access to clean drinking water. Leadership roles in water management are a source of pride and progress in societies that do not traditionally provide women with a voice in such matters. In Nigeria, for example, women were encouraged to take part in building a local reservoir. Their input led to a subsequent increase in access to clean drinking water for the community thus allowing women to devote more time to income-generating activities.

Of course everyone without proper sanitation or the necessary ingredients for a healthy life suffer; but for women these conditions are especially harmful. Here are some of the reasons why:

1. In many societies, women carry the burden of collecting water for their families. However, when resources are scarce, women and girls put themselves at risk as they wander far from home in search of water.
2. The time that a girl spends fetching water is time better spent in a classroom. With access to education opportunities, women have infinitely higher chances of moving out of poverty and leading healthier lives.
3. Poor sanitation can be a source of humiliation for many women. Imagine not having a toilet and being forced to menstruate in front of strangers. Many girls don’t go to school because they would have to share a bathroom with boys. At night it’s even more dangerous. Young women run the risk of being attacked when they leave the safety of their homes to relieve themselves outside.

As female leadership becomes a growing trend in the fight for the human right to water, communities in the developing world are seeing an increase in sanitation, health, and overall self-confidence for local women.