* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
In Bouda Chita, Haiti, the impact of clean water access is transforming the lives of women of all ages. “I’m an old women,” sad one resident, whose home was recently installed with a Pure Water for the World biosand filter. “Now after drinking water from my filter, I feel like I’m 18.”
Pure Water for the World has partnered with residents of Bouda Chita, a rural community west of Port-au-Prince, to provide clean water and hygiene education. For a community hit hard by the cholera epidemic that swept across Haiti in the wake of the 2010 earthquake, such access saves lives every day.
It’s a well-known fact that woman bear a disproportionate burden when households do not have clean water and sanitation access – it’s often women who travel to collect water, who care for sick family members, and who teach their children about safe hygiene habits.
It makes sense then, that clean water, safe sanitation and improved hygiene practices can play a part in inciting positive change in the lives of women in the developing world. In Bouda Chita, women can now access clean water for their children in their own homes.
Saturday, March 8 marks International Women’s Day – a day dedicated to celebrating women’s social, economic and political achievements. Recognized as a national holiday in nearly 30 countries and widely celebrated in dozens more, this year’s International Women’s Day theme is “Inspiring Change.”
At Pure Water for the World, we pledge to continue to work to inspire change for women in Latin America in the Caribbean and to empower families to build healthy communities.
Back in Bouda Chita, clean water access has brought the community together. “I live on the trail to market,” said a woman who is now able to share her clean water access with others after the installation of her filter. “I have been offering water to passers-by, and now I have more friends than I can handle.”
