Global water crisis: why are so many women and girls at risk?

Climate-fuelled disasters, mass displacement and violent conflicts are creating a global water crisis. And in our unequal world, women and girls are bearing the brunt of this crisis. Living daily without accessible toilets or having enough safe water to drink can lead to increased safety risks, disease outbreaks and poor maternal and child health.

Without reliable access to clean water and sanitation, the simple act of quenching your thirst or going to the toilet can become incredibly dangerous. 

Because of traditional gender norms in many countries, the burden of fetching water falls mostly on women and girls. They are forced to travel long distances, facing harassment and even sexual assault. And the time it takes for girls to fetch water is time that they can’t spend at school.

We urgently need your help. A tax deductible donation to CARE today will help increase access to safe water and sanitation and will save lives. 

A gift today will help deliver safe water and sanitation that means women and girls are no longer in danger. 

How your lifesaving donation can help

Your support will help deliver simple hygiene products like soap that can stop the spread of deadly, but preventable, diseases.  You’ll also support CARE and our partners to repair damaged water pumps, build wells and accessible toilets in communities that need it most.

Please give a lifesaving gift today, because access to safe water and sanitation means safety for women and girls.

Khadijah and Jamilah

Khadijah and Jamilah are both from Yemen — a country where more than half the population are in acute need of safe water, toilets and hygiene education.

Over ten years of civil unrest and ongoing conflict has destroyed the majority of the nation’s water and sanitation infrastructure.

Khadijah at 13 unfairly carried the burden of fetching water for her family. Khadijah had to walk long distances on treacherous routes, leaving her vulnerable to physical attacks and sexual assault, just to find water. She was unable to go to school because this hardship took up most of her day.

“I feel upset every time my mother asked me to fetch water. I have experienced danger and injured myself many times. I and my brothers used to be sick due to drinking dirty water…” — Khadijah

Sadly, the water that Khadijah sacrificed her safety and education for, was frequently dangerous to drink. Many children in her village died of cholera because they could only access contaminated water.

Jamilah is a widowed mother of four children, they live in a single room that lacks many of the basic sanitation resources her family needs — including nowhere safe and private, to go to the toilet. She had no choice but to go to the toilet out in the open at night, where she risked being physically assaulted or attacked by wild animals.

“Our daily life is a relentless battle for survival … Women have to resist their need [to urinate] until night to relieve themselves in the dark” — Jamilah

Can you imagine being afraid for your safety every time you need the toilet — or having no choice but to drink water that might kill you?

Please give a lifesaving gift today, because access to safe water and sanitation means safety for women and girls.

Donate by phone

Call 1800 020 046 toll free and pay by credit card.

Donations over $2 are tax deductible.

Your donation will go where it is needed most. You are helping families living in poverty and together, we can transform lives and create a better world for all.