Organizations all around the world are uniting today to support girls in desperate situations. For the last two years, October 11th has been a day to recognize the rights of girls and the unique challenges they face.
From the U.N.’s website:
“On December 19, 2011, United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.”
“Girls face discrimination and violence every day across the world. The International Day of the Girl Child focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.”
Today, WaterStep is thinking about the women and girls all over the world who struggle to access safe water sources everyday. They walk miles each day to get to a source, taking up physical strength, energy and time that could be better spent. The WaterBall allows women to carry more water, faster. Partnered with safe water solutions, like the M-100, the WaterBall can give women freedom to get an education, open a small business to support their family, or care for children and loved ones.
WaterStep ambassadors to India, David and Robin Brothers have seen, first-hand the impact that safe water can have on the lives of women. “This is really good for women,” David Brothers said. “Many spend 30% of their day gathering and boiling water. It also, of course, improves the health of the people in the village, especially children.”
The impact water purification has on women is immeasurable, according to the Brothers. “The women became champions of the chlorinator because they understand how clean water affects their family,” Robin Brothers said. “They used to have to boil water [to kill the bacteria so it would be safe to drink], which included collecting water, and firewood, charcoal, or kerosene. Having the chlorinator gave them hours to do other things for their families.”
“The Indian government said that if all the women in India did not have to boil and collect water, the country’s productivity would go up ten percent. It helps the economy,” David Brothers said.
WaterStep’s chlorinator, paired with the WaterBall open up a world of new opportunities to women. This month, we are working to raise $50,000 for the WaterBall. You can make a difference in the lives of girls all over the world. To learn more about the WaterBall, go here, or to donate, go here. And let your friends know that they can help – share this blog on your Facebook and Twitter. You can follow @WaterStep on Twitter, @WaterStepintl on Instagram, and find us on Facebook as WaterStep. Let us know your thoughts on empowering women today on International Day of the Girl.
