In Sub-Saharan Africa, women and girls are primarily responsible for water collection in most households. A single trip often takes over 30 minutes, and in nearly 80% of homes without direct access to water, this burden falls on them. These lost hours translate directly into reduced participation in paid work, entrepreneurship, and skills development. In Africa, pronounced infrastructure gaps combined with entrenched gender norms constrain women's economic agency at every stage of life.
What the Women Tell Us
For the World Water Day 2026 campaign, we asked women from the Youth Climate Collective a simple question: "What is the biggest water-related challenge women and girls face in your community today?"
Their answers echoed a global crisis. The overwhelming response was not just about the lack of water, but about what that lack steals from women: their time, their safety, and their opportunities.
Brimala Tinjie Mattia of the Youth Climate Council, Liberia, shared this:
"One of the biggest water-related challenges women and girls face in many communities is limited access to clean and safe water sources. In most areas, women and girls are responsible for fetching water for their households, which often means walking long distances and spending several hours each day. This not only causes physical stress but also takes time away from girls' education and women's work or other productive activities."
Wendy Omanga of the Moonlight Initiative, Kenya, offered a different perspective that speaks to the intensifying risks of climate change:
"In my community, floods are the biggest problem. Because we are surrounded by rivers, the water challenge women face here looks different from other places. When heavy rains come, the riparian land along the riverlines floods. It destroys property, washes away crops, and takes lives. Women and girls are hit hardest because most lack the skills to swim or survive such disasters. But the danger does not end there. Displacement makes them vulnerable to exploitation. With nowhere to go and nothing to eat, some are forced to exchange sexual favours for accommodation, food, and other basic needs. The water does not just take their homes; it puts them at risk in ways people do not see."
According to a 2026 UN Hydrological report, the world has entered an era of global water bankruptcy, and with current trends, this means women will be disproportionately affected, facing increased domestic labour burdens and reduced access to education as households cope with scarcity. Without climate-resilient water systems, these pressures risk amplifying existing gender inequalities while constraining future labour supply and productivity.
The Hidden Workforce
Amidst all this struggle, powerful leaders still emerge. We asked women to share examples of women whose work is essential to providing water for their communities. The responses painted a portrait of a hidden workforce.
Ifechi Anikwe of the Migration Action and Advocacy Foundation, Nigeria, described her work this way:
"My work sits at the intersection of research, advocacy, and community engagement, and water is increasingly central to all three. At the Migration Action and Advocacy Foundation, I am contributing to a regional climate risk profile that examines how climate hazards, including water stress and flooding, drive human mobility across West Africa. I focus specifically on gender and social inclusion, asking not just who moves, but who is most exposed, most overlooked, and least resourced when water systems collapse. Before this, at Clean Technology Hub, I worked directly with women in rural communities on economic resilience programmes. I witnessed firsthand how water insecurity undermined everything else we were trying to build: businesses, food systems, and health outcomes.
My work is not about carrying water. It is about ensuring that the women who do carry it, and who understand water's role in their communities more intimately than any policymaker ever will, are heard, resourced, and placed at the centre of the decisions that shape their futures."
Lydia Biira of the Centre for Citizens Conserving Environment & Management, Uganda, shared a local example:
"In Bwera, Kasese District, a local woman called Mama Ruth plays a vital role in helping her community access water. Every day, she wakes up early to fetch water from a nearby spring. But she does more than just collect for herself. She also helps organise other women to protect and clean the water source so it stays usable for the whole village. When heavy rains block the spring with soil, she mobilises neighbours to clear it so families can continue to collect water without interruption.
Her work may not always be recognised, but for many households in the community, the water they use every day is available because of her dedication."
Priorities for 2026 and Beyond
To unlock the full economic potential of water access for women, four strategic shifts are essential.
Gender-responsive budgeting. Governments cannot credibly prioritise water access without explicit budget allocations for climate-resilient water systems in rural markets where women trade and work.
Better data disaggregation. Aggregated statistics obscure how water scarcity affects women-headed households, women, and girls differently at each stage of life. Disaggregated data is essential for targeted, effective policy design.
Meaningful inclusion of civil society. Civil society organisations' role in monitoring progress and holding governments accountable to Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063 is indispensable.
Investing in digital and STEM skills for women. Expanding girls' access to STEM education and digital training can enable women to design, manage, and innovate in climate-resilient water systems and participate in emerging sectors shaped by data, artificial intelligence, and digital technologies.
The stories from the collective members confirm that women, who carry the water, are the ones best equipped to manage it. Their vision for change is about investing in systems that give them time: time to learn, to earn, and to lead.
Because when water flows closer to home, equality begins to grow.