WOW! WORK OF WOMEN

A membership organization of World Neighbors

Issue Focus

WOMEN AND WATER

Water is critical to the health and well-being of the world’s population, yet the United Nations reports that 1 in 6 people around the world do not have access to safe drinking water and 1 in 3 people lack adequate sanitation. Consequently, death and disease related to inadequate water supplies is high in the developing world, with approximately 3 million people dying each year and millions more suffering from water-related diseases. Most of those affected by these illnesses are children under the age of five.

Inadequate access to water disproportionately affects women and girls in the developing world. Traditionally, women and girls have the responsibility of collecting water for use in the household and for hygienic purposes. They are expected to walk an average of 4 miles (approximately 3 to 6 hours) daily to gather water, carrying over 40 pounds of water at a time. The energy spent walking and carrying such heavy loads daily wears on already under-nourished women and girls who do not meet their recommended caloric intake. Read more about women and water.

In the News

WOW! IN NEPAL

WOW! coordinator Katherine Craig is just back from Nepal where she and other committed Work of Women members visited World Neighbors programs. Click here to view her blog on MySpace to read about her experiences on this journey. 

WORLD NEIGHBORS IS FINALIST FOR KYOTO WORLD WATER GRAND PRIZE

World Neighbors was honored in Istanbul this spring as a finalist for the Kyoto World Water Grand Prize, recognition designed to showcase exemplary grassroots work around water. Sergio Larrea Macías, Bolivia program coordinator, World Neighbors Bolivia, represented the organization at the World Water Forum, and participated in events with thousands of organizations, activists and policymakers. Larrea presented World Neighbors model program to forum participants.

 Call to Action

Reform U.S. Foreign Assistance

In January, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made bold statements at her confirmation hearing calling on the U.S. government to re-think the way it deals with the developing world by investing in women’s opportunities and listening to local voices in poor countries.

In his historic inauguration speech, President Barack Obama declared that America is “ready to lead once more,” saying, “To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders.”

Right now President Obama and Congress have a historic opportunity to make this change a reality for million of women and families living in poverty. How? By reforming the U.S. foreign assistance system. Learn more about how you can help.

Fair Trade and Gifts for a Cause

Shop for a Cause

Sport Your Cause. Visit our online WOW! Store for more gift ideas that help WOW!, including messenger bags, mouse pads, t-shirts and more.