Empowering Rural Women through Water and Sanitation

On the 2024 International Day of Rural Women, we celebrate the essential role they play in the development of their communities. Despite the challenges they face, women continue to lead initiatives that transform lives, especially in access to clean water and sanitation

"Water is life," as expressed by a beneficiary in Costa Rica. Therefore, it is also a basic human right, yet more than 150 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean lack access to this resource. The statistics hide realities that are even more stark in rural areas, where women are predominantly responsible for ensuring their communities have access to clean and safe water.

We don't want to keep telling the same story in the region; we want to change it. Since 2009, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), together with the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), through the Water and Sanitation Cooperation Fund in Latin America and the Caribbean (FECASALC), has worked in over 15 countries on projects that have provided access to clean water and sanitation services to more than 4.4 million people.

Many of these projects are led by women in rural communities. These initiatives have not only improved the quality of life for these individuals but have also empowered women by giving them the necessary tools to lead change. These are some key factors that have empowered rural women through water and sanitation:

Less Unpaid Domestic Work:

Rural women are the main ones responsible for seeking water and sanitation sources when there is no access. This translates into time and energy that could otherwise be spent on professional development, family, or even self-care. As Sara López, from the National Environmental Sanitation Service (SENASA), explains: "Helping women stop being slaves to carrying water is a hugely important achievement, especially in bathroom infrastructure. That changes everyone's life."

Increased Female Participation in Male-Dominated Sectors:

In rural areas, many women see their work go unnoticed or set aside their professional training to dedicate time to their families. Additionally, the water and sanitation sector remains highly male-dominated. In the Water and Sanitation Cooperation Fund, we know that water has a gender, and that's why a significant part of the projects includes components that offer technical training to increase female participation in the sector while empowering women. For instance, the Multipurpose Water Supply and Irrigation Program for the municipalities of Batallas, Pucarani, and El Alto enabled the Umamamas to be trained in plumbing.

Improved Systems Under Female Leadership:

Rural women also have much to offer in improving the water and sanitation sector. Their perspective helps enhance project management and organize communities collaboratively. This was the case with Adriana Acuña, president of the Sierpe de Osa Water Board, and entrepreneur: "What I wanted was open communication, where everyone felt comfortable and confident to express their opinions without being overruled or ignored, like we used to be. Providing an environment where they can express ideas, complaints, and needs so that we give not 100% but 200%, and it's reciprocal, and it's worked," she says.

This year, the International Day of Rural Women carries the theme "Rural Women Facing the Global Cost-of-Living Crisis," yet we know that women have always been crucial in managing crises, including the lack of water and sanitation. That's why we celebrate the integration of these women into the water and sanitation sector, as water shouldn't be an aspiration but a reality. Working together, drop by drop, we can ensure that every woman, every girl, and every rural community has access to clean and safe water.

The IDB, along with AECID, share the common goal of providing quality water and sanitation services in rural areas of the region. Learn more about the projects carried out so far with the Water and Sanitation Cooperation Fund (FCAS) in this publication.

To learn more about "Women Upstream," subscribe to our blog here.

Women Upstream Team:

Coordination: Anamaría Núñez, María Augusta Olmedo, and Leticia Ortega

IDB Gender Specialists: Naiara Martínez

Content: Andrea Ortega Carreño and Paul Constance

Illustration: Verónica Alvarado and Carolina Curbelo

Audiovisual Production: Adriana Loeff

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.