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We all know that life without access to clean water and toilets
is tough for everybody,
but the consequences of not having these basic services
affects women and girls the most.
It is women and girls that care for the millions of people
that fall ill from water-related diseases like diarrhoea and cholera. And when they themselves
get sick from drinking dirty water, the whole family suffers.
When there's no water source close to home,
women and girls are usually responsible for collecting it.
This work is arduous, time-consuming and repetitive.
It means that women have little time to go work and earn money or any time to themselves.
For elderly women it can be especially tough and even dangerous.
For girls it can mean missing out on huge chunks of their education.
With no choice but to give their children dirty water,
many women must deal with the heartbreak of losing a child or several children
to preventable diseases.
Without access to toilets,
women and girls must suffer the indignity of defecating in the open.
For many, this means foregoing food and drink so that they can wait
until nighttime when they won't be seen.
As well as the health risks of walking through an open toilet in the dark,
women are also at risk of harassment and in some cases even violence.
And when women and girls are menstruating
it is even more difficult.
If there are no toilets at school,
girls risk being mocked and will often stay at home until their period is finished.
Not only is there nowhere for girls to dispose of their sanitary pads,
without any water they have no way of keeping clean.
Some girls stop going to school altogether and
miss out on an entire education.
Women are at the heart of all our projects.
Through our work across the world
we have seen the difference that clean water and sanitation
can make to the lives of women and girls.
And we have seen the huge difference that empowering women can have for
wider development outcomes.
We have seen girls going back to,
and staying in school.
We have seen women being able to earn money - giving them independence.
We have seen women gain privacy and dignity in clean and safe toilets.
And we have seen happy and healthy communities
that offer opportunities to girls as well as boys.
Safe water and sanitation transform women's lives.
Investing in such simple solutions,
empowers women to come together to change the future of their communities.