By Toni Wulff
GPRW’s ongoing partnership with Asociación unida por la vida (ASUVI in Guatemala is particularly important and exciting because of its impact on the lives of Guatemalan women and their daughters. As we know, in developing countries women are usually the hubs of families. When it comes to water issues, this means that the responsibility of water management falls disproportionately on them, giving them the burden of accessing a water source that is adequate for family needs. In playing this role, they of course are also the ones who cope with the dangers and stresses of fetching water, as well as with nursing family members stricken with waterborne diseases of various types and degrees of severity.
Perhaps most important of all, however, is the fact that potable water establishes a degree of gender equity that has not been typical of these Mayan villages.
But potable water is the grand liberator! With safe water in their homes, women and girls can take a giant step forward in terms of quality of life. It’s not just that they are healthier: everyone in the family is! Girls can join boys in school, where all childrenbelong. Men are more able to work regularly and to their potential, which then benefits the entire family. Perhaps most important of all, however, is the fact that potable water establishes a degree of gender equity that has not been typical of these Mayan villages. Women are blossoming in their greater freedom, the opportunity to spend their days safely and productively as they learn new skills, participate in community life, seek further education, and perhaps even organize to start a microbusiness or seek political office.
And it is potable water that opens the door, one village at a time.