WaterAid, the international charity focused on water, sanitation and hygiene, has joined a five-year initiative backed by Gap Inc to improve the well-being of women in India’s apparel industry.
Launched in 2017 by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Gap, the Women + Water Global Development Alliance (W+W Alliance) project aims to improve and sustain the health and well-being of women and communities in India touched by the apparel industry.
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WaterAid joins as an implementing partner, and will focus on ensuring continuous access to clean drinking water.
“WaterAid will help the W+W Alliance improve regional water security by significantly expanding the role of women and youth in community decision-making and water resource management,” says Melissa Fifield, senior director of global sustainability at Gap Inc.
Women make up about 80% of global garment workers – but the industry is also one of the most intensive users of water, and many of the countries where apparel is sourced face significant challenges in meeting the health, economic and natural resource management needs of their populations.
According to UNICEF, women and girls worldwide spend 200 million hours a day collecting water. They also face serious health risks due to inadequate access to safe water and sanitation facilities and poor understanding of healthy hygiene practices. Addressing these issues provides an opportunity to strengthen women’s lives.
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By GlobalDataWaterAid will join W+W Alliance members on a panel at World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden, on 28 August. ‘The Power of Catalyzing Women’s Leadership to Advance WASH Adoption’ will discuss the challenges women in India face in accessing clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and what the W+W Alliance’s model is doing to address these needs.
