Photo: Rwamburi Self Help Safe Water Project in Kenya © Courtesy of Water.org
By Heather Arney, Director of Insights, Water.org
As a mom, I feel the energy that comes with the back-to-school season. In our house, it’s a time of sharpened pencils, new clothes, and conversations about what my kids are most excited to learn. These small moments remind me of the opportunities that education opens. That connection between learning and play has mattered to me since my earliest work in global development. As a Peace Corps volunteer in Mauritania, I remember playing soccer with neighborhood kids and realizing no one had water to drink at practices or games. It was one of the first moments that opened my eyes to the water crisis and how deeply it shapes childhood.
Around the world, millions of children share that same back-to-school excitement but for many, the school year begins without access to something as essential as safe water and toilets. Some don’t have these resources at school, and others don’t have them at home, leaving them without the time or health to attend. Today, one in four children worldwide — 400 million — lack access to basic drinking water or sanitation at their schools. Without these essential resources, the opportunity to participate and learn is limited before the first lesson even begins. Safe water is what makes showing up to class and learning possible.
When schools don’t have safe water and sanitation, children face barriers to education. Twenty-three percent of all schools lack basic drinking water. Girls are especially impacted: without private, safe toilets, many miss school during their periods or leave altogether. Outside of school, the responsibility of collecting water often falls on women and girls. Every day, they spend 200 million hours walking to collect water for their families. Time that could otherwise be spent on studying, playing, or simply resting
Health is another barrier. Without access to safe water, children are more likely to get sick, and illness interrupts their education. Around the world, every two minutes, a child dies from a water- or sanitation-related disease. When children are absent from school, they miss lessons and fall behind, limiting their future opportunities. We know that for every additional year a girl remains in school, her future income can increase by 20 percent.
The good news is that progress is possible, and we see it every day. When schools have safe water and toilets, the difference is clear. Attendance improves; in one study from Nepal, attendance rose from 58 percent to 80 percent. Safe water at home matters, too. Children with safe water and sanitation at home achieve higher cognitive test scores because they can arrive in class healthy and ready to learn. And when children can stay in school, the benefits extend beyond the classroom. Families gain more time for work and care, which in turn helps strengthen communities and increase opportunities.
One story that illustrates this change comes from Kenya. Mueni, a 14-year-old student, once spent hours each day walking with her siblings to collect water from a distant stream. The long walks left them exhausted, and drinking unsafe water often made them ill, resulting in missed classes. Then Mueni’s mother, Rhoda, accessed a small, affordable loan through Water.org’s local partner to install a rainwater storage tank at home. With safe water steps away, Mueni now attends school regularly, has more energy to focus on her studies, and her grades are improving. She is even able to spend time after school practicing soccer.
At Water.org, we work to make stories like Mueni’s possible for millions more families. Through our WaterCredit solution, we partner with financial institutions to make small, affordable loans for safe water and sanitation available to households. With these loans, families can install solutions at home that work best for them, saving an average of 267 hours each year that was once spent collecting water.
In addition, by working with 179 local organizations around the world, we also help bring lasting access to safe water and sanitation to schools and communities, so more children have the time and health to learn and grow. Our market-driven, people-first approach empowers people in need to take charge of their own solutions and build healthy, resilient futures.
This month, as my children return to their classrooms, I think of the millions of students like Mueni who are stepping into new possibilities, thanks to access to safe water at home or at school. When safe water flows, children gain the time, health, and opportunity to focus on their education.
Safe water is the way to education. It is the way to opportunity. And when we invest in safe water, we invest in the next generation of graduates, leaders, and changemakers.
About the Author
Heather Arney is the Director of Insights at Water.org, where she leads a global team that measures the impact of safe water and sanitation access on health, education, and economic opportunity. She has more than 20 years of experience in international development and water access, shaping data-driven strategies to scale solutions for communities in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. A former Peace Corps volunteer in Mauritania, she worked with programs supporting girls’ education and microfinance activities with their mothers. Heather’s work has been published in leading sector reports and journals, and she regularly collaborates with global partners to highlight how access to safe water transforms lives.
