For women in a small village outside Patzun, Guatemala, water is life, but it is also backbreaking work.

Why we care: Girls begin collecting water from a young age, often missing school as a result and continuing the cycle of poverty.  Lack of clean, plentiful water also contributes to lots of illnesses that affect them and their families.

How we’re solving this: Behrhorst Partners for Development is working with the community to build a well in the village, which will give them access to clean, filtered water.  

Girls and women spend up to half a day walking to fetch water from the nearest water source, a river contaminated with sewage, pesticides and other waste from nearby villages and farms.

With a local source of safe water, girls and women’s time will be freed up for agriculture, other income generating tasks, and education, which in turn gives them greater decision-making power in their households. Across time as women gain more skills and authority at home, they have the opportunity to advance to more prominent roles in their community.  

Behrhorst Partners for Development works to ensure women are critical to decisions made regarding water and the community. We believe that women must play an active role in the solutions on the ground, influencing the distribution and implementation of water as well.

Building a new water source in this village of Patzun will enable the women of this community to achieve a better quality of life, escape the spiral of poverty, and advance to a new level of equity in their homes and community.