For this month's CONNECTION:
- Read three inspiring stories from your sisters in Sierra Leone, Zambia, and Mexico. We recommend that you pause for your own time of reflection after each story.
- Watch three women on the Living Water staff share their honest reactions and personal reflections on these powerful stories of impact.
Women and girls bear the heaviest burden of the global water crisis—and they hold the key to its lasting solution.
When women lead in WASH (Water Access, Sanitation, and Hygiene), families grow healthier, and communities thrive. As primary water collectors and caregivers, they bring essential insights into planning and sustaining WASH solutions. With 122 million girls out of school, safe water and sanitation in schools ensure they can attend class, pursue opportunities, and build brighter futures. WASH also eases unpaid labor and opens doors to economic participation, benefiting everyone.
In honor of International Women’s Day earlier this month, join us in celebrating women as drivers of sustainable, generational change through three neighbor-to-neighbor moments of connection.
Read each story first by clicking on the button below, and then play the video for Living Water staff reflections.
CLICK HERE TO READ MADAM AGNESS’S STORY
In this coastal Sierra Leone community, where life hinges on farming and fishing, the water crisis made every day an uphill battle.
Women and girls bore the heaviest burden. Each day, they were forced to walk miles to collect water from unsafe sources, leaving little time for school, work, or rest. On top of unsafe water driving ongoing waterborne diseases, poor sanitation and hygiene fueled widespread infections that made life feel impossible.
But change began when one woman dared to hope. Madam Agness Bangay, a councilor representing the Temedele chiefdom, saw these challenges as a catalyst for action. Once just another young girl suffering under the crushing weight of the water crisis, she was now a voice of faith—one who believed her community deserved better and was committed to creating lasting change.
Madam Agness rallied other local leaders to partner with Living Water Sierra Leone to bring safe water.
With safe water flowing freely—everything shifted. But she didn’t stop at celebrating this new chapter. She stepped forward to lead it.
Through hands-on training in hygiene promotion, she gained the tools to help her community embrace healthier, more sustainable practices.
And this was only the beginning.
“Armed with my newfound expertise, I took it upon myself to promote proper sanitation and hygiene practices in neighboring communities,” Madam Agness said. “Together, we fostered a culture of cleanliness and well-being.”
The future she once dared to believe in is here. Women no longer lose hours fetching water. Girls are equipped with proper menstrual hygiene management. Children are healthier and free to learn. The local economy is thriving, and community relations are stronger.
None of this had felt possible before. Really, without safe water, none of it was. But Madam Agness refused to let her circumstances define her future. She had the faith to envision a brighter future for her community and the courage to pursue it—until it became their reality. Witnessing her devotion to the flourishing of others, the chiefdom asked her to continue serving in office.
Madam Agness’s story is one of resilience, vision, and hope. It reminds us that when safe water flows and communities unite, transformation follows—not just today, but for generations to come.
MADAM AGNESS BANGAY
MOGBONGISSEH COMMUNITY, SIERRA LEONE
FELICIA BEST
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF MAJOR GIFTS
LIVING WATER INTERNATIONAL
CLICK HERE TO READ JANET’S STORY
In a small farming village in Zambia, unsafe water was a thief of time, health, and opportunity.
For years, women like Janet Nkwashi and her seven children had to walk over half a mile to collect water—contaminated water from a shallow well they shared with local wildlife.
Each day required multiple trips, leaving little time for farming, learning, or anything else. Diarrhea, vomiting, and other waterborne diseases were common.
Life revolved around survival, with no time to dream of something more.
Yet, that’s not where Janet’s story ends.
Transformation began when Living Water Zambia partnered with her community, bringing reliable safe water access and lifesaving sanitation and hygiene education.
“With safe water nearby, everything is different,” Janet shared. “We also learned how to care for our surroundings and keep our hand pump safe. Now, every home is building toilets, and we’ve stopped practicing open defecation.”
For Janet, this shift brought more than health improvements. It brought freedom. It brought hope.
With hours of her day reclaimed, Janet has invested this newfound time in farming and gardening, boosting her family’s income and swinging the doors of opportunity wide open.
For young girls, the impact is life-changing.
“Our girls can attend school regularly now,” Janet explained. “They no longer miss out because of water collection, being sick, or on their period. It’s amazing to see them thrive.”
Today, her community is healthier, stronger, and brimming with promise.
Waterborne diseases are rare, and hygiene practices like handwashing and teeth brushing have become second nature.
Janet sees a brighter future for her children and her community—a future built on the foundation of safe water.
“Life has changed,” Janet said with a smile. “With safe water, we’re not just surviving anymore. We’re flourishing.”
MRS. JANET NKWASHI
SHIKUPILWA, ZAMBIA
NOELLE MARCHAND
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
LIVING WATER INTERNATIONAL
CLICK HERE TO READ ADELA’S STORY
In Mexico’s rural community of El Llano de Jesús, daily challenges threatened residents’ emotional, physical, and financial well-being.
For Adela Francisco Cruz, a 38-year-old single mother of two and a community delegate, the struggle to secure safe water overshadowed everything else.
Each day was consumed by this fight for survival, leaving little room to think about anything beyond basic needs. Poverty weighed heavily on her shoulders, and even her faith felt distant.
“I’ve been Catholic my whole life, but I often questioned God,” Adela admitted. “They tell us we’re His children, but how could He want this life for us? It didn’t feel good, and I didn’t feel seen.”
When Living Water Mexico first visited her community, Adela greeted their arrival with skepticism. But as she continued to engage in sanitation and hygiene workshops, her perspective began to shift. She discovered a new understanding of God as the One who cared deeply about her daily life and her relationships with her family, her neighbors, and even the natural world.
Adela started to see the connections between her faith, her role as a leader, and the resources entrusted to her community. “God is not confined to church walls,” she reflected. “He is present in how we care for one another and the natural resources He’s given us.”
Through the guidance she received, Adela not only embraced safe water and hygiene practices. She became a powerful advocate for change.
She encouraged her neighbors to protect their water source, build household latrines, and adopt new habits that improved health and quality of life for the entire community.
Today, Adela firmly believes God set His eyes on her community during her time as a delegate, giving her a renewed sense of purpose.
For her, this transformation went beyond safe water—restoring faith, dignity, and hope.
