International Women’s Day 2026
Every day, millions of women and girls fetch water, cook, irrigate crops, care for their families and bear the burden of an unfair water load. Yet they are often absent from the decision-making and meeting tables where decisions are made about who has access to water, land and resources.
On International Women’s Day 2026, Join For Water wants to highlight precisely that: the indispensable role of women in water management and their right to participate fully. Because gender equality is not an optional extra — it is a prerequisite for sustainable access to water.
Why women make the difference
In the countries where Join For Water works, women are the primary users of water. They know the sources, the needs and the risks. Yet decisions are often made without them.
That is why Join For Water invests in gender-inclusive water management:
- women are encouraged to become members of the water committee in their municipality
- they receive training in leadership, debating techniques and financial management
- they are involved in monitoring and maintaining drinking water installations.
In Benin, in the municipality of Les Aguégués, Odette Hounkonnou became chair of the local water committee. She now has a say in the future of her community:
“Now that I am chair, I am often invited to the town hall. I am involved in the development of our community, and I am very proud of that.”
International Women’s Day is also important for the right to water
International Women’s Day is about recognising equal rights and equal opportunities. In the context of water, this means:
- women must know that water is a human right
- they must be able and dare to claim that right
- governments must ensure that women not only carry water, but also have a say in how it is managed.
Awareness-raising campaigns in Mali made this clear: women learned for the first time that they have a right to water, land and a say in decision-making. That realisation is changing their perspective — and their future.
Fanta Niagaté is a female leader in Mali and is determined: ‘I didn’t know these rights existed. Now I won’t hesitate to speak to our local authorities.’
Women protecting water sources
Join For Water supports initiatives that give women an active role in protecting rivers and ecosystems. In Uganda, there are the Woria’s or Women River Ambassadors.
Seventy-five women manage sections of the Mpanga River, plant trees to prevent flooding and ensure that everyone respects the buffer zones.
In the Andes, Protos Andes, Join For Water’s partner, founded the Binational Water School. Binationale refers to the area where Protos Andes is active: the border region between Ecuador and Peru, where the Mayo River, known as the Chinchipe in Peru, is the lifeline for the inhabitants. At the Water School, participants learn about water resource management and how to deal with the effects of climate change, among other things. There were also sessions aimed exclusively at women. This enabled them to learn about their rights and how to apply them in their villages.
‘The training makes us more aware of our rights and how we can apply or claim them,’ says Liliana Zosoranga Toledo.
The reality behind water inequality
Stories from women about their daily lives and their relationship with “water” reveal how heavy the burden of water is — and how great the impact of change can be.
As in many countries around the world, fetching water is still a daily chore that literally rests on the shoulders of women and girls:
Bintou Diawara from Mali: ‘My day starts at 4 o’clock in the morning. Fetching water is one of the hardest tasks. My dream is that men will help us with this.’
And Mama Rosa from DR Congo: ‘I can now fetch water close to home without fear. I have time. For my children. For my life.’
International Women’s Day is about equal rights, which are certainly not yet guaranteed everywhere and for everyone when it comes to water and water management. Join For Water remains committed and continues to work towards inclusion:
- women must be informed
- women must have a say
- women must be able to be leaders of change.
When women are fully involved, water management becomes more inclusive, fairer and more sustainable.
World Water Day on 22 March ties in perfectly with this, as this international day will also be dedicated to gender equality in 2026. More to follow soon…