Women and Girls

Women and Girls are Most Affected

Access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene are some of the most critical elements of a healthy and productive life. And yet today, over 4 million people in Haiti lack access to safe water and 60% live without a toilet. The economic and health impacts are staggering, particularly for women and girls who bear the brunt of this crisis.

Water insecurity tends to have greater effects on women and girls than it does men. In most water insecure areas, women and girls are usually responsible for water collection and transportation. This task, though necessary, often leaves women vulnerable to multitude of dangers, especially for women in rural areas travel far distances to fetch water. These women are often exposed to unsafe environmental conditions as Haiti is prone to natural disasters. They are also more likely to experience some form of gender-based violence during their journeys.

Women without access to safe water are more likely to experience dehydration and contract waterborne illnesses, and disease. They are also at major risk of developing infections caused by unhygienic practices, such as UTIs. If left untreated, these girls are also highly susceptible to acquire other renal and bladder-related infections.

A lack of sanitation services is a major obstacle for Haitian women. Young girls will often miss school when they are menstruating, meaning many girls will spend around 25% of their time OUT of school. This leads to many Haitian girls dropping out entirely. The lack of information and access to safe water and sanitation services has also affected the well-being of families and entire communities, slowing economic development and hindering the ability of people to participate in income-generating opportunities. 

Although men and boys are most often not the ones collecting the water, experience has shown men must be engaged in the conversation to understand their role and take responsibility for helping improve the lives of girls and women and the community at large.

At Haiti Outreach, we firmly believe that women are essential to sustainable development, we recognize the challenges women face and strive to address them through our work. In each community we work in, all receive gender-specific education to highlight the importance and impact water and proper sanitation has on women and girls. Another way we work toward bridging the gender gap is by ensuring that each committee we collaborate with is made up of at least 50% women. This way, women can have a meaningful voice in shaping goals and decisions that impact their communities.