THE IMPACT
Water Scarcity and Women
![](https://www.wellsfortheworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/water-scarcity-and-the-impact-on-women-water-facts.jpg)
Water Facts
![wftw-inc-icon-bullet-65pxpng](https://www.wellsfortheworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/wftw-inc-icon-bullet-65pxpng.png)
Women and children spend 125 million hours collecting fresh water every day.
![wftw-inc-icon-bullet-65pxpng](https://www.wellsfortheworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/wftw-inc-icon-bullet-65pxpng.png)
Individual women and children spend as many as six hours collecting fresh water daily.
![wftw-inc-icon-bullet-65pxpng](https://www.wellsfortheworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/wftw-inc-icon-bullet-65pxpng.png)
Almost 70% of the 1.3 billion people living in extreme poverty are women.
![wftw-inc-icon-bullet-65pxpng](https://www.wellsfortheworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/wftw-inc-icon-bullet-65pxpng.png)
In Africa & Asia, women walk an average of 3.73 miles (6 kilometers) to collect water for their families every day.
![wftw-inc-icon-bullet-65pxpng](https://www.wellsfortheworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/wftw-inc-icon-bullet-65pxpng.png)
Women worldwide without access to improved restroom facilities spend 266 million hours each day finding a place to go.
![wftw-inc-icon-bullet-65pxpng](https://www.wellsfortheworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/wftw-inc-icon-bullet-65pxpng.png)
Women typically carry 5.3 to 6.6 US gallons (20 to 25 liters) per trip often on their head, the equivalent of 44 to 55 pounds (20 to 25 kilograms).
![wftw-inc-icon-bullet-65pxpng](https://www.wellsfortheworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/wftw-inc-icon-bullet-65pxpng.png)
Young women are often taken out of school once they reach the age of puberty due to non-private restroom facilities and lack of proper sanitation.
![wftw-inc-icon-bullet-65pxpng](https://www.wellsfortheworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/wftw-inc-icon-bullet-65pxpng.png)
School attendance increases for women when a clean water source is installed nearby, primarily because time once allocated to collecting water is now able to be devoted towards education.
![wftw-inc-icon-bullet-65pxpng](https://www.wellsfortheworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/wftw-inc-icon-bullet-65pxpng.png)
Households in rural Africa spend 26% of their time fetching water – and it is generally women who perform this duty.
![wftw-inc-icon-bullet-65pxpng](https://www.wellsfortheworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/wftw-inc-icon-bullet-65pxpng.png)
Involving women can make water projects 6 to 7 times more effective.