by Barbara Goldberg

Gender issues have come into sharp focus in recent years, particularly in Africa. The African Union declared 2016 to be “The Year of Human Rights with a Special Focus on Women’s Human Rights.” Gender was a priority in the Millennium Development Goals and continues to be so in the new Sustainable Development Goals.

However, without the empowerment of women at the grassroots level, the same hardships will continue to exist for women and girls. Legislation will not change what actually happens in the rural villages where we work, although laws protecting and supporting women are critical too.

Why is the work of Wells Bring Hope so profound? It’s because our working model includes the economic empowerment of women in a very tangible and reality-based way. We are the only safe water cause that trains women to start their own small businesses wherever we drill a well. Seeing the results of how we help women bears out why we must continue to support women and consequently the entire family on so many levels.

Improving their financial situation is a big part of it, but equally important is the ability to raise crops with their micro-loans which prevents them from dying of starvation during famines. And famines are occurring with increasing frequency due to global warming.

So, when you help fund a well you are doing the best that you can do to help women and girls in West Africa. Wells Bring Hope was started by women who wanted, to not only save lives with safe water, but equally, to end the burden of women and girls and give women the opportunity to help better the lives of their families.