In December, I had the opportunity to travel to Bangladesh as a Water1st Global Fellow and see the tremendous impact of clean water and sanitation on the health, happiness, and dignity of slum communities. I saw the huge difference in quality of life between communities with and without clean water and sanitation. When we visited densely populated slum communities in Dhaka that had water, though we saw extreme poverty, the people were incredibly joyful, welcoming, and proud of their water systems and toilets. We met young children who are the first generation in their families to have the security of convenient access to clean water.

We also visited a rural indigenous community that currently has no source of clean water or sanitation, leading to countless children dying of diarrhea each year. There, I met a beautiful 8-year-old girl named Munee with a radiant smile. She had a huge impact on my view of Water1st and the work that the youth board does. Right now, she and the other girls and women of the community walk a steep, treacherous path down to a stream, where they collect water multiple times per day. As Global Fellows, we carried water with these women. Even with Munee and several other girls guiding us, we struggled, though we were carrying far less water than many of the young girls, and only made the journey once. This community will receive water and sanitation within the next year, and I am hopeful about their future. The work of DSK (Water1st’s inspiring and hard-working local partner organization) and Water1st will eliminate deaths due to water-borne diseases and give women and girls like Munee time to work or go to school, leading them on a path out of poverty.

I saw first-hand the life-changing impact of clean water and sanitation, but I also learned a lot about Water1st and why it is so successful. To me, Water1st’s mission is about deeply respecting the community members, as well as partner organizations such as DSK, and collaborating to address the most urgent issues: water and sanitation. It is about humanity and compassion for everyone, regardless of race, religion, nationality, or gender, and working towards a better future for all of us by empowering those who need it to access their human right to water. Through Water1st, we are all able to make a difference in the lives of people like Munee and help end poverty and injustice in developing countries, one water project at a time.