Water insecurity is a serious issue in parts of rural Ghana, with an estimated 38% having no access to potable water. Because Ghana is a patriarchal society, the burden falls to women and girls to fetch water and tend to the household’s sanitation, hygiene, and meal preparation.
International Needs Ghana has launched eight water projects to drill boreholes and run pipes that bring water into communities that have no natural sources nearby. By improving water security, the local residents have seen an improvement in reproductive, maternal, adolescent and child health, and lower rates of preventable deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth. Additionally, women have more time for education and employment.