According to a 2019 study by the World Health Organization, nearly 1 of 3 people worldwide lack access to safe water services. Even more lack water for basic hygiene and sanitation. About 10% of the world’s population consumes food that has been irrigated by water polluted with waste. All of this results in preventable sickness and death, especially in areas of the globe already caught in cycles of poverty and underdevelopment. Some 829,000 people are estimated to die each year from diarrhea as a result of unsafe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene.

One of these communities struggling with the effects of poor water access are the rural villages of Honduras. Women spend up to 6 hours fetching water each day when that time could otherwise be used for educational and developmental purposes.