Every year on World Water Day, the global community comes together to recognise one of our most vital shared resources: water.
In 2026, the theme “Water and Gender: Where Water Flows, Equality Grows” highlights a powerful truth that access to safe water and sanitation is not just a development issue, but a human rights issue and a critical driver of gender equality.
For Project Waterfall, this message lies at the heart of everything we do.
Our vision is simple but urgent: a world where no one lives without access to safe water, especially in the communities that grow our coffee. Yet globally, 696 million (one in ten) people still do not have clean water close to home, and many live in the rural regions where coffee is grown.
Where safe water is scarce, inequalities grow. Women and girls are often the ones most affected when spending hours collecting water, facing barriers to education due to menstruation, and lacking access to dignified sanitation.
But when water flows, opportunity flows with it.
Water as a foundation for equality
Access to safe water and sanitation transforms lives.
For women and girls, it means:
More time for education and economic opportunity
Safer sanitation facilities that protect dignity and health
Improved menstrual health and hygiene
Stronger roles in community leadership and decision-making
That’s why water access is deeply connected to gender equality and why it remains a core focus for Project Waterfall and our delivery partners.
These initiatives not only deliver water infrastructure; they enable communities to build sustainable, inclusive systems where everyone benefits.
Partnering for lasting impact
None of this work happens alone. Our progress depends on strong partnerships with organisations working on the ground to deliver life-changing water solutions.
Supporting schools and communities with Splash
Through our partnership with Splash, we support safe water, sanitation and hygiene services in schools. These programmes ensure children have access to clean drinking water, handwashing facilities, and safe sanitation, creating environments where students, especially girls, can learn and thrive.
In communities supported through these programmes:
Hundreds of schools now have reliable water systems
Hundreds of thousands of children can wash their hands with clean water
Students receive hygiene and menstrual health education
Access to water in schools has a powerful ripple effect. When girls have safe sanitation and menstrual health support, school attendance increases and barriers to education decrease.
Community-wide water access with WaterAid
Our long-standing partnership with WaterAid focuses on large-scale projects that deliver sustainable water access across entire communities.
Through projects such as Flowing Futures in Rwanda, communities are gaining reliable water systems alongside sanitation and hygiene education. These initiatives are designed to reach tens of thousands of people while empowering local communities to manage and maintain water infrastructure long-term.
Crucially, women are central to these efforts. Community-led water committees often include strong representation from women’s groups, ensuring that those most affected by water challenges are also leading the solutions.
In Rwanda, for example, members of local women’s councils have participated in hygiene training programmes driving community-wide behavioural change and ensuring the long-term sustainability of water systems.
Innovation for sustainable water in coffee communities
This year, Project Waterfall is also supporting pioneering research into sustainable water use in coffee production.
Our “Wastewater to Safe Water” project in Oromia, Ethiopia explores how wastewater produced during coffee processing can be treated and transformed into safe drinking water.
Working with partners including the Millennium Water Alliance and the Oromia Coffee Farmers’ Cooperative Union, the initiative aims to:
Improve access to safe water in coffee-growing communities
Reduce water waste in coffee processing
Protect local ecosystems and water sources
Develop solutions that can be replicated across the coffee industry
By integrating water innovation directly into coffee production systems, projects like this ensure the sustainability of both communities and the coffee sector itself.
Where water flows, equality grows
On World Water Day 2026, we are reminded that solving the global water crisis requires solutions that are inclusive, equitable and community-led.
When women and girls have access to safe water and sanitation:
Education improves
Health outcomes rise
Economic opportunities expand
Communities become more resilient
Water is more than a resource, it is the foundation for dignity, opportunity and equality.
And together, with partners, supporters and the coffee community, Project Waterfall will continue working to ensure that where water flows, equality grows.
If you’re interested in making an impact, email us at hello@projectwaterfall.org.