A solar-powered water system means Salome no longer walks to a ravine for water

For two years, Salome has not had to walk a kilometre to a ravine to fetch water for her family in Mzogole, Tanzania, since a solar-powered safe water system was installed in her community, the nonprofit Water Mission reported for the International Day of the Girl.

Digging in the sand when the water ran low

Before the system was built, Salome walked to a sandy ravine every day to collect water. When the water was low, she had to dig in the sand until water rose to the surface. One of her younger sisters once spent days in hospital with a stomach illness.

“Walking with a bucket of water was hard, but there was no way out.” — Salome

Taps at homes, the clinic and the school

Water Mission installed a solar-powered water treatment system in Mzogole two years ago. It delivers water to community tap stands, the local health clinic and Salome's school. With the time she saved, Salome has been able to attend school regularly, and she now hopes to become a police officer, like her grandfather.

Girls carry much of the burden worldwide

Salome's experience is common. Citing a WHO and UNICEF report, Water Mission notes that women and girls are responsible for collecting water in seven out of ten households without water on their premises, and among children, girls are more likely than boys to do the job. Water Mission estimates that women and girls spend 200 million hours a day walking for water.

Water Mission is a Christian engineering nonprofit funded by donors. Bringing water closer to home is changing children's days elsewhere too, such as in a Nigerian village where a new borehole lets children reach school on time.