What can be done?
What have I done?
For my action plan to further justice for people—specifically women—impacted by water scarcity, I brought a speaker to my Theology class on Google Meet. The speaker’s name is Kelley McNamara, and she is a doctoral student at William James College. As a doctoral student, Kelley works in the global mental health program and researches gender issues in education and menstrual hygiene. She went to Kenya as a part of Willam James College’s Kenya Immersion Program. On this trip, she found data that showed that when schools had access to more clean water, the emotional well-being of girls increased as they could stay clean during menstruation.
Additionally, Kelley worked with the Massai tribe in Kenya—a group of women improving both water quality and women empowerment. Like Kelley, my research also covered the intersection between water scarcity, menstrual hygiene, and gender inequality in education. Therefore, I knew Kelley would be a phenomenal person to speak to my class, as her experience and research are mind-opening.
What can you do?
Education
Educating yourself is the first step, as the more we appreciate our accessibility to water, the more we can understand the condition of those who do not have the same privilege!
Research
Research is also a great way to combat water scarcity! If you have the opportunity in college or even now to get involved in water research, do it! Research helps us find answers to why the amount of water around the world is dwindling and ways combat water scarcity!
Donations
Donating money is also a great way to help, however, it is important to tread carefully, as some of these donation websites do not directly go to groups within third-world countries. Yet, I've linked some websites that are reliable for you to send donations!