I’m writing to you from Tanzania, where the sound of rain has filled my senses. The landscape is lush and verdant, families’ tanks are overflowing, and the parched thirst of drought has been quenched. Rain has always washed my fears away; it quietly (sometimes stormily) affirms that anything is possible. It reminds me that something as small as a raindrop carries the power to manifest change – and when raindrops form a deluge, the power of the collective can nurture new life.

 Today – International Women’s Day – I am awash with gratitude for the women who have shaped Save the Rain’s story, and for those who continue to build a better future, one tank at a time.

20 years ago, we believed that the solution to water scarcity was to build rainwater harvesting systems on primary schools. One day, some students took us to where they fetched water for their households: a meagre trickle, blacker than tar. In that moment, I realized that clean water at school didn’t solve what families were drinking at home. Soon after, 45 children died from a preventable disease, for the simple reason that there wasn’t enough water to keep them hydrated.

In the wake of this tragedy, some women spoke up during a village meeting. They asked to build tanks, just like the men. They described leaving their homes at midnight, locking their children inside, and walking through peril and darkness for water. This was how the Women’s Water Initiative was born: they wanted to be the architects of their own solution – to build tanks, and bring rain home.

We produced the book “Women and Water” to share their stories. Each tale is testament to what becomes possible when a woman’s true capacity is unleashed. Their strength and determination are an inspiration, and their resilience is a light.

During a recent gathering with women builders in Tanzania, we explored how scarcity takes hold when thoughts like “I must be the only one suffering” or “Something must be wrong with me” echo in our minds. No matter where we live or what economy we belong to, that inner struggle is a thread connecting women everywhere. Together, we discussed ways to break free from this mindset and ensure that every woman we support knows that, whatever obstacles appear, we are stronger when we face them side by side. Our meeting ended with a rallying cry: “TUTA TUTUA CHANGAMOTO PAMOJA!” which means “Let’s solve the challenges together.”

On this day honoring women, we hope you have a cheerleader and a sisterhood in your life that helps you turn every challenge into an opportunity. If you do not, please remember that the women whose stories fill these pages, and countless others like them, send their gratitude and prayers across the globe every day they no longer walk for water.  Please hold that and remember that you are never alone because when we help one woman rise, she lifts us all right along with her.

With gratitude,

Kelly Coleman

Executive Director