Women for the right to water

For the women of Las Mesas Community (located in Cantón El Cimarrón, in La Libertad, El Salvador), the struggle for water is a daily challenge for life: they have been making sacrifices for years to overcome the scarcity of water for consumption, to irrigate their vegetable gardens and to cover other needs in the community. In this coastal area of El Salvador, this scarcity affects thousands of people. Fifty years of this struggle

It is almost noon. I walk with a dozen women downstream along a winding stone path, where they can barely fit with their empty water jugs tied around their waists. First in line is Juana Hernandez, 61. She leads the group to the Amayo River and infects me with her laughter and energy. Juana has been the president of the Women's Committee for Faith and Hope since 1997. She is also head of household and lives with her youngest daughter and her 87-year-old mother. A good part of their day is spent walking long distances to collect water and then consume it with great austerity. "Here we women are the ones who watch over the water," she adds.