Water for Women

04/07/2025

📣Just launched! The Water for Women Impact report celebrates seven years of the Fund 🎊.

WfW has directly benefitted over 4.4 million people through improved health, gender equality and well-being in Asian and Pacific communities through climate-resilient and socially inclusive water, sanitation and hygiene projects and research.

Discover our impact and ripple effects - the achievements, outcomes, reflections and learnings in the interactive report today.

🔗Learn more: https://wfw.fund/impact

Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water | |

📷 'Interconnected Waters' by Merinda Walters

03/07/2025

💧🌏 How does inclusive WASH contribute to climate resilience?

In this new video, Water for Women partners reflect on the vital link between inclusive WASH and climate-resilient communities.

Now launched: . Our latest report brings together two years of collaborative learning and seven years of experience across the Asia-Pacific.

📘 Discover how equity, inclusion, and transformative change can drive climate-resilient development.

🔗 Read the report: https://wfw.fund/CRIW-ResilienTogether

Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water | International Water Management Institute (IWMI) | WaterAid Australia | WaterAid Papua New Guinea | Centre for Advocacy & Research - CFAR | World Vision Papua New Guinea | | | | | |

02/07/2025

📣 Just launched! Our latest brief explores the role that civil society organisations (CSOs) play in development, with a focus on the climate-resilient inclusive water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and water security sector.
Drawing on experiences from the Water for Women Fund, the study highlights how CSOs add unique value through long-term community engagement, advocacy, inclusive development practices, and innovation!

Learn more here 👉 https://wfw.fund/RoleOfCSOs

Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water | |

📷 SNV Nepal

This learning brief reflects on the value and contribution of civil society organisations in community development, as observed through the work of Water for Women CSO partners during the seven years of the Fund.

27/06/2025

People with disabilities are too often excluded from decisions about their own well-being, especially when it comes to WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene).

In this video, Water for Women partners highlight a critical truth: For effective, equitable, and lasting climate-resilient WASH solutions, the active inclusion and voices of people with disabilities are non-negotiable.

Learn more in our latest brief, "Hardwiring Accessibility: Measuring What Matters for and by People with Disabilities", which compiles 7 years of implementation lessons from the on advancing disability equity in services and systems.

To achieve true whole-of-community resilience, accessibility must be built in from day one. This means actively integrating people with disabilities into WASH programs, services, and systems, and continuously promoting, tracking, and measuring progress towards universal accessibility.

Read the full brief 👉 https://bit.ly/hardwiringaccessibility

Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water | CBM Australia | SNV in Lao PDR | London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine |

13/05/2025

📣 Just launched! Our latest brief shares lessons from seven years of implementation across on advancing disability equity in , and services and systems 📈

To realise whole-of-community resilience, accessibility must be hardwired from the outset. This means explicitly including people with disabilities in programs, services and systems, and promoting, tracking and measuring progress towards universal accessibility. How?

🤝 Partner with organisations of people with disabilities
🧏‍♀️ Foster inclusive leadership
⚙️ Build collective capacities on accessibility
🗺️ Understand the local context of accessibility
🌐Enable the full spectrum of accessibility
♿ Consider unrestricted chains of movement – how to Reach, Enter, Circulate, Use
📝 Include accessibility in existing frameworks and plans

👉 Learn more: https://wfw.fund/hardwiring-accessibility

Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water | CBM Australia |

Hardwiring Accessibility: Measuring What Matters for and by People with Disabilities

12/05/2025

It’s been just over a week since the innovative Climate Resilience Pathways: Water Security and WASH in Asia Pacific took place in and .

What a week it was of connecting, learning, sharing and critical reflection on the many pathways towards climate resilience. There was a spirit of energy and urgency as we came together to the discuss many ways in which we must address this most pressing and complex crisis of our time - and ensuring and are central to the solutions.

Two key messages surfaced across the two conferences; the first highlighted by H.E. Busadee Santipitaks, Chief Executive Officer, Mekong River Commission, “collaboration, collaboration, collaboration… partnership and innovation will be ever-more essential on this pathway.” But we were also reminded by Akmal Ali, Facility Aiding Locally-Led Engagement to always ask ourselves, “who defines these pathways? Are they inclusive of local leadership?”

Proudly delivered by International WaterCentre and Women for Water with support from Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and special thanks to our hosts, United Nations in anThe University of the South Pacific USP in .

08/05/2025

So what is the Self-Assessment Tool? This newly revised and launched cross-sectoral tool supports individual and collective reflective practice on the extent and quality of gender equality, disability and social inclusion work in programs and organisations. It is tried and tested and it works!

"It gave us the strength and courage to boldly stand up and speak" says World Vision Papua New Guinea's Nancy Wobo

An intentional focus on GEDSI is key to sustainable and effective development programs. Hear from some of our partners about their experience with the .

And access this valuable resource here: https://wfw.fund/4dp6stC

02/05/2025

🩸 Menstrual Health: A Non-Negotiable for Climate Resilience in Asia-Pacific.
The final day of highlighted how climate change disrupts essential MHH access.

Darshan Karki (International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Nepal) powerfully stated, “Water is a connector and a tool for peacebuilding — but it is also a source of discrimination,” a key barrier amplified by climate impacts.

The urgent call? Elevate MHH on the climate resilience agenda. Juhi Jain (CFAR India) emphasised, “(MHH) must move beyond being marginalised as solely a women’s issue.”

Joanna Mott (Water for Women) affirmed the smart investment: “Investing in menstrual health is investing in community resilience,” preventing future costs and risks.

Ratan Budhathoki ( Nepal) urged, “Let’s collaborate to accelerate putting menstrual health policies into practice — this is urgent!”

Climate Resilience Pathways: Water Security and WASH in Asia-Pacific was proudly organised by and Water for Women, with the support of Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and heartfelt thanks to our hosts, and The University of the South Pacific in Fiji.

SNV in Lao PDR | Centre for Advocacy & Research - CFAR | Water Management Institute (IWMI) | iDE Cambodia |

02/05/2025

Final Plenary on Day 3: Reporting from Suva and Bangkok on Climate Resilience Pathways – Taking Action

The final plenary from Suva and Bangkok reinforced the urgency of accelerating progress on climate resilience across the Asia-Pacific region. H.E. Ms. Busadee Santipitaks, Chief Executive Officer of the Mekong River Commission , stressed, “Climate resilience pathways are not straightforward or easy, but they are possible.”

Juliet Willetts from the UTS Institute For Sustainable Futures emphasised the necessity of “stubborn optimism,” stating, “We need to hold on to a stubborn optimism. We must critically reflect on ourselves and be willing to change and transform our practices. We can’t keep doing the same thing.”

Ultimately, the session focused on action. Akmal Ali from the Facility Aiding Locally-Led Engagement (FALE), Pacific Islands Association of Non-Government Organisations, delivered a powerful call to action: “Let’s not return to our countries with just notes, business cards, and water bottles—but with a result: genuine intention and commitment to understand and take action.”

Climate Resilience Pathways: Water Security and WASH in Asia-Pacific was proudly organised by International WaterCentre and for Women , with the support of Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade , and heartfelt thanks to our hosts, and in Fiji.

02/05/2025

Day 3 of Climate Resilience Pathways in ! 🌏

Partnership, collaboration and finding new and innovative ways to together were the key themes coming through. In our final parallel session we had deep discussions about ‘What's next for the , and Nexus?’ Where a key call for action came from Water for Women’s Zahra Bolouri, “keep fighting for GEDSI, we can’t assume all of these gains from the past 50 years will stay…. keep up the good fight!”

On your own pathway towards climate resilience, ask yourself:

⚧️ Who isn’t on the journey with you? Do you have RHOs with you? Without inclusion there is no climate-resilient development
🔎Is your work evidenced based?
⚙️When collecting data, undertaking climate risk assessments - are the right people at the table with you? Have you looked beyond your sector?
⚒️ Do you have the right tools? Do you fully understands the barriers
🔑 Are you equipped with traditional knowledge?

Proudly convened with GIZ Pacific, UNDRR Asia Pacific, East Sepik Provincial Health Authority, World Bank, Green Climate Fund , Climate Resilient Sanitation Coalition and with support from Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

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