60 million people worldwide, including 54 million women, work in the global apparel industry making clothes, shoes, and other everyday items. That industry uses a large amount of water in the process—taking at least 3,000 liters of water to produce one pair of jeans, from growing the cotton to processing and manufacturing the denim—contributing to about 20% of freshwater pollution globally. That pollution hurts women and girls the most, since they do most of the work to get clean water at home. Women and girls collectively spend more than 150 million hours collecting water and face serious health risks due to inadequate access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities, and poor understanding or capacity for healthy hygiene practices.
Thinking about the system women operate in—both their jobs and the burdens they bear—can get to better solutions for everyone. Less pollution without fewer jobs is possible. How? By helping women themselves to take charge.
India is currently the second largest apparel manufacturer and exporter in the world; as well as a water scarce country with over half of the country’s population facing extreme water stress and poor sanitation. Gap Inc. and USAID are funding a five-year partnership (2017-2023), known as the Water + Women Alliance, dedicated to improving and sustaining the health and wellbeing of women and communities in India touched by the apparel industry.
USAID funds a 6 year program called the Women and Water Alliance led by Gap, Inc. with CARE, Water.org, WaterAid, and the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC).
CARE leads the advancement of women’s self-efficacy and agency by providing training to women on foundational life skills through the implementation of Gap Inc.’s life-skills training program, P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement & Career Enhancement); including topics such as improved health and hygiene, problem-solving, communication, public-speaking, accessing government entitlement programs, and other topic areas that advance both their personal lives and work.
What have we accomplished?
- Formed 3,650 learning groups, enrolling 140,216 women in P.A.C.E. trainings – 80,189 of whom have graduated, with 3,002 P.A.C.E. Champions and 2,003 Male Champions.
- Helping confident women connect with the people who can support them by organizing and facilitating 55 interface meetings which provided a platform for P.A.C.E. and Male Champions to raise issues and challenges, and for local government to listen, discuss and provide possible solutions.
- 162 P.A.C.E. participants were elected in local elections. Women learned about what government programs and resources were available, like WASH, health insurance, saving schemes, and credit and finance. This, along with public-speaking skills practiced in the P.A.C.E. program, motivated women to run for office.
- The local government is paying to improve community water supplies—because confident women convinced them to. Although CARE’s mandate is to roll-out the P.A.C.E. program, there are numerous reports of women demanding a new water pump in their community – and receiving it—from the local government, for the benefit of clean water for hundreds in their community. Developing the confidence and communication skills of women has led to sustainable changes in water access, beyond the scope of the project.
- Women responded to other COVID-19 impacts. Women applied what they learned through sessions like communication, problem-solving and decision-making, time and stress management, WASH, and financial literacy—and created ripple effects as they shared their learnings and skills with other women in their communities. Women shared that financial literacy helped them survive in the pandemic economic environment when family members lost their jobs and all sources of income stopped. Their savings helped them to continue to provide for and manage basic household needs.
How did we get there?
- Help women speak up. Women were more willing to ask for solutions at local government meetings, especially around key problems and issues related to their health, hygiene, and sanitation. Women are now self-motivated, confident, and participate in meetings to demand their entitlements. This platform also provided an opportunity for Government officials, Alliance partners and other Stakeholders to share the latest information about the various entitlement schemes.
- Connect women to opportunities to lead. With their newly garnered leadership and communication skills, the P.A.C.E. women engaged in various village level activities, like joining village committees (e.g. Water Committees, Village Health and Sanitation Committees, and School Management Committees) participating and raising their issues regarding entitlements and WASH needs in Gram Sabha to the Government officials.
- Adapting to stay safe. The women in the program initiated and facilitated COVID-19 safe practices—including through face mask-making and distribution, community awareness, and promotion of handwashing and personal hygiene. CARE encouraged the vaccination of all P.A.C.E trainers and Community Mobilizers, as well as assisting P.A.C.E. participants to get vaccinated by providing support at community level vaccination camps. P.A.C.E. women bolstered COVID-19 health and safety by sharing the risks and encouraging precautionary measures within their communities.
What did we learn?
- Interface meetings enabled P.A.C.E. trained women to raise their issues and challenges to Government officials. Women leadership has come to the forefront in these meetings, as they effectively communicate with the officials.
- Other women are inspired and want to get involved. Seeing the impacts women have been able to achieve on health and leadership after P.A.C.E trainings, more and more women who have been in touch with the P.A.C.E. participants are also demanding the same training for themselves. In this regard, P.A.C.E. women have given a statement: “P.A.C.E. is only one of its kind of training where they learnt a lot and they have applied it in their practical life. This kind of training, they have not ever received earlier and wish they had this training earlier.”
Want to learn more?
Gap Inc. Press Release: 1 Million People Have Improved Access to Water through the USAID
Gap Inc. Women + Water Initiative (November 8, 2021)
Women + Water Alliance Program Strategy Map
Gap Inc. and USAID Women + Water Alliance Overview Video