Every day mothers work hard around the world. And every day should be an occasion to celebrate and show gratitude for all the hard working mothers of the world.

Some mothers work so hard that they spend their time off taking care of sick children. But other mothers don’t get time off to care for ill children.

In Northern Ghana, working mothers don’t get sick days. If they did, they would use them to care for sick children, who are susceptible to diseases from unclean water. 

In Ghana, thousands of child deaths result from diarrheal disease caused by bacteria in dirty water each year. Globally, unsafe water is the number one cause of death for children under age five. 

The video above highlights the harm to working mothers and their children when families collect dirty water from the stream without resources to clean that water. 

The impact of dirty water has a ripple effect. Children miss out on school and future opportunities while mothers take a hard hit not being able to generate an income desperately needed for building a better future. 

But, as P&G’s video also demonstrates, the world’s largest killer, and a major setback for working women, is preventable. 

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Fusenia Barikisu, a nurse, Joana, a seamstress with a “serious business,” and Nema, a farmer and mother, all use P&G’s Purifer of Water packets to prevent waterborne illness and provide clean safe drinking water for their families and their communities. 

The women also teach others about the benefits of the clean water produced by the packets as part of P&G’s Children’s Safe Drinking Water program. 

“People now understand the connection between clean water and their health,” Nema says in the video. 

Since 2004, the CSDW program has provided 11 billion liters of clean water, empowering women who then strengthen their communities. By 2020 P&G hopes to provide 15 billion liters of water, continuing the movement to end the clean water crisis. 

“The power of clean water is health which enables education and access to economic opportunities,” Carolyn Tostad, Group President, North America, P&G said. 

Ultimately, these women are replacing the ripple effect of damage from dirty water with one of empowerment through access to clean water. 

So let's take the time, right now, to spread the beautiful story of mothers who are improving the health and wellbeing of their communities through clean water initiatives.

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Defeat Poverty

Working Moms in Ghana Prove Clean Water Has an Empowering Effect

By Meghan Werft