Women, Water, and Change: Terra’s Role in Advancing Gender Equity

The Hidden Cost of Clean Water

In many parts of Indonesia, the responsibility of collecting, boiling, and storing water continues to fall disproportionately on women and girls. While often dismissed as routine household work, this daily labor has far-reaching consequences: it limits access to education, curtails economic opportunities, and poses significant health risks. When clean water is hard to come by, gender disparities grow even more pronounced. According to a report by UNICEF and WHO, women are most commonly tasked with water collection, and girls are nearly twice as likely as boys to shoulder this burden—often spending significantly more time on it each day. Globally, UNICEF estimates that women and girls spend an astounding 200 million hours each day collecting water–– equivalent to more than 22,800 years. It is time that can not be reclaimed, time that could be used to learn, earn, or thrive. 

Songan Project 2022

When Water Steals Opportunity

Imagine a 12-year-old girl who begins her day by walking nearly 3 kilometers to fetch water. She returns to help her mother boil and store it over a smoky fire, then heads off to school— arriving late, tired, and unable to fully concentrate. Her brothers, by contrast, start school on time, well-rested and ready to learn.

This scene is not an isolated case. It’s repeated across communities where clean water is difficult to access. The consequences are far-reaching:

•  Missed school days for girls

•  Limited economic participation for women

•  Health risks from inhaling smoke during the boiling

•  Exposure to contaminated water due to unsafe sources

What seems like a basic need becomes a barrier to progress. This is more than a water challenge— it also quietly reflects ongoing gender inequalities. 

A New Path: Terra’s Solution

Terra Water Indonesia offers a practical, transformative alternative: gravity-based water filtration systems that eliminate the need for boiling, electricity, or chemicals. These filters drastically reduce the time and physical labor involved in securing safe drinking water.

In provinces where Terra filters are being introduced, the ultimate goal is to help families save a significant amount of time each day. For women, these reclaimed hours could open opportunities to pursue education, caregiving, or income-generating activities—empowering them to gain greater control over their lives and futures.

Family using Terra Filter

Reclaiming Time, Rebuilding Lives

Terra’s mission is to provide safe, affordable water—but the impact extends beyond hydration. It transforms how women and girls live and engage in their communities.

Consider these stories:

• A mother who used to spend over an hour each day collecting and boiling water now has time to participate in her village’s handicraft cooperative, contributing to her family’s income.

• A teenage girl, once responsible for fetching water each morning, now arrives at school on time, focused and prepared to succeed.

These are more than anecdotes— they are reflections of what’s possible when women are freed from the daily burden of water collection.

Why Gender Equity Depends on Safe Water

Clean water is not just a health priority; it's a gender equity imperative. Terra Water Indonesia’s approach tackles this head-on by:

•  Reducing exposure to indoor air pollution from open-flame boiling

•  Minimizing health risks from unfiltered water

• Freeing up valuable time— especially for women and school-aged girls

•  Strengthening community resilience through sustainable, low-maintenance water access

Though Terra’s primary product is a water filter, the true impact is layered and deeply social. It touches on education, economic empowerment, public health, and gender parity.

Closing Thought

When women no longer have to spend hours collecting water, they can use that time to build their futures as students, business owners, caregivers, and leaders. Clean water can be the first step to unlocking their potential.

By addressing the intersection of water access and gender roles, Terra Water Indonesia is doing more than filtering water. It’s filtering out barriers to opportunity—and helping communities thrive, one household at a time.