Ads We Like: Wateraid animation addresses impact of the water crisis on girls
WaterAid raises awareness of the impact of the water crisis has on women and girls and illustrates the knock-on effect in the animation ‘Brides of the Well’ directed by the Indian director, Shekhar Lapur.
Water is an indisputably essential element. It covers 61% of the earth surface, and fills 60% of our human bodies, yet globally one in nine people lack basic access.
WaterAid have collaborated with the Indian director, Shekhar Kapur, to create a short animation to highlight the impact of the water crisis on women and girls globally.
Although a global concern, the film is set in India, the country with the highest population lacking this basic resource.
In the animation, Bend it like Beckham star Parminder Nagra narrates the story of Saraswati and Paras; two teenage girls living in Punjab, northern India, who are convicted to a life of servitude to elderly husbands, after being forced into child marriages.
As their ageing husbands rest behind, each day, the young girls must embark on their daily chore; to walk eight hours to fetch water for the village.
Hitting home on this terrible truth, WaterAid hopes to demonstrate how travelling long distances to collect water takes up precious time that should be spent on education.
Dropping out of school makes girls more vulnerable to child marriage, as research shows girls with no education are three times more likely to marry by 18 than those with secondary or higher education.
As 12 million girls across the globe are married before the age of 18 annually, and, in India, 8% of women aged 15-19 are married or pregnant, this issue of child brides is a real global crisis that needs addressing.
The film launches today (11 October), timed to dovetail with the International Day of the Girl Child.
Tim Wainwright, chief executive of WaterAid, said: “For generations, women and girls have borne the brunt of the global water crisis, preventing them from reaching their full potential.
"Clean water is a human right that everyone, everywhere should enjoy. It is not only vital for health; it helps keep girls in school and frees women from the time spent collecting water and caring for sick children. By investing in clean water and decent sanitation, we are investing in future leaders."
Director Shekhar Kapur commented: “Water is one of the world’s most precious resources. But for those who live with water on tap, it can be difficult to imagine how life would be if water wasn’t so accessible. That is why I wanted to tell the story of Paras and Saraswati and show how people across the world live every day without water, dictating their futures, dreams and prospects."
