In the United States it is easy to take for granted water because clean drink water comes from a faucet, but this is not the case for most of the world. Many people do not have access to clean, drinkable water. In most cases people (usually women and children) must travel many miles to obtain water. This make take a large portion of the day, meaning that women and children do not have access to the same opportunities as men in their community. This means that they are often economically dependent on males.

A great book I read years ago about this topic was:

William Kamkwamba was one of those kids who had to walk miles in a Malawi for safe water to drink due to drought. But his inventive spirit would not accept this, he dared to change his world and make it better by harnessing the power of the wind to bring electric and water to his village.