Most mothers will do anything for their families; even if anything means spending several hours each day to get water. Meet Parvathi, she is one of those mothers. She and her husband live with their two children in a village 200 miles west of Bangalore.

Each day Parvathi waited two to three hours to collect water from the local, shared water source. The experience was never pleasant. From the long walk to the tap, to the long wait in line, to dodging the violent out-breaks as others pushed for access to what was a limited supply- she struggled with the daily task. To add further frustration to the routine, the family suffered financially because rather than work to contribute to their income, Parvathi spent much of the day retrieving what was actually unsafe water. Feeling as though she had no choice when it came to water for her family, Parvathi could only hope for a solution to her situation.

Eventually the solution came in the form of WaterCredit. Water.org and partner organization, ASA, implemented a water and sanitation project in Parvathi’s village last fall. Since that time the program’s advocacy groups worked to promote the project. In doing so they stimulated awareness about better hygiene practices and helped hundreds of families, including Parvathi’s, achieve access to safe water in their homes through simple WaterCredit loans.

For a mother who worked so hard to care for her family, the relieved Parvathi said, “I am now able to increase my profits through my business. Thanks to this project the standard of living for me and the women in my community has improved”.