All women must be equitably represented at all levels of water leadership – helping design every pipe and policy.
Water For People is honored to be recognized by WorldDenver this year as an official awardee of their International Women’s Day event. This is in recognition of our work helping communities build lasting access to safe water – and the impact that water has on women and girls.
This is one of the largest International Women’s Day events in the country, with over 700 guests. We are thrilled to have Cate Nimanya, Water For People’s Africa Regional Director, visiting from Uganda and accepting this award on our behalf. The 2026 keynote speaker, former President of Costa Rica Laura Chinchilla Miranda, connects her leadership journey to her role as the first woman elected to the highest office in Costa Rica.
Water For People works alongside communities to ensure women have a voice in leading, designing, and sustaining water systems – creating equity, dignity, and opportunity for generations.
Around the world, millions of women still carry the burden of the water crisis. Water For People partners with communities so women don’t just access water, they help shape solutions that last.
A Message From Cate Nimanya: Behind every statistic is a story
"My name is Cate Zziwa Nimanya, and it has been my privilege to serve and work with Water For People for the last 10 years. It is a great honor to stand here this afternoon on behalf of our global team as we receive the 2026 Organizational Honoree recognition from WorldDenver for this year’s International Women’s Day celebration.
I would like to begin by thanking our CEO and leadership for giving me the opportunity to stand here in Denver, Colorado, and represent our organization. This award is not mine, but it truly belongs to the Water For People teams across the ten countries where we work. Their dedication, passion, expertise, and relentless commitment to lasting water and sanitation services are the reasons we are being honored.
This recognition celebrates something deeply rooted in our mission: equipping communities with lasting access to clean water and ending the burden of water collection that has, for generations, been carried by women and girls.
To paint the global picture: today, 2 billion people worldwide still lack access to basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 840 million people are without these essential services – and 140 million live in the countries where Water For People works.
That is nearly half the population of the United States, or the combined populations of the United Kingdom and Germany.
These are not just numbers; they are the lived reality of millions of people.
But behind every statistic is a story – a life.
There is Sanyu, whose name means Joy. She is one of the many girls in Uganda waiting for us to put a smile on her face. A girl who wants to focus on her studies instead of worrying about walking long distances for water. A girl who deserves safety, dignity, and the freedom to dream without limits. A girl’s future starts with water – and every system we strengthen, every water point we build, brings girls like Sanyu closer to the joyful, empowered future they deserve.
Around the world, women and girls collectively walk and spend an estimated 200 million hours every single day to collect water – hours taken from education, economic opportunity, rest, and safety.
But when water comes close to home, everything changes. Futures open. Time is reclaimed. Dignity is restored.
At Water For People, we believe that sustainable water access is not just infrastructure – it is freedom. And we have seen firsthand that lasting change is possible when local systems are strong, when institutions endure, and when women lead. Today’s honor belongs to the communities that trust us, the local governments that partner with us, and the incredible staff across Africa, Latin America, India, and here in the U.S. Their work and courage are the heartbeat of this recognition.
To the WorldDenver community: thank you for elevating the importance of global connection. Your recognition amplifies the urgency of this mission and strengthens the partnerships that make this work possible.
And to the women of the world – those who carry water, who carry families, who carry communities, we see you, we honor you, and we will continue working until clean water carries the load instead of you.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, may we all recommit to building a world where every woman and girl has the time, safety, and opportunity to realize her full potential.
Thank you, WorldDenver, for this extraordinary honor."
A Collective Celebration of Impact
Water For People is also proud to celebrate the individual honoree, Eliza Woloson, Co-founder of the global human-rights prize, Women Have Wings. To date, 195 international activists have been recipients of the Women Have Wings Award, infusing in-country movements with desperately needed resources, increasing awareness of women’s rights, and fostering collaboration between award recipients and the United Nations.
Every year on March 8, countries around the world honor the contributions of women, celebrating their achievements and recognizing the vital leadership roles they hold in business, education, government, community development, and within families. Started by women in Europe just after the turn of the 20th Century, International Women’s Day had its roots in the labor movement and quickly embraced universal suffrage as well. Modern celebrations of International Women’s Day are as varied as the cultures of the world. In many countries, International Women’s Day is a national holiday.
WorldDenver is a Colorado nonprofit dedicated to strengthening and expanding a community of globally engaged citizens and organizations. They achieve this through education, cross‑cultural exchange, and opportunities for personal interaction with international leaders, professionals, and students. Each year, WorldDenver also hosts one of the nation’s largest International Women’s Day celebrations, honoring and celebrating women’s leadership in business, government, community development, technology, and academia.
Additional Resources:
- "Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2022: gender focus." Read the report from the WHO and UNICEF.
- UN World Water Day 2026: Where water flows, equality grows.
- Event details: https://worlddenver.org/international-womens-day/#details
