Queen of the hills

Joinab introduces herself as the “queen of the hills” and rightfully so as she has conquered her family’s water crisis high in the hills of Chittagong, Bangladesh.

Before Joinab got affordable access to safe water at home, the water crisis affected her every day. From childhood to her forties, Joinab’s primary responsibility was to collect the water her family needed to survive because they could not afford a long-term water solution for their home.

Together with her daughter and the women and girls of their village, Joinab travelled long distances each day to collect water from sources that were often dry during the summer months and contaminated during the monsoon season.

Just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic Water.org conducted intensive training programs for BURO, Water.org’s in-country partner. The loan officers went into communities like Joinab’s to host educational sessions on health and hygiene. It was during one of these sessions that Joinab learned how she could affordably give her family safe water at home.

After discussing with her husband the option of financing a water solution for their family, Joinab took out a small loan for about $118. With this loan, she gave her family the safe water solution they had always needed. The loan officer of BURO helped Joinab with the tube-well installation and provided her family training on health, hygiene, and maintenance.

Today Joinab and her daughter do not travel long distances to collect water, her children no longer miss school because of illness, and the queen of the hills of Chittagong enjoys her life saying, “the loan has changed my life and fulfilled my dreams for my family to lead a happy and healthy life."