As #WorldWaterWeek draws to a close, I share these images to remind us of the critically important role women and girls play in global development. The first two are among my favorite photos from Pagak Internally Displaced Persons camp in Northern Uganda, taken during my trip there with radio reporters back in 2007 for Internews Network . The girls in the camp were literally in charge of pumping water at the boreholes. They were little Lieutenants, and nobody messed with them! Watching their frail little arms working like pistons made my heart break, but then I saw the childish giggles and the pride they had in being leaders. I love the image of the woman farmer with the hoe on her head. Women and girls perform 2/3rds of all agricultural work on the African continent, so that’s another way to connect them with water. Finally, my friend Behailu Shiferaw Mihirete ’s post for Water Aid, about the journey of 2 Ethiopian girls fetching water each day, reminds us of the barriers to education that women around the world must overcome. #WWWeek #globaldevelopment #genderequality #WASH #water #sanitation #hygiene …see more