Seven Weeks for Water 2026 | Week 5 - Sanitation for dignity: WASH for an inclusive future - Perspectives from Norwegian Church Aid

The fifth reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2026 is authored by Michele Vecchi and Anne-Grete Larsen. Vecchi is a senior climate resilient water sanitation and hygiene advisor with Norwegian Church Aid. He primarily works on supporting programs in rural Sub-Saharan African countries dealing with fragile governance structures due to prolonged crisis (conflicts, natural disasters, and effects of climate change). Anne-Grete Larsen is a senior advisor, Norwegian Church Aid’s liaison with the global ecumenical movement, and the focal point for programmatic and funding relationships. She is passionate about justice issues, inclusive communities, and the role of the ecumenical movement in dismantling stigma and inequity. This Bible study examines equitable access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services through the lens of James 2:1-4 and Proverbs 31:8-9, emphasizing that women and girls are disproportionately burdened by inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure and often excluded from decision-making processes. The reflection calls for those in power to actively create space for marginalized communities at the table, ensuring universal access as a matter of dignity, health, and gender equality . 16 March 2026 ACT Alliance member NCA distribution of hygiene kits, jerry cans, mosquito nets, and shelter kits in Sindh province, Pakistan. Massive monsoon flooding has impacted 73% of Pakistan's districts in 2022, leaving over 6.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. ACT members are responding by providing cash, WASH, medical aid, shelter and more.  Photo: RDF Text: James 2:1-4, Proverbs 31:8-9 Reflection: Wells, flowing water, and rivers streaming with cleansing water appear throughout Scripture. It is easy in church settings to talk about water, but harder to discuss sanitation and hygiene. Norwegian Church Aid works on both and we firmly believe there is hope in a drop of water.  Ensuring fair and suitable water, sanitation, and hygiene access is fundamental for wellbeing and enables individuals to confidently participate in society beyond their homes. Without this readiness and assurance, how can anyone feel prepared to attend school, go to work, or engage with others?  Where water and sanitation are lacking at home or in institutions such as schools and healthcare facilities, women and girls are often disproportionally affected. Typically, it is women and girls who are tasked with collecting water for the household. When that means fetching water from distant sources, they spend much time and energy on securing water. They may also seek out secluded places for bathing or relieving themselves, which poses more risks regarding their security and dignity. They also need water and privacy to manage menstruation with dignity, meaning they have privacy and hygiene needs much more than boys and men! Moreover, men are often the first to use household water, even when women may need it more. It is essential to acknowledge and respond to the requirements of women and girls by involving them equally in water and sanitation decisions alongside men and boys.  Within families, we must value each member’s contribution to welfare and ensure that every individual can contribute according to their abilities while remaining free to pursue their own aspirations. Both parents share responsibility for allocating resources—who has the greatest need, and who is best able to provide support? If a boy is physically stronger than his sister, why is she expected to carry the heavy water container? Why does the father not help or accompany his daughter in this task? When women and girls are denied fair and appropriate access, their full potential within the family is hampered, as well as their professional potential as they are often left with limited time for schoolwork.   Proverbs encourages us to speak up for the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized, but James teaches us to do more: make space for them to express themselves. Do not leave them on the margins—invite them to join as equals at the table.  Those in authority, often men, are responsible for encouraging equitable participation and ensuring universal access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services without bias. Excluding people from these essentials results in compounded discrimination: first by denying their access and again by blaming them for their unkempt appearance, which often arises as a consequence of that exclusion. Power should be exercised in service to the community, empowering the disadvantaged to speak and participate directly in decision-making processes just like anyone else.  In conclusion, water and sanitation services must be available to everyone, regardless of sex, gender, age, ability, race, or ethnic background. These services are not only essential for health but also uphold the dignity and protection of those who use them. With the gendered aspects of collecting and using water, equitable services are also important for gender equality. Since people have unique needs; services should be designed with these differences in mind—everyone shares the same rights to access them.  Questions for discussion: Who are the people in power? Do we have power, what is it, and how can we use it to benefit water, sanitation, and hygiene? Where have we, perhaps unintentionally, shown favouritism in how water, sanitation, and hygiene services are placed, designed, or governed? Who has been asked to wait, walk farther, or stay silent? James summons us to reorder our systems so that  “no one is left behind.” Are we ready to leave behind (part of) our power to create space for the excluded to be part of the discussion? What does it take to be able to do it?  Practical Actions: Redesign institutional services to meet gendered needs by installing private, safe sanitation and menstrual hygiene facilities in schools and health centers, Upgrade household services to meet the needs of all household members. Are the toilet / latrines private and clean? Is there a private bathing shelter / shower where women and girls are able to maintain hygiene, including drying undergarments, in privacy? Construct gender-segregated latrines with locks, water points near homes/schools, playgrounds, and markets. Install handwashing stations, and supply menstrual hygiene materials. Appoint paid caretakers for maintenance and to ensure cleanliness of these facilities. Track usage and burden (who fetches water, time spent) and reallocate tasks or support to reduce the load on women and girls. Further resources: For more information on the work being done in water, sanitation, and hygiene by Norwegian Church Aid: NCA in Sudan: https://www.kirkensnodhjelp.no/en/news/dignity-and-hygiene-for-flood-survivors NCA Programme Framework 2025-2030 Climate Resilient Water, Sanitation and Hygiene https://www.kirkensnodhjelp.no/en/how-we-work/climate-resilient-water-sanitation-and-hygiene Anne-Grete Larsen is a senior advisor, Norwegian Church Aid’s liaison with the global ecumenical movement, and the focal point for programmatic and funding relationships. She is passionate about justice issues, inclusive communities, and the role of the ecumenical movement in dismantling stigma and inequity.  Michele Vecchi is a senior climate resilient water sanitation and hygiene advisor with Norwegian Church Aid. He primarily works on supporting programs in rural Sub-Saharan African countries dealing with fragile governance structures due to prolonged crisis (conflicts, natural disasters, and effects of climate change). See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland