It is a fact that women’s lives are inseparably linked to water as individuals and as members of a family. A wise woman once said, “Every drop of water matters to a woman living with water insecurity”. On a daily basis, women interact with water as mothers, as family health champions, as providers of food to the family, as family sanitation managers, and as farmers.

Incidentally, there is inadequate considerations for gender in Nile Basin countries’ water resources policy landscape (Nile Basin Initiative’s Gender Mainstreaming Policy and Strategy, 2012).

To ensure the voices of grassroots women are heard in the realization of the commitments and policies of the Nile Basin governments and development partners, and that woman are adequately participating in the water decision-making processes, NBD established 10 formal Grassroots Women Networks – one in each of the 10 Nile Basin riparian countries, designed and managed by women. Two women from each National women network met in Nairobi, Kenya, on December 1st and 2nd, 2022, to discuss common challenges when it comes to accessing and managing water resources in their communities but also to select among them a steering committee (SC) to manage the network programs.

This statement briefly introduces the NBD's latest initiative of the Regional Nile Women Network.