Vanishing rivers: Water crisis impacts women’s lives in southern Angola

The river has stopped flowing in Giraul, a village in Angola’s southern province of Namibe. 

In a desperate attempt to collect water for their families amid prolonged drought, women are digging boreholes in the soil, but it comes with deep risks. Cholera outbreaks have been reported in the area due to contaminated  water. Clean water is also essential for safe childbirth and maternal and newborn health.

As leaders convene at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Brazil to accelerate action to tackle the climate crisis, the women and girls of southern Angola illustrate the consequences of inaction.

We visited three locations in the Namibe region – Giraul, Bibala and Tômbwa – to meet women and girls who are impacted by the drought and are receiving support from UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.

A river once ran through