The EcoShores Sustainable Futures Network (ESFN) is spearheading a groundbreaking community consultation titled “Women & Water” on March 30th, 2026, in observance of World Water Day. This strategic gathering forms a crucial component of the organization’s Climate and Care Nexus initiative, creating an inclusive platform for women and girls to articulate how water accessibility, climate disruption, and gender-specific obstacles impact their daily existence and environmental realities.
Scheduled at Wadadli Spaces on Herberts Road from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM, this participatory session aims to capture firsthand accounts and practical insights that will directly shape community-oriented solutions. ESFN emphasizes that this consultation represents a pivotal opportunity to mold research agendas, policy frameworks, and program development throughout Antigua and Barbuda.
Despite facing disproportionate impacts from water scarcity and climate variability, women’s perspectives frequently remain marginalized in environmental governance. This initiative deliberately positions those most affected at the forefront of both identifying challenges and crafting responsive solutions. Participant contributions will inform the development of pragmatic, inclusive research and programs designed to enhance community resilience and transform everyday living conditions.
The consultation findings will fuel locally-led research endeavors and initiatives across four strategic domains:
1. Care Economy: Examining how water availability influences both compensated and uncompensated care work, including domestic chores, cooking, cleaning, and family caregiving responsibilities.
2. Women’s Health: Investigating correlations between water purity, sanitation infrastructure, climate-induced stress, and comprehensive health outcomes encompassing physical, mental, maternal, and menstrual wellbeing.
3. Community-Driven Development: Ensuring research methodologies and program architectures reflect the knowledge systems and priorities of local women and girls across diverse communities.
ESFN actively encourages participation from women of all backgrounds, emphasizing that each narrative shared and suggestion offered will contribute to formulating solutions that are simultaneously inclusive, practicable, and sustainable.
The organization acknowledges support from corporate partners including Jim Daddy & Sons Ltd., whose sponsorship facilitates complimentary water distribution during the event. Participants will receive honorariums in recognition of their contributed time, expertise, and lived experiences—a deliberate practice underscoring the value placed on community knowledge and the interconnection between environmental stewardship, equity, and resilience.
An ESFN representative articulated the vision: “This initiative fundamentally centers women’s voices within climate and development discourse. Through attentive engagement with lived experiences, we can architect improved care systems, enhance health results, and meaningfully address opportunity disparities.”
Registration remains accessible via https://qrco.de/bghSOt for this transformative community engagement opportunity.