About us

In August 2023, five dynamic young women from South Asia, Meghna Chakraborty, Monisha Tasnim, Humnah Fayyaz, Tabeer Riaz, and Sabina Khatri, converged at the prestigious SIWI World Water Week, a global conference dedicated to water issues. While they came from diverse backgrounds and brought unique skill sets, it was their shared passion for the water sector and a common yearning for South Asian representation on the global stage that sparked a remarkable connection. With the desire to make a meaningful impact globally, these visionary women took the plunge, which led to the founding of the “South Asia Young Women in Water'' (SAYWiW) platform by September 2023. SAYWiW is an initiative aimed at empowering and uplifting women water professionals. Their journey began with a casual meeting that became a powerful force for change in the water world.

The global water community has been immensely focused on the importance of gender equality in the water sector, particularly that in the global south, which normally translates into focus on poor rural women and their collective efforts towards efficient management of water resources. However, there remains a glaring oversight of the contributions of Young Women Water Professionals who are amid the real work taking place on ground and the real impact that it fosters. These are the gender champions that are bridging the gap between science and social science through research; targets and effective implementations through innovations; global aspirations and locally adaptable solutions through technology.

The United Nations considers youth to have the potential to be effective agents of change and acknowledges the challenges that youth face in obtaining impactful engagement opportunities in the water sector. It is important to note here that young women across South Asia are often fighting a social system designed to not exactly support their aspirations to contribute in a rather non-conventional sector such as that of the water sector. Despite the excessive struggles that the South Asian Young Women Water Professionals face, which is often much more than their contemporary global counterparts, they are still able to come up with pioneering research, groundbreaking innovations and disruptive approaches to tackle the complex issue of water management in the region.

It is, therefore, the objective of this forum to provide a platform that can facilitate appropriate acclaim and recognition to all such talented young women professionals who then can continue to exert positive influence on the sector as a whole. Youth of today shall be the leaders and the decision makers of tomorrow. Thus, with such prospects of encouragement our long-term vision is also to augment the prospects of promising women leaders for tomorrow who shall be key to taking significant decisions and setting agendas for policy in the water sector of the region and promote enhanced cooperation within the region.

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