But instead of sitting at a desk with a book in her hand, Veronika sets out for the forest to gather wood every day after school.
After gathering wood, Veronika doesn’t have enough time to study.
I am tired, really tired, but I must help them”, she said.
Mary Anyango, a young mother and health worker from Migori, Kenya walks for 20 minutes each way from her home and back to fetch water from the river.
The lack of access to clean water has threatened her young children’s health with typhoid, cholera, and diarrhoea.
Water borne diseases are the biggest health problems for her community, she said.
Her eldest daughter dreams of becoming a doctor some day, and Negrete sees that making sure her children are drinking clean water is one way to help them realise their ambitions.
The lives of these three women are featured in the documentary, “The Power of Clean Water,” produced jointly by Procter & Gamble (P&G) and National Geographic and screened in Singapore on for World Water Day.
“Clean water can improve people’s health, help children stay in school and provide better economic opportunities for their families,” she said.
Jill Cress, chief marketing officer for National Geographic partners, said the documentary reflects the very real and powerful stories of people whose lives have been impacted by programmes that provide access to clean drinking water.