What does safe water mean to you? For most of us, it means water that won't make us sick if we drink it. Too many Somali women and their children, that's only half the story, since fetching water is as dangerous as drinking it when it's contaminated. Mercy-USA believes that by helping rural and urban communities with the basics of life (clean water), we can make positive contributions to the entire country's steps toward stability and a resurgence of prosperity. Safe access to clean water improves the lives of an entire community but most of all, it improves the quality of life for women and girls, as the chore of fetching water falls on them in this traditional society.