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One in 10 people around the world do not have access to clean water or a decent toilet. And with the rise of extreme weather events, the problem is only getting worse. For women and girls, the effects are heightened. Beyond the immediate health and sanitation issues, many rural communities rely on them for water collection, carrying heavy vessels that weigh as much as 20kg for several hours a day. And that burden impacts other duties, such as cooking and washing, which affects not only their families but the wider community.
Ethiopian artist Aida Muluneh witnessed these challenges first hand, and so when she was approached to collaborate with WaterAid, a London-based NGO, she chose to focus on the female experience, employing her signature Afrofuturist style. The work she created from the commission, titled Water Life, was shot in Dallol in the country's far north, the hottest place on earth. "It is a beautiful landscape," says Muluneh. "It's a photographer's dream. But dealing with the environment was a big challenge."
Working in 50-degree heat over three days, she used the barren landscape to...