This Is Woman's Work with Nicole Kalil - Women & Water with Shilpa Alva | 258

Episode Date: December 4, 2024

Water is life. It’s something we all need, yet so often take for granted. Today, we’re diving into this critical topic with Shilpa Alva, founder and Executive Director of Surge for Water, a nonprofit dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty through access to safe water and sanitation solutions. Over the past 15 years, Surge has impacted over a million lives in 12 countries, and Shilpa’s journey to creating this legacy is nothing short of inspiring. From a successful corporate career to embracing her true purpose, Shilpa’s transition is a testament to the power of pursuing work that aligns with your passion and values. Water is more than a basic necessity—it’s a connector, a lifeline, and a driver of change. Your unique gifts and talents are meant to make a difference, and you get to define how you use them.  Looking to make a meaningful impact? Consider supporting Surge for Water in their mission to provide safe water and sanitation to communities in need. Every dollar helps change lives and create opportunities for a better future. Connect with Shilpa Alva & Surge For Water:  Website: https://surgeforwater.org/  IG: https://www.instagram.com/surgeforwater LI: https://www.linkedin.com/company/surgeforwater/ Related Podcast Episodes: What You Should Know About Waste Management with Jessica Gonzalez | 224 156 / Cell Care with Dr. Monisha Bhanote Share the Love: If you found this episode insightful, please share it with a friend, tag us on social media, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform! 🔗 Subscribe & Review: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music

I am Nicole Kalil, and as your host, one of the things I prioritize on This Is Woman's Work is keeping the conversation wide-ranging and relevant. Some podcasts go deep into a single topic or cater to a specific industry, hobby, or passion. But on this show, women's work can mean anything and everything. Where women's roles were once confined to caring for the home and raising children, I don't believe anyone's gender should dictate how they share their passion, purpose, or talents with the world. If you or I have been given a gift, you better believe we're going to use it, regardless of what society expects or what anyone else thinks. Deciding what your work is,

that's between you and you. How you share it with the world, well, that's where things get interesting. So I created this podcast as my way of giving the middle finger to the outdated definition of woman's work. On this show, we're torching the old playbook and writing our own rules. And this has created a bit of a challenge because we can talk about literally anything. I love it, but it's also a little overwhelming. I mean, some topics are obvious. And trust me when I say that we get a lot of pitches for these types of topics, things like leadership, entrepreneurship, self-care, purpose, boundaries, burnout, and yes, even confidence. And these are great topics and have been some of my favorite episodes. But I'm always on the lookout for new angles or

a new topic that makes me sit up and say, now that's interesting. And today's episode is exactly that. It came a little out of left field and it's a topic we haven't covered before. Today, we're going to talk about women and water. Okay, there's more to it than that, but come on. Water is literally something we all need. One of the few things everyone in the health and wellness industry agrees on and is often taken for granted. And water is life. So today, I'm thrilled to be joined by Shilpa Alva, founder and executive director for Surge for Water, a nonprofit that addresses the cycle of poverty by providing access to safe

water and sanitation solutions. Since its founding 15 years ago, Surge has impacted over a million lives in 12 countries. Shilpa's journey is inspiring. She started in the corporate world with a degree in chemical engineering from Johns Hopkins University and later earned her MBA. And after a successful corporate career, she made the bold decision to follow her true purpose, going from running Surge on nights and weekends to diving in fully and completely. So one of the things that jumped out at me when this topic came across my desk is it says the global water crisis

disproportionately impacts women and girls. And I didn't know how. So talk to us about why that is, how that is, and what you're seeing in the work that you're doing as it relates to women and girls. So when you look at the global landscape of what women and girls go through, unfortunately, women's work is very water in their homes, the primary responsibility till today is for women and young girls to be collecting that water for their family's survival because they are responsible for the homemaking and the care. And that's just their work, right? And that means that their whole life, whether you're know, you're a school going girl or someone who has all these ambitions for whatever career that might be in remote rural part of, you know, the world,

the first thing that you need to do is make sure that your babies and your young children have water, right? That they have food, that they have the hygiene that they need to bathe and wash and like clothes are clean, right? And so while everybody needs water to survive, the impact of water not being on homes falls on the work of women. And the reason we bring this up in the context of Serge's work is, you know, women, when you look at it, right, they have the responsibility for the water, which also means they own the governance of that water and the household, right? Like they're managing that water source for their family, for their children, for their farms, for their animals. That's really like predominantly,

they're definitely men who get involved and do work in the space, but predominantly women who are doing it. And then when you look at the other side of it, when you talk, look about, you know, water organizations, you know, water organizations, you know, many that are very popular, almost always run by men. Um, and you look at like leadership roles, when you look at like water in like governments across the world, especially in parts of the world that we work in, a lot of those leadership positions are run by men. Um, then you get down to the community level. A lot of the high level like management positions are run by men. And to us, you know, that's great that men want to be involved in this work. There's no issue with that. But who are we not including that can help create more impactful solutions

because they understand the issue in a deeper way. You menstruate so you understand why water is needed even more at certain times of the month, right? Any mother who has a young child will understand what it's like to have a child go hungry and you need water to cook, right? And to drink, of course. So it's like our whole model is about being woman-centered and woman-led because we really want to bring women into these conversations. And actually, that's not a lot of the traditional work that happens in the communities we're in, right? Having women be at the leadership roles, at the table, advocating for their own solutions for themselves, for their families, and with that

for their entire community. So we still believe in water for all. We just want to approach it from the people who are disproportionately impacted by this crisis. Great answer. And surge has impacted millions of people over 12 different countries and counting, I'm sure. For those of us who have the privilege of getting to take for granted having access to water and clean water, can you share a little bit about what it looks like in some of those countries for women to get water to their homes, for their children, for menstruation, for all the things that you've talked about? What is that? I mean, for us, it's not even a decision. It's a one second flick of a faucet. What does it look like there?

Yeah. So we work in rural, remote places where we're typically the only international NGO working on this in partnership with a local organization and a lot of women. And what we see is I'll talk about just to give you, transport you there. I'll talk about rural Uganda. We work in a place called, in a districts called Kabramaito and Kalaki. It's in the northeastern part of the country. Very remote, like takes nine hours to even get there once you land in their biggest airport in Entebbe. And so once you're there, you know, a Chen Catherine, this woman I recently met, you know, her morning starts at the crack of dawn before sunrise. Where she, the first thing she does is she grabs her jerrycan, these yellow containers.

She'll grab a couple sometimes, depending if she has a stick to carry, you know, carry with her. This particular day when I was with her, she grabs one, she walks, you know, several kilometers. So thinking about, I could have convert that in miles. So you might have to do that, do that for me. But, you know, talk like an hour. Let's just say an hour. She's walking an hour or more to get to this water source. Once she gets there, you think like, oh, like, let me switch on a tap and get water. Absolutely not. The water source that was hers, the closest to our home, was an open spring. And what this means is it looks like a hole of water.

Like it doesn't even look like it can be consumed by humans for sure. And while she's there, putting her jerrycan into the water and like, you know, pushing it down because that's how you fill it. You basically submerge it into the water and then you lift it up and that's how you get the water. There's cows, plenty of cows around her doing the same thing it into the water and then you lift it up and that's how you get the water. There's cows, plenty of cows around her doing the same thing, drinking the water, plenty of other women. And when we tested that water, it is tested as completely,

like the highest level, unsafe for human consumption. She has absolutely no choice. That is the only water she has. So she carries her water, takes it all the way back now there is a little bit of beauty in this collection because there's a lot of women and you're talking to them and there's that you know you're meeting at the watering hole so don't want to take away from that

part of the joy getting there meeting your friends right you see them every morning so she does that she collects her water she walks all the way back home. And now you have another choice to make. You're like, okay, I have limited firewood because she wasn't collecting the firewood that morning. She had one from the previous day. Do I use this limited firewood to boil this water to consume? Or do I keep my firewood for cooking? So that means we'll just use this water in whatever condition it is for all other purposes in this household. And that becomes the bathing the cleaning the washing of clothes um a lot of times you'll actually take your clothes to the water source because why would you carry that water all the way home but that doesn't happen

at the crack of dawn that happens later in the day yeah so that's the morning morning routine a lot of them a lot of families are consuming water unpurified because they're saving their firewood for other reasons um And then that's not her only journey, right? Then she continues, she's working on a farm. So she goes to the farm, sorry, she gets her kids ready. The kids go to school. She goes to the farm and then it comes down to like, okay, I need to cook a meal. Let me go get more water. Same journey again. Another time of the day, you know, in her household, she had young children. They fortunately were able to go to school.

When they get back from school, now the whole family is going up, baby in tow in the next round, right? Like everybody's going down to the water source again, collecting water. This happens multiple times a day, depending on your situation. If you have a bicycle, you're very lucky because you're able to like strap more water on there. So just imagine what we always talk about is in all that time, she went back and forth. What else could she do with that time, right? Like what is the, I think it's like over 200 million hours, like collectively that are lost because women like our Chen

Catherine are going, walking these long distances to those water sources and then bringing their children involved. And if this doesn't change, if the water doesn't get closer to home, if it doesn't get safer to consume, there's no chance of development. There's no chance of progress. There's no chance of like, you know, her children having a better future, right? This is so fundamental and it impacts so many areas of life. And it's actually quite easy to future, right? This is so fundamental and it impacts so many areas of life. And it's actually quite easy to solve, right? Like bringing a water source closer to someone's home is not that hard to do, especially in this community because they have a high water table.

So that's what I was going to ask next is how does Surge help solve this problem and create sanitation solutions and get water? Because, I mean, without knowing anything about it, it sounds like it'd be really complex. There are definitely some parts of the world that it's more complex. And we work in Indonesia as well. And we're dealing with the effects of climate change. And we're struggling to even find water. We're collecting rainwater there. So we build rainwater harvesting systems. But the tanks run dry because there's a seven month dry season and so that's a very challenging situation to be in in Uganda we are fortunate because in the

areas we work in there is groundwater so we're able to drill wells and we're able to rehabilitate wells so we're able to find sources of water close to homes. We're still not in the situation where building them in homes because the issue is too large. And so in rural Uganda, the government requirement or standard, I would say, is maybe even goal. I shouldn't say standard. The government goal is that 300 people to a water source. So that's what we're trying to help achieve, like bringing the water source closer to homes. We also build water sources in schools. We build toilets in schools. We do soap making classes. We do menstrual health training. We teach on how to make reusable pads. Just basically providing all of these holistic needs that a woman and a girl needs to live a dignified,

safe, healthy, hygienic life. Okay. So paint us a picture about what it looks like when you're able to provide that. How have you seen access to water, sanitation, hygiene, and having it be closer to home? How does that impact women and their communities? What does it look like then? I mean, it's absolutely transformational, right? So you see, if a young girl doesn't have to collect water or have to do that in the evenings or maybe even the mornings, she's spending more time studying, right? Like doing her homework. Like here you're living in rural areas, but there isn't like online learning, right? You've got to walk long distances to school as well. And we're off the grid in many of the places we work in.

So there's no electricity. So your daylight hours are also limited. So if more daylight hours can be used to study, to do your homework, to read, you've already taken a step change towards an improved life, right? If you have the menstrual products you need, you don't have to miss school for those few days a month. And that means, you know, you're staying on track with the metrics of the education that you have. If you haven't fallen sick, if you're drinking safe water, again, you're not missing school. So we see increases in education in terms of performance, attendance, and enrollment in the schools for both boys and girls, actually, when we implement all our solutions.

And then for the mothers and for the families around, I mean, you're seeing higher yields in crops, right? You're seeing that they're able to go to the markets and sell their goods. We're able to see in some countries that because they don't have to spend money purchasing water like in places like in indonesia where you work in then they're able to like start little businesses little shops right and able to sell stuff so the economic empowerment to the women and the girls is quite significant as well and then you take all of this right like when you invest in a woman and a girl and if they're able to fully contribute to their development, they now have a chance to be

fully functioning, beautiful members of society and do all sorts of things, even beyond what would be traditional women's work, because those basic needs are fulfilled. And like, you know, really, the sky's the limit at that point, because you've provided the basic needs and I'll let them dream and follow those dreams and give them a chance and opportunity. That's all we say. That's all we can do. In the end, there's so many other factors in their lives that can create harm. But if these basic things are fulfilled, there's so much that we see that can be turned around and have seen it turned around. You said this early on in some parts of the world, woman's work is still very narrow and defined for people

and how access to water contributes to that. And then beautifully painted the picture of what is available outside of just the basic human need of having good water. But on top of that, what I heard is it gives young girls and women the opportunity to begin to redefine women's work for themselves, which is obviously a deep passion of mine. So I love that so much. And I want to switch gears and ask a little bit about the decision that you made to go from corporate to nonprofit. Because I know many of us have a heart for some cause or something like that.

And I'm sure many of us have thought about whether or not to start a nonprofit or work with a nonprofit or volunteer with a nonprofit. So first, starting a nonprofit, I think sometimes there's misconception that that means that you make zero money, right? Yeah. So could you talk a little bit about the financial implications and maybe what you or others have gone through in making the decision to start and run your own nonprofit from the financial perspective? Sure. I also, before I get into that response, I do want to say for anybody listening, decision to start and run your own nonprofit from the financial perspective.

Sure. I also, before I get into that response, I do want to say for anybody listening who's thinking about getting involved with a nonprofit, you know, resources are always the most needed, and that's money and time and skills. So that's the way to start. And if you have the ability and the luxury and the privilege to have the things you need in your life and you're able to share, like even in a small way, like those are the things that I need with money usually being the most important, but time and skills also right behind that. Right. For real quick, one person had said before that monthly contributions are like uber, uber helpful. Obviously all contributions are helpful, but if you're going to contribute financially, that committing to a certain

amount a month is really helpful because you, as the people running the organization, know what you can count on. Is that true in your world too? I can see how it would be true for other organizations. It's not that as true for us because we don't actually have that many monthly contributors. But yes, it would be super helpful if we moved in that direction. And I think it's hard sometimes for people to commit to that. So if you're able to, of course, and then you're planning it into your own financial lifestyle, right? And it helps you and it helps the organization.

So yes, I do recommend that. But even prior to that, like I recommend giving in general, if you're able to, and then if you're structured enough and planned enough, yes, monthly, for sure. And then, you know, to answer your, the main question you asked Nicole, right, like the, the transition from like, and the financial implications for it. So for me, and for our organization, you know, when I decided to start Surge, I did it nights and weekends for six years. So I wasn't getting paid. I had a corporate job and I, and I wasn't doing it for that reason, right? Because the motivation, as you had mentioned, is, is the passion for the, for international development.

It was for justice. It was for social justice in the most basic form, which to me is, you know, access to water. And that was enough. And when I got to the point of the, you know, not aligning energetically and all those things that came into play, I realized in my story, the organization Search for Water could not pay anybody at that point. We did not have enough money. So I made the sacrifices in my life to make the jump with no income for three years. So there were three years that I knew, well, I didn't know it would be three years. I planned for one year, honestly. It ended up being three, and I was able to do it. So I transitioned. In my planning, I transitioned in a way that I had enough money to sustain the time that I would not be making an income. And my goal when I first did this was not to run search

forever. It was to do this to get the organization to a point where we could hire someone because I knew that if we wanted to grow this in a sustained way, you needed a full-time executive director, you needed full-time staff. Otherwise, we would always be making the impact we were making, which was good, but small. And when I finally went through those couple of years of doing it full-time, one, I fell in love with the work and I knew I was completely living on purpose. It was going to be very hard to go back to the corporate world, but I considered it. I went to interviews. I did all of that stuff. People were offering me twice as much money than when I left because they were so impressed by the fact that I made this leap and

what I was able to do with the organization. And we had very little money with Surge to hire somebody for the executive director role. To the point we basically as a board and myself realize that if we wanted some of the skills I had, the only person who was going to do it for that little money was going to be me. So I took the job and I was fine because in the end- Well, you gave yourself a huge raise from zero to whatever, right? Correct. And I was paid very, very low, but it was enough to sustain the life I had adjusted to living. It was all I needed. It was more than I needed, to be very honest. And it was fine for me. Not everybody has this privilege. Not everyone can do it. But this was my journey as an organization and revenue. So, you know, my board insisted that I got like a significant increase, right? Because we're also now trying to build the organization to the point where if I did not want to do this anymore, if I wanted to go into something else that we can hire at the level that the org needs, right? So you also have

to create a structure that can, yeah, bring in top talent for the work that we want to do. And it's complex work. I know I made it sound simple to like go drill a well, but it's very complex from many, many aspects of it. And so, yes, it is completely a misnomer that nonprofit means no money. If anything, I think we should be investing more into the leaders who are solving the most complex challenges in the world. And it should be paid fairly and should be able to attract talent that can solve this issue. Otherwise, we're never going to get out of it. And that impacts our development as humanity and society as a whole.

And everybody has a different journey towards this, right? If you're thinking about doing something like this, you can look at large nonprofits that have salaries that can be paid, right? If you're thinking about doing something like this, you can look at large nonprofits that have salaries that can be paid, right? Like my journey was different because I'm a founder and I still make a lot of sacrifices because it's my baby, but there's other ways to do this and still earn an income and get fulfillment. Which perfectly segues me into my last question, which is how do we support Surge for Water and getting more people, communities, women, children, clean and safe water in the future? So how do we support? Yes. So for us, you know, please visit our website, searchforwater.org. We're on

all the social media channels, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook X. And I would say, you know, the very first step with anything is just being aware that there's an issue that's impacting billions of people and it's a basic human right. And knowing that there's an issue, speaking about it, sharing, advocating for it is the first step. And then as a second step, of course, if you're in a position that can help in any of the ways, whether you want to volunteer with us, whether you want to, you're able to donate, if you're in the Chicago area, or in Dubai, we have in person opportunities. And also, you know, the global water crisis is exactly that it's a global crisis. So look in your own areas, look in your own backyard.

And, you know, look at what's been done to conserve water to protect these beautiful natural resources that we have everywhere, because it is all connected, right? It is integrated. And the same water that we drink is the same water we swim in that we bathe in that's in, you know, that goes out of the sewage, it's all connected. So just being very conscious of your own use of water, what's happening around you, what your own like watershed looks like. I think it's all part of that awareness angle and just becoming more what I like to call water aware of our, you know, in our everyday lives.

Amazing. Again, the website was surgeforwater.org. We'll put the link and all the other links in show notes. Shilpa, thank you so much for the incredible work that you're doing today for getting people clean water and for helping us redefine woman's work. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Okay. I hope today's conversation made you think not just about the water we drink, but about the world we live in and the power we all have to create meaningful change. Water may seem like a basic necessity, and it is, but it is also a profound connector. So whether

your work involves boardrooms, classrooms, or clean water solutions, remember this, your gifts, your passions, your talents, they are yours for a reason, and no one gets to tell you how or where to use them. You get to decide what your work is and how you show up in the world. That is why we keep having these wide ranging conversations on This Is Woman's Work. And as always, thank you for tuning in as we explore the multifaceted experiences and priorities of today's woman. The old playbook has been torched and it's up to you to create your new definition. Who runs the world? You decide. Who deserves to have clean water? We all do. And that is woman's work.