Discover how SPANA is supporting the working animals who transport water for their communities this World Water Day.
Water is essential for the lives of every single animal, person and plant on Earth. We use water for drinking, cleaning, cooking, sanitation, agriculture – and many other purposes.
Despite its importance, 2.2 billion people live without safely managed drinking water, according to the United Nations (UN). In many of the countries where global working animal welfare charity SPANA works, communities don’t have access to piped, mains water. As a result, many people must collect water daily from wells, pumps and natural water sources, often located far from their homes. Working animals like horses, donkeys, and camels play an invaluable role in transporting fresh water from wells and pumps to homes worldwide.
Read on to find out more about World Water Day, the role of working animals in transporting water and how SPANA helps working animals and their communities access water.
What is World Water Day?
World Water Day is held annually on 22 March. It’s a global awareness day and official UN observance designed to raise awareness about the importance of fresh water and to inspire action to tackle the global water crisis.
World Water Day has been held since 1993. Each year has a different theme, such as ‘Water and Climate Change’, ‘Water and Sustainable Development’ and ‘Water Scarcity’.
The awareness day also supports Sustainable Development Goal six – water and sanitation for all by 2030. Created in 2015, the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals promote prosperity while protecting the planet.
At SPANA, every World Water Day we shine a light on the essential but often overlooked role of working animals in transporting water. Throughout the year, our charity also helps working animals and their communities access water.
Working animals’ role in transporting water
In many countries where SPANA works, collecting water is often the responsibility of women and girls. This task can prevent them from carrying out other activities, such as going to school, and can also cause health issues, like back and neck pain.
To reduce this burden, working animals are frequently used to collect and carry water. For example, in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania, some areas of the city don’t have a piped water supply. Hundreds of donkeys transport and deliver water from standpipes around the city to areas of need. These donkeys pull carts with up to 400 litres of water – travelling two to three kilometres with each load.
SPANA vets in Nouakchott regularly monitor the health of the water-carrying donkeys. In our mobile veterinary clinic, they visit the standpipe locations where donkeys and their owners congregate. We also have a fixed veterinary centre in the city where owners can bring their animals for treatment.
How SPANA helps working animals and communities access water
Since our charity was founded in 1923, SPANA has worked tirelessly to ensure that working animals and communities have access to clean, fresh water. We constructed our first water trough and fountain in Touggourt, Algeria, in 1937. They were used by hundreds of donkeys, mules, camels and horses each week.
Since then, we’ve been providing water to hundreds of thousands of working animals at sites globally each year – a lifeline for animals in hot and dry climates. For example, in Marrakech, Morocco, we have built 10 drinking fountains positioned around the city to provide a refreshing break for the caleche horses who offer tourists rides there, as well as for other working animals.
In times of emergency, we also ensure working animals and their communities can access water when they need it most. Working animals in Shashe and Chivi, two districts in southern Zimbabwe, have been struggling to survive a severe drought. In 2024, our Zimbabwe team drilled and supplied four solar-powered boreholes – ensuring running water for working animals and their owners.
In 2018, we funded the construction of a 110-metre-deep solar-powered borehole for working animals in Turkana, Kenya, during a serious and prolonged drought. The borehole, which also had two animal troughs and a water kiosk, supplied 4,200 people and 15,076 donkeys, camels and livestock from four nearby villages.
We also help working animals when there’s too much water. For example, in February 2025, we launched an urgent appeal to provide veterinary treatment, food, clean water and shelter to more than 1,000 donkeys and 600 households affected by devastating floods in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, in the Kigoma region of Tanzania.
Our vital work is only possible due to the kindness of our supporters. Thanks to your compassion, we can provide expert veterinary care to sick and injured working animals, to empower their owners by providing training in good animal welfare and to teach children about the importance of working animals, all so that we can achieve a long-term, sustainable transformation in the welfare of working animals. Find out more here.
Access to clean water is essential for the health of working animals, whether they are facing droughts or floods. With your support, we can provide vital veterinary care, educate owners on proper hydration, and advocate for long-term solutions to improve animal welfare. This World Water Day, for just £12, could you give the gift of clean water on behalf of a loved one who cares about animal welfare and clean water access? Your donation could help fill a water trough for seven days, providing working animals with the hydration they need to stay healthy and thrive. Will you give the gift of clean water? Find out more here.
