Gambian Woman Runs Paris Marathon Carrying Jerrycan Of Water On Her Head

Siabatou Sanneh stood out from the crowd at Sunday’s 42km Paris marathon. It is not something you'd expect to see on the streets of Paris, but women carrying buckets of water is a common sight in Sanneh’s country. There, women often walk the equivalent of a marathon to find clean drinking water for their families.
Sanneh wanted people to realize how scarce water is in Gambia and raise awareness about Water For Africa, an organization that builds boreholes, a sustainable water source. She explained how she leaves her village 3 times a day in search of water, accompanied by her 2 daughters, aged 10 and 4. She said:

“From the day I was born I watched my parents doing this, now I do it and teach my children. But sometimes, especially during the rainy season, the water is not good and the kids get sick, suffer diarrhoea because of the water."

Sanech, who wore sandals to walk to the marathon finish line, wore a placard with the message: "In Africa women cover this distance every day to find water. Help us to reduce this distance."