Author: Leila Bousbaa, Events Manager

I have always believed that there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women. Gender inequality is one of the oldest inequalities in the world, it’s a key contributor to poverty and a fundamental denial of women's rights. Research from Oxfam shows:

• 75 percent of women in developing regions are in the informal economy - where they are less likely to have employment contracts, legal rights or social protection, and are often not paid enough to escape poverty.

• 49 per cent of girls have missed an entire day of school because of their period.

• Today, women around the world will spend a collective 200 million hours collecting water. Often, girls are unable to attend school, because of their daily responsibility to help her mother retrieve water each day.

I was fortunate enough to travel to Zimbabwe to see the implementation of UK Aid first hand. A project that had a massive impact on me was a woman's water project. I met the community of women at their homestead at the top of a rocky crevasse. They asked to show me the route they used to take to collect water before the water pump was fitted.

Together we ventured down the slippery slopes. Going down was hard enough, little did I know about what hiking back up would entail. I was oblivious to the reality of the hardship of carrying a 20 litre bucket of water on my head. Before the water project was implemented, the women in the community would have to carry 20 litres of water on their head, often with another five litres of water in each hand, sometimes barefoot with a baby on their back. All of this had to be done three times a day!

The community told us stories of women breaking legs whilst fetching water, so being told it was my turn to put 20 litres of water on my head panicked me! The moment the bucket touched my head I felt the weight of the 20 litres, I realised I wouldn’t be able to find the words to describe my feelings. But to put it simply, I felt a mix of emotions, sadness and happiness. I was happy because these wonderful women would never have to make that journey again to collect water. But Sad because I knew women all over the world would still be making this awful journey. It was clear that providing access to clean water close to their home dramatically reduced their workloads, and freed up time for the girls to attend school.

We know economies are stronger when they reduce gender inequalities and actively support the equal participation of women in all spheres of life. The UK is considered a development superpower, in terms of both its financial investment and expertise in international development. We must continue to put resources into women's hands while promoting gender equality in the household and in society results in large development payoffs . Gender equality is imperative for a stable, flourishing and sustainable world. Transformational change is possible for women all over the world, but only with a joined up radical approach.