Cisterneiras do Pajeú: The struggle of women in the Sertão for water, autonomy, and empowerment.

In the Pajeú hinterland, the lives of millions of farmers are marked by the unequal distribution of land and water. In the village of Bom Sucesso, in Ingazeira (PE), women decided to transform this reality on their own. Under the leadership of family farmer and president of the Bom Sucesso Community Association, Maria Suely Carvalho, they organized themselves to build cisterns for neighboring communities, ensuring water and food security for the community and becoming a symbol of resistance and female empowerment.

The project "Women of the Pajeú Hinterland, articulated by agroecology and coexistence with the semi-arid region," supported by the Ecos Fund, offered training in cistern construction to five thousand women. In partnership with Casa da Mulher do Nordeste and the federal program One Million Cisterns (P1MC), they built five 16,000-liter cisterns and, with the knowledge acquired, began to replicate the technology for other families, directly impacting the daily lives of the region. The work goes far beyond access to water. The project encouraged the implementation of agroecological stoves, greywater reuse, and the creation of productive backyards. Bernadete Conceição, one of the farmers, summarizes the transformation: “Before, I didn’t have a single cilantro plant because I didn’t have water. Today, my backyard is full of life. The Ecos Fund brought hope and autonomy.”

The initiative also had a profound social impact, challenging prejudices. “Men doubted our ability. We showed that we are capable of building cisterns and much more,” says farmer and cistern builder Eliene Carvalho. The union of the 52 women of the Bom Sucesso Community Association changed the local perception. Rosineide Oliveira, a council member of the association, celebrates the change: “We, women, showed that we know, we can, and we are capable. And the men, who previously doubted us, now support us.”

The work of the cistern builders proves that female empowerment is the seed of a more just future. The association, a benchmark in female leadership and agroecology in the semi-arid region, demonstrates that investing in women's capabilities generates hope, strengthens the community, and builds solutions that public policies have neglected for so long – solutions that are necessary. As Suely Carvalho says, their struggle is for a world "where women are recognized for their abilities."