Voices from the Field: Genevieve Edens, WaterEquity

For our ‘Voices from the Field’ series, we speak to Genevieve Edens, Senior Director of Impact and ESG at WaterEquity about how an early career in the coffee industry opened her eyes to the interconnectedness of gender inequality and climate change.

How has applying an integrated climate and gender lens helped you achieve a greater impact on climate?

WaterEquity invests exclusively for water and sanitation. Gender has always been core to the way we think about the impact of our investments since women and girls bear the greatest burden of inadequate access.  They are the ones who typically take care of sick family members, are responsible for collecting water for cooking, drinking, and bathing, and face the greatest risks to their personal safety when their sanitation facilities aren’t private and secure. What we have seen is that with extreme weather and shifting weather patterns, the burden on women and girls to manage those responsibilities and risks intensifies. When we put the experience of the most vulnerable at the core of our investment decisions, by specifically targeting investments that enhance water and sanitation access for women, we're addressing not only their immediate needs but also contributing to broader resilience.  

How is climate and gender integration showing up in your fund?

We consider the end-consumer of the water or sanitation service in all our investment decisions. We’re proud that to date, 95% of our investees’ clients are women. When we monitor the impact of our investments, we prioritize understanding the experience of clients and beneficiaries with gender-disaggregated data, including their experience with climate change, how our investee supported them, and how they plan to handle future climate events. 

In addition, we assess how gender and climate fit into the strategy, leadership, policies, and products of our investees. Integrating gender and climate across the organization can both address risks and identify opportunities. Where we see gaps in either, we work with our investees address those. For example, infrastructure and financial services are traditionally male dominated industries. We see some companies struggling with employee retention – a plan to hire, retain, and develop more female employees can lead to better functioning more competitive companies. Our goal is to support investees to become more responsibly managed as a part of driving more impact for vulnerable communities.  

In your own words, what opportunities does investing at the climate-gender nexus provide to investors? 

Investing at the climate-gender nexus opens up unique opportunities for investors by addressing two of the most pressing global challenges simultaneously. The scale of the water and sanitation crisis requires significant capital, and when you invest with a focus on both climate resilience and gender equality, you’re not only driving social and environmental impact but also unlocking financial returns. Adequate access to water and sanitation is a cornerstone of sustainable development writ large. Women are key economic drivers in their communities, and investments that improve their access to water and sanitation lead to better health outcomes, increased productivity, and more resilient local economies. Moreover, climate-resilient infrastructure, like wastewater treatment and water reuse systems, can seek financial returns while reducing the risks associated with climate change, making these investments both impactful and sustainable.

How did you get to where you are — what inspired the interest and commitment to climate and gender strategies?

I began my career in the coffee industry, where one of my first projects involved supporting a coffee cooperative in Tanzania to improve their coffee processing methods, enabling them to sell their crops to specialty buyers in the United States. During this project, I collaborated with a local hydrologist to secure water access for several processing stations. Every time we visited these remote areas, we would see women and girls collecting water to carry back home. It was eye-opening to witness the stark contrast between their experiences and mine – I had the convenience of turning on a tap to meet my daily water needs, while for them, water for coffee processing was most easily obtained by walking a long distance from their homes.

This past summer, Washington, D.C., where I live, experienced a "boil water" advisory for several days due to algal blooms in the reservoir caused by extreme heat, which impacted the drinking water quality. As I boiled water for drinking and cooking, worrying about what my daughter would drink at camp, I was reminded of the women I had met in Tanzania. They face far greater challenges and dedicate much more time and mental energy each day just to secure enough water for their families.

Climate change is increasing uncertainty about water access for everyone, but the greatest impacts will be felt by those who are already vulnerable. Women, particularly those from low-income communities living in rural or informal settlements, are disproportionately affected. For them, one disaster can wipe out their savings and assets. While climate change affects all of us, those with resources have a responsibility to mobilize support for those with far less. 

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