Many people hear the words “water” and “Africa” and immediately think of dry wells in the desert. Congo is actually one of the most water-rich countries on the continent. The problem is the water is often not clean enough for consumption and people don’t always know that simply boiling it would make it safe to drink.

I followed these girls from their home to the local water source, about a fifteen-minute walk down into a valley, and back up again. I was amazed by how strong these girls were. I had a hard time keeping up with them as they carried these five-gallon jerry cans on their head, climbing up the hill after them with only my camera.

Magic 280/365, Water Girls of Congo, Mutoto, DRC, 2015