Access to dry season community water resources and children's school attendance and work: Evidence from Ghana

This study offers novel empirical insights into the unintended consequences of improved rural water access by examining how dry-season access to community water resources (CWRs) affects children’s school attendance and engagement in labour for profit. Drawing on nationally representative household survey data and addressing endogeneity through instrumental variable techniques and rigorous robustness checks, we find that access to CWRs during the dry season is associated with reduced school attendance and increased child labour for profit. These associations are particularly pronounced among boys and among children in male-headed, adult-headed, and rural households. Importantly, the analysis identifies remittance income and crop diversification as key pathways through which water access influences these outcomes. The findings reveal a critical trade-off in rural development policy and underscore the need to integrate social safeguards into infrastructure investment strategies. • Community water resources are vital for achieving SDGs 4 and 6. • Evidence is drawn from GLSS 7 data. • Endogeneity-correcting models link dry-season water access with child schooling and work. • Limited water access reduces children’s schooling and work-for-profit. • Effects are stronger in male-headed, adult-headed, and rural households.