UN Publication Sandeep Naik

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Advance Version

GENDER, WATER AND SANITATION

CASE STUDIES ON BEST PRACTICES

United Nations

2006


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NOTE

The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not implythe expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nationsconcerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, orconcerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The term country as used in the textof this publication also refers, as appropriate, to territories or areas.

Symbols of United Nations documents are composed of capital letters combined with figures.

For further information please contact:Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women

Department of Economic and Social Affairs

United Nations HeadquartersTwo UN Plaza, DC2-1220

New York, NY 10017, USAFax No: (212) 963-1802E-Maill:[email protected]
mailto:E-Maill:[email protected]


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Foreword

Gender mainstreaming was established as the key strategy to promote gender equality and the

empowerment of women at the Fourth World Conference on Women (FWCW) in 1995. TheBeijing Platform of Action which was adopted thereafter articulated the strategy which has sincebecome widely accepted. The United Nations ECOSOC Agreed Conclusions 1997/2 on Genderfurther underscored gender mainstreaming as an essential component of programme and policyrelated work at the country, regional and international levels.

Since 1995 gender mainstreaming as a strategy has been implemented in all sectors with varyingdegrees of success. Various tools have also been developed to support the strategy. Nonethelesscontinuing challenges remain especially linked to monitoring and evaluating the impact of gendermainstreaming on the condition of women and men. Some of these challenges are related to theabsence of appropriate and context-specific indicators that can capture the impact of interventionsto promote gender equality and the empowerment of women. Additional challenges include the

absence of methodologies that assist replicability of successful interventions in order to speed upthe pace of gender mainstreaming.

This handbook represents a set of 15 case studies on gender mainstreaming in the water andsanitation sector. It is meant to provide information, insight and evidence of how gendermainstreaming works in practice in many diverse situations. The best practices depicted here area contribution towards closing the gaps that are evident in the implementation of interventions topromote gender equality.

I thank the Government of Norway for providing the necessary funds to undertake this project.Besides the production of these case studies, 15 experts were trained and are now in a position tocontinue documenting best practices in gender mainstreaming in various sectors in their own

countries and elsewhere. In addition, a manual on a new case study methodology for documentingbest practices in gender mainstreaming will be produced to provide a tool to a wider group ofresearchers.

Rachel Mayanja

Assistant Secretary-GeneralSpecial Adviser on Gender Issues and

Advancement of WomenUnited Nations


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Acknowledgements

The production of these case studies was undertaken by a team whose members included Team

Leader Wariara Mbugua (OSAGI/DESA), Dana Peebles (Director of Kartini International) andNadine Jubb (also of Kartini International).

The process commenced with recommendations for researchers from the United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE). The IANWGE Task Force onGender and Water chaired by Marcia Brewster (Division for Sustainable Development/DESA)was instrumental in identifying nationals who eventually participated in the research and inpreparing the final document for publication.

The case study methodology workshop that took place in Addis Ababa was ably hosted by theAfrica Centre for Gender and Development of the United Nations Economic Commission forAfrica (UNECA). Deputy Director Wambui Karanja facilitated all the arrangements, while

Consultant Veronica Agbor ensured that all the logistics went smoothly.

However, none of these case studies would have been possible without the commitment and theenthusiasm of the researchers themselves.

The Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women thankseveryone who participated in making this project a success. We wish to thank, in particular, ourtechnical collaborators in this undertaking. The office was assisted by Dana Peebles and NadineJubb of Kartini International, a Toronto-based consulting firm that specializes in gender equalityservices. Our thanks also go to the UNECA Africa Centre for Gender and Development forhosting the methodology training workshop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Finally, we are indebted toMarcia Brewster, Task Manager of the Inter-agency Gender and Water Task Force, and her team

Margaret Garrison, Magano Ickua and Zhang Jin -- for their detailed scrutiny and finalization ofthe manuscript.


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Introduction

Wariara Mbugua, Principal Social Affairs OfficerOffice of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women

The 15 case studies presented in this handbook depict best practices in securing sustainable safedrinking water and sanitation for communities by engaging both men and women as criticalstakeholders. The case studies are drawn from 14 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and theMiddle East. They illustrate what happens when communities become involved and activelyengaged in addressing issues related to clean water and sanitation from a gender perspective. Thisperspective ensures that the concerns of women who have the primary responsibility for water arenot only addressed but become part of the solution.

The case studies demonstrate that at the community level, solutions to clean water andappropriate sanitation problems are context-specific. One context that must be addressed isrelated to the prevailing gender systems and the attendant gender division of labour thatdetermines womens primary responsibility for water in the household. Gender systems also

determine the distribution of power between men and women. The case studies show that inpursuit of common goals and through dialogue, innovation, participation and collaboration,answers can be found that respond to the different interests of men and women in ensuring accessto clean water and sanitation, and in the process break down many barriers based on prevailingtraditional gender paradigms. It is successes such as these that become the building blocks to therealization of the Millennium Development Goals.

During its 58th Session, the United Nations General Assembly declared the period 2005-2015 theInternational Decade for Action Water for Life, starting on World Water Day, 22 March 2005.It adopted resolution 58/127 which states inter alia that the goals of the Decade should be agreater focus on water related issues at all levels and on the implementation of water-relatedprogrammes and projects, while striving to ensure the participation and involvement of women in

water-related development efforts, and the furtherance of cooperation at all levels, in order to helpto achieve internationally agreed water-related goals

The decade is thus meant to accelerate the realization of the Millennium Development Goals, andin particular goals seven, which aims to ensure environmental sustainability, and ten, whichseeks to halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinkingwater and basic sanitation.

According to the Mid-Term Assessment of Progress (2004)1, the Joint Monitoring Programmeof WHO and UNICEF stresses that extra efforts must be made if this target is to be reached. Thereport notes that:

Without a sharp acceleration in the rate of progress, the world will miss the sanitationtarget by half a billion people.

An estimated 2.6 billion people half of the developing world lack access to improvedsanitation.

1World Health Organization and United Nations Childrens Fund (WHO/UNICEF) Joint MonitoringProgramme, Meeting the MDG Drinking Water and Sanitation Target: A Mid-term Assessment ofProgress. New York and Geneva, 2004.


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Despite major progress in South Asia, little more than a third of its population useimproved sanitation; access to adequate sanitation in sub-Saharan Africa is only 36 percent.

Global population growth is cancelling many of the gains already made. Although morethan a billion people gained improved sanitation between 1990 and 2002, the populationwithout coverage declined by only 100 million.

From now until 2015, greater effort must be made to reach the poor and those in ruralareas, whose deprivation is hidden behind national averages.

In developing this project, the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues andAdvancement of Women in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (OSAGI/DESA) hadseveral objectives.

The first objective was to add to current knowledge the importance of applying a genderperspective in designing sustainable development interventions. These case studies show that agender perspective leads to far more positive gains than originally anticipated. In fact, thecommunity as a whole often reaps significant dividends. Benefits accrue to both men and womenand this seems to tip the scale towards a shift in power relationships between men and women,

whereby men, even in traditional communities begin to see the value and accept the need forchange in womens roles. This is particularly borne out with regard to women taking onleadership roles at the community level.

A second objective of the project was to use a case study methodology for documenting bestpractices in gender mainstreaming in many diverse settings. To do this OSAGI developed a newmethodology. This required critiquing many existing methodologies and extracting thoseelements of each that were most suitable. The result was a series of approaches that a researchercould use depending on the theme of his or her case study. The case studies therefore show thedifferent choices of methodologies. A manual on the methodology will be produced separately sothat other researchers can also benefit.

The third and final objective was to create a new pool of young researchers, men and women, forissues related to gender and empowerment of women. In November 2004, OSAGI/DESA invited15 young professionals to participate in a research project on gender mainstreaming in the waterand sanitation sector. The participants came from 14 different countries from various regions ofthe world. They all have highly diverse backgrounds and include academics, community activists,journalists and civil servants. Selection criteria included a track record of leadership in their fieldor community and experience in either water, sanitation or gender equality. The idea was to bringtogether younger professionals who are not necessarily linked to global movements so as toconnect them with major development initiatives such as the Millennium Development Goals andin that respect, foster the development of a new network of gender, water and sanitation experts.Equipped with a sound methodology for documenting best practices, the researchers have lenttheir own voices to the case studies.

The three case study methodologies adapted for this research project include:

The Harvard Business Case Study Methodology

Appreciative Inquiry

Feminist Analysis


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The first two methods need to have a system of gender analysis integrated into them whereas thelatter focuses more exclusively on women and the underlying patriarchal power structures thataffect their lives. The gender analysis tools selected to help the researchers analyze the data theycollected from a gender perspective included:

Practical Needs and Strategic Interests Comparison

Access and Control Framework Empowerment Framework

The research team had three months to conduct their research in their home countries. In theprocess they have documented stories and processes that otherwise would not have come to light.A common thread in their research results is that the integration of gender mainstreamingelements in each project, institution and programme has served to enhance the success of thewater and sanitation programme. All the case studies offer powerful lessons to be learned aboutgender mainstreaming in practice. The case studies validate gender mainstreaming as a useful andimportant strategy, and reveal the processes that make it successful in different situations.

Case Studies (In order of presentation)

1. Sabrina Mello Souza Brazil

2. Ghada M. Hamman Egypt

3. Johdah Bokhari Pakistan

4. Jabu Masondo South Africa

5. Nila Ardhianie Indonesia

6. Sena Alouka

Togo

7. Leontine van den Hooven Guatemala

8. Luckson Katsi Zimbabwe

9. S.H.M Fakhruddin Bangladesh

10. Adekana A. Majekodunmi Nigeria

11. Nana Ama Poku Sam Ghana

12. Magda Lanuza Nicaragua

13. Berna Ignatius Victor India

14. Florence Ebila Uganda

15. Sanganagouda (Sandeep) Naik India


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Table of Contents

Bangladesh: Gender Mainstreaming Processes in Community-based Flood Risk Management ................. 9

Brazil: Conscious Fostering of Womens Leadership ................................................................................11

Egypt: Empowering Womens Participation in Community and Household Decision-making in Water andSanitation .................................................................................................................................................... 13

Ghana: Gender Integration in a Rural Water Project in the Samari-Nkwanta Community........................15

Guatemala: Meeting Womens and Mens Water Needs in the El Naranjo River WatershedOrganization................................................................................................................................................17

India: Evolution of Gender Mainstreaming in Human Resource Policy of BAIF Development ResearchFoundation, Pune ........................................................................................................................................ 19

India: From Alienation to an Empowered Community - Applying a Gender Mainstreaming Approach to a

Sanitation Project, Tamil Nadu...................................................................................................................21

Indonesia: the Impact of Womens Participation in the Aqua-Danone Advocacy Programme A CaseStudy in Klaten District, Central Java.........................................................................................................23

Nicaragua: Gender Equality as a Condition for Access to Water and Sanitation.......................................25

Nigeria: Using Gender Mainstreaming Processes to Help Protect Drinking Water Sources of the ObuduPlateau Communities in Northern Cross River State..................................................................................27

Pakistan: Initiative of One, Relief for All Womens Leadership in the Banda Golra Water SupplyScheme........................................................................................................................................................29

South Africa: Women in Sanitation and Brick Making Project, Mabule Village.......................................31

Togo: Integrating Gender into the Promotion of Hygiene in Schools ........................................................ 33

Uganda: Mainstreaming Gender into Policy: Examining Ugandas Gender Water Strategy .....................35

Zimbabwe: Gender mainstreaming in water supply and sanitation in Manzvire Village, Chipinge District....................................................................................................................................................................37


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Bangladesh: Gender Mainstreaming Processes in Community-based Flood Risk Management

ChallengesIn Bangladesh, household and community responses to extreme recurring events such as floods are anindicator of the extent of their vulnerability, their level of capacity to cope with the event and the intensityof the hazard. The better informed people are ahead of time, the better they can prepare for the hazard and

reduce the risk of damage in their community.

Flood preparedness is to a large extent dependent on two elements: first, the ability of relevant national,local and community institutions to orchestrate communication; and second, determining and prioritizingthe content of communications on the basis of user needs and priorities. The lead time of the traditionalhydrologic forecasts is very short, and local people do not understand danger-level terminology. There isno mechanism to relate forecast information to user needs at specific locations.

Men and women have different capacities and vulnerabilities in regards to information dissemination dueto their different roles and conditions. Therefore, they are affected by disaster differently. In manycontexts, men are better connected to early warning mechanisms due to their movement in public spacesand access to various channels of communication, such as radio and TV, informal community networks

and interaction with officials. Women have limited access to information and knowledge related todisaster risks in their communities as they are more active in the home and thus have less mobility in thecommunity and understand hazards less. Womens voices are barely heard regarding risk reduction inpolicy and decision-making processes.

Programme/ProjectsIn early 2004, the Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), together withother national agencies, took the initiative to implement a project on flood vulnerability, risk reductionand better preparedness through a community-based information system in a flood-prone zone. It includedan analysis of the impact of gender mainstreaming on the flood risk programme in relation to reducedvulnerability and risk. The objective was to identify best practices regarding flood preparedness,information dissemination, especially to women at home, and vulnerability and risk reduction.

The process began by organizing a sensitization meeting at a local government institute with theparticipation of NGOs and the Disaster Mitigation Group (DMI) to identify men s and womens needs.Research was carried out using interviews, questionnaires, focus groups and open-ended discussions toidentify their specific needs. The process was pre-tested in the field and then implemented. There was a98 per cent response rate for the household survey done by CEGIS.

As a result of this research, which was done in preparation for that year s monsoon season, new forms ofcommunicating flood information were tested. The danger level for river flow was set for every village.Flood warnings in the local language were prepared using different media, including posters, photographsand audio tapes. These were selected as ways of strengthening local institutions and providing access toinformation, in particular to illiterate people, regarding such activities as evacuating cattle, crop and

emergency food preparedness and organizing boats for evacuation.

OutcomesIn the 2004 flood, men and women in the community studied benefited greatly from new mechanismsintroduced, such as the flag network, microphones in mosques and drum beating. Some women in thecommunity said that they are now trying to understand the flag network and the importance of floodwarning information.


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Responses to the programme:

Padma Rani, said that timely messages which address the concerns of women in the village could enablethem to prepare for floods. I can store dry food, my poultry, shift my paddy and raise my plinth level if Iunderstand the language of the forecast.

Omar Sultan was concerned with saving his stock of paddy (about 150 mounds) at a higher location andwas about to invest in moving it as the water was rising every day. But when he saw the white flag of thewarning system (meaning water level decreasing), he did not shift it. He was able save his investment onshifting. We understand the flag network warning system and it is helpful.

Key Factors for Success

Gender analysis framework: The framework was developed to study various community-widepatterns related to disasters that could be analysed in the context of gender. These includedtraditional gender roles, access to and control of means of communication and other resourcesand impacts of the disaster that differed by gender, before, during and after the event.

Additional frameworks: After the gender analysis framework provided insight into gender anddisasters, the Harvard analytical and the access and control frameworks were used to make

womens roles visible in risk management.

Main Obstacles

Forecasts not adapted locally: All of the men and women involved in the survey said that theywere unable to relate to the forecasts as they were not adapted to their local situation. Either thelanguage and the metric system were alien to their culture or the information provided about theriver water was not helpful on the flood plain.

Gender disparity in information reception: In general, women receive very little information incomparison to men before and during floods as they are busy taking care of children, collectingdrinking water, and preserving seeds, fuel, food and cash. Men have greater access to warninginformation because of their interpersonal communication with others and their access to radiosand TV.

Looking Ahead - Sustainability and TransferabilityIn order to continue disaster risk reduction in other locations, two roles need to be successfully fulfilled:

Community: The community is imperative to disaster risk reduction. Community members are thekey actors as well as the primary beneficiaries of disaster risk reduction.

Government: National and local government agencies must engage and encourage women toparticipate along with men in implementing flood preparedness measures. They should take intoaccount the different roles and needs of men and women, while planning all stages of disasterpreparedness, relief, and rehabilitation. To aid this effort, gender mainstreaming in flood riskreduction needs to be institutionalized.

Further Information

Contact the researcher:S.H.M. [email protected]

For information about the Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services:http://www.cegisbd.com

For information about Riverside Technology, Inc.:http://www.riverside.com
http://www.riverside.com/http://www.cegisbd.com/mailto:[email protected]


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Brazil: Conscious Fostering of Womens Leadership

ChallengesThe community of So Joo DAliana is located in the central plateau region of Brazil, where much ofthe original vegetation has been cleared to plant cash crops. It is home to about 6,700 people, most ofwhom work in agriculture. The municipality does not have a sewage collection or treatment system, and

23 per cent of the population in the area use alternative sources of water.Concerns in this area include: The disposal of animal scraps in the das Brancas River and domestic waste on the river banks;

The impact of farm pesticides on people and the environment;

The increase in diarrhoea during the rainy season, when rain brought pesticides into the river; and

Gender inequalities stemming from a long heritage of male chauvinism.

Programme/ProjectsIn 2000, in response to farmers concerns about the deterioration of water in the area, the local Union ofRural Workers in collaboration with University of Braslia (UnB) designed a water project with thecommunity. The project identified that there was a need to join efforts to stop pollution of the das BrancasRiver and to rehabilitate the river banks original vegetation in a women-led initiative, called the WaterWomen project. The approach was designed to have each group of women adapt environmentally -friendly practices to their every day activities.Some activities that formed part of this project included:Raising awareness, education and training on the environment:

A collective effort to plant native seedlings in the most depleted riverbanks to rehabilitate the soil,prevent erosion, restore the original vegetation and improve water quality and levels;

A waste clean-up campaign organized to raise awareness on the importance of proper garbagedisposal and its effects on local quality of life and the environment; and

A teacher training course in environmental education developed in 11 local schools to raiseinterest about water protection and conservation and enable the teachers to integrate the issue intheir school lessons. Student workshops and school-based contests promoted the awareness ofpreservation and rehabilitation of the local environment and culture.

Gender mainstreaming and involvement of the entire community:

A womans group within the union formed with the purpose of mobilizing public invol vementand assessing the communitys needs. They visited community members to introduce the project,identify their needs and obtain their support. They also held a meeting to discuss future plans;

Women were in leadership roles, including the positions of local union president and thetechnical assistant from the UnB; and

Men protected the new planted seedlings and created artwork and music to support the clean-upcampaigns.

OutcomesEnvironmental impact:

There is a visible absence of waste in the river and domestic garbage by the river banks, aconsiderable growth of new vegetation of native species on the river banks and decreased soil

erosion.Community impact:

There is an increased community mobilization of people of all ages and backgrounds; and

Community awareness of the immediate environment has significantly increased.

Womens empowerment and participation in project leadership:

The women involved led a successful process of environmental education and river andvegetation rehabilitation. In the process, womens political participation was strengthened andpublic perceptions regarding their leadership capability were changed.


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National recognition of positive effects:

The organization has gained recognition at the national level through the award of third place forthe 2002 Environment Prize von Martius sponsored by the So Paulo Chamber of Commerce andIndustry Brazil-Germany.

The creation of an NGO:

In the wake of this project, the participants decided to create an NGO to continue their work. The

Water Women (Mulheres das guas) NGO was launched in April 2002 to support social andenvironmental development of the region, with a focus on improving womens situations,generating new jobs and income, providing education to youth and adults and preserving theexisting culture and traditions; and

The Water Women organization has gained formal recognition of its leadership skills through arecent appointment to integrate the mobilizationcommittee for the local implementation of thenational Zero Hunger programme.

Change of attitudes:

The Water Women NGO has acquired respect and sympathy from the communitys men; and There is now an increased acceptance of, and respect for, womens new roles as community

leaders, resulting in more equitable sharing of organizational tasks for community meetings.

Key Factors for SuccessCapacity building and mobilization:

Technical support from an interdisciplinary group throughout the entire process;

Provision of courses on environmental education and participatory fieldwork. Provision ofcourses on income generation assisted women to promote sustainable livelihoods; and

Use of diverse activities to enable all community members of different ages and abilities toparticipate, including an active school level educational programme and the documentation andrehabilitation of regional traditions.

Gender mainstreaming:

Inclusion of a gender mainstreaming approach in the project design, especially the decision toencourage and support womens leadership in all projects.

Main ObstaclesGaining mens support was a slow process and participants in the group workshop reported that a coupleof women who started in the project left because the lack of support from their husbands. The issue ofmale support was particularly challenging for the married women involved.

Looking Ahead Sustainability and TransferabilityFuture challenges:

Developing new projects to subsidize their work, setting specific goals and indicators to evaluatethe work and finding resources to closely monitor the actions already implemented;

Improvement of the Water Women groups internal organizational capacity; and Finding of ways to work in partnership with the city administration that target the education,

health, environment, tourism and agriculture departments.

Further Information

Contact the researcher:Sabrina Mello Souza: [email protected]

Contact the organization (Organizao Mulheres das guas, So Joo DAliana, Gois, Brazil):[email protected]

For a look at the Water Women project in So Joo DAliana (in Portuguese):http://www.prac.ufpb.br/anais/anais/meioambiente/mulheres.pdf
http://www.prac.ufpb.br/anais/anais/meioambiente/mulheres.pdfmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Egypt: Empowering Womens Participation in Community and Household Decision-making in

Water and Sanitation

ChallengesThis study documents how the Better Life Association for Comprehensive Development (BLACD) used agender-integrated approach as an integral part of the water and sanitation project they implemented in the

village of Nazlet Fargallah in Upper Egypt from January 2003 to December 2004. The project was aimedat approximately 700 households without sanitary facilities; 60 per cent of the people targeted werewomen (BLACD, 2002). Most of the residents work as casual labourers in agriculture and have littlepredictable income. There is one primary school and one health unit in the village. Prior to the project,more than half of the 1500 households in Nazlet Fargallah lacked latrines and access to clean and reliablerunning water. The most common preventable illnesses, including diarrhoea and kidney disease, weredirectly correlated with the lack of potable water and poor sanitation practices. Women are responsible forproviding their families with water for drinking and washing and for waste disposal. Before the project,their main water source was communal hand pumps. Important concerns in Nazlet Fargallah included:Water and sanitation:

Gathering water, which required much time and effort as women had to make up to four separatetrips a day to obtain adequate water. The time this consumed kept women from other household

tasks, personal sanitation and other activities; Washing clothes and dishes in water contaminated with sewage;

The practice of throwing human waste into the canal, contaminating the water and giving it ayellow colour as well as a bad smell and taste;

Women and girls having to wait until after dark to relieve themselves. This affected their healthand made them vulnerable to violence;

Traditional gender roles and gender imbalance:

Traditional gender roles, allotted few rights to women. Women rarely took part in activitiesoutside the home, and were fully occupied collecting water, looking after their children, andperforming other household tasks. They were unable to participate in external social roles andmost are illiterate; and

Using legal obstacles to prevent womens participation in community life. Many lack properidentification, since as women, it has not been deemed important for their births to be registered.

Programme/ProjectsThe people of Nazlet Faragallah first approached BLACD for help after observing successful installationof latrines and taps in neighbouring villages. The project in Nazlet Faragallah had three main components:water connections; latrine installation at the household level; and hygiene education. BLACD workedactively to integrate gender considerations into its new projects, to strengthen gender-mainstreaminginitiatives and increase project effectiveness. This led to the development of the health visitor model inwhich women could still be actively involved at all levels despite male objections to their formal presencein project management.

BLACD helped the village health visitors plan awareness raising campaigns about water and sanitation,

and provided training on water and sanitation, basic health, nutrition, child and reproductive health andfirst aid as well as communications skills. The health visitors participated by choosing the projectbeneficiaries based on agreed-upon criteria. Both women and men were involved in the projects planningas well as household-level decisions to participate in the project.

OutcomesBLACDs success includes the following:Impact on health and sanitation:


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Provided 700 households with two taps and a latrine each, giving them direct access to a clean,convenient source of water and a more sanitary means to dispose of their waste;

Increased awareness of disease prevention, leading to change in sanitation behaviour; and

Decreased time spent (mainly by women) collecting water and disposing of waste.Gender mainstreaming and empowerment:

Successfully integrated gender and the particular needs and interests of women into the project ina traditional male-dominated community;

Demonstrated that female health visitors can have a significant impact in the community;

Significantly and visibly increased womens empowerment in decision-making at the communityand household levels, particularly with regard to health, well-being and livelihoods;

Developed a sense of pride, in both men and women, over their households independent accessto water; and

Increased womens security, dignity and sense of self-sufficiency.Further activities and development goals:

Established a women-based community development association for those who wanted tocontinue their community activities after the projects completion;

Provided a basis for women seeking other rights in addition to access to water; and

Increased the likelihood of achieving other development objectives.

Main ObstaclesExisting power structures hindered womens empowerment, particularly at the management level.Although the project was welcomed by both villagers and local authorities, initially there was resistanceto womens involvement. Community leaders insisted that only men serve on the project managementcommittee. Some health visitors faced opposition from male family members, as did some women whowanted to participate in the water connection programme.

Despite numerous obstacles, the development association that was formed as a result of this project hasnow been formally registered.

Key Factors for SuccessThe project provides an effective model for implementing gender-sensitive water and sanitationprogrammes. It further demonstrates that womens active participation in water and sanitation projects isessential because of their key roles in the provision and maintenance of water, sanitation and hygiene atthe household level. The project also recognized that in working together in partnership, women and menare effective and can foster increased collaboration between the two sexes at the household level.

Looking Ahead Sustainability and TransferabilityThis project has shown that it is possible to both respond to the needs of marginalized communities whilepromoting changes in traditional gender roles. The development association formed provides a base forfurther activities using the experience gained through the course of this project.

Further Information Contact the researcher, Ghada Mahmoud Hammam: [email protected]

For information about the Better Life Association for Comprehensive Development:http://www.novib.nl/content/?type=Article&id=3572 (organization introduction) or [email protected]

For information about Diakonia:http://www.diakonia.se/main_eng.htm
http://www.diakonia.se/main_eng.htmmailto:[email protected]://www.novib.nl/content/?type=Article&id=3572mailto:[email protected]


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Ghana: Gender Integration in a Rural Water Project in the Samari-Nkwanta Community

ChallengesIn Ghana, traditionally, women and children are the primary collectors, users, and managers of householdwater. When water systems break down women and children are the most affected, since they then haveto travel far to search for water for household use. Women are the key players in implementing changes in

hygiene behaviour; however, despite the knowledge and experience that they bring to water resourcemanagement, the contribution and roles of rural women are often overlooked or under-utilized in thedrafting of water and sanitation policies.

The community in which this project took place is Samari-Nkwanta, with about 650 inhabitants andsituated about 373 km from Ghanas capital, Accra. It is located in the Ejura-Sekyedumasi District, whichrepresents about 7 per cent of the Ashanti Region, and is home to a World Vision Ghana (WVG) AreaDevelopment Programme. The community is in a rural area where farming is the main source oflivelihood and engages 60 per cent of the economically active population. Before the water project,women in this area worked a daily average of 19 hours, while men worked around 12 hours a day.During the dry season when the communitys regular water sources dried up, women and girls had towalk about three to four miles over dangerous terrain to bring water and firewood to their families,

sometimes more than once a day. Their primary water source area was described as Aberewa nnko,meaning old women cannot get there. Many girls also had to abandon their schooling to search for water.

Programme/ProjectsThe communitys water and sanitation programmes came about in response to the need for interventionsto address a serious infestation of guinea worm, which had existed among the community members forseveral decades. In Ghana, guinea worm is prevalent mostly in remote areas where there are few wellsand where people draw their drinking water from ponds and water holes. It is extremely painful and cancause permanent disability. This problem combined with poor access to potable drinking water in theregion led to the birth of the Samari-Nkwanta Water and Sanitation Project (SWSP) in 1992.

In response to a severe drought in Ghana in 1982-1983, WVG commissioned the Ghana Water and

Sewerage Corporation (renamed the Ghana Water Company in 1993) and the Ghana Water Resource andResearch Institute to conduct a survey on water supply in communities where WVG operated. The 1984survey reported the lack of potable water as a great constraint to WVG s rural development programmes.In response, the organization developed the Ghana Rural Water Project (GRWP). Since then this projecthas shifted from a strictly technology-driven, get it done approach to a community-based, people-oriented, demand-driven focus, which includes an acknowledgement that there is a significant correlationbetween gender issues, poverty alleviation and the well-being of children.

Through the GRWP initiative, WVG supplied the Samari-Nkwanta village with two boreholes fitted withhand pumps, two public Ventilated Improved Pit latrines (VIP) and a urinal. The community has sinceidentified this water and sanitation project as having had a high level of community participation andgender integration and that it has brought them considerable relief in many areas of their lives.

OutcomesPositive outcomes of the project include:

Promotion of gender equality: a shift from male-dominance to a more equitable sharing of powerand decision-making, particularly within the WATSAN committee;

Gender roles: women have on average five more hours per day to use more productively on theirfarms, in their households and for other activities;

Education: girls now make up 53 per cent of primary school students, compared to 43 per cent in1995;


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Access to water: farming practices have improved due to reliable access to water; and

Health and hygiene: guinea worm has been eradicated among the entire water user group.

Overall, the project has allowed for increased education for more community members, healthierindividuals, and a deeper respect for women. The women also now have more time to spend with theirfamilies. One man in the village noted, My marriage has improved and become more cordial. We havetime for other economic development projects.

Key Factors for SuccessThe main factors that contributed to the success of this project were:

Gender sensitizing and mass awareness training and promotion used at the start of the project;

Ensuring that both men and women were equally represented on the WATSAN committee andreceived relevant training to support their participation;

Ensuring that both female and male water users were responsible for the water system smaintenance and operation; and

Fostering sensitivity to both womens and mens concerns in the community.

Additionally, the use of these gender mainstreaming and participatory approaches contributedsignificantly to:

An increase in the recognition and visibility of womens roles, equal to that of men, in theWATSAN Committee, the PMVs and latrine construction artisans and in the community ingeneral; and

A real sense of ownership of their water and sanitation resources by both the male and femalemembers of the Samari community.

Main ObstaclesRegarding traditional gender roles, the male dominance prevalent in some Moslem communities in Ghanawas especially apparent in Samari-Nkwanta. The women assumed that they should not seek new roles aswater facility managers and discouraged other women from engaging in what was perceived as a malerole. However, WVGs decision to consciously involve both women and men in drilling led communitymembers to re-evaluate their existing gender roles. This was reinforced by the WVG ensuring that womenand men were represented equally on the WATSAN committee. The women were given equal access totraining in water systems operations and maintenance and environmental sanitation methods.

Looking Ahead - Sustainability and TransferabilityThe community was able to achieve these results as well as more equitable access to clean drinking waterand sanitation facilities primarily because the project was facilitated within an atmosphere of cooperationand coordination between men and women, as well as between the Ghanaian government and WorldVision Ghana.

Further Information

Contact the researcher:Nana Ama Poku Sam, email: [email protected]

For basic information about Ghana as well as World Vision involvement in Ghana, see:http://www.wvi.org/wvi/country_profile/ghana.htmhttp://wedc.lboro.ac.uk/publications/pdfs/24/akama.pdf
http://wedc.lboro.ac.uk/publications/pdfs/24/akama.pdfhttp://www.wvi.org/wvi/country_profile/ghana.htmmailto:[email protected]


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Guatemala: Meeting Womens and Mens Water Needs in the El Naranjo River Watershed

Organization

ChallengesThe watershed of the El Naranjo River is located between the departments of San Marcos andQuetzaltenango in Guatemala. Where there used to be plentiful and clean water, the upper watershed now

has a scarce and polluted water supply. The communities that depend on its water have a variety ofdifferent water needs that vary between men and women and urban and rural communities. For example,men use water mostly for their animals, irrigation and construction, whereas women need water fordomestic tasks such as cooking, cleaning and washing. Women also spend a lot of time and effort everyother day hauling the water they need. These various needs have generated conflicts which go beyondlocal institutional capacity as well as traditional dispute-settling mechanisms. They have raised manyquestions for local authorities and leaders regarding the current state of legal regulations, and theirapplication to the administration of water.

In order for men and women from the communities to improve their access to and control over water,they need to be organized so they can both manage funds for productive community and environmentalprojects, as well as advocate for their needs in municipal decision-making. An essential part of this

process is for women to be equal participants in defining and representing the communities interests.

Programme/ProjectsThe Fundacin Solar is a private development organization in Guatemala that promotes the creati on ofsocial capacities among all stakeholders for the integrated and sustainable management of renewablenatural resources. In its model, women are equal participants in gender-mainstreamed and participatorymethods that enhance equity and efficiency in the management of water resources.

In 2002, the Fundacin Solar started a three-year project in the area with the support of NOVIB (OxfamNetherlands) to promote social peace through the construction of a more sustainable resource-communityrelationship. It is supported through several international and local NGOs and focuses on the rights andobligations of users, service providers and local public authorities. The project works by researching

trends in water use, training municipal authorities and grassroots leaders and supporting social planningand organization processes, so that local leaders and authorities will develop and execute joint plans forsustainable management to meet the communities needs.

Outcomes Joining together under a single objective: Before the project, people worked independently and

looked after their own interests. They fought over the water resource. Now 10 legal associationshave been organized with over 74,000 men and almost 78,000 women beneficiaries. Theassociations are devoted to promoting social strategies to improve integrated water resourcemanagement.

Training, sensitization, and mens and womens participation: The project provided training andsensitization sessions in the communities. People expressed their interest in the training and the

organizational processes. Workshop topics included caring for the environment and thewatershed, reforestation, gender equity, conflict resolution and organization. Now, people aremuch more open to the ideas, problems and needs of others. Women comprise 51 per cent of thecommunity association members and several women are on the board of directors. They set anexample for other women in their communities.

Advocacy in water policy: Water problems and needs still exist, but now people are moreorganized. As a result of their advocacy work, the water problems of rural and isolatedcommunities are now being taken into greater account by the municipalities.


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Income generation: The associations are starting to have some funds, which they are using forsmall productive environmental and community projects, such as a greenhouse. These smallprojects provide resources to invest in other projects, which enable the associations to meet theneeds of more people.


Creation of community associations: The associations specifically addressed various water needs of men and women in both urban and

rural communities; and

Women represented over 50 per cent of the members and participated actively in the associations.Gender Mainstreaming:

Different water needs of men and women were taken into account; Consciousness was raised that women are the primary water users and therefore need to

participate; Women participated in the organization and decision-making processes as well as in building

income-generating environmental community projects; and Women are empowered through control over their incomes.

Participatory Processes:

Civil society designed municipal water policies; The first association of municipalities was formed for the integrated management of water

resources in Guatemala; and

Joint actions are taken by the municipalities and civil society regarding water resources.

Main ObstaclesAt first it was not an easy task to bring people together. A public information and education campaign hadto be launched in the local language, spreading information through radio, posters, public forums, andvehicles with loudspeakers. Finally, people were willing to meet on the subject of the watershed.

Looking Ahead Sustainability and TransferabilityLessons learned: Community education about water, the environment and societal roles will continue to

promote positive change in communities around the globe. In the words of community member YolandaPrez Ramrez:

We learned a lot from this project. We received training on working in an association, income-generating projects and the environment. Now we have a greenhouse where peppers grow withrainwater. This gives us income. We also learned how to use the water in an efficient way.Furthermore, we learned that we have to reforest when we remove trees, so we will continuereceiving enough water to live. For women, this has been a very important experience, because itwas the first time that we were included in an organization process and now people are listeningto our problemsThis has given us a lot of experience and others like to hear about it.

Further Information Contact the researcher:

Leontine van den Hooven: [email protected] For information about Fundacin Solar:

www.fundacionsolar.org.gt andsolar.nmsu.edu/funsolar/eng_index.shtml

For information about NOVIBs role in Guatemala:www.novib.nl/en/content/?type=article&id=5754&bck=y
http://www.novib.nl/en/content/?type=article&id=5754&bck=yhttp://www.fundacionsolar.org.gt/mailto:[email protected]


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India: Evolution of Gender Mainstreaming in Human Resource Policy of BAIF Development

Research Foundation, Pune

ChallengesPrior to 2002, the Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation (BAIF) had only one gender-based policy a 60day maternity leave for both birth and adoptive mothers. Apart from this there were no other gender-

based benefits. The evolution of human resources policies in the last few years and a gradual change inhow the organization looked at equity issues led to the evolution and formulation of a gendermainstreaming policy. While many of the related policies came into effect in 2002, the gender policy as awhole was officially adopted in April 2004 and a committee was formed to tackle different issues relatedto the new policy. The challenge the organization faced was how to actually implement their new gendermainstreaming policy.

Programme/ProjectsBAIF Development Research Foundation is a voluntary organization established by a disciple ofMahatma Gandhi, the late Dr. Manibhai Desai of Urlikanchan near Pune. BAIF has implementedmultidisciplinary rural development programmes throughout the 11 states of India for the last threedecades. Its basic programme objectives are to provide gainful self-employment and sustainable

livelihoods to the rural and tribal poor. The organization has a strong in-house research base and over thelast few years has been able to consolidate its ongoing programmes through the use of improvedtechnology and more efficient systems, including the integration of gender equality measures.

In this study, BAIF embarked on a gender policy to sensitize office staff, as well as the participants andstakeholders in their programmes. The Foundation established policy procedures, including committeesdrawn from all staff levels, to facilitate the implementation and administration of its gender policy. Theseinclude a Complaints Committee which must be headed by a woman, with equal male and femalemembership drawn from different departments as well as, if possible, a third party representative from anNGO, conversant with sexual harassment. Within the communities, BAIF instituted a policy that womenmust be a part of the decision-making process regarding water source management. It also implementedprogrammes to build womens capacity in decision-making, as well as their participation in programme

planning, operation, monitoring and evaluation.

OutcomesImpacts of gender mainstreaming at the employee level:

Creation of a paternity and adoption leave system;

Increased availability of paid leave for mothers;

Increased recognition of paternal responsibilities and mens family needs; Increased gender sensitization among staff related to evolving gender policy and gender-

integrated programmes; and

Freer environment for women to participate in organization level decision-making.Impacts of gender mainstreaming at the community level:

Installation of women-friendly equipment for agricultural operations;

Increased access to dependable source of clean water through installation of non-reversible handpumps circulating water in all the required areas;

Participation of women in Village Meetings for local governance and influencing policy-makingin water and sanitation;

Adoption of community needs assessment process that focuses on womens water and sanitationand health needs as a major input for policy decisions at the local level; and

Initiation of use of sex-disaggregated data and indicators in BAIFs monitoring and evaluationprocesses.


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Self Help Groups: BAIF realized the important role of Self Help Groups in improving communityaccess to water and sanitation, while addressing the need to involve women integrally in thisprocess. To this end, its programmes encourage womens groups to initiate various communitydevelopment activities and give them an opportunity to display their latent talents.

BAIFs gender policies: Gender mainstreaming policies were introduced in both project and field

offices simultaneously, in order to highlight BAIFs commitment to improve gender equality. Implementation at the field level. BAIFs policy aims to ensure that all of its development

activities are gender-sensitive at the planning and implementation stages and that women sconcerns and contributions are addressed and recognized so that the benefits of developmentreach them adequately.

Main ObstaclesIn order to successfully carry out their gender mainstreaming programme, BAIF needed to:

Increase the sensitivity of one gender to the other; and

Create an environment in which the needs of both women and men can be openly discussed.

Looking Ahead - Sustainability and TransferabilityDuring the period of the case study research, BAIF underwent a serious reflection process about theorganizations commitment to its gender mainstreaming policies in the long run. In the process BAIFlearned that gender mainstreaming is not just about meeting womens needs more effectively, but alsoabout gaining greater understanding of the ways women and men can work together to the benefit of bothsexes. In the process, the organization has discovered that supporting increased empowerment of womenat the field and employee levels is of critical importance to programme success. BAIF has observed thatits new gender mainstreaming policies are making a positive difference in the lives of both its male andfemale employees as well as having a significant impact on womens empowerment at the communitylevel.

Further Information

Contact the researcher:Sangangouda (Sandeep) D. Naik: [email protected]

For information about the Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation:http://www.baif.com
http://www.baif.com/mailto:[email protected]


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India: From Alienation to an Empowered Community - Applying a Gender Mainstreaming

Approach to a Sanitation Project, Tamil Nadu

ChallengesIn India, only 43 per cent of the urban population has access to basic sanitation. In the low-income slumsettlements, 15 per cent of the households have their own toilets and another 21 per cent have access to

community toilets. This case study documents a community sanitation project in eight slums in theTiruchirapalli district of Tamil Nadu State, in southern India. The slums in the study had six communitydry latrines in which the human waste fell into an open pit and was collected manually and two latrineswith septic tanks constructed by the municipal corporation. However, the structures had all becameunserviceable due to the poor maintenance of any municipal infrastructures created before April 1999.

The women in Viragupettai reported that the non-maintenance of the latrines caused faecal worms togenerate and reproduce, and they could be found nearby the water taps, and even inside the walls of theirhouses. Poor sanitation and contaminated water affected all families with disease, increasing theirmedical expenses.

Male community leaders did not take any steps to provide improved facilities. Requests to the

government for better services were of no avail until the people joined forces with Gramalaya, an NGOthat works with communities on water and sanitation projects.

Programme/ProjectsTo address this situation, in 2000 the state authorities for urban affairs in the Tiruchirapalli districtproposed involving NGOs to encourage peoples participation and empower women under the NamakkuName Thittam (We for Ourselves) programme. Gramalaya and two other NGOs formulated the projectwith funding from Water Aid. The funding enabled the project to serve a total of 25 local slums in variouscommunities, with guidance from the district collector and the Commissioner of the City Corporation. InGramalaya, 8 slums in total benefited from the project.

Gramalaya had prior experience in water, sanitation and hygiene projects in rural areas, and in working

with womens groups as the focal point for dissemination and change. The project design called for theinstallation of drinking water facilities and individual toilets, as well as community mobilization with afocus on gender mainstreaming. Water Aid covered the equipment and installation costs, whileGramalaya covered the capacity building and community mobilization components. The governmentprovided the land sites, electricity, water supply, and loans to community members.

Outcomes

Womens empowerment; Mens involvement; Income from pay and use toilets; Community development by women;

Vermicomposting - sanitation and income;

Creation of innovative child-friendly toilet (CFT) complex for children; Improved sanitation facilities; and

Changes in key hygiene behaviour.

Key Factors for SuccessThe key reasons for this integrated water and sanitation projects success were:

The projects focus on womens empowerment, including the formation of womens self-helpgroups and the related savings and credit scheme run by the women;


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Open discussions with male community members regarding the benefits to themselves, theirfamilies and the community of womens empowerment;

Capacity-building of the womens groups in the areas of accounting, and accessing governmentservices;

Provision of family counseling on domestic violence and communal problems;

Development of communal sanitation facilities managed by the community;

Adoption of a pay and use system that supported both facility maintenance and communitydevelopment activities; and

Collaboration between the government, NGOs and the community.

Main Obstacles

Hesitancy from within the community: The project staffs initial work was slow and difficult. Asa result of having been let down in the past community members were reluctant to trust the effortsof government, politicians and NGOs. Gramalaya worked with the community to change thissituation by forming womens self-help groups, convincing men to support the women in theirnew roles and cleaning up garbage and waste.

Lack of meaningful aid from the government: The usual government practice was to contractcompanies to do waste and sanitation-related construction work without any consultations withcommunity members. A lack of supervision led to unfinished work and, in one instance, thecontractors simply locked the new toilets and did not open them for two years. For Gramalaya sproject the government gave land, electricity, water supply and loans to the community but wasnot expected to provide the services themselves.

Looking Ahead - Sustainability and Transferability

Success of gender mainstreaming in development programmes: The development of water andsanitation facilities using a model based on womens empowerment will bring success to acountry where the majority of the population currently still defecates in the open. This projectsimpact clearly demonstrates that a gender mainstreaming approach should be included in alldevelopment programmes to address major concerns more effectively and obtain the maximumbenefits.

Respect for women spreads from the community to the government to the world: In Tiruchirapalli,not only is the community benefiting from improved water and sanitation facilities, improvedhealth and increased resources to support community development initiatives, but the womenhave also gained enormous self-confidence. Women who were once treated shabbily by officialsare now given respect and invited to sit on chairs when they visit government offices. Not onlytheir men, but the world also now admires them, and they receive a stream of visitors from allover. Their life has a new meaning filled with hope.

Further Information

Contact the researcher:Berna Ignatius Victor [email protected]

For information about Gramalaya: http://www.gramalaya.org

To read about Gramalayas work in Tiruchirapalli:http://www.gramalaya.org/sanitisedslums.html
http://www.gramalaya.org/sanitisedslums.htmlhttp://www.gramalaya.org/mailto:[email protected]


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Indonesia: the Impact of Womens Participation in the Aqua-Danone Advocacy Programme A

Case Study in Klaten District, Central Java

ChallengesA bottled water plant was opened in 2002 by Aqua-Danone in the Klaten district of Java in Indonesia.The company extracts a huge quantity of spring water just 20 metres away from the Sigedang spring,

which is the areas primary water source. Every month, the plant produces 15-18 million litres of bottledwater, causing a drastically decreased water supply in the district. Since the opening of the plant, thecommunity, consisting mostly of farmers, has found its access to irrigation water decreasing and its wellsstarting to run dry. Pumping groundwater for irrigation purposes also dries out community wells. Somefarmers have been forced to stop farming and to seek work as construction workers or market labourers.

Programme/ProjectsIn response to these water-related problems community members came together in 2003 to establishKRAKED (Klaten Peoples Coalition for Justice) to advocate on their behalf. Despite prevailing culturalvalues, this also gave Klatens women the opportunity to participate in the advocacy activities.KRAKEDs main objective is to close down the Aqua-Danone plant in Klaten; their short-term objectiveis to reduce its extraction rate and establish a community monitoring system.

Women in the communities utilise water for household and other uses every day. Women have traditionalroles with key decisions being made by their fathers, husbands, and brothers. In this case, the womeninvolved in KRAKED were highly motivated to participate in the programme and had the possibility todo so. In the earlier meetings their role was restricted to preparing food and drink for other members.However KRAKED set up a research project to get a better picture of the impact of Aqua-DanonesKlaten operations. Eight women and a couple of men volunteered to conduct the research. The projectalso targeted local government and members of parliament, journalists and Aqua-Danone personnel.KRAKED asked each of its members to share their knowledge and information about the water shortageswith as many people as possible.

Outcomes

Information, mobilization and capacity building: More community members are aware of the water shortage issue due to KRAKEDs information-

sharing methods. Their individual approach works well with the local community; and

Increased ability among participants to present strong arguments in dialogues with otheradvocacy stakeholders.

Impact on Advocacy Programme objectives:

Stakeholders such as the local government, the local parliament and Aqua-Danone, are starting toinclude KRAKED in their meetings and discussions; and

On 7 March 2005, KRAKEDs second anniversary, the local parliament asked for a re-evaluationof Aqua-Danones water extraction license. The license will expire soon and the company planson asking for a new license with an increased extraction rate. Consequently, the re-evaluationrequest from parliament received a lot of publicity and response from KRAKED.

Research on gender aspects in information dissemination: Womens participation in this process made it more effective and facilitated KRAKED reaching a

wider audience. Better insight was gained in the way women and men share information and howthese differences can be useful in raising awareness; and

In general, the women appeared to be more effective in sharing information within their familiesand through informal networks and the men in sharing information outside their families andthrough formal networks.

Womens skill development and empowerment:


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Participation in the advocacy programme has increased the womens self confidence and skills.They have learned to conduct research, share advocacy-focused information and discuss issueseffectively with other members;

Women in the community are more aware of water resources issues and have learned toappreciate water better and to use it more efficiently. They are also more aware of, and motivatedto work with, issues concerning gender imbalance;

Women involved in the advocacy project are now more interested in participating in advocacyand research activities and in activities providing them equal opportunities with men; and

Male members of KRAKED concluded that, as both women and men suffer the negative impactof Aqua-Danones operation, both should have the right to participate fully in the advocacyprocess.

Key Factors for SuccessPrevious Experience in organisational work:

Most of the participating women were also members of a Small Entrepreneurs Network forWomen that had successfully established a womens cooperative in Klaten.

Womens financial independence or access to financial services:

Unlike most women in Klaten who work in the home and are housewives, most of KRAKEDswomen members have their own small businesses.

Support from family and male community members:

Particularly important is that the womens families have been willing to share household tasks sothat they have more time for advocacy activities; and

KRAKEDs male members were willing to give a chance to women to participate in the advocacyinitiatives and saw the women as allies.

Evaluation by all community members:

Data collection was done mainly through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews withdifferent community stakeholders, both those involved and those not involved in the programme.Programme reports were also used to get background information.

Main Obstacles

Initially the division of responsibility in KRAKED was not gender-balanced. Women participatedonly at the service and then the discussion level and were not given a decision-making role; and

A negative aspect of this project is that women have been spending so much time promotingadvocacy activities, their small businesses have suffered. This has led to a decrease in theirincomes.

Looking Ahead Sustainability and TransferabilityThis study indicates that to empower women, a specially made programme with complex methods is notneeded. Providing the initial opportunity to participate can empower both women and men. Advocacyorganizations can formalize a womens empowerment process by ensuring that there are womenrepresentatives at all key meetings with stakeholders and by providing leadership training for the women

and gender-sensitivity training for the men. After conducting the research on the impact of Aqua-Danones operations in the area, the women became more motivated to continue and expand their roles inthe advocacy process.

Further Information

Contact the researcher:Nila Ardhianie: [email protected]

For a look at the situation in Klaten:http://www.eng.walhi.or.id/kampanye/air/privatisasi/klaten_aqua/
http://www.eng.walhi.or.id/kampanye/air/privatisasi/klaten_aqua/mailto:[email protected]


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Nicaragua: Gender Equality as a Condition for Access to Water and Sanitation

ChallengesIn Nicaragua, 43 per cent of the population lives in rural areas, and only 46 per cent of this subset hasaccess to potable water and sanitation. The departments of Leon and Chinandega are characterized by vastunderground water sources; however, the population and local authorities emphasize water scarcity as the

main problem. This issue has been aggravated by population growth and the inherited environmentaldeterioration resulting from agricultural industrialization.

In the latter part of 1998, Hurricane Mitch hit Nicaragua, leaving in its wake more than 4,000 deaths.Leon and Chinandega, located in the northeastern region of the country, were the most affected and to thisday still bear the signs of tragedy. By 1999, the rural communities of this area faced a double tragedy: aperiod of drought (characteristic of the area) and high levels of contamination of the scarce water sources.For the members of the communities located in this area, the transport, use and management of waterresources, as well as sanitation activities, were considered the responsibility of women and children.During this period there were no mechanisms that supported gender equality to accomplish these tasks orsocial recognition of the problems the women faced as they conducted these activities.

Programme/ProjectsThe human and environmental impact and the losses due to Mitch resulted in the creation and expansionof several institutional programmes in the area. CARE-Leon already had expertise in water and sanitationand health education, thanks to their implementation of an earlier Water, Latrines and Sanitation Project(PALESA I), from 1995 to 1998. In early 1999, the Water and Sanitation Programme (AGUASAN) of theSwiss Development and Cooperation Agency (COSUDE) began a partnership with the Leon Office ofCARE International in Nicaragua, to implement the second phase of the project (PALESA II) and latercontinued with the implementation of the PALESA III project between 2002 and 2003. The goal of thisproject was to exercise the right and access to water for the 17,000 inhabitants living in the 45communities of these two Nicaraguan departments. It sought to achieve this goal through the constructionof latrines and new water systems.

PALESA II was characterized by an institutional commitment of both agencies to gender equality, whichwas deemed a priority in order to achieve the main projects goal of improving the rural populationsquality of life. Gender inequalities were identified as a challenge to overcome in order to initiatecommunity participation and to improve the projects sustainability.

Promoters of the project, both women and men, lived in the community three days out of each week inorder to gain the trust of all community members. They waited for the time when men would be home(usually in the afternoon) and distributed invitations to the community assembly by sectors. Promotersalso recorded the gender inequalities found in the use, transport, and management of water. A gendersensitization workshop was launched to teach both men and women about the importance of theirintegration into the planning, organization, direction, construction, and administration of water systems.After conducting three sessions (one consisting of only females, one of males, and one mixed), men s

perceptions about the use of potable water and sanitation changed. This resulted in more than 85 per centof the 687 male participants understanding that handmade wells may not be secure sources of potabledrinking water. They also accepted that household connections would benefit the community at large,both women and men.

Outcomes

Increased involvement: The gender workshops conducted in 2001 and 2002 with women and menguaranteed greater womens participation (56 per cent). Women were elected to more than 70 percent of the committees posts and gained posts which were previously filled by men, such as


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coordinators, vice-coordinators and financial managers. Womens participation in training,operation and maintenance of the 276 water works was encouraged, resulting in a 37 per centparticipation rate of women. Once the water systems were installed, the female leadership with itscapacity and quality moved to other initiatives.

Education: Discussions about sex, gender roles, self esteem, identity, rights and commitmentsbenefited women directly. Moreover, the discussions also changed mens perceptions about themanagement and use of water. The methodology utilized in the education and training componentincreased the knowledge and the information levels of women living in rural areas, who werepreviously in a disadvantaged position.


Community needs assessment with a gender approach: This approach contributed to the mensacceptance of the construction of home water systems as a right. They continued to have powerof expression within the community, but it was also demonstrated that the majority of people inthe community preferred women to lead the Sanitation and Water Committees.

Institutional practices and methodologies: The success of integrating gender equality in theaccess, use and management of water and sanitation within the water project was a result of theinstitutional practices and specific methodologies developed. On the one hand, the coordination

of the gender approach and policies of both COSUDE-AGUASAN and CARE-Leon consolidatedthe projects goal of providing equitable and participatory access to water in rural communities.On the other hand, the Leon project directors, the Social Area coordinator and the men andwomen promoters aided the realization of the goal.

Significant women participation: The awareness levels gained by a large part of the population,especially rural women, contributed to achieving a significant participation in different cycles ofthe project of young, middle-aged and elderly women, including mothers with numerousresponsibilities.

Main Obstacles

Natural disasters: In spite of underground water sources, Hurricane Mitch in 1998 followed by adrought in 1999 has made access to potable water difficult.

Disparity between mens and womens need for water: In a traditionally male-dominated societyin which men could list only two uses for water while women could list 11, an improvement inwater supply had not been a priority for community leaders.

Looking Ahead - Sustainability and TransferabilityThe training investment demonstrated the importance of including an education component in waterprojects. The education component influenced a change in attitude, particularly among men, of viewingwater as vital necessity. They recognized that access to water is a human right, one that should beattainable by all men, women, and children in equal conditions and opportunities.

Further Information

Contact the researcher:

Magda Lanuza: [email protected]

For information about the Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency (COSUDE):http://www.deza.admin.ch/index.php?userhash?34814011&navID=1&l=e

To read about COSUDEs work in Nicaragua (in Spanish):http://www.cosude.org.ni/

For information about CARE Internationals work in Nicaragua:http://www.careinternational.org.uk/cares_work/where/nicaragua/
http://www.careinternational.org.uk/cares_work/where/nicaragua/http://www.cosude.org.ni/http://www.deza.admin.ch/index.php?userhash?34814011&navID=1&l=emailto:[email protected]


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Nigeria: Using Gender Mainstreaming Processes to Help Protect Drinking Water Sources of the

Obudu Plateau Communities in Northern Cross River State

ChallengesThe Obudu plateau is one of two mountain ecosystems in Nigeria and is home to tropical forests withunique flora and fauna, as well as large pastures. The top of the plateau is also home to the Becheve

agricultural communities and the Fulani pastoralists. In 1999, the Cross River State Governmentestablished a luxury tourist destination, the Obudu Ranch Resort, on the plateau. Large-scale constructionof hotel and other facilities resulted in immense deforestation. Combined with pre-existing pressures onthe environment, such as overgrazing and unsustainable agricultural practices, the developmentexacerbated the stress on available water resources. Although the communities saw the development as awelcome source of income, conflicts arose due to the multiple demands on a limited water supply. TheBecheve women complained about poor family health, wasted time in collecting water, and poor qualityand quantity of water.

Programme/ProjectsAs a result of the deterioration in the water situation, the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), anon-governmental organization working on the plateau, started a Watershed Management Project. The

NCF has mainstreamed gender concerns into its organizational policies and priorities nationwide. Usingparticipatory approaches, the necessity of womens involvement was systematically championedthroughout the project cycle. Women were included at every stage, in the design, implementation andmonitoring of the project.

In January 1999 a multi-stakeholder management committee for the Obudu plateau was formed. Memberswere from the NCF, Development in Nigeria (DIN), Cross River National Park, the Obudu Ranch Resort,Becheve Nature Reserve, the villagers and the Fulani herders. After discussions, villagers allowed onewoman to be elected out of three representatives from every village to the management committee. At itsinception meeting, the management committee conducted a two-day workshop analyzing currentproblems in order to plan a long-term solution for the sustainable management of the plateaus watershed.The NCF used the meetings as a forum to educate the communities about participatory watershed

management and the dangers of unsustainable practices to ecosystems, as well as to sensitize the Bechevecommunities and Fulani herdsmen on their gender biases and the important role of women in collectingwater for families.

In the first stage, from 2000 to 2001, a watershed and watercourse mapping survey was conducted,concentrating on drinking water points on the plateau. Between 2002 and 2003, the second stage, amanual on watershed ecology and monitoring was produced by NCF. Six groups of women and a smallgroup of youth were trained on preserving a watersheds ecology, stressing the temporary nature of thebenefits of sand mining. It was recommended that fruit trees be planted around the headwaters of drinkingwater sources to prevent erosion and siltation, and to provide an income source. Conservation clubs werestarted to increase awareness about environmental education. Most significantly, women wereencouraged, not only to attend management committee meetings, but also to participate actively in this

predominantly male domain. In the third stage, from 2003 to 2004, discussions were held with the localhealth clinic on water-related health issues, especially diarrhoea, and the two reservoirs were built.

OutcomesImpacts on womens empowerment and gender equality:

Womens voices were heard for the first time as they contributed to the decision-making processwithin the community; women were encouraged not only to attend management committeemeetings but to participate actively in this predominantly male domain. Electing women leaderson the management committee became a source of great pride for all women in the community;


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Women were involved in the construction and maintenance of the reservoir;

Considerably reducing the time it takes for women to collect water allowed women to spendmore time on income generating activities, farming and marketing;

Womens healthcare burden was reduced with a 45 per cent reduction in cases of diarrhoea in2004;

The time available for both girls and women to go to school was increased;

The communitys men were sensitized to the necessity of womens participation and shown howit will benefit them directly; and

The Fulani herdsmen and the Becheve women were able to accommodate each other s waterresources requirements through a negotiated process.

Empowerment of the whole community:

The project taught a greater awareness of sustainable watershed ecosystems and their importanceto the environment and nearby communities;

Community participation increased as the community felt they owned the process and the project;

The community learned how to approach the government to aid community development; and

The project led to improved health and cleaner and closer water resources.

Key Factors for SuccessVolunteers:

The four volunteers working with staff of the BNR had a very positive effect on the outcome.Two were Canadians (2000-2003) while the other two were Nigerian (2003-present). Three ofthem were women, which made access to the Becheven women easier for project leaders. Thefemale volunteer presence also provided role models that demonstrated that women could be inpositions of leadership and contribute to the decision-making process.

Gender sensitization:

The male volunteer facilitated a process where the Fulani herdsmen realized that they werediscriminating against the women in denying them timely access to water. This new awarenessled to an agreement where the cattle would be watered at lower points to avoid contaminationonce the reservoirs were built.

Main Obstacles

The traditional village system is patriarchal, and endows men with all decision-making powers.

Conflict arose between the Fulani herdsman and Becheven women over water availability.

Before the tourism development, water resources were already strained because of overgrazingand unsustainable agricultural practices.

Looking Ahead - Sustainability and Transferability

Women were encouraged to pass along their knowledge from the conservation clubs to theirchildren so there are now school conservation clubs, which ensure the planting of approximately1,000 tree seedlings along water courses.

Achievement of gender equity is a long process and, in planning programmes and projects,

gender sensitization and community participation should be broken into different stages.

Further Information

Contact the researcher, Adekana A. Majekodunmi: [email protected]

For information about the Nigerian Conservation Foundation:http://www.africanconservation.org/ncftemp/
http://www.africanconservation.org/ncftemp/mailto:[email protected]


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Pakistan: Initiative of One, Relief for All Womens Leadership in the Banda Golra Water Supply

Scheme

ChallengesBanda Golra is a small village in Pakistan with about 120 households. Most men work as day labourers, whilewomen have traditional roles in the household and take little part in decision making. Most of the families are

large, as women are usually not allowed to use family planning methods. The majority of women areilliterate, while most men have primary education. Women work at home, manage livestock and do otherhousehold work. Access to water in this area has been a problem for decades. The villages only watersources were two natural springs, which are used by the people as well as by village livestock and wildanimals. Collecting drinking water is the womens responsibility and they spend three to four hours daily justcompleting that task. Obtaining water for livestock and other household purposes traditionally requiredanother full day every week. In the only communal government pipeline to this village, water only runs twicea week and is not sufficient to meet local water demands. Diarrhoea is a major health concern among thechildren. Given these circumstances, the need for improved access to water and sanitation was urgent.

Programme/ProjectsIn Banda Golra, the village women, through the leadership of Nasim Bibi, a poor woman with no land to

cultivate and whose husband works in construction, motivated other villagers to organize their own watersupply scheme. Nasim Bibi had formed a community-based womens organization (CBO) in 2002 in order tobe eligible for credit from the Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP), a regional NGO which could lendmoney to community-based groups.

CBO members started a saving scheme and, over a two-year period, 21 women received loans from SRSP, allof whom have successfully repaid the loans. During their monthly CBO meetings the women identifiedincreased access to water as a priority for action and decided to develop a village water supply scheme. Theproject involved installing seven new hand pumps in different locations in the village. The community had tocontribute 20 per cent of the costs and SRSP 80 per cent. This case study documents how the group succeededin bringing water to their village, the individual leadership of Nasim Bibi, and the strategies women used togain acceptance for the water scheme. Nasim Bibis role helped other women become involved as community

leaders. She herself served as the water scheme project manager and three committees were formed to managethe project. Every participating household had to take turns providing food and accommodation for thelabourers engaged in hand pump

Documents

UN Publication Sandeep Naik