For Her It's the Big Issue: Putting Women at the Centre of Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene

"Since 1990, over one billion people have gained access to improved drinking water and sanitation services. However, there are still 2.6 billion people who do not have sanitation facilities, and 1.1 billion people are still using water from unimproved sources. But it is usually the women and girls who suffer most....It is estimated that women and girls in low-income countries spend 40 billion hours every year fetching and carrying water from sources which are often far away and may not, after all, provide clean water."

This 36-page publication emerges from a joint undertaking by the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) and the Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) to collect and analyse noteworthy examples that demonstrate the widespread impacts of women's contributions to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions, worldwide. In addition to the benefits - detailed in the report - of involving women as full participants in setting up water and sanitation services, women have an important role in educating their families and the community about hygienic practices. The report's central premise is that if women continue to play a central role in WASH efforts, progress towards achieving all of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - not just MDG #7, where sanitation targets are explicitly outlined - will be significantly advanced. The publication was released on the occasion of the 2006 "Sanitation and Hygiene Week" (March 15-21), immediately prior to the annual World Water Day on March 22 - where the 2006 designated theme was "Putting Women at the Centre of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Initiatives". The evidence report, which is the product of a new “WASH Partnership” between UNICEF and the WSSCC, is intended to support policy-makers, sector professionals and practitioners to further strengthen their arguments for empowering women to be involved at all levels of planning, implementation and operation of WASH programmes, throughout the year(s).

According to the report, taking women's needs and preferences into account in WASH initiatives has resulted in the following types of benefits for women - all of which are illustrated within the text by specific examples of women's participation, illustrating diverse communication strategies being explored in communities around the world:

• increased time for women through the provision of local water sources, which leads to both direct and indirect opportunities to engage in activities which provide an income (e.g., MDG #1)
• an increase in attendance and a decrease in drop-out rates from school of young women, due to the provision of separate and adequate sanitation facilities; a rise in girls' level of education and literacy rates since easier access to water supply and less time spent caring for sick family members allow them to spend more time at school (e.g., MDG #2 and #3)
• less harassment or risk of sexual assault and increased safety as women and girls do not have to go to remote and dangerous places to defecate or to fetch water during the hours of darkness; increased privacy and dignity for girls and women particularly when symptoms associated with menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth can be managed discretely (e.g., MDG #3 and #5)
• reductions in child mortality and maternal morbidity and mortality (MDG #4 and #5)
• improved health for women and girls who no longer have to delay defecation and urination, and less physical injury from constant lifting and carrying heavy loads of water

(MDG #6)

As detailed here, a World Bank evaluation of 122 water projects found that the effectiveness of a project was 6 to 7 times higher where women were involved than where they were not. A multitude of concrete examples provided throughout this publication demonstrate how it is not only women - but the wider community - who benefit from women's participation, in many different locations and in various ways. To cite only a few of the many examples offered (many of which highlight impacts on MDG #7):

• "The women of the Sewukan community in the Magelan district of Java, Indonesia, took part in a consultation on community water systems. In spite of a degree of prejudice about women's lack of technical knowledge, they identified useful technical alterations to existing design errors, which were the basis of modifications to the new water system. Further improvements were made in the form of more equitable distribution of water supply and the addition of a sanitation facility. Prior to taking part in the consultation process, women in the community had not been accustomed to publicly discussing issues other than those relating to social and religious topics. Their input into this project resulted in the establishment of more community committees in other neighbourhoods, which participated in project design and in monitoring the quality of construction."
• "Following the Marathwada earthquake in 1993, the Indian government appointed Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP) to ensure that the affected communities in 300 Latur and Osmanabad of villages were actively involved in the 'Repair and Strengthening Program'. A key element in this process was to establish community-based women's groups and to enable women to assume visible leadership positions. This provided encouragement to other women in the communities to attend informal discussions and to participate in village assemblies related to the programme. Furthermore, they were involved in carrying out water and sanitation needs assessments and engaging with engineers and government officials. The benefits of their involvement were far reaching, and included better service provision, the exposure of corruption at various levels, greater public financial disclosure and transparency concerning the achievement of the anticipated goals. This novel influential role played by women had strong support by the whole community."
• "In the Kilombero district of Tanzania, a water well which was built by an NGO dried up shortly after it was created. When development workers talked to the local women, they reported that the location of the well had been decided on by a local committee consisting only of men, and that they had made their decision only on the basis of geographical criteria. Women on the other hand, demanded that the soil conditions also be taken into account. Where water is scarce in Tanzania, it is often the task of women to dig for it by hand, and consequently, they know the places which provide the best water yields..."
• "The town of Luzanivka in the Ukraine experienced problems caused by an inadequate sewerage system....MAMA-86 is an environmental women's organisation that was formed after the Chernobyl disaster. In 2000, it launched a political campaign, filing a law suit against the authority responsible. The result was that the government funded the construction of a sewage pump and closed the oil-tank cleaning facility from which the problems were originating. MAMA-86's other achievements have included water mains repairs, installation of water meters to reduce very high water bills, plus reimbursements to those who had overpaid."

"The next steps recommended below indicate that we must make a paradigm shift from the old, top-down practices and attitudes, to a more people- centred and gender-sensitive approach, to ensure that the goal "WASH for all" is achieved:


Increased Advocacy

• Support advocacy of key WASH messages about involving women in interventions...
• Support public awareness campaigns that emphasise gender equality and promote women's roles in planning, decision-making and implementation of water, sanitation and
  hygiene programmes.
• Engage women leaders to serve as role models for other women and girls and to promote efforts to mainstream gender issues at all levels.
• Compile and disseminate examples of successful programmes, good practice and other appropriate types of evidence to demonstrate the importance of gender and WASH to sustainable development, both locally and globally.

New Approaches for Programmes and Projects

• Strengthen gender and WASH in all aspects of work related to the Millennium Development Goals, finding ways to encourage the genuine involvement of women at the key
  stages of planning and decision-making, rather than using them as tokens of a politically correct approach.
• Mainstream awareness of gender issues in WASH through capacity building, training and the use of advocacy materials amongst all levels of sector professionals, senior
  managers, officials, decision-makers and technical staff within institutions at national and international level. They should promote gender-sensitive, participatory processes that empower women and also create an environment where women and men can work together towards common goals.
• Implement local action research to identify the core issues for each specific country in support of any future calls for action.
• Address the practical and strategic needs of women and men for sanitation and hygiene, which differ according to culture, traditions, location and other relevant factors.
• Channel efforts for marketing sanitation and providing hygiene education messages through women's organisations, schools and health clinics.
• Find ways to break the culture of silence and taboo that surrounds and perpetuates the problem of menstrual and pre and post natal hygiene that is responsible for a large
  proportion of women's reproductive health problems.

WASH in Schools

• Ensure that safe water and clean, separate sanitation facilities with lockable doors for girls and boys are available in primary and secondary schools.
• Ensure that good health and hygiene practices are taught to both girls and boys as mandatory subjects in schools.
• Involve all school children in promoting good hygiene behaviour, acting as 'agents of change' in their schools, homes and communities.

...Engage the Media: Encourage journalists and media organisations, in both
developed and developing countries, to provide more coverage on gender issues and to support efforts aimed at responsible, accurate and gender-sensitive reporting by the
mass media."

Click here for the full report in English [PDF].

Click here for the full report in French [PDF].

Click here for the full report in Portuguese [PDF].

Click here for the full report in Spanish [PDF].