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#8Concluding Thoughts

If you are reading this, we have reached the end of this series of blogging. Although academically and sometimes emotionally challenging, I have enjoyed teasing out the intricacies and links between water, gender, and development, something which I previously knew very little about. I hope that I have opened your eyes to the realities of water-related issues and how at the forefront of these issues are young girls and women . From compromising their education to ignoring their individual needs and entrapping them into spheres of violence, young girls and women continue to be disproportionately impacted by poor quality and access to water.   However, I have shown that all is not bad; there is light at the end of the tunnel. Contributions from various levels – community led for example, in crafting sanitary products or organisation led like the Peepoo initiative – have helped to tackle issues regarding water and sanitation. Although these alone cannot completely solve school absence...
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#7Climate Injustice Is Gender Injustice

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Climate change - maybe the most important factor tying together the challenges of water, gender and development. Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity today with the negative effects being experienced by all countries, especially those in the Sahel region. In countries such as Nigeria, Uganda, Sudan and Cameroon, temperatures are increasing 1.5 times faster than the rest of the world. Such temperatures are wearing away the health and stability of livelihoods and ecosystems around the globe. It is important to note, however, that the effects of climate change are not experienced equally; women are the first and worst to be affected by climate change.   Women often hold positions of smallholder farming and water collection which are now being impacted by climate change through increased periods of drought and disaster. As for smallholder farming, women make up almost 65% of the agricultural labour force in Kenya and limited rainfall severely impacts th...
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#6Female Participation: A Step In The Right Direction

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The World Bank is committed to assisting countries in their development and achieving poverty reduction based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Water resource management remains a key challenge for achieving target 6.5  and other non-water related goals. Water resource management refers to the process of developing, managing, and planning water resources, both in terms of water quality and quantity. Effective management will ensure that people have amounts and quality of water for drinking and sanitation facilities, energy generation , food production and inland water transport.   So, where does gender equality come into this, you might ask? Without the inclusion of young girls and women (YGAW) in the procedures of water resource management, the challenges surrounding water accessibility and use cannot be met. Despite emphasis by the SDGs on the importance of gender equality to sustainable development in the fifth target, the relationship between environmental sust...
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#5A Man's World

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I recently explored the challenges that menstruating young girls and women (YGAW) face with access to wash, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities. Today, I am focusing on the violent atrocities that YGAW encounter when such facilities are lacking or inadequate. In Sub-S aharan Africa, where the state of sanitation is deteriorating, open defecation continues to remain a common practice. Approximately 215 million people continue to engage in open defecation. This is despite the Sustainable Development Goals proposing that countries must provide adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls. Evidently, there is a long way to reaching this target. Informal settlements and WASH   The issue of open defecation is most acute within informal settlements, and Kenya remains a prime example of this. For decades, the government have failed to acknowledge these informal settlements and so the enforcem...
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#4The War on Period Poverty

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This week we celebrated World Toilet Day, a campaign advocating for safely managed sanitation around the world.  Thus, I dedicate today’s blog to the importance of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities for young girls and women (YGAW), referring to Rwanda and Ethiopia throughout. Have you ever imagined life without a toilet? Truth is, many of you probably have not and until recently, neither had I. Having a toilet is a privilege often taken for granted and for many people across Sub-Saharan Africa accessibility is a real problem. While 43% of people do not have access to basic water supply, 72% are deprived of basic sanitation.   What is period poverty? YGAW are disproportionately affected by the lack of access to basic WASH facilities. During menstruation, the concerns become increasingly visible; YGAW living in resource-poor countries in Africa, appropriate WASH facilities and sanitary products are completely absent or unaffordable, with limited disposal option...
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#3Women Still Carry Most of the World's Water: The Case of Ethiopia

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Why the need for a gendered and child-centred approach? Hi guys, and welcome back! Last week I highlighted the inequities women face in accessing and using water due to cultural norms which prevail across many African countries and societies. Today, I want to keep the focus on inequity, specifically on the gendered nature of water collection.   So, why should we adopt a gendered and child-centred approach to understand water collection? Well, first and foremost, the task of collecting water falls disproportionately on young girls and women (YGAW) in the household. This is especially true for rural regions across Africa where inadequate water infrastructures leaves YGAW no choice but to travel long distances and queue long hours for water. The non-governmental organisation WaterAid estimates that globally, women spend around 200 million hours fetching water. Second, in Sub-Saharan Africa women’s lives are heavily influenced by water collection. The amount of time spent fe...
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#2Contextualising Water Scarcity and Gender Inequality in East Africa

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Hello again! In today’s blog I will be exploring the relationship between water scarcity, groundwater, and gender to highlight inequalities surrounding groundwater access and use. I will draw on the case studies of Uganda and Kenya to show that whilst women bear a disproportionate burden of functional groundwater management at the household and community level, they are repeatedly excluded from formal water governance .   Water scarcity in Africa It is important that we first understand water scarcity in its different classifications. Physical water scarcity is defined as a shortage in the availability of renewable freshwater relative to its demand. Physical water scarcity is typically seen in the arid and semi-arid regions of Africa. Economic water scarcity concerns a region’s lack of capacity to use its water resources despite their availability. Such limited capacity is often linked to inadequate water infrastructures and poor water management.   These definitions alone...
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