Gender, Water & Sanitation

Documenting successes, enablers and measures of engendering water and sanitation initiatives in the Pacific to inform policy and practice

This research investigates the strategies, steps and activities that are working to promote gender equality in and through water, sanitation and hygiene programs, the enabling factors (particularly contextual and cultural factors), how learnings can be applied to other situations and how such successes can be effectively measured.  The research commenced in April 2009 and will conclude in the first half of 2011. Funded by the Australian Government through an Australian Development Research Award, the research is a collaboration between IWDA, the Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology, Sydney, World Vision Vanuatu (WVV), and Live and Learn Environmental Education, Fiji.  Former IWDA Pacific Program Managers Claire Rowland and Gabrielle Halcrow were key researchers along with Dr Juliet Willett and Naomi Carrard from ISF.  IWDA Research and Policy Adviser, Joanne Crawford, has been closely involved in writing and editing resource materials, presentations and articles about this participatory research project. 

The research uses a strengths-based approach informed by principles of empowerment, appreciation and participation. For IWDA Research and Policy Adviser, Jo Crawford, ‘The research process itself has been an enormously productive and enjoyable experience, and it has captured outcomes and learnings in a way that is valued by the communities involved and by all the partners.’ 

Creating space and opportunity for women’s leadership 

In Santo, Vanuatu, the WVV female hygiene promoter works with two other male staff as part of a small team that is based for long periods in the inaccessible and isolated North West Coast. Her stories of positive experiences focus on being the only woman working closely with male technical staff as part of the WASH team.  She describes the impact of this – on the traditional gender division of labour, her own sense of competence and confidence, and the ability of women in the community to imagine women taking on roles alongside men: 

When I came in to World Vision I didn’t know how to construct all of these slabs. But with the male staff we work as a team. I’ve learnt how to do all of these things – seat raisers, tap stands, soakaways. I had no idea, so it’s a big change. I can do it by myself and help my own community. I don’t need to wait for the male staff. When they aren’t there I can do it by myself. 

When asked why she identified this as a success:   

It’s a success because I’m a women and I can do these things. I know in my heart for the other women they are thinking “Yes we can do it”.   

So far, the project has produced two detailed case studies documenting gender equality outcomes and the enabling factors in NGO water, hygiene and sanitation projects that incorporate gender strategies and support community decision making processes: World Vision’s Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation (PHAST) initiatives in rural Vanuatu and Live and Learn’s learning circles and water governance projects in Fiji.  The research in each country explored three areas:   

- What kinds of gender outcomes are being achieved?

- What are the relative strengths of different approaches for integrating gender? What strategies, steps and activities work well to promote gender equality? What enabling contextual and cultural factors can help?

- How can we measure the effectiveness of the strategies being use in terms of gender outcomes?

Gender outcomes in Vanuatu

The WASH projects in Vanuatu contributed to positive outcomes for individuals, in relationships between women and men, and in women’s leadership and status in the community.  In the quotes below, the two communities have been re-named ‘Nanen’ and ‘Puluan’ to protect their anonymity.  They are rural Melanesian communities on the island of Tanna, with populations of some 602 and 259 people and high levels of illiteracy.   

I was the treasurer last year for the community [water] committee. I was very proud. The men had chosen me and voted for me. I was very proud as I was the first and only woman to be on the committee. I was faithful in attending the workshops, the community trusted me and gave me this position of high trust. It made me feel proud to be a woman. I was the first lady to have a position of responsibility. As the treasurer I was responsible for organising the fundraising as part of the action plan. (Nanen, female water committee member).   

In addition to women’s own sense of growing empowerment, the inclusion of women on committees and in community-level decision-making about water and sanitation matters was positive for women and the wider community and led to a sense of collective empowerment for the women:   

We used to be scattered and not working together (between the women), now we have representation in the committee. Now women start to talk in meetings, now there are women who help take decisions. Before women didn’t talk in community meetings, now they participate and also take decisions. It makes me so proud that we have a voice in development compared to previous years where only men talk. This is through the encouragement from World Vision (Puluan woman).   

The committee was very important in the project. Women and men always talked together about matters concerning water (Puluan man).   

In the past all discussions and decisions were made by the men in the nakamals [drinking houses]. Women were just kept behind. In this project we [men and women] came together, almost, and worked together but with different roles (Nanen woman).   

Enabling participation

The research confirmed that for women to participate in decision-making, changes in men’s attitude towards supporting women’s involvement and genuinely wanting to hear their views is paramount.   

Our dream is that men respect us and they start to do the same work we do and that we be given permission to speak in meetings (Nanen woman).   

Previously during the meetings the men would tell us we are women so we can’t talk and we remain silent, but now we are talking since the World Vision’s project’ (Nanen woman).    

Using the learnings to inform policy and practice

The materials are intended is to assist Australian and regional water, hygiene and sanitation practitioners to do their work in ways that advance gender equality. They will complement existing AusAID gender guidelines for water and sanitation work and the current AusAID gender policy by documenting what works and providing practical guidance to improve and measure gender outcomes.    IWDA is leading the design of guidance materials (a toolkit) for practitioners (NGO and donor organisation staff) on ways to ensure water and sanitation projects lead to positive gender equality outcomes, and how these can be measured.  The materials are currently in the field being trialled.  

The findings and guidance material will inform policy recommendations, so that learnings can have a wider influence on the appraoch and practice of Australian and Pacific regional actors.   

We hope that documenting the positive gender equality outcomes achieved in these projects, alongisde the water, hygiene and sanitation improvements enjoyed by the communities, will also lead to a stronger focus on gender among partner organisations, and increased capability to integrate gender into water, hygiene and sanitation activities.  

For more on the research findings…  

Have a look at the article by Juliet Willetts, Gabrielle Halcrow, Naomi Carrard, Claire Rowland and Joanne Crawford, ‘Addressing two critical MDGs together: gender in water, sanitation and hygiene initiatives’, in Pacific Economic Bulletin, Volume 25 Number 1 (2010). 

You can find pictures of the research in progress and stories from men and women about how addressing water and sanitation priorities can also improve gender equality in Jo Crawford’s presentation at WaterAid’s hygiene promotion learning day in June 2010. Jo’s presentation to an ACFID-AusAID Gender Equality Workshop in June focuses on the gender outcomes documented in Vanuatu.  

The project also has its own website, http://genderinpacificwash.info/   

   

Last updated 23/08/2010

Tags: Environment, Fiji, Live and Learn, Pacific
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