WATER AND SANITATION PROGRAM: WORKING PAPER 59334 Mainstreaming Gender in Water and Sanitation Gender in Water and Sanitation November 2010 The Water and Sanitation Program is a multi-donor partnership administered by the World Bank to support poor people in obtaining affordable, safe, and sustainable access to water and sanitation services. 2 ©World Bank - Curt Carnemark Gender in Water and Sanitation November 2010 The Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) is a multi-donor partnership created in 1978 and administered by the World Bank to support poor people in obtaining affordable, safe, and sustainable access to water and sanitation services. WSP provides technical assistance, facilitates knowledge exchange, and promotes evidence-based advancements in sector dialogue. WSP has offices in 25 countries across Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, South Asia, and in Washington, DC. WSP's donors include Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, and the World Bank. For more information, please visit www.wsp.org . Gender in Water and Sanitation Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) reports are published to communicate the results of WSP's work to the development community. Some sources cited may be informal documents that are not readily available. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed herein are entirely those of the author and should not be attributed to the World Bank or its affiliated organizations, or to members of the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of the World Bank Group concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. The material in this publication is copyrighted. Requests for permission to reproduce portions of it should be sent to wsp@worldbank.org . WSP encourages the dissemination of its work and will normally grant permission promptly. For more information, please visit www.wsp.org . 4 Gender in Water and Sanitation Table of contents Abbreviations and acronyms 6 Preface 7 Introduction 9 Gender mainstreaming 10 Overview on gender in water and sanitation 11 Gender responses in policy 13 Gender analysis and audits to inform sector policy formulation 14 Gender within national water and sanitation policy documents 14 Gender responsive recruitment policies 14 Gender responses at operational level 17 Gender in the workplace 17 Institutional policies and strategies to target gender at community level 18 Addressing gender in urban water operations 19 Addressing gender in urban sanitation 20 Addressing gender in small town and rural water operations 22 Gender responses to monitoring and evaluation 25 Key lessons in monitoring and evaluation 25 Gender responses to citizen voice 27 Gender responses to behavior change 29 Linkage between gender, WSS and hIv/AIDS 33 Mainstreaming hIv/AIDS in WSS agency workplace programs 33 Looking ahead 35 References 36 Checklists Checklist 1: Mainstreaming gender at policy level 15 Checklist 2: Mainstreaming gender in operations 23 Checklist 3: Mainstreaming gender in monitoring and evaluation frameworks 26 Checklist 4: Strengthening ahe voice of men and women 28 Checklist 5: Mainstreaming gender in behaviour change initiatives 31 Checklist 6: Gender responses to hIv/AIDS 34 5 Gender in Water and Sanitation Abbreviations and acronyms AMCOW African Ministers' Council on Water ASUFOR Les Associations des Usagers des Forages CBO Community Based Organization CRC Citizen Report Card GAD Gender and Development hIv/AIDS human Immunodeficiency virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ICT Information and Communications Technology KAP Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice LWSC Lusaka Water and Sewage Company M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MDGs Millennium Development Goals NGO Non-governmental Organization O&M Operations and Maintenance PLWA People living with hIv/AIDS RWA Respectful Workplace Advisor SPARC Society for the Promotion of Area Resources SWAP Sector Wide Approaches UNDP United Nations Development Program WAShCOM Water and Sanitation Committee WID Women In Development WSSGS Water and Sanitation Sector Gender Strategy WSP Water and Sanitation Program WSS Water and Sanitation Services 6 Gender in Water and Sanitation Preface Gender in Water and Sanitation highlights in brief form, approaches to redressing gender inequality in the water and sanitation sector. It is a working paper as the Water and Sanitation Program and its partners continue to explore and document emerging practice from the field. The review is intended for easy reference by sector ministries, donors, citizens, development banks, non-governmental organizations and water and sanitation service providers committed to mainstreaming gender in the sector. Two central features in the review are the illustration of good practices, and checklists. illustrate where and how a principle described in the text has been applied. They provide a quick pointer for replication, and are intended to guide tailoring the practice to local context. are provided at the end of each chapter. Presented in a question format, the lists are indicative, to provide practitioners with gender issues and responses to consider at various stages of decision making in the water and sanitation sector. 7 8 ©WSP Gender Water and Sanitation Gender inin Waterand Sanitation Introduction Gender is a concept that refers to socially constructed roles, behavior, activities and attributes that a particular society considers appropriate and ascribes to men and women (WHO, 2009). These distinct roles and the relations between them may give rise to gender inequalities where one group is systematically favored and holds advantages over another. Inequality in the position of men and women can and has worked against societies' progress as a whole. One study argues that the fact that women in Kenya during the 1960­ 92 period did not, on average, complete as many years of schooling as men, accounts for almost one percentage point difference between the long-term growth potential of Kenya and that of high performing Asian economies (Ellis et al, 2007). Global water and sanitation practitionersi have recognized · Commonsocietalpracticesthatdeterminemenas the importance of incorporating a gender perspective based property owners, heads of households and main decision among others, the following observations: makers in the public sphere often result in marginalizing the views and preferences of women and girls. · Womenandgirlsaremostoftentheprimaryusers, providers and managers of water in their households and · Yet,sectorstudieshaveshownthatequalinvolvementof are the guardians of household hygiene. If a water system men and women is positively correlated with improved falls into disrepair, women are the ones forced to travel sustainability of water supplies (Narayan, 1995), as well as long distances over many hours to meet their families' improved transparency and governance in management. water needs. Gender analysis in water and sanitation development can ensure that projects are actually used by situating services · Conversely,womenandgirlsbenefitmostwhenservices where access is inclusive to all, and not disadvantage are improved. In eastern Uganda research found that women or users of different ethnic groups or castes. women spend an average of 660 hours per year collecting water for their households, which represents two full months of labor. Cumulatively, one estimate suggests that some 40 billion hours a year, are spent collecting water in sub-Saharan Africa ­ equal to a year's labor for the entire workforce of France (UNDP, 2006). · Thewaterandsanitationsectorcancontributeto redressing inequality and can impact positively on the social, political and economic position of women. Well targeted services can improve the health and security of women and their families, and free them to engage in social, economic, and political activities, thus tackling `time poverty' - the situation where women's time is inflexible, consumed by routine and non-productive tasks, perpetuating their absence from decision making and other profitable pursuits (World Bank, 2006). · Agenderedapproachcancreateaframeworkof ©WSP cooperation between men and women, so that the insights and abilities of both men and women are available Women and girls are most often the primary users, providers and managers to shape programs and meet sector objectives. of water in their households. i At the international level a range of conventions and policies provide guidance to governments on the appropriate response to gender in the development process in general, and in water in particular. The Dublin principles for water resource management established in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro states that "women play a central part in the provision, management and safeguarding of water, and stresses the importance of empowering women to participate at all levels of water management. 9 Gender in Water and Sanitation ©UNICEF - Oliver Asselin Primary school enrolment and retention of girls increases where there are water and sanitation services. · Sanitationandhygieneimprovementsareoftenlowon the list of family investments, and women and girls suffer Gender mainstreaming more indignity as a result. Their privacy and security are An important response to inequality is building awareness. This partly determined by ease of access to, and location requires that any decision considers its impact on the condition of sanitation facilities. Children especially, have needs and position of both men and women, and the relationship and concerns that should be taken into account when between them, and adjusts interventions to promote fairness. creating sanitation interventions to be used by them. In Awidely accepted strategy to achieve this is mainstreaming. primary schools, toilets are often inadequate to serve the needs of girls, resulting in non-attendance during menses. A useful definition of the concept of gender mainstreaming is Conversely, school enrolment and retention of girls, provided by the United Nations Economic and Social Council increases where there are water and sanitation services. (1997), suggests that mainstreaming a gender perspective Using a gender lens can ensure that sanitation services is the process of assessing the implications for women and are given priority by decision makers and technology is men of any planned action, including legislation, policies tailored to meet their needs. or programs, in all areas and at all levels. It is a strategy for making the concerns and experiences of women as well as · Waterforproductionrelatestowealthcreation,yetaccess to the means of production and control over resources often excludes women in some communities. A gender sensitive strategy aims to ensure that women benefit A gendered approach can create a framework of by enabling their participation as decision makers and cooperation between men and women, so that investors. the insights and abilities of both men and women are available to shape programs to meet their · Genderstereotypesconcerningabilitiesandinterestsof sector objectives. men and women, often create non-equitable and non representative decision making in the sector. 10 Gender in Water and Sanitation men, an integral dimension of the design, implementation, examines the linkages between water, sanitation and hIv/ monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs in all AIDS. This is followed by an assessment of the way ahead. political, economic and societal spheres, so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated. The In each section good mainstreaming practices are highlighted, ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality. while a checklist summarizes key points to consider when mainstreaming gender. The checklists are intended to be indicative rather than exhaustive, providing a guideline to practitioners in the different sector areas when planning or Overview on gender in water and reviewing gender responses. sanitation The chapters that follow highlight in a short summary form "Mainstreaming a gender perspective is the experiences of mainstreaming gender at various levels in the process of assessing the implications for women water and sanitation sector. It begins with a discussion on and men of any planned action, including gender responses to policy and its requirement for analysis and legislation, policies or programs, in all areas and clear policy objectives to guide operations. The second section touches on experiences of mainstreaming gender within sector at all levels. It is a strategy for making women's operations, beginning with the importance of mainstreaming as well as men's concerns and experiences an in the workplace. It goes on to describe how gender can be integral dimension of the design, implementation, addressed within service delivery in urban water, in sanitation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and in small towns' and rural water operations. programs in all political, economic and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally Section three addresses gender responses to monitoring and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate and evaluation processes, while the fourth section examines goal is to achieve gender equality". responses to gender issues within accountability and voice (ECOSOC, 1997) initiatives. Section five assesses gender responses within hygiene and behavior change programs, while section six 11 12 ©WSP - Guy Stubbs Gender Water and Sanitation Gender inin Waterand Sanitation Gender responses in policy Policy is the starting point for gender mainstreaming, as this is when a government demonstrates its intention to redress inequality and adopt a gendered approach. A policy articulates goals and what must be done to achieve them. The policy in turn, forms the documented basis for strategy development and resource allocation. The intention behind women and gender policies has evolved Although the levels in reality do not always progress in such a over past decades. Taking an historical dimension the section structured and step wise fashion, the framework is useful for below describes the philosophy underpinning various gender considering how and where to pitch policy goals. mainstreaming policies over the past decade. (i) At the level of welfare: concern is material welfare of Until the early 1970s, policies addressed the needs of women women, relative to men and focuses on basic provision of entirely in the context of their role as wives and mothers. services to enable women to fulfill their domestic role. Policies shaped by this paradigm took the welfare approach, and focus was on mother and child health, childcare, and (ii) At the level of access focus is on access to the factors nutrition. The weakness was that policy objectives treated of production: land, water, labor, credit, training, and all women as passive recipients of benefits, rather than partners. publicly available services and benefits on an equal basis with men. Strategies related to access enable women to From the 1970s and 1980s, a `women in development' (WID) fulfill important reproductive roles in society. policy was mostly pursued, which aimed to integrate women into the existing development process by targeting them, (iii) At the level of conscientisation focus is on building often through women-specific activities. Although many WID understanding of the difference between sex roles and initiatives improved health, income, or resources in the short gender roles, and that the latter are cultural and can be term, they did not transform unequal relationships, and the changed. structures enforcing these, which in turn negatively affected project sustainability. In spite of the weaknesses in a purely (iv) At the level of participation: Focus is given to women's WID approach it remains useful in certain contexts, and can still equal participation in the decision-making process, policy- be useful to incorporate within current day policy objectives. making, planning and administration. (v) At the level of equality of control: focus is on factors of Beyond addressing access to domestic water production and the distribution of benefits so that neither and sanitation services, policies should target men nor women are in a position of dominance. economic equality through water for productive uses, equality in decision making, and equality in Lessons from history therefore suggests that beyond addressing access to domestic water and sanitation services, the contracts, consultancy and general business policies should target economic equality through water for around water and sanitation infrastructure productive uses, equality in decision making, and equality in development. the contracts, consultancy and general business around water and sanitation infrastructure development. From the late 1980s on, the `gender and development' (GAD) approach was developed with the objective of removing At the level of equality of control focus is on disparities in social, economic, and political balances between factors of production and the distribution of women and men as a pre-condition for achieving people- benefits so that neither men nor women are in a centered development. In more recent years, a gender and position of dominance. empowerment philosophy has attempted to transform existing gender relations by stressing women's self-empowerment. The Longwe framework below shows the increasing levels of empowerment where at the highest level society achieves equality of control of the factors and benefits of production. 13 Gender in Water and Sanitation Gender analysis and Gender within national water and sanitation audits to inform sector policy documents policy formulation For gender to be mainstreamed, national policy documents need to articulate specific To inform policy formulation, a gender gender objectives. In many cases sector documents will be influenced by broader analysis of the issues on the ground and national gender policies developed by, for example, a ministry of planning or one in audits to assess practice and gaps is charge of women's issues (or similar), within national gender policies. Policy goals a useful first step. This helps to ensure demonstrate whether a country is addressing inequality from a welfare perspective, that policy objectives are relevant and or targeting a transformation of relationships to promote equity and empowerment. grounded in the reality of the local The example below shows how Uganda has articulated gender objectives at national context. Gender analysis assesses level and how these have influenced sector strategies and plans. commitment to international gender targets at a national level, as articulated Good Practice: Policy to influence Strategy within policy, and the impact of this policy on livelihoods on the ground. Analysis Based on the Government of Uganda National Gender Policy, the water identifies issues arising from impacts and sanitation sector in Uganda developed its first water sector gender from existing programs, gaps between strategy (WSSGS, 2003­2008). A second water and sanitation sub- sector gender strategy (2009­2014) (WSSGS II) was prepared after an analysis men and women in participation and of progress against the first strategy. The stated goal of the WSSGS II is to representation, the gaps in capacity and empower women, men, and vulnerable groups through ensuring equity in awareness, and identifies solutions such access and control of resources in the water and sanitation sector, leading to as institutional reform, affirmative action, poverty reduction. The strategy in turn has defined a budget of an estimated Ugandan shillings 525,000,000 (US$ 233,230) over the five year period training, or targeted programs to redress 2010­2015 of its implementation. inequality. Because impacts will vary from country to country and over time, gender analysis should be repeated at regular intervals and data produced analyzed for decision making. The Gender responsive recruitment policies current Ethiopian water sector strategy for example, recognizes the importance Policies can play an important role in overcoming obstacles to the equal participation of analysis and commits to undertake of men and women in decision making. Some policies affect not only the water sector, regular research to understand how but also gender relations over a number of development sectors. The example from to respond better to women's needs Peru below shows how a gender policy that promoted equal opportunities between for improved services. The strategy men and women at the national level had immediate impact on how the water and commits to applied research so sanitation sector would conduct business. that gender is mainstreamed into all aspects of water resources planning, Good Practice: Policymaking supports equal opportunity development and management. Policy making is continuous, and, In March 2007 the Government of Peru enacted the Law of Equal Opportunities between men and women, to address governance and decision makers at this level frequently gender relations in the country as a whole. This law expressly requires the commission research to prepare promotion of full participation of women and men in the consolidation of investment projects and shape decision the democratic system, and the inclusion of equal opportunities for men making. Policy makers should allocate and women in citizen surveillance mechanisms. It also affects how local governments manage many services including the water and sanitation resources to bring on board gender sector. When local governments adopted this law, it directly influenced how specialists or institutions with gender local government bodies governed water and sanitation services. Based on expertise to habitually capture gender this small town water suppliers introduced reforms where men and women dimensions within the terms of reference were treated as equals and given equal representation in the management oversight boards (Zevallos, 2007). for key studies and advise on actions. By ensuring that relevant gender Similarly in Tanzania water and sanitation policies promote equal questions are asked, stakeholders at representation of women and men through the National Water Policy, which policy level will be able to better guide requires local community water committees to contain equal male and female representation. The policy further requires a merit-based gender- gender responsive implementation in sensitive recruitment policy within all water sector institutions. operations. 14 Gender in Water and Sanitation © UNICEF - Thierry Delvigne Jean Gender analysis informs national policy responses in the water and sanitation sector at country level. Checklist 1: Mainstreaming gender at policy level has gender analysis been undertaken to inform national policy responses to gender issues in the water and sanitation sector at country level? has an institutional audit been done to identify gaps in lead ministry capacity and practice, in responding to gender issues? Are specific gender objectives articulated within national water and sanitation policies and strategies? Do policies address issues in women's participation and representation and target pockets of vulnerability to promote equity? Do the lead water and sanitation sector ministries and its appointed agencies allocate resources for gender mainstreaming activities? Does sector policy address barriers facing both men and women in making productive use of water e.g. for household, livestock, drip irrigation or cottage industries? Do sector agencies operating at the national level, have gender policies to align and inform their investment and do they support national government to fulfill mainstreaming policy goals? Do national level stakeholders (government, donors, civil society, research agencies) regularly incorporate gender considerations in studies, reviews or research commissioned to progress sector goals? Indicators The existence of gender specific objectives within national and sector level policies. The existence of gender policies within agencies involved in sector development. Water and sanitation equity distribution ratios and percentage of population on-network vs. off-network Percentage of income spent by women and men in accessing water and sanitation services in different geographic zones in the country. 15 16 ©WSP Gender Water and Sanitation Gender inin Waterand Sanitation Gender responses at operational level The operational level is one of most important interfaces for gender in water and sanitation, because decisions made here shape engagement with communities, the sector's ultimate target group. Institutions engaged in WSS operations, such as NGOs, utilities, donor agencies, and local government bodies, need to adopt institutional policies and strategies that address gender at two levels: internal workplace policies, and service delivery strategies. Gender in the workplace · Ensurethatstaffunderstandsthattheyareabletodirectlyinformtheharasser that their conduct is unwelcome and must stop, irrespective of rank. Sector agencies practice what they preach by building an understanding of · Placestaffonpermanenttermswherepossibleandreviewunilateraldecision their own gender issues and committing making on contract extension for nonpermanent staff; re-examine these to an appropriate response. Without procedures to ensure accountability in the process. this, institutions in the sector may fall into the trap of mimicking society, and · Takeadvantageofinstitutionalrestructuringtoincreasecapacityforgender promulgate disempowering practices in mainstreaming and improve the ratio of men to women in a traditionally male the workplace. Sector agencies such as dominated sector. The example from Uganda below shows how through an ministries, utilities or NGOs, seeking to institutional review, more women were incorporated at management level, mainstream gender as an enhancement and senior staff appointments were mandated to oversee broad gender to service quality, can ensure that the mainstreaming targets in the ministry. work environment is conducive to all individuals and that women in particular Good Practice: The workplace are not subject to discrimination. In 2003 the Ministry responsible for water in Uganda conducted an institutional A workplace gender policy (GoU, 2003) review. As an output of the review, a new Water Liaison Division was created, could consider the following measures to headed by an Assistant Commissioner responsible for the coordination of all promote a gender sensitive workplace: sub sectors of the Ministry of Water and Environment. In the same period the Ministry commissioned its first Water Sector Gender Strategy (WSG I). One of the gender Strategy recommendations was that the institutional review of the · Prohibitdiscriminationbasedon Ministry be used as an opportunity to appoint staff with gender mainstreaming sex, race, age, marital status, competencies. Acting on this recommendation, the Ministry incorporated the pregnancy, parenthood or disability responsibility to oversee implementation of the WSG I in the job description of in the recruitment, promotion and the new Assistant Commissioner for the Water Liaison Division. The Ministry further recruited to the Liaison Division a principal sociologist and senior training of staff. sociologist to spearhead gender strategy implementation on a day to day basis. Several years later additional staff with gender mainstreaming expertise · Ensuresafetyinthework were assigned to each sub sector department to fulfill the sector social and environment and provide for safe gender mainstreaming targets, whose activities were coordinated under travel arrangements. the Water Liaison Division. The review in the end served the dual purpose of building the Ministry's capacity to mainstream gender, and increasing representation of women at management level. Before the institutional review · Supportemployeesintheir there were no women in the management team of the Ministry of Water efforts to balance work and family and Environment and staff competencies concentrated around skills for responsibilities e.g. include paid sick infrastructure development. Currently a more diverse professional complement leave, flexi-time, lactation spaces, is in place equipped to address gender issues, and an 18% women's representation at management level has been achieved. In spite of this still childcare, paternity or maternity more needs to be done to improve these ratios and increase capacity to leave. mainstream and resource gender activities throughout the Ministry. · Prohibitsexual,psychological or racist language, images or harassment and enforce disciplinary measure to avert this. 17 Gender in Water and Sanitation Institutional policies and strategies goals alongside other core sector goals, and promote them as a collective mandate. to target gender at community level Once staff is in place and equipped there should be boundaries As part of gender mainstreaming goals, agencies must ensure and incentives that ensure adherence to institutional gender that their staff is equipped to mainstream gender throughout mainstreaming targets (Commonwealth Secretariat, 2004). An project cycles. Institutions should begin by putting in place example of a boundary is placing gender responsibilities within internal policies and strategies - ideally aligned to national or staff terms of reference, including key performance indicators sector policies and strategies - to guide resource allocation. and contracts. An incentive on the other hand is allocating Lead ministries have a role to play in ensuring that sector resources, perhaps beginning with zero budgets and working institutions implement gender strategies by providing guidance upwards, as evidence that decision makers are committed to through a national water and sanitation sector gender strategy action. Gender responsive budgeting is a tool to support entire or similar tool, and by encouraging partnership around an ministries and sector agencies to prepare budgets from the agreed national vision. grassroots up, taking gender concerns into consideration. A critical first step is training staff to build their skills to implement these strategies (UNDP, 1996). Appointing gender focal points are useful means of allocating responsibility within Once staff is in place and equipped there should the institution to lead mainstreaming efforts. Care must be taken be boundaries and incentives that ensure that the gender focal point approach does not isolate rather adherence to institutional gender mainstreaming than rally efforts around gender work. It is most useful when targets. institutions implement and monitor gender mainstreaming ©WSP In small towns in Peru a gender component deployed communication channels between males, females, the operator and the municipality, and put in place a quota of 50% men and 50% women on the neighbourhood oversight boards. 18 Gender in Water and Sanitation Water and sewerage utilities face Good Practice: Workplace boundaries and incentives common challenges in reaching the urban poor. Barriers are formed when In 2009, the Kenyan Ministry of Water and Irrigation, with the support of the gender ministry, introduced incentives and boundaries for gender access to water is intertwined with mainstreaming, through staff performance contracts. Through this, access to property rights. Apart from government officials are, for the first time, contractually responsible for legal barriers, there are social, technical, implementing gender goals and are evaluated on this annually. Within one financial and institutional obstacles that year, up to US$ 100,000 was allocated by various government agencies (in a resource constrained sector), for gender mainstreaming activities, baseline need to be overcome. In spite of this, studies and awareness raising activities. The availed resources worked as utility managers should recognize that an incentive to staff in that decision makers supported their individual and the poor are legitimate and significant collective gender mainstreaming mandate. stakeholders in the business of water and sanitation. To do this, the utility should: · Embraceservicestothepoor Addressing gender in urban water operations informal settlements as a key utility Gender perspectives are critically important in urban areas due to the challenges corporate objective and articulate created by growth and poverty. The informal urban economy is growing dramatically this within guidelines, strategies and in developing countries, with the biggest increases in population concentrated in the principles in the provision of services poorest, most crowded places. Close to one billion people around the world live to low income areas. in slums, often with no title to their homes and assets. The majority of the world's three billion poor, including many women and children, live their lives outside the · Establishspecializedpro-poorunits law and the instruments of the law, without the legal protection that recognizes their within the utility. These units would homes and assets (UNDP, 2008). Tackling the subject of gender within urban water and respond to gender issues within operations requires almost by default interventions that address services in informal its work. settlements. As water resale is a big business in informal settlements, the example · Targettheneedsofimpoverished below captures how women were incorporated into the resale of water services men and women by helping to within informal settlements in Kibera, Kenya. overcome financial barriers to access, by addressing water access Good Practice: Entrepreneurs through social connection policies, flexible connection payment terms, In Kibera, one of Kenya's largest slums, the Nairobi Water Company worked appropriate tariffs and where with alternative, small-scale resellers of water. This work focused on promoting associations that organize and improve the credibility and status of small- possible targeted subsidies. scale water resellers by regularizing their operations. The Water and Sanitation Program supported the resale providers to create a forum through which they · Ensurethattheneedsofwomen could communicate and negotiate with the official utility on set standards and and men are differentiated to enable price of their services. This led to the establishment of Maji Bora Kibera, an association of small-scale water providers engaging with the Nairobi utility interventions to respond to both. The to coordinate services to people in Kibera. The utility partnered with the participatory urban appraisals (PUA), association to distribute water tanks to vendors as a means of promoting water adopted from the participatory rural security when there were water shortages. appraisal (PRA) is a useful tool in Gender related outcomes of this work included: this respect. The PUA differentiates · Thecreationofanimprovedbusinessenvironmentthatrecognizesfemale the needs and priorities of men and entrepreneurs as important participants in water as a business. Although women, the differences in workload women water resellers are not the majority in the association, their work for planning project implementation, environment has become more predictable as a result of the association's and helps to analyze power rules and structures. differentials within the community. · AffirmativeactionispracticedontheboardoftheMajiBoraKibera association, resulting in women being represented at the higher level · Engageinpartnershipsbetween of decision making in an otherwise male dominated busines. Their the utility and community based representation is 20%, much higher than their actual numbers within the association, and is secured by the associations' constitution. organizations and private entrepreneurs to penetrate and · Awomanhasbeenconsistentlyappointedastreasureroftheassociation since inception, as a tribute to her trustworthiness. This practice has expand services within the dense, demonstrated the role women play in improving transparency and low-income settlements, and reduce governance within grassroots organizations. household reliance on middlemen. 19 Gender in Water and Sanitation Addressing gender in urban sanitation The majority of the world's three billion poor, including Unlike water and sewerage services, which are the institutional responsibility of the many women and children, official utility, sanitation for the urban poor often lacks an institutional home. Where tenure is uncertain (Guyliani, 2006), local governments, landlords and tenants have live their lives outside the few incentives to invest in quality services within informal settlements, including law and the instruments of sanitation facilities, resulting in households sharing a few on-site latrines or relying on the law, without the legal communally managed pay-and-use ablution blocks. Although the latter provides a protection that recognizes solution in many instances, the size of families escalates the cost, forcing community their homes and assets members to opt out of using the improved facility. In Kenya in Kibera, women on (UNDP, 2008). Tackling the average walk 300 meters from their homes to use pit latrines making access dangerous subject of gender within for them and their children at night (Amnesty International, 2010). Poorly designed urban water operations toilets result in pit latrines with drop holes that are too wide, and create fear in mothers requires almost by default that children could slip and fall in. As a result, women and their children are forced to defecate in polythene bags referred to as `flying' toilets (so-called because the bags interventions that address is tossed outside through the air during the night) in preference to existing facilities. services in informal settlements. In spite of this, there are promising approaches that can be adopted at the operational level to address gender issues as elaborated below. Assign front line staff Good Practice: Partnerships with gender and social science expertise In India, the Slum Sanitation Program, part of the larger World Bank- to work alongside supported Mumbai Sewage Disposal Project benefited roughly 400,000 people by providing access to sustainable urban sanitation facilities within traditional technicians Mumbai. The program forged partnerships between the municipality, and increase the utility's NGOs, the private sector and CBOs - the latter mainly women's groups - to implement secure public pay-and-use facilities. WSP partnered with capacity to differentiate the Society for the Promotion of Area Resources (SPARC), to champion the various needs of women's participation through a women's empowerment program (Mahila customers. Milan). WSP also facilitated horizontal learning between Mumbai and other municipalities in India and Bangladesh, to replicate this best practice urban sanitation model. Good Practice: On-site urban sanitation construction Access to and from Kiambiu is an informal settlement in Nairobi where a local NGO, `Maji na Ufanisi' (Water and Development) installed solar panels on the communal the household to pay-and-use toilet. This resulted in increased visibility at night, improved public toilets should access and increased toilet operating hours for women and children. A incorporate a strategy to community based organization (CBO) was given responsibility to manage the facility, and was trained in operations, maintenance and governance. ensure safety for women Leadership of the CBO includes both men and women, and major and children. decisions regarding how to spend the generated revenues are made through general meetings. To reduce the burden of cost, monthly family cards were developed to provide an affordable pass by all family members for unlimited toilet visits in a day. Local primary schools in the area have a group arrangement so that during the day teachers accompany the children to use the toilet at regular intervals. Women however, continue to discuss how to improve human shield security between the household and the facility, as the narrow streets have no lighting, causing insecurity for girls, women and children. This means that barriers to full access remain, especially at night. 20 Gender in Water and Sanitation · Accesstoandfromhouseholdto Good Practice: Decision making for urban sanitation public toilets should incorporate a strategy to ensure safety for women The Indonesia Sanitation Sector Development Program (ISSDP) has developed an approach to promote gender and social equality in the planning, decision and children. making and implementing of urban sanitation at city and community level. Awareness campaigns targeting the official working group on sanitation, city · Decisionsaroundpayment sub-district officials, and community groups, have ensured that women's schemes should not exclude voices are heard as part of the city sanitation strategy process. Separate the opinion of women and sessions for women, men and mixed groups were considered to have consideration for the needs of complementary inputs. The awareness campaigns and feedback sessions changed the perspectives of participants with regard to gender and social children. equity, by reaching a common understanding on the complementary responsibilities of men and women when creating a safe sanitation · Strategiesshouldbedeveloped environment. This was closely linked to dissemination of technical options and to target sanitation and hygiene in cost information, as well as hygiene promotion and education strategies. primary schools, and ensure that non-access to sanitation does not hinder school attendance by girls. Important lessons emerge from the above cases for addressing urban sanitation in a gender responsive way: · Practitionersshouldinvestin processes that enable the inputs of · Partnershipsbetweenlocalgovernment,localwomen'sgroupsandtheprivate men, women, and mixed groups. sector should be forged to overcome technical and financial barriers to women Different sections of society can accessing urban sanitation. have complementary roles in the planning, decision making and · Asustainabilityplancanbeintroducedfortheoperationandmaintenanceof implementation of an optimal urban public pay-and-use facilities, allowing women to play a role in management. sanitation environment. ©ISSDP Indonesia has developed an approach to promote gender and social equality in the planning, decision making and implementation of urban sanitation. 21 Gender in Water and Sanitation Addressing gender in small town and rural The above examples show how governments can actively promote the water operations role of women in rural water services beyond mere service recipients, and ensure that they also play a role in the The rapid population growth in urban centers has resulted in the new challenge of operation and management of services. providing services in small towns. Globally, about 75% of population growth is in cities of less than five million, and in Asia, Latin America and Africa, the populations of In summary good gender mainstreaming towns below 200,000 are expected to double in the next 15 years (World Urbanization practices in small town and rural water Prospects, 2007). Often services in the small growth centers are neglected and operations should: approaches to managing them exclude the role of special interest groups. Below are examples from Peru, Uganda and Senegal that highlight promising approaches to · Adoptmunicipallevelby-laws incorporating gender considerations in small town and rural services. that professionalize services and incorporate a gender balanced Good Practice: Equal representation in water management community oversight role. In Peru, WSP, together with partners, implemented the `small town pilot · Guaranteeopportunitiesforwomen project' in 2006, to foster gender responsive governance in localities of in decision making and water between 2,000 and 30,000 inhabitants, in three diverse parts of the country. supply management and ensure Local governments had been running these services, characterized by deteriorating infrastructure, weak management and poor communication they also enjoy the benefits, as with stakeholders, in particular with women. demonstrated in the example from Senegal. The project created a public-private partnership through an alliance between the municipality, a private operator and an overseeing neighborhood community board. By creating the neighborhood community board, a · Provideequalopportunitiestobuild permanent mechanism for citizen oversight in the management of services capacity at all levels of operations by the new operator was put in place, with members appointed through as demonstrated in the example a transparent election process. A gender component assessed and of the National Water Program deployed appropriate communication channels between males, females, the operator and the municipality. It also established a quota of 50% men in Ethiopia, which ensures equal and 50% women on the neighborhood community boards, institutionalized training opportunities for women by a municipal order, and facilitated tariff setting through separate male and and men at district and community female consultations, arriving at a social agreement with the municipality levels. and reconciling differing priorities. Services in these small town projects have improved markedly since these reforms, demonstrating how investing in communication and participatory approaches can facilitate gender mainstreaming and improve service delivery. A gender component assessed and deployed appropriate communication channels between males, Good Practice: Equal representation in management of rural water supplies females, the operator and the municipality. In the Senegal rural sector, water supply networks are managed by local It also established a rural water users' associations (ASUFOR), for which the government has quota of 50% men and applied strict gender representation quotas. The management committees are composed of user representative delegations. Each delegation must have two 50% women on the members, of whom at least one must be a woman. Similarly, of the two vice- neighborhood community presidents, one must be female. Further, at least one third of all members of boards, institutionalized ASUFOR management committees must be women. It is also advocated that water sellers at standpipes should be women. by a municipal order, and facilitated tariff setting In Ethiopia, the National Water Program, which began in 2004, focuses on training district and community level water committees (WAShCOMs), through separate male and together with community facilitators, of whom 50% must be women. female consultations. 22 Gender in Water and Sanitation ©NUIC EF - Oliver Asselin Countries should have a WSS strategy for primary schools, with emphasis on separate, well-maintained facilities for girls and boys. Checklist 2: Mainstreaming gender in operations Is there an internal work place gender policy and strategy which takes cognizance of national and sector gender targets? Is there institutional awareness and commitment to promote equality in representation between women and men in the water agency; equal compensation for equal work, and equal opportunities for training? Is capacity being built for staff to address gender issues in urban and rural water and sanitation programs? Are performance-based contracts or similar boundaries in place to compel staff to pursue gender mainstreaming objectives and incentives to reward them for doing so? Are resources allocated to implement gender strategies (e.g. participatory approaches, gender assessments, specially targeted projects) within agency service activities? have urban and small utilities adopted services to the poor as a key corporate objective and employed gender trained staff to address the numerous gender issues in poorer areas? Is there a national strategy for sanitation in schools, with emphasis on safe, separate, well-maintained facilities for girls and boys? Do implementation and communication strategies inform women and men how to participate equitably in all phases of the WSS cycle? Is there equal participation of men and women at all stages: initiation, design, site location, implementation, price setting, O&M and management? Are there equal economic opportunities from WSS interventions? Indicators The impact and effectiveness of activities to promote greater gender equality within the organizational culture of development groups e.g., the impact of affirmative action policies. The impact and effectiveness of activities to develop gender awareness and skills amongst policy-making, management and implementation staff. Percentage of men and women engaged in initiating, siting, implementing, using, and O&M of WSS. Percentage increase in income for women and men from productive uses of water. 23 24 ©WSP - Guy Stubbs Gender Water and Sanitation Gender inin Waterand Sanitation Gender responses to monitoring and evaluation A central component of effective gender mainstreaming is a monitoring system to record, analyze and document input, output, process and impact indicators in a sex disaggregated way. When data collection is disaggregated by sex, it is possible to assess the positive or negative impacts of a program on women and men, young and old, rich and poor, and make informed decisions on programming in future. An example of an area to monitor is the impact of price adjustments to access services. · Capitalraisedbywomenmanagers If a water utility adjusts its consumption tariffs upwards without monitoring consumers' from water sales, allowing them ability to pay, this may more negatively affect women than men, but this would only to diversify into other economic be seen using sex-disaggregated data. Additionally, the impact of capacity building, activities. The assessment also affirmative action policies and special programs cannot be measured or monitored showed that the private operators without gender-sensitive indicators (GWA, 2007). An example in disaggregated who were managing the systems data collection is captured below from Ethiopia, whereas in Uganda the example employed women in key positions. demonstrates government leadership in monitoring gender at a national level. Key lessons in Good Practice: National monitoring of sector impacts on gender monitoring and In Ethiopia, the new WASh M&E system provides gender disaggregated evaluation M&E indicators, including the percentage of women trained in scheme management (inputs); the percentage of women beneficiaries from (i) National level monitoring and WSS improvements; the number of male and female toilet units in evaluation frameworks for the sector schools (outputs); and the percentage of women participating in scheme management (impacts). should monitor inputs, outputs, and processes, and undertake In Uganda, gender is one of the 10 golden indicators reported annually special studies to measure impact, at the joint sector reviews and has a full chapter in the annual sector using sex disaggregated indicators. performance report. There was wide stakeholder involvement in the development of gender indicators, which increased buy-in to Sector gender monitoring should the monitoring process. This example shows the benefit of national be integrated within the national government, and in particular the lead sector ministry, providing leadership monitoring framework, as opposed in monitoring the impact of the sector on gender relations. to establishing separate gender monitoring processes. Another approach to gender monitoring · Areductionintimespentcollecting (ii) Within sector wide approaches to is stand-alone studies - qualitative, water, with 70% of the households planning (SWAP), partners should quantitative, or both, that assess the spending about 15 minutes or less, jointly monitor gender as a key impact of services on men and women. and within 50m of a safe water progress and outcome indicator. In 2007 in Uganda for example an source. Children thus had more Uganda, which has used the 10 impact assessment of the small town time to study. golden indicators tool over the last water supply project concluded that the decade, is a good example. project had contributed to both poverty · Theempowermentofwomen, reduction and improved conditions for (iii) As shown from the private operator through representation on water women. The study found that the main run small town model in Uganda, supply and sewerage boards at the drawers of water were women and it is helpful to undertake special town councils. children, and therefore the ones who impact assessments that monitor benefited most from the investments. the impact of different institutional · Equalopportunitiesforwomenand arrangements on men and women, The benefits included: men, for training and performing as and facilitate learning and replication · Areductionintheaverageprice managers and caretakers of kiosks of good gender mainstreaming paid for water in the towns. and yard taps. practices. 25 Gender in Water and Sanitation ©WSP When data is disaggregated by sex, it is possible to assess the positive or negative impacts on women and men and make informed decisions on programming. Checklist 3: Mainstreaming gender in monitoring and evaluation frameworks have gender sensitive indicators been incorporated within the national WSS sector M&E framework to capture inputs, processes, outcomes and impact data? Is sector monitoring data disaggregated by sex and age? Are resources allocated by agencies to monitor gender within the WSS project cycle? Are there indicators to monitor not only the existence of facilities and services, but also the usage of these services and hygiene behavior? Are lessons learnt regarding implementation of specific gender equality objectives being documented? Indicators Percentage and geographical coverage of the population using improved water and sanitation services. Time saved by women using improved water and sanitation services. Percentage of women and men within X no. of km to improved WSS source (refer to national agreed targets for urban and rural areas). Ratio of toilets and hand washing facilities per household. Toilet ratios per girl and boy in primary schools. Percentage of women and men trained in scheme management. Percentage of women and men represented in the management bodies of water institutions at policy and operational levels. Morbidity and mortality for children under 5. 26 Gender Water and Sanitation Gender inin Waterand Sanitation Gender responses to citizen voice To be able to tap into, and strategically channel the voices of women and men is a critical element of ensuring access to WSS services that are used and valued by target populations. Women and marginalized citizens often lack the necessary experience and tools to ensure that they are heard and that their voices are acted on. Service agencies have been slow to create channels for effective citizen engagement and receive citizen input to shape their programs or services. Tools that help increase the ability of men and women to exercise their rights and responsibilities are useful for empowerment and in highlighting and redressing gender issues during key phases of the project cycle. Social accountability tools such as Citizen Report Cards, public hearings, and Program, 2007). As shown, these tools participatory tools and assessments, can assist in strengthening citizens' voices. can build the confidence of women and Practitioners using these tools must still keep in the mind that to redress gender issues marginalized citizens and enable them to and concerns special attention must be given to distinguish issues or concerns faced engage more effectively with their service by women and men, as not all social accountability tools are designed to differentiate providers and policy makers. the needs of different societal segments. Accountability tools can however, in general greatly help citizens overcome traditional barriers to participating in meetings and Documented cases include: being heard. · ParticipatorybudgetinginKerala, Good Practice: Strengthening client engagement where women within their local neighborhood groups and ward In Kenya a citizen report card (CRC) was undertaken as an accountability committees contribute project tool to provide public feedback to water providers on the quality of service ideas for their city, negotiate with experienced in three major towns. It emerged from the CRCs that in urban their counterparts, and reach an areas women retained the role ascribed in rural areas as the main collectors agreement with the local municipal of water for the household. The report disaggregated data by sex and the data captured women's complaints associated with heckling experienced council on specific projects for the in accessing water from kiosks, the long queues which they suffered, and year. the inconvenience and loss of time in their efforts to obtain water away from public sources. Based on the report, the Nairobi water company made a commitment to put in place30 more kiosks and provide storage tanks in · Consumercourtsandconsumer selected villages within the informal settlement. Civil society organizations grievance redress forms, based on monitored adherence to these commitments to verify the utilities fulfillment the Consumer Protection Act. of this commitment. The CRC was therefore useful in having issues particularly faced by women, addressed. · Civicmovementsandcollective action to get citizens involved in the Water agencies operating at the meetings in the local language to involve power reform process in the state of community level can strengthen citizen's all stakeholders, and set meeting times Rajasthan. ability to shape programs if they are that are convenient for both men and aware and work around disempowering women. At the same time information · Theonlinecomplaintmonitoring socially constructed rules. Often these related to projects should be availed system of the Brihan-Mumbai rules are based on strongly held tradition in a user friendly manner to facilitate Municipal Corporation, showing how and have the effect of barring certain understanding of the intervention, build the service agencies themselves groups from speaking and participating community ownership and increase can become more accessible to all in certain contexts. Agencies can accountability by providers to target citizens on an equal basis. organize community meetings in a users. way that overcomes cultural barriers to · Citizenreportcards,whichwere voice. Where necessary they can hold Several options for citizen engagement started in Bangalore, and replicated separate male and female sessions and access to information in the water in other parts of the world that before reaching consensus for the and sanitation sector were highlighted distinguish feedback from men and group as a whole; they can arrange in a recent review (Water and Sanitation women, rich and poor. 27 Gender in Water and Sanitation ©WSP Overcome barriers to participation such as cultural norms, seating arrangements, language and meeting times. Checklist 4: Strengthening the voice of men and women Are sector meetings at community level organized to overcome cultural barriers to women's participation, (cultural norms, seating arrangements, language and meeting times)? Do operational agencies provide information for decision making on policies, strategies, plans and investments, in a format that is user-friendly and accessible to women, marginalized groups and the organizations that represent them? Do policy makers and regulatory bodies make use of feedback mechanisms for complaints and challenges faced by citizens from their providers, including those on lower levels of service, such as for those relying on stand pipes and kiosks? Do agencies allow citizens to influence their plans, budgets and strategies, based on the voices of both women and men? Do service providers demonstrate commitment to the citizen voice by utilizing tools like citizens' charters, ICT, satisfaction surveys, toll free lines and effective complaint desks? Is civil society supported in holding service providers and power holders accountable for their performance and behavior? Indicators Ratio of contributions in decision making meetings by women and men. Percentage of decisions adopted from women's contributions in water and sanitation committee meetings. Number of policies and strategies published with inputs from non-state actors and marginalized groups. 28 Gender Water and Sanitation Gender inin Waterand Sanitation Gender responses to behavior change Evidence shows (Curtis et al, 2003) that women still play a central role in upholding hygiene standards in the home. The habit of washing hands with soap at critical times ­ after contact with feces and before handling food ­ could according to studies, reduce diarrheal rates by almost half. Diarrhea remains one of the main threats to children's health and well being in the developing world, each year killing nearly two million children under-five and causing more than five billion disease episodes (Curtis et al, 2003). In response to this, WSP, together with its partners, supports behavior projects to promote hand washing with soap, in Peru, Senegal, Tanzania, and Vietnam. The initiatives described below provide insight to a gender perspective for hygiene behavior change and sanitation uptake efforts. Good Practice: Understanding decision making at household level The study showed that WSP released the findings of two studies in Cambodia in 2008, one on the women in this context demand for latrines by consumers, and the other on the supply of latrines were more responsive to by the private sector. The research noted that a latrine purchase decision involves both men and women, in different ways. Whilst men and women consumer messages, while could therefore be targeted separately, it was recognized as important to men are more interested encourage household discussion between men and women on the subject in the technical aspects of investments for latrine ownership. The study showed that women in this context were more responsive to consumer messages, while men are of a sanitation facility. more interested in the technical aspects of a sanitation facility. Investing in Investing in collecting sex collecting sex disaggregated information can therefore be used to help the private sector and development agencies to communicate more effectively, disaggregated information and influence the behavior of sanitation adoption. In the same vein the can therefore be used to study highlighted the importance of targetting children who are obviously help the private sector and not decision makers for latrine purchases. however the study indicated that schoolteachers were viewed as a credible and important source of development agencies information by 54% of the respondents, making information channeled to communicate more through teachers to children and through them back to parents, an important avenue for influencing change. effectively, and influence the behavior of sanitation adoption. Good Practice: Behavior change led jointly by women and men In Senegal, women play a central role in caring for the family, and their hygiene habits are strongly correlated to reducing or transmitting fecal contamination within the household. however, as heads of household, men allocate financial resources for household items such as soap or a hand washing station. Thus, while WSP's global scaling up hand washing project initially focused on women in Senegal, a lesson emerged through field observations and discussion: the project team would also need to consider men as a target audience. Involving Men in hand Washing Behavior Change Interventions in Senegal (Koita, 2010), a WSP Learning Note discusses the steps taken by the project team to target both women and men. It shows that, as heads of households, Senegalese men play several key roles as gatekeepers, protectors, and role models. In these roles, men can allow or deny access to new information and necessary resources (such as soap or a hand washing station). They can enable, reinforce, and sustain behavior change. It was also learnt that when men are engaged early on in the discussion they are more likely to take an active role in getting their families to adopt hand washing behaviors. 29 Gender in Water and Sanitation Good Practice: Catalyzing handwashing with soap Stereotypes are being dashed as women In Uganda and Tanzania, WSP, in partnership with government, civil become more engaged society and the private sector, are supporting the development of hand washing behavior messages with national partners. The concept behind in economic endeavors the messages emanates from the idea that women play a central role outside the home, and in supporting hygiene development in rural areas. The messages¬­ known as `Nguzu' in Tanzania and `Mama the power is in your hands' children increasingly in Uganda­are designed to trigger behavior change and improve rates shape the behavior of hand washing with soap among mothers and caretakers of children trends of current and under five years old. The messages are developed through research and field-testing and are intended for use by various stakeholders within their future generations. hygiene and sanitation interventions, as a contribution within nationwide hand washing campaigns. In South Asia, women are important societal behavior shapers. One of the most serious concerns in this region is the practice of open-defecation, with over 600 million rural people defecating in the open every day. This practice, with its concomitant high incidence of diseases, exacts a huge cost in the economic and health sectors. Interventions have benefited from the involvement of women groups as change agents in Bangladesh and India. Good Practice: Behavior change with women as agents of change In Bangladesh and India, despite huge investments across the region through subsidies, sanitation coverage grew by only 1% per year (www. esa.un.org), and some toilets constructed were put to alternative use. WSP's intervention involved advocating for a paradigm shift by engaging women's groups as agents of change, and using female `barefoot consultants.' They played a central role in encouraging behavior change over toilet construction by addressing collective, rather than individual, households. In Bangladesh the rate of sanitation coverage has risen 15.3% per year since 2003 and open defecation-free levels in rural areas are now close to 80%. In India, coverage is up to 44% from 20% in 2000. Three states in India report improvements in children's height and weight and nearly 6,000 local governments in India have received rewards for achieving total sanitation. Women, men and children increasingly share roles in sanitation uptake and sustaining hygiene behavior change. Stereotypes are being dashed as women become more engaged in economic endeavors outside the home, and children increasingly shape the behavior trends of current and future generations. In line with this, sector agencies need to invest in research to inform communication and maximize behavior change through the abilities of different target groups. 30 Gender in Water and Sanitation ©WSP Evidence shows that women still play a central role in upholding hygiene standards in the home. Checklist 5: Mainstreaming gender in behaviour change initiatives Are there studies to understand citizen baseline behavior, and appropriate communication channels and triggers for change by both men and women? Are both men and women given equal attention in their role promoting hygiene and training activities? Is hygiene promotion packaged with water and sanitation facilities to ensure behavior change is supported by enabling facilities to impact positively on women and children under 5? Are hygiene promotion interventions targeted at primary schools? Are sanitation interventions maximizing the potential of community dynamics and social norms to increase rural sanitation coverage and improve hygiene behavior? Indicators Percentage of households hand washing with soap. Percentage of households investing in sanitation facilities. 31 32 ©UNICEF - Christine Nesbitt Gender Water and Sanitation Gender inin Waterand Sanitation Linkage between Gender, WSS and hIv/AIDS WSP and its partners have tried to better understand the implications of HIV/AIDS and its linkages to the water and sanitation sector. HIV/AIDs is not purely a gender issue as discrimination can negatively affect both men and women in equal measure. Where possible the sector can nevertheless promote justice and demonstrate sensitivity by alleviating the suffering experienced by affected WSS colleagues, and secondly targeting support to households in the communities the sector serves. Three important dimensions require more attention and improved response by practitioners. The first relates to the need to target services and support hygienic use of water and sanitation for people affected or infected with HIV/AIDS; the second relates to the importance of prioritizing services to clinics providing maternal health care, to support safe delivery for mothers and handling of their new born, and thirdly the need to mitigate the negative impacts of HIV/AIDs on the sectors work force. The section below describes emerging experiences related to some of these dimensions. Women comprise the highest percentages of those infected and affected by hIv/ AIDS and are also primarily responsible for caring for victims of the virus. Sector Women comprise the practitioners can prioritize this audience segment with strategic communication to highest percentages of build awareness on how to reduce incidence of opportunistic infection. Focus should those infected and affected target staff of sector agencies, to enable them deal sensitively in serving vulnerable clients and also relay appropriate hygiene messages where possible and appropriate. by HIV/AIDS and are also primarily responsible for Good Practice: Targeting WSS communication for People caring for victims of the affected by HIV/AIDS virus. Sector practitioners can prioritize this audience In 2006­2007 WSP India commissioned a study entitled `Water, sanitation segment with strategic and hygiene behavior among people living with hIv/AIDS' (Rajendra, 2007). communication to build Based on experiences in Tamil Nadu and Andra Pradesh, the study drew attention to the special water and sanitation needs of people living with awareness on how to hIv/AIDs. It brought to the fore their financial vulnerabilities, which result reduce incidence of in non access to safe water and sanitation, leading to frequent vomiting opportunistic infection. and diarrhea. Recommendations from the study were that practitioners in India should incorporate, as part of its activities, behavior change communications to people living with hIv/AIDS, care givers and other family members. These recommendations were disseminated within the two Indian states. Mainstreaming hIv/AIDS in WSS agency workplace programs hIv/AIDS has devastated communities in the developing world and people working in the water sector have not been immune to its negative impacts. The scourge calls for human resource approaches that are sensitive to, and reduces stigma of water and sanitation sector staff infected or affected by hIv/AIDS. In sub-Saharan Africa twenty five million people are living with hIv/AIDS and the epidemic strikes hardest at the most productive age group, 15 to 49 years. In this context, water agencies and utilities can ill afford to ignore the pandemic, and should instead actively protect and assist their own staff, spouses as well as customers living with hIv/AIDS. 33 Gender in Water and Sanitation Good Practice: HIV/AIDS awareness in the workplace In Zambia The Lusaka Water & Sewerage Company (LWSC), recognized that with an hIv prevalence rate of 14.3%, there was a real threat to its manpower and consequently to its operational efficiency and financial viability. In 2006, LWSC initiated an hIv in the Workplace Program for its one thousand-plus employees spread over the four districts of Lusaka Province. In 2009, with support from WSP, the company carried out a knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP) survey with its staff. The findings showed significantly high levels of knowledge on hIv/AIDS and evidence of positive attitudes and practices. The findings also pointed out some risk factors: for example, 40% of LWSC staff did not know their hIv status. To strengthen the workplace program it was recommended that senior management should visibly participate in hIv/AIDS activities; that peer educators and palliative care providers should be introduced within the utility, and that greater support for those already infected should be provided. All recommendations were adopted and are currently being implemented. Checklist 6: Gender responses to HIV/AIDS Do sector agencies - ministries, utilities and private operators - have an hIv/AIDS work place program? Is there willingness within sector agency staff to be tested? Do water and sanitation strategies incorporate PLWA and their caregivers as special needs groups? Are there capacity building programs for PLWA and their caregivers? Indicators Percentage of sector agency staff aware of their hIv status No. of service providers with hIv /AIDS work place programs. Sector strategies and regulations that target and protect PLWA and other terminally ill citizens. 34 Gender Water and Sanitation Gender inin Waterand Sanitation Looking ahead Moving forward WSP will focus on learning more about the gaps in redressing gender issues and concerns in the water and sanitation sector. Through partnership, WSP will seek to equip its own staff, citizens, service providers, policy makers and development partners in using measurable indicators in gender work and increasing capacity to identify and respond to gender issues as they arise. All sector stakeholders need the skills and tools to understand · Knowledgemanagement,withemphasisondisseminating gender and formulate effective responses. Over the next best practice to leverage reach and scale. few years WSP will focus on building its own and partners sensitivity to and knowledge on how the provision of water The development of water and sanitation services provides and sanitation services impacts men and women. an opportunity to improve not only the living conditions of citizens, but also their sense of empowerment and capacity Specific activities planned are: for self-determination. By incorporating women's as well as · Researchandanalyticalworktoidentifycurrentgapsand men's concerns and experiences in the sector, lessons show define strategic responses. that equality can be promoted, more skills can be availed for development and the sector can increase its relevance and · Buildingpartnershipforcapacitybuilding,genderstrategy impact on society as a whole. development and action planning. ©WSP - Guy Stubbs WSP will focus on building sensitivity to and knowledge on how the provision of water and sanitation services impacts men and women. 35 Gender in Water and Sanitation References Amnesty International (2010) Insecurity and Indignity: Wakeman, W., Davis, S., van Wijk, C. and Naithani, A., 1996: Women's experiences in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. UNDP-World Bank Water and Sanitation Program / Water Amnesty International Publications, London, United Kingdom. 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Box 30577 ­ 00100 ACKNOWlEDGEMENTS: Nairobi, Kenya This working paper was authored by Rosemary Rop of the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP). It was peer reviewed by Nyambura Githagui and Asa Torkelsson of the World Bank and by Wambui Gichuri, Barbara Tel: +254­20­3226334 Kazimbaya Senkwe, Malva Baskovich and Mercedes Zevallos of the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP). Additional useful comments were provided Fax: +254­20­3226386 by Geeta Sharma, Peter hawkins and Isabel Blackett of WSP. Email: wspaf@worldbank.org Web site: www.wsp.org Text Editor: hilary Atkins