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My final post

In my final blog I will be looking at the women run water centers in Nigeria, this program helps women gain independence and an income whist supplying their families and village with safe drinking water. This scheme has been created in response to the UN’s (United Nation) Sustainable Development Goal of clean water and sanitation for all. These water centers are known as Sunlight Water Centers, they have been formed by a TechnoServe and Unilever partnership to bring affordable and safe water to the Nigerian rural public. Women have been the key focus of this scheme, as they choose, hire and train women to run the local water centers. This encourages the women to be local entrepreneurs and work as they have spare time since they no longer have to travel vast distances to collect water. The program has an acceptance process as the women have to be nominated, often by the head of their village, and then they undergo an interview process. This is all worth it as they receive trainin
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New technology and new opportunities

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As I was researching gender and water in Africa and the policies and schemes which were in place to tackle the problems, I came across eWATER. It very simply aims to supply rural villages with local and sustainable water sources, this will help tackle the issues of water collection and all of the problems women and girls endure. 15 years ago less than 1% of Africans had mobile phones, now 76% have mobile phones, these people pay for their air time, and to charge their phones, yet many of them still drink and die from contaminated water. Billions of dollars have been spent on supplying rural parts of Africa with sustainable water sources; however, these structures usually break down within six months to two years as the management is often poor or non-existent. Often the taps are left on, once the tank is full water gushes out and is available for an hour twice a day. The water that remains uncontained turns into stagnant water which is a breeding ground for mosquitos and disease. Th
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NGO's and water management

NGO’s are non-governmental organisations which are usually non-profit, international organisations. They help many of the unfortunate who find themselves in tough times, may it be disaster relief or just living in poverty. These many NGO’s help in various ways, including shelter, food and medicine. In this blog I will be looking at the ways in which NGO’s help women in Africa in regards to water and water collection, these NGO’s aim to promote equality through education. Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980 and the water supply systems were based on a supply driven approach, rather than a sustainable approach. It was mainly women who paid the price if distant water supplies, many of them travelled great distance to obtain water for their families, and suffered health risks as a result of these travels. In 1993 Zimbabwe undertook a project for water sector reform; they invited women to partake in the discussions and decisions being made. Four years later a Community-based Managem
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Female farmers and irrigation

Being a woman in rural Africa is no easy task as I have highlighted in my past blogs, however, in this blog I will be looking at the female farmers of rural Africa and the struggles they face because of their sex. Not having the same rights or opportunities as their male counterparts is inevitably not only holding the women back but the development of the areas and economies. Women have limited access to land, technologies and agricultural extension thus disabling them from producing the same yield and results as men do, yet women dominate the agricultural sector as 80% of women are in the agricultural sector. On top of their household duties women are expected to work in the fields, often with their young children either by their side or on their backs. In this blog I will be focusing on the irrigation schemes in Africa and the inequality female farmers’ face in regards to agricultural irrigation.  In Tunisia we have seen access to irrigated land under localized land reform, wh
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World Toilet Day

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World toilet day has passed, this year it was on Sunday 19 th November. Having a lifetime of access to a toilet both publicly and privately has made me ignorant to the girls and women who still wait for access to one toilet. I have travelled through third world countries and seen people living in poverty but have never thought about their lack of access to toilets or what that will lead to.  The Sustainable Development Goals which were launched in 2015 include a target which guaranteed that EVERYONE will have access to a safely-managed household toilet by 2030. World Toilet Day has been created in response to this target to encourage people and organisations to take action and achieve this goal. Therefore the United Nations have designated the date of November 19 th to World Toilet Day. As I am someone who knew little about this day wen starting this course I found the Word Toilet Day website very enlightening as it clearly aims to not only inspire but educate the publ
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Women, water management and climate change

Climate change is a global problem; however, it effects some people more than others, climate change is expected to increase the frequency and magnitude of these events. In particular it impacts developing countries, and the vulnerable within them. Many of the effects of climate change which they receive includes water based problems, as much if Africa receives droughts and flooding. These difficulties have dire consequences for those who are socially and economically vulnerable, this often includes women. Women face the brunt of these occasions not only because of social and economic factors but because of their geographic location.  These extreme weathers have killed more women than men and this is often due to the socio-economic status of the women. In this blog, I will be exploring the ways in which women in Africa are subject to a harsher climate change than men, and the reasons for this occurrence. According to the IPCC ( Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) South
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Gender and water collection

In Africa 90% of gathering water and wood is done by women. The collection of water in Africa is a huge inequality between genders, as women are expected to collect water and other household necessities, such as fire wood, while the men go to work.  On average, women and children travel 10-15 km a day to collect and carry 15 litres. Water collection is a “woman’s job” as it must do with the home, it is seen as the women’s job to keep the household running while the man works for the money for the family. Travelling vast amounts of distance on foot while carrying heavy amounts of water is sure to cause some health problems in the long term. Medical research shows cases of permanent damage done to women’s health credited to carrying water. These problems can rage from chronic fatigue and spinal and pelvic deformities which could impact their reproductive health and lead to spontaneous abortions. This damage done to their reproductive health can in turn create tensions within the
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