New technology and new opportunities
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...