November 17th 2018 was World Water Day – a yearly
initiative to promote the awareness of global sanitation. I think we take using
toilets for granted in Britain… the worst I have had to deal with was not
having a toilet whilst hiking in the Scottish Highlands for five days
completing my Gold Duke of Edinburgh award. However, women in Africa do not
have an easy situation at all.
Montgomery et al (2009) published an interesting paper that
indicates how sanitation programmes can more made more sustainable. They note
three clear components to aid in the longevity of projects. These are:
‘effective community demand, local financing and cost recovery, and dynamic
operation and maintenance’. (Montgomery
et al 2009: 1019). The paper further acknowledges that these factors face many
problems. These problems are wide ranging and include simply the fact that some
villages are isolated and will be harder to reach, or reasons related to the
culture found in certain areas such as the fact there is no incentive to build
new sanitation project, a mistrust of different sanitation projects, or a lack
of funding services for women. However many of these issues can be overcome
with the correct grassroots funding and training.
I came across a charity that I believe does important work
in Africa for women and sanitation. The Global Women’s Water Initiative train
and education women as technicians to maintain sanitation facilities in Africa through
a four-year programme. The programme also allows them to educate others in
hygiene and water practices, further spreading applicable knowledge.
Montgomery, M., Bartam, J. and Elimech, M. (2009)
‘Increasing Functional Sustainability of Water and Sanitation Supplies in Rural
Sub-Saharan Africa’, Environmental
Engineering Science, 26, 5, 1017-1023.
