plan 152Clean Water for Informal Settlements at Thika

Summary

Improve the standard of living of the informal settlements by providing access to adequate clean water and promoting health through hygiene education, water and sanitation facilities, and addressing environmental and waste management issues.

Background

Bodaboda Initiatives has already water systems in place. In the areas that we operate in we have formed water committees who oversee the distribution of water from our water kiosks. They are also responsible for organizing water purification by training women groups on hygienic practices.
We have over 10 water kiosks which are controlled by our members and we sell water to our members and non members at subsidized prices.

We collected money from our members as well as other well-wishers to construct 10 water kiosks from which our members gain income. Last year the Global Fund for Women granted us US$ 4,500 to hold a workshop that took place for 3 days from 8th to 10th Nov 2006.The workshop’s goal was to bring researchers and practitioners together to exchange knowledge and decide future actions and collaborations to spread access to solar cooking, water purification and related solar food processing applications. The workshop’s purpose was to reduce the health and environmental hazards related to traditional open fire cooking and growing fuel shortages affecting one-sixth of humanity. They were also able to evaluate the requirements, technology, costs and benefits of solar cooking technologies. The women were shown how to make various types of cookers over the three day workshop. During the seminar women had a chance to learn on human rights and HIV/AIDS.

What we plan to do
• Lobby and advocate for water and sanitation to influence budgets (e.g. national and local (LATF, CDF)
• Participate in decision making and promote gender integration
• Adopt appropriate technologies – e.g.rain water harvesting, recycling of water and sanitation (waste management)

Bodaboda Initiatives sees an opportunity to create a shift in water resources management. The global environmental crisis, growing poverty in urban and rural areas, and continued gender inequalities all point to the need for a different governance approach to water use and management.
We wish to advocate for cohesion among the different institutions, policy, and regulatory frameworks and deliberate measures that take account of environmental sustainability and an intersectional analysis. Gender in this context is not a sufficient point of analysis without also considering intersecting identities of race, class, caste, ethnicity, age, ability, and geographical location.
Bodaboda Initiatives feel that the following water issues need to be addressed and we are advocating for their implementation in the national policy:

• Water should be treated as an economic, social, and environmental good.
o Freshwater is valuable and limited. Water supply services and infrastructure are economic activities, while at the same time, access to basic water supply is a fundamental human right. Water use for sanitation and domestic purposes, which tends to be the responsibility of women, should be incorporated into the assessments of economic values of the use of water. Women often have no rights to land and water, and development efforts may negatively affect their livelihoods.
o While it is desirable for water supply to be paid for, it is also important to take into account people’s ability to pay. Women’s interests and gender relations are often overlooked. If charges for domestic water supply have to be paid, both men and women should be involved in determining the rates. Even though women often do not have control over cash, they are still expected to pay for water and sanitation, more than men, because they are the main users and it is considered their responsibility A gender and social equity analysis of demands is required.
o Access to basic amounts of water supply as a social good and human right needs to be included in policies and planning. Increased charges for water should not apply to meeting basic human needs and should not reduce water minimum consumption for cooking and hygiene.

• Water policies should focus on the management of water and not just on the provision of water.
o Governments and local stakeholders should be key actors in water management.
o The private sector can play a role in providing water supply services for greater efficiency. National governments need to retain responsibility for oversight of water quality and for regulating and monitoring private providers. The government is also responsible for ensuring that the water supply needs of the whole population are met. Companies solely interested in making a profit will not be concerned about low-income households, domestic water users and those who use water sources and water catchments for their basic necessities of life. Women are heavily represented in these categories.
o With increased privatisation, capacity building of local communities becomes more important, and it should be ensured that women and men benefit equally from capacity building initiatives.

• Governments should facilitate and enable the sustainable development of water resources through the provision of integrated water resources policies and regulatory frameworks.
o Holistic water management is needed because actions taken in one water sector have an impact on water availability, quantity and quality in another. Such impact is different for men and women, between and even within households, and according to sex, age and status.
o At higher levels coordination within countries and ministries is necessary, including coordination at sub-national levels, and women’s interests and rights need to be taken into account.

• Water resources should be managed at the lowest appropriate level.
o Participation by all stakeholders leads to better water management. Because of women’s traditional roles in water resources management, they have knowledge which should be included in planning and practice.
o The lowest level is most important to ensure that decisions are supported by those who implement water projects on the ground. These are often women. Female-headed households tend to have less bargaining power in communities than male-headed households. A specific effort to include them is needed.

• Both women and men should be recognised as central to the provision, management and safeguarding of water.
o Campaigns to reduce water wastage should target men and women and especially industries and institutions that waste water.
o Women’s skills and knowledge are crucial for the effective and efficient management of water.
More attention is needed to control pollution and to improve water quality and sanitation for the benefit of women who collect domestic water and to improve health

Location

, Kenya, Kenya

Attachments

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Name Status Completion Date Final Cost
Clean Water for Informal Settlements at Thika completed Jun 2009 1,000