Gender in Integrated Rural Water Supplies and Sanitation Programme in Zimbabwe

An Article for the Sanitation and Hygiene Conference in South Africa, 29TH July –1st August 2002. By Noma Nyoni, IWSD Zimbabwe

Mainstreaming Gender in Integrated Rural Water Supplies and Sanitation in Zimbabwe: A Science or an Art with the support of the Gender and Water Alliance

Zimbabwe has been implementing integrated rural water supplies and sanitation programme (IRWSSP) since the late 80s. The programme basically focuses on three components of water supplies, sanitation and hygiene. It was initially largely implemented through inter- ministerial committees that are found at national, provincial and district level. The inter-ministerial committee at the national level known as the National Action Committee is a policy formulating body, defining standards, operational approaches and monitors the national programme.

In the late 90s the National Action Committee through its gender task force decided to come up with strategies as to how they could mainstream gender within the national programme. One of the problems that were identified was that women were basically performing unskilled and non- paying jobs. To address this anomaly it was decided at the national level that women would be trained as well sinkers. The first experiment was then carried out in Mount Darwin where four women were trained as well sinkers. These were then paired with men and the teams ideally spent up to 3 months in the bush sinking wells. These teams were provided with the traditional protective clothing of an overall and one tent that they were to share. When the NAC went to review the work, they found that women were now performing the roles of cooking and cleaning the tent and the men were digging. The complaints were that there was no privacy for women and men, the men usually takes off half of the overall for comfort when digging, as it gets very hot at 15 meters. The women also wanted to do the same as they also said the material usually chafes them around the armpits but could not do so due to the presence of men. Furthermore how could the women and men use the same tent?

The NAC went back to the drawing board and decided then to form an all women team. Soon the allegations that arose were that the all woman team (who were all single) had been selected for the beauty and not their ability. Furthermore the supervisor who happened to be a man was also accused of visiting the women team more regularly than other teams. On the part of the women, they also felt that they still did not have privacy as the supervisor can come any time when they are not fully clothed.

The NAC again went back to the drawing board and they decided to form an all women team comprising of married and widowed women. These were expected to spend three months sinking wells away from family. This was the first milestone. Secondly, the women were then given work suits, which again were traditionally designed for men and therefore are tight around the hips. The women flatly refused to wear these. The NAC then decided on overcoats which when buttoned up are tight around the breast, are short and therefore not suitable for bending. Because the women had to visit families regularly, it took them long to finish the wells and therefore it also took long for them to get paid. Consequently the women dropped out of the well sinking teams. The NAC perceived that their experiment had been a failure and dropped it.

However the NAC, in consultation with local committees and communities then decided to ask how women could be involved in money – paying jobs. The Communities indicated that training them as latrine builders would ensure that they stayed within the village, would be paid faster and the skills would extend to benefiting other areas other than sanitation. It was then agreed that the NAC would relax its approaches that said only those with a background would be trained as latrine builders so women could have access to training. To date some of the latrine builders in Zvimba area who have received prizes for the quality of work are women. In fact Zvimba district boasts of having a lot of successful women builders.