DIPLOMARBEIT - ÖH Uni Wien - Universität Wien

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improvement in food security and living conditions when women are able to access resourceslike land, water and financial means (IFAD 2007: 11;17). Nevertheless research about waterprovision in developing countries is mostly about technical rather than social issues. Fieldstudies often concentrate on counting heads and tap stands and on the operation mode ofwater provision systems. While these are important topics too in order to further improve thesustainability of the projects, social issues, and especially the role of women in watermanagement, are often neglected in those studies.This thesis is therefore researching about how far women are participating in water andsanitation projects of development agencies and which effects this involvement has on theirempowerment. The study is based on the Water and Sanitation (WATSAN) project of theAustrian development organisation AMINA (Aktiv für Menschen in Not Austria) and theKenyan organisation KNEF (Kanacho Nomadic Educational Foundation) who implementedfour water tanks in four different villages in Hurri Hills region in Northern Kenya. In eachvillage water committees were established, where a gender policy makes sure that womenparticipate and are integrated in the water mangement process. In order to get significantoutcomes 16 women and men from the villages and five experts on the fields of water andwomen were interviewed.The objective of this thesis is to gain an increased understanding of how and to what extentwomen are actually participating in the water and sanitation project and which impact theirparticipation in the project and the water committee has on the women`s lives and how itaffects their empowerment. The specific objectives include identifying the level ofparticipation of women and men in project activities and decision-making processes in thewater committee, identifying possible barriers to women`s engagement in the project likeexisting gender roles and structures, identifying what effect the gender equal water committeehas on the communities` perceptions and behaviours towards gender roles, identifying ifwomen`s participation in the project changed their role and status in the household and thecommunity and to identify whether practical and strategic gender needs of women areconsidered and satisfied.4
1.2. Research RelevanceThere is a great deal of evidence […] that societies that discriminate on the basis of gender paya price in more poverty, slower growth and a lower quality of life, while gender equalityenhances development (Momsen 2004: 9).This quote makes clear that women play a very important role in development work. Theirinvolvement is necessary for projects to be successful, for women to be empowered and forgender equality to be achieved. This thesis now focusses mainly on women in relation towater which is also a big issue in the development discourse. Women and men are differentlyaffected by water shortage and lack of sanitation, therefore a special perspective on women isnecessary in order to equally satisfy the different needs. In addition, women are the mainmanagers of water which was also acknowledged in the Dublin Principles. They wereformulated in 1992 at the International conference on Water and Environment andacknowledged as leading guidelines in water management. Besides advocating a participatoryapproach and acknowledging the economic value of water, one principle also emphasizes thecrucial part women play in provision and management of water (Ray/Boukerrou 2008). So inorder to enhance the water and sanitation situation and make it more effective and sustainable,gender inequalities have to be challenged through female participation and empowermentwhich is the objective of the WATSAN project that was analyzed for this thesis.The two subjects, women and water, are also very relevant in regard to the MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs) of the <strong>Uni</strong>ted Nations (UN) that were drafted in 2000. TheMDGs are the global commitment to human rights and dignity with the main goal of halvingpoverty until 2015. The third MDG pursues gender equality and empowerment of women.While this goal is central to achieving all the other MDGs it only includes the target of girls`education that is also MDG number two. The reduction of maternal mortality and theimprovement of reproductive health care are comprised in MDG number five. Other aims likewomen`s access to paid employment, women`s share of representative seats in publicdecision-making processes and the reduction of violence against women, which is also amassive barrier on the way of eliminating poverty, are still missing (UNIFEM 2008/09:117;122). The empowerment of women is a key element in environmental management andfor eradicating extreme poverty, hunger and diseases like HIV/Aids. Women need to be moreintegrated in poverty reduction strategies by national governments and international aidinstitutions. Otherwise, progress in achieving the MDGs is not possible (UNIFEM 2008/09:117).5
Page 1: DIPLOMARBEITTitel der Diplomarbeit
Page 4 and 5: List of abbrevationsADAAMINACEDAWDA
Page 6 and 7: 5.5. Water Situation in the Region
Page 10 and 11: In 2002 the reduction of people wit
Page 12 and 13: difference and inequality” (UNDP
Page 14 and 15: eneficiaries to public actors which
Page 16 and 17: (Batliwala 2007: 558). Empowerment
Page 18 and 19: agencies to legitimate their interv
Page 20 and 21: 2006: 72). Here the Beijing Declara
Page 22 and 23: interests, knowledge, work, goals a
Page 24 and 25: that women have enough free time to
Page 26 and 27: must go hand in hand with those aga
Page 28 and 29: Moser wants to analyse the gendered
Page 30 and 31: order to implement her planning pra
Page 32 and 33: seen as a practical gender need of
Page 34 and 35: 3. Women, Water and Development3.1.
Page 36 and 37: sector. The different effects on th
Page 38 and 39: This benefits men in patriarchal co
Page 40 and 41: couples. The impacts of female-head
Page 42 and 43: taps, public standpipes, boreholes,
Page 44 and 45: mostly men, while the people mostly
Page 46 and 47: Although participation of women is
Page 48 and 49: state stays responsible for water i
Page 50 and 51: 4. Research Methodology4.1. Field S
Page 52 and 53: statements about a big population,
Page 54 and 55: in their small, isolated villages t
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District from the Ministry of Water
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4.3. Data EvaluationThe analysis of
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Western feminists that universalize
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after natural disasters, built orph
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Irrigation as well as Public Health
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As the name suggests Hurri Hills co
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Eradication Plan 1999-2015 ranks Ma
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5.5. Water Situation in the RegionI
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like to use the toilet when it is c
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initiative” (KNEF-Tocha) where th
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With the implementation of the wate
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Furthermore, by settling down and b
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6.1. Responsibilities6.1.1. Time an
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major concerns now that they have a
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The benefits, the distance to fetch
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The women are proud of being a part
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paid any salary; they do it volunta
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project is participatory involvemen
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Another problem is the involvement
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is a general understanding that thi
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the mother to cook, to clean and ta
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2012 the women`s group donated thei
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most important responsibilities, th
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anymore, but were actively particip
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to their political, social or econo
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Austrian Development Agency (ADA) (
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Freyhold, Michaela (2002): Partizip
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Miraftab, Faranak (2004): Making ne
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Ray, Isha; Boukerrou, Lakhdar (2008
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Weber, Barbara (2004): Österreichi
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Abstract (Deutsch)Wasserknappheit u
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