Annabell Waititu on Gender and Water Management in Kenya

Annabell Waititu, a gender and water specialist, meets with employees of Kenya's Embu Water and Sanitation Company (EWASCO) to discuss the strategic importance of integrating women into the water utility's workforce. Such gender mainstreaming efforts were conducted as part of USAID's Sustainable Water and Sanitation in Africa (SUWASA) program. Photo credit: USAID/Kenya

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Annabell Waititu is a water and gender specialist who serves as executive director of the Nairobi, Kenya-based Institute of Environment & Water Management. Drawing on her 15 years of experience mainstreaming gender into natural resource management, Waititu talks to Global Waters Radio about why it is important for women to become involved in water management decisions beyond the household. She also discusses the ways increased gender mainstreaming in water utility workforces can contribute to improved water supply provision.

“Water service providers have a way of thinking that customers are the men, because they think water service provision is always paid for by men. But then the moment we begin to include women [and] issues of gender within their programming and service provision, then this makes them begin to respect women — and treat them as customers.”

Waititu also talks with Global Waters Radio about how gender mainstreaming is currently being integrated into the USAID-funded Kenya Integrated Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (KIWASH) Project, a five-year development campaign that is helping drive Kenya’s efforts to reach its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets for improved water and sanitation. 

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Global Waters Radio was a podcast series produced by the Water Team at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from 2016 - 2020. The series offered listeners insights from USAID officials, development partners, thought leaders and experts from across the water sector as they discussed USAID water programming and cutting-edge research from around the world.

Podcast
Publication Date
Author credits
Annabell Waititu
Russell Sticklor
Length
9 minutes 38 seconds
Population Focus
Urban
Related Countries

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