SUSTAINABLE WATER AND SANITATION IN AFRICA (SUWASA)

Transcription

1 SUSTAINABLE WATER AND SANITATION IN AFRICA (SUWASA) A Tool for Mainstreaming Gender in Water Supply and Sanitation Services January 2014

2 This report was prepared for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), under Contract No. EPP-I , Task Order no. 4: Sustainable Water and Sanitation in Africa (SUWASA). Implemented by: Tetra Tech 159 Bank Street, Third Floor P.O. Box 1397 Burlington, VT USA Tel: (802) Fax: (802) Tetra Tech SUWASA SUWASA Africa Regional Office P.O. Box Nairobi, Kenya Tel: [254] (0) ; (0) Fax: [254] (0) Website: Cover Photos: By SUWASA

3 SUSTAINABLE WATER AND SANITATION IN AFRICA A Tool for Mainstreaming Gender in Water Supply and Sanitation Services January 2014 DISCLAIMER The author s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government.

4 CONTENTS CONTENTS... i ACRONYMS... ii DEFINITIONS OF GENDER RELATED TERMS... iii I. BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION... 5 A. SUWASA Kenya Project Overview... 5 B. About the Tool and the Target Audience... 6 II. GENDER MAINSTREAMING ASPECTS... 7 A. What is Gender Mainstreaming?... 7 B. Why Mainstream Gender in Water Supply?... 7 C. How do you Mainstream Gender?... 8 III. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MAINSTREAMING GENDER A. Addressing Barriers to Gender Mainstreaming in the Project Cycle B. Addressing Participation Barriers at the Community Level C. Addressing Barriers to Gender Mainstreaming in Service Provision D. Addressing Barriers to Institutionalising Gender Mainstreaming in Water Utilities IV. POTENTIAL PITFALLS IN GENDER MAINSTREAMING V. CONCLUSION REFERENCES ANNEXES ANNEX 1: Harvard Analytical Framework ANNEX 2: The Gender Management System (GMS) ANNEX 3: Gender Indicators for water and sanitation sector i P age

5 ACRONYMS ECOSOC FGD GenDev GMS IFAD PLA PRA PUA SUWASA UN USAID WASREB WID WSB WSP WSTF Economic and Social Council Focused Group Discussion Office of Gender Equality and Women s Empowerment Gender Mainstreaming System International Food and Agriculture Development Participatory Learning Approaches Participatory Rural Appraisal Participatory Urban Appraisal Sustainable Water and Sanitation in Africa United Nations United States Agency for International Development Water Services Regulatory Board Women in Development Water Service Boards Water Service Provider Water Services Trust Fund ii P age

6 DEFINITIONS OF GENDER RELATED TERMS These definitions are provided to enable the user to understand the meaning of the gender terminologies used in this document. These definitions are derived from various sources such as United Nations (UN) agencies and international organizations. Accountability: In terms of gender within water service providers (WSPs 1 ), accountability refers to whether the WSP or an individual in the WSP can be held responsible for realization of gender equality and equity in the institutions. Affirmative Action is a practical policy to increase the diversity of an organization through human resource initiatives, such as quotas for hiring women. Empowerment: Empowerment is about people taking control over their lives. It is about people pursuing their own goals, living according to their own values, developing self-reliance, and being able to make choices and influence - both individually and collectively - the decisions that affect their lives. Empowerment is a process, which can be long and complex. For women and men to be empowered, conditions have to be created to enable them to acquire the necessary resources, knowledge, political voice and organizational capacity. Equal opportunities means ensuring the opportunity for full and equal participation of men and women in all aspects of political, social, cultural and economic life. Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women. Gender Analysis is the collection and analysis of sex-disaggregated information that provides insight into how men and women typically perform different roles within society and any given context. This leads to women and men having different experiences, knowledge, talents and needs in society. Gender analyses explore these differences so policies, programs and projects can identify, address, and meet the different needs of men and women by closing the gender gaps that create gender inequality. Gender analyses also facilitate the strategic use of distinct knowledge and skills possessed by women and men. Gender Aspect is that dimension or component of an issue which addresses gender specifically and takes this issue into account. Gender Balance refers to equal representation and participation of women and men (sex ratio). Gender Equality refers to the equal rights, responsibilities, opportunities, treatment and valuation of women and men. Gender equality exists when both sexes are able to share equally in the distribution of power and influence; have equal opportunities for financial independence; and enjoy equal access to resources and the opportunities to develop personal ambitions, interests and talents. Gender equality does not necessarily mean equal numbers of men and women, or boys and girls, in all activities, nor does it mean treating men and women or boys and girls exactly the same. It is about recognizing that men and women often have different needs and priorities, are faced with different constraints, have different aspirations and contribute to and participate in the community in different ways. 1 WSPs are used interchangeably with utilities throughout this document. iii P age

7 Gender equity means fairness of treatment for women and men, according to their respective needs. This may include equal treatment or treatment that is different but which is considered equivalent in terms of rights, benefits, access, obligations and opportunities. In the development context, a gender equity goal often requires built-in measures to compensate for the historical and social disadvantages of women. Gender Lens means identifying and understanding the unique challenges women, men, boys and girls face pursuing equality and the ways in which systems, institutions and policies must change to advance gender equality. Gender Mainstreaming: The process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in any area and at all levels. It is a strategy for making the concerns and experiences of women as well as of men an integral part of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres, so that women and men benefit equally, and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal of mainstreaming is to achieve gender equality (1997 UN Economic and Social Council, ECOSOC). Gender Perspective: With respect to any social phenomenon, policy or process, a gender perspective is the act of exposing gender-based differences in status and power, and considering how such discrimination shapes the immediate needs, as well as the long-term interests, of women and men (1995 Beijing Platform for Action). Gender sensitivity/awareness encompasses the ability to perceive, acknowledge and highlight existing gender dynamic differences, issues and inequalities and to incorporate a gender sensitive perspective into strategies and actions. Gender stereotypes, or gender bias, are attitudes, opinions or roles applied to a particular sex and which function as unjust fixed assumptions. Gender-sensitive Indicators provide information about progress in the move towards gender equality. An indicator summarizes a large amount of information in a single figure in such a way as to show an aspect of the relative advantage or disadvantage between men and women and to give an indication of change over time. Indicators differ from statistical data in that, rather than merely presenting facts, indicators involve comparison. Participatory Learning Approaches (PLA) are umbrella terms for a wide range of similar approaches and methodologies, and offer a creative approach to investigating issues of concern to poor people, and to planning, implementing, and evaluating development activities. They challenge prevailing biases and preconceptions about people's knowledge. 2 Sex describes the biological differences between men and women, which are universal and determined at birth. Sex Disaggregated Data means information that is collected and analysed separately for men and women. Disaggregating data by sex and carrying out a gender analysis is used to review the needs of men and women, assess the impact on women and men and identify possible imbalances between the position of men and women. 2 Wageningen University and Research Centre. iv P age

8 I. BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION A. SUWASA Kenya Project Overview The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Sustainable Water and Sanitation in Africa (SUWASA) Kenya program facilitates commercial financing to utilities to improve the utilities financial performance and increase the urban poor s access to safe water and adequate sanitation. The program is broadly designed to support financing for bankable utility 3 investments that respond to the needs of the utility and its consumers including financing network extensions and rehabilitation, household connections, non-revenue water reduction and installation of energy-saving and renewable energy improvements, among others. The SUWASA Kenya activity, therefore, entails working with two highly male dominated fields engineering/utility work and the financial sector. To ensure that gender issues of inequality are fully captured and appropriately incorporated into the Kenya program design, SUWASA, with the support of the USAID Office of Gender Equality and Women s Empowerment (GenDev), secured the expertise of a Gender Specialist in September 2013 to conduct a gender analysis. The Gender Specialist analyzed how to ensure that program activities are implemented in a way that will achieve gender equality and leverage women s leadership in water supply management. 4 The gender analysis was designed specifically to support the USAID Water and Development Strategy and the USAID Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy The USAID Water and Development Strategy has adopted gender-sensitive approaches to empower women in the development and implementation of water-related programs, and specifies that projects should ensure that the design, implementation, and measurement of impact specifically include women and children. 5 The USAID Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy 2012 provides guidance on how to integrate approaches and actions to advance gender equality and female empowerment throughout the project cycle (see Section III). 6 The Policy recognizes that gender equality and empowerment of women and girls cannot be achieved without considering the socio-cultural context in which males and females live. 7 Based on the analysis, a Gender Specialist was tasked to develop a tool for mainstreaming gender for WSPs and banks to ensure inclusiveness in comparable water and sanitation initiatives. During the review of the SUWASA Kenya program design, it was noted that the role of banks in relation to the program is driven by utility financing product development and the use of standard financial industry benchmarks to determine the credit worthiness of utilities and approval of financing for projects. As such, the focus of this Gender Mainstreaming Tool is on WSPs in identifying pitfalls and positive gender approaches to inclusiveness. 3 The words utility and water service provider are used interchangeably throughout this document. 4 This addition is consistent with USAID s commitment to gender equality as evidenced in the USAID Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy and new the Agency Water and Development Strategy. 5 USAID Water and Development Strategy USAID (2012)Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy 7 ibid 5 P age

9 B. About the Tool and the Target Audience This tool was developed to assist utility staff in mainstreaming gender in water supply services. It provides an understanding of what gender mainstreaming is, and a checklist of gender integration action points that can be considered by WSPs. To accommodate for varying levels of gender expertise, this tool is intended as an easy reference document that can be used by those with or without gender expertise. While SUWASA Kenya has developed this toolkit and provided recommendations for gender mainstreaming, it is not within the scope of the program to require or enforce implementation by the WSPs of these recommendations. 6 P age

10 II. GENDER MAINSTREAMING ASPECTS A. What is Gender Mainstreaming? According to the International Labour Organization, gender mainstreaming refers to the process of 1) integrating gender equality into the mainstream of policies, programs, projects, institutional mechanisms and budgets, and 2) addressing gender inequalities through gender-sensitive measures for and with women and/or men. With respect to water, gender mainstreaming is the process of integrating the concerns and experiences of women and men in water supply management so that women and men benefit equally from the design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of water policies and programs. The ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality in service delivery (technical designs, types of services) and in the day-to-day operations of WSPs. B. Why Mainstream Gender in Water Supply? There is a significant body of evidence which shows that the success of water projects improves when the design and implementation take into account the views and interests of both women and men. A well-designed gender approach leads to: A reduction of existing gender disparities in the sector; Planners gaining a more accurate picture of the needs of women and men, which contributes to more effective initiatives that are geared toward creating conditions for women, men and vulnerable groups to have equal access and benefits from water supply, Participation of men and women in project development as well as in utility operations, leadership and decision making capacities in water institutions. Access to safe drinking water is a basic human right 8 and essential for achieving sustainable development, poverty alleviation and gender equality. Providing physically accessible, clean, and adequate water is fundamental to enabling women and girls to pursue productive and community activities. Mainstreaming gender in water also enhances equity, efficiency and sustainability of water services (UNDP/CAPNET/GWA) 9. Consider the following common example in Kenya. Women typically use water for multiple purposes including productive uses such as small gardens, raising animals, and washing and selling vegetables. As these are traditionally women s activities, the lack of adequate water has a higher impact on women s economic development, health and hygiene. As women are also usually responsible for collecting water, they spend hours every day on this activity. In this sense, there is a very different impact of water on women and men, and it is important to ensure that these implications are understood so that unintended negative repercussions are curtailed when designing, planning and implementing water programs. 8 Constitution of Kenya, UNDP/CAPNET/GWA (2006). Why gender matters - A tutorial for water managers. 7 P age

11 C. How do you Mainstream Gender? The first step to gender mainstreaming is the gender analysis. The gender analysis is vital to clarifying the precise gender disparities in water supply and sanitation services. The gender analysis consider gender roles, time use, access to and control over resources, power and decision-making abilities, cultural norms and beliefs, laws, policies and institutional practices to answer the questions of who has and who does not have access to water services, why, and how the lack of water supply affects men and women differently. It is also gives an indication of what benefits women and men might realize from gaining access to water services. This analysis is also referred to as looking through the gender lens. The gender analysis should give an accurate picture of the current water conditions, sources of water, time spent collecting water, cost of water, users and uses of water, and the impacts of no access or limited access on women and men. It is important for water supply service planners to have an accurate picture when considering investment options, developing community outreach and education materials and programs, and ensuring projects are truly marketresponsive. For the purposes of this toolkit, a series of recommendations (checklists) are included in the following sections for the user to consider in ensuring that gender issues in water development operations and institutions are not overlooked. The checklist helps WSP management and staff to ask the right questions so as to integrate the appropriate actions for gender mainstreaming. In addition to this toolkit, two recommended tools for WSPs to consider in gender mainstreaming include the Harvard Analytical Framework and the Gender Management System (GMS), both of which are provided in Annex 1 and Annex 2 of this document. Harvard Analytical Framework One tool for conducting the gender analysis is the Harvard Analytical Framework (Annex 1), one of the first frameworks designed for gender analysis. It was developed by researchers at the Harvard Institute for International Development in the USA, working in collaboration with the USAID GenDev Office, formerly known as the Women in Development (WID) Office. The Harvard Analytical Framework is a useful tool for organizing information and can be adapted to many situations. The Framework has four main components: 1. Activity Profile - This tool identifies all relevant tasks related to water and answers the question: who does what? 2. Access and Control Profile - This tool enables users to list what resources people use to carry out the tasks identified in the Activity Profile. 3. Influencing factors - This tool allows you to chart factors which influence the differences in the division of labour, access, and management of water. 4. Project Cycle Analysis - This consists of a series of questions designed to assist you to examine a project proposal or an area of intervention from a gender perspective, using gender-disaggregated data and capturing the different effects of social change on men and women. 8 P age

12 Gender Mainstreaming System (GMS) The GMS (Annex 2) is a holistic approach to integrating gender analysis findings into the mainstream of decision-making and action at government, civil society and other stakeholder levels. It can be adapted specifically to WSPs and other water sector institutions. The GMS has four key pillars (enabling environment, structures, mechanisms and processes) that should be addressed simultaneously in order to successfully implement gender mainstreaming. 9 P age

13 III. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MAINSTREAMING GENDER A. Addressing Barriers to Gender Mainstreaming in the Project Cycle To develop or expand services to communities that are unserved or underserved, WSPs prepare a water services and sanitation plan. The development of this plan requires management and board consultations, data collection and analysis, stakeholder input and participation, and implementation planning. Once the decision is made to move ahead with a project, the company procures labour and materials, implements the project, and interacts with community members and other stakeholders throughout implementation. In other words, projects go through a series of steps or phases; and the entire process is referred to as a project cycle. Projects typically have three main phases, namely design and planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. Phase 1: Project design and planning This is where you begin the process of searching for a viable project area aimed at responding to a specific company strategy, including identifying gender disparities in service delivery or access to services. This is the phase when the project plan is prepared and includes market assessment, budgeting, cost recovery analysis, project implementation and management planning and a time frame for implementation. It is in the project design and planning phase that it is critical the gender analysis begin, so that its findings influence the rest of the phases that follow. Phase 2: Project implementation In this phase, the project is carried out or implemented. Often, the company hires community members as temporary labourers and community outreach and education campaigns are carried out to ensure buy-in and achievement of project targets for gender equality. If the gender analysis has not been completed, it is possible that the project implementation will be gender-blind, and not address key issues of how men and women are impacted by the specific project, thus inviting unintended consequences. Applying the gender analysis findings from the design and planning phase into the implementation leads to mainstreaming gender for better project results. Phase 3: Project monitoring and evaluation - This phase runs concurrently with the implementation phase and after project implementation is completed. The company systematically tracks and documents the project s implementation. Indicators (see Annex 3 for suggested indicators) for monitoring are developed at the point where the gender analysis/baseline data is collected. The company then evaluates the information gathered from monitoring activities to measure performance and achievement of project gender equality and female empowerment goals against the original plans. The evaluation is also used to assess weaknesses and determine areas for improvement on the current project and future projects. Gender mainstreaming should take place in each phase of the project cycle, but, in particular, the gender analysis should begin in the design and planning phase, and then trickle down into the other two phases. Below is a general checklist of gender issues relevant to the water and sanitation sector to be considered in each phase. 10 P age

14 Recommendations for gender mainstreaming in the project cycle Activities Recommendations 1) Design and Planning Market Surveys Ensure that data collection tools are gender sensitive. Tools should include: questions on gender roles, and social issues, (e.g., sex, age, education backgrounds (such as literacy skills), marital status, economic status, vulnerability 10, household types); and the participation of women and men in decision-making, cultural norms and beliefs, access to and control over assets, and any laws, policies or institutional practices that may impact men and women in having equal participation and benefit from the project. Include questions about women s participation in leadership and decisionmaking in WSPs and at the community level, and analyse constraints faced by both women and men. Disaggregate (separate) data and information collected during the market survey and other consultative meetings by sex to facilitate the measurement of impacts of water supply and sanitation on women and men. Ensure that both women and men participate as respondents to the market survey. The target group may include more women because of their experience in domestic water supply management. Have separate Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) for women and men to enable free expression of views. Use participatory learning approaches (PRA 11 /PUA 12 ) to facilitate equal and effective participation of all categories of women and men including those with less education. Special note: Both men and women should be interviewed when gathering information. Where sex segregation is the norm, holding separate meetings with women permits freer discussions on both water issues and sanitation and hygiene practices. In separate meetings, women find it easier to speak for themselves rather than through the men. In some settings, the strategy of women interviewing women will put women at ease. In joint meetings, the facilitator should organize seating arrangements to ensure that women are not forced to sit in the back, making it difficult for them to hear or speak out. 13 Business plan and financing proposal Incorporate sex-disaggregated data from the market survey into the business plan and financial proposal and act on the findings, e.g. community outreach materials, hiring of temporary labourers, project indicators, etc. Check government policy requirements with respect to gender inclusiveness and strive to comply with these requirements. 2) Implementation Phase 10 In particular, the most vulnerable groups include the poor women and men, those living with HIV/AIDS, the physically challenged including the elderly, and child and female headed households. 11 Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) is a set of participatory and largely visual techniques for assessing group and community resources, identifying and prioritizing problems and appraising strategies for solving them. 12 Participatory Urban Appraisal (PUA) applies the PRA toolkit to an urban context. The primary aim of PUA is to allow the people to express their own ideas and perceptions in an inductive manner. 13 World Bank Gender Resource Toolkit P age

15 a) Construction Ensure equality measures such as an affirmative policy are adopted and applied when hiring community members to engage in short-term casual employment. Remember, the Government of Kenya (GoK) requires at least 30% representation 14 of both men and women in all activities and decisionmaking bodies. Ensure equal remuneration for both women and men for similar work. Offer and promote equitable access to paid labour opportunities for both technical and non-technical jobs to women and men. Do not fall into the trap of gender stereotyping about what men and women can and cannot do. The photo of a woman, below, was taken by the Athi Water Services Board and is proof that women can also do pipe laying and fitting. b) Community Outreach and Education Do not portray women negatively or perpetuate gender inequality in media messages by showing them as only victims of water scarcity; showing them as empowered figures, such as in the photo above, can break such stereotypes. Images should be gender sensitive and encourage positive attitudes towards women and men. Images and messages used should not promote gender stereotyping and neither should they be informed by the same gender bias. For example, SUWASA Kenya supported the development of the cartoon below for a community outreach and education campaign. Note that both men and women are shown accessing, paying for and carrying water. 3) Monitoring and Evaluation Gender Integration and Impact Monitoring and evaluation tools should measure progress on gender mainstreaming and impacts of water and sanitation on women and men. Document the percentage representation and roles of women in water 14 Constitution of Kenya, P age

16 committees/task teams. Some indicators to use to track and evaluate gender equality impact include: o Women's participation in leadership, decision-making and technical work o Women s time, workload, and livelihood/poverty reduction as a result of water access o Decreases in water conflicts between women water collectors and water vendors o Changed attitudes of women and men towards gender equality and women s involvement in the water sector at the community and institutional levels Track institutional capacity and reform processes regarding integration of gender perspectives and conformity to the GoK Constitution and Ministry gender policy requirements. Develop case studies, snap shots and success stories related to improved water and sanitation access for women and men. B. Addressing Participation Barriers at the Community Level Women are the primary collectors and users of water, although these are not their sole roles women can also be decision-makers. As such, they also play a major role in community water development and management. Despite this, the SUWASA Kenya gender analysis showed that women remain under-represented in water-related decision-making and management. The participation and involvement of women in decision-making in water supply management is key to ensuring equity, efficiency and sustainability of water supply investments. The gender analysis further revealed that women, in particular, are faced with unique constraints in participation that include cultural attitudes and a lack of institutional mechanisms to support gender mainstreaming, among others. In addition to these, women at the local level are also constrained by a heavy workload that denies them time for other communal, development or productive activities. Recommendations for addressing participation barriers Activities Recommendations Community Participation Raise awareness to address the cultural and technical barriers and constraints facing female participation. This should be done both at the local and institutional level. Identify and use male champions or the local chiefs to emphasize the need for equal participation so as to overcome negative perceptions about gender roles. Address the constraints that vulnerable and poor members of the community face in acquiring individual household water connections. This will free up time for women, in particular, to participate in community or productive activities. Use participatory learning approaches when facilitating community dialogues. C. Addressing Barriers to Gender Mainstreaming in Service Provision Once water projects have been implemented, the utility s next step is to focus on service provision. Service provision should be based on the human rights principles of equality, equity and non-discrimination. Mainstreaming gender in utility operations enables the utility staff to pay attention to the gender equity concerns in water supply services. 13 P age

17 Recommendations for gender mainstreaming in service provision Activities Recommendations Access to Services Identify and address barriers to water connection by the poor, particularly women and vulnerable households e.g. introduction to affordable tariffs and easy payment modalities such installments for those who cannot pay lump sum amounts for a household service connection. Consider the multiple uses of water by women and men in peri-urban areas when determining water demand and rationing. Monitoring and Evaluation Special note: The gender analysis report revealed that women have multiple uses of water including manufacturing of soaps, poultry rearing and vegetable growing, among others. Lucy from Nyahururu noted that members of her group, Mbaara Women's Self- Help Group, are involved in varying small-scale income generating activities. Unfortunately, water has become the single-most obstacle for most of their efforts to generate income. Providing adequate and reliable water will play a key role in enhancing livelihoods and poverty reduction. Identify and analyse the impacts of water supply on the socio-economic situations of women and poor households. Use the customer satisfaction survey data to improve service delivery to women and low income households. D. Addressing Barriers to Institutionalising Gender Mainstreaming in Water Utilities Gender mainstreaming can only be achieved if organizations within which programs and projects are implemented are gender sensitive. This means, institutionalizing gender seeks to ensure that organizations function in ways that respond to the needs of women and men and ensure that gender inequalities are not reinforced. An integrated approach to ensure that gender mainstreaming in programming/projects is accompanied by supportive institutional frameworks will support equal opportunities and fair treatment of women and men. The process of gender mainstreaming aims at achieving institutional reforms to facilitate opportunities for gender integration in the mainstream as well as sustaining gender equality gains. Recommendations for institutionalising gender mainstreaming Activities Recommendations Leadership and decision-making Ensure the WSP statutes are explicit about gender and the affirmative policy of the minimum of 30% representation of both men and women is institutionalized and implemented at the Board level. Ensure that the Corporate Management team includes female representation. Institutional policies Formulate a gender policy or strategy and a gender equality action plan to facilitate or guide gender mainstreaming. Ensure adequate budgetary allocation to translate gender action plan into reality. Adopt (institutionalize) the affirmative action policy on gender equality at all levels (Board, decision-making and management) and in all committees and sub-committees. Identify patriarchal norms/stereotypes within the organization and address them in the gender policy. Human Resources Ensure that the human resource policies and manuals provide for equal employment opportunities between women and men. Formulate a work place gender policy to address and manage gender 14 P age

18 Activities Training and capacity building Recommendations inequality issues that may emerge within the institution. Ensure that the gender focal person has a gender specialist related job description and the capacity to implement his/her mandate. Conduct periodic staff gender audits that provide the number and functions of men and women in the organization. Ensure recruitment and promotions take gender equality into consideration. Raise awareness of the WSP staff on gender equality issues at institutional and program levels. Conduct training and capacity building for gender mainstreaming for both women and men, including making gender mainstreaming tools available to all staff. Ensure that both male and female staff (technical and non-technical officers) with direct contact with community groups are trained on participatory learning approaches. Partnerships Identify and approach institutions with a gender equality mandate to complement company actions on gender mainstreaming e.g. Gender Directorate at the Ministry of Devolution & Planning, National Gender Equality commission or women and gender NGOs or academic institutions. Explore learning and collaboration opportunities with like-minded institutions such as the Water Services Trust Fund (WSTF) which has been implementing and enforcing the 30% female representation, as well as gender and vulnerability responsive water supply and sanitation designs. Identify and engage male champions (including chiefs, community leaders or experts) to support awareness raising on gender equality. IV. POTENTIAL PITFALLS IN GENDER MAINSTREAMING Gender mainstreaming assumes that gender considerations are taking place in all aspects of an organization s work programming, project implementation, budgeting, internal policies and hiring practices. Care must be taken to ensure that gender equality is not lost in the process. 15 When implementing any of the recommendations above, it is, therefore, important to ensure that: 1. Gender equality is not a women s agenda by women. Gender equality is about both women and men having equal access and opportunities to services and decisionmaking roles; everyone plays a role in ensuring it is implemented. The focus must firmly remain on both women and men and the relationship between them. 2. Accountability mechanisms are in place to ensure that the gender mandate is with an individual (ensure there is a focal person with clear job description/terms of reference to avoid the risk of making it everyone s business and no one s responsibility). In addition, mechanisms for tracking progress and for recognizing and awarding achievements in gender equality must be in place. 3. Capacity building is done at all levels, including for the Board, decision makers and practitioners within the WSPs, to complement the role of policies. It must be noted that gender policies may not necessarily translate into practical solutions or political change. For example, while gender is not contested within the institutions visited during the gender analysis, the lack of technical skills to practically integrate gender has greatly affected implementation of national and institutional policy commitments including the 15 Rebecca Tiessen. (2007). Everywhere/Nowhere Gender Mainstreaming in Development Agencies 15 P age

19 performance contracts 16. It is also important to pay attention to the need for financial resources to facilitate implementation of gender commitments. V. CONCLUSION Gender mainstreaming is a necessary process for achieving equitable and sustainable water supply and service delivery, particularly to low-income areas. This toolkit has been developed for use by gender and non-gender experts, and provides recommendations for WSPs to ensure gender mainstreaming in the water and sanitation sector. Using the checklists incorporated in this toolkit, WSPs can easily translate gender mainstreaming theory into practice in the project cycle, at the community level, and the operational and institutional levels of the WSP. REFERENCES Commonwealth Secretariat (1999). Gender Management System Handbook. Acquired on 12 th January, International Labour Organization. (2004). Promoting Gender Equality at Work: ILO Gender Mainstreaming Strategy in Asia and the Pacific, 2004 to OSCE (2006). Glossary and Gender Terms. Acquired on 17 th January Rebecca Tiessen (2007). Everywhere/Nowhere Gender Mainstreaming in Development Agencies. United Nations (2002). Gender Mainstreaming Overview. UNDP (2003). Mainstreaming Gender in Water Management: A practical journey to sustainability - A Resource Guide. UNDP (2007). Gender mainstreaming in Practice - A Toolkit. UNDP/GWA/CAPNET (2006). Why Gender Matters A Tutorial for Water Managers. UNESCO (undated). UNESCO s Gender Mainstreaming Implementation Framework Baseline Definitions of Key Concepts and Terms. 2_.pdf. UN-Water & United Nations University (2009). Gender disaggregated on water and sanitation - Knowledge No.1 UNW-DPC Publication series. USAID (2012). Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy. USAID (2012). Water and Development Strategy Water Aid (2009). Access for the poor and excluded -Tariffs and Subsidies for urban water supply. 16 WSPs have signed performance contracts on gender mainstreaming with the WSTF and the Water Service Regulatory Board (WASREB) requiring the WSPs to meet various gender-related targets. 16 P age

20 ANNEXES 1. Annex 1: Harvard Analytical Framework 2. Annex 2: The Gender Management System (GMS) 3. Annex 3: Gender Indicators for the Water and Sanitation Sector 17 P age

21 ANNEX 1: Harvard Analytical Framework The framework The Harvard Analytical Framework is a grid (also known as a matrix) for collecting data at the micro-level (i.e., at the community and household level). It is a useful way of organizing information and can be adapted to many situations. The Harvard Analytical Framework has four main components: 1. Activity Profile 2. Access and Control Profile 3. Influencing factors 4. Project Cycle Analysis Harvard Tool 1: The Activity Profile This tool identifies all relevant productive and reproductive tasks and answers the question: who does what in water supply? How much detail you need depends on the nature of your project. Example of Harvard Tool 1: Activity Profile Activities Women/girls Men/boys Productive activities Trenching, etc. Reproductive activities (e.g., collecting, transporting water, etc.) Harvard Tool 2: The Access and Control Profile - resources and benefits This tool enables users to list what resources people use to carry out the water supply tasks identified in the Activity Profile. It indicates whether women or men have access to water supply, who controls its use, and who controls the benefits thereof at household and community level, and who uses water and for what. Example of Harvard Tool 2: Access and Control Profile Resources Water supply Water permits/irrigation, etc. Women Access Men Women Control Men Benefits Employment opportunities Decision-making Training, etc. 18 P age

22 Harvard Tool 3: Influencing factors This tool allows you to chart factors which influence the differences in the gender division of labour, access, and control as listed in the two Profiles (Tools 1 and 2). Identifying past and present influences can give an indication of future trends. These factors must also be considered because they present opportunities and constraints to increasing the involvement of women in water and sanitation projects and programmes. Influencing factors include all those that shape gender relations, and determine different opportunities and constraints for men and women. These factors are far-reaching, broad, and interrelated. Example of Harvard Tool 3: Influencing Factors Influencing Factors Constraints Opportunities Community norms and social hierarchy Demographic factors Institutional structures Economic factors Political factors Legal parameters Training Attitude of community to development workers Harvard Tool 4: Checklist for Project-Cycle Analysis This consists of a series of questions. They are designed to assist you to examine a project from a gender perspective, using sex-disaggregated data and capturing the different effects of social change on men and women. The following set of questions is key for each of the four main stages in the project cycle: identification, design, implementation, evaluation. WOMEN'S AND MEN S DIMENSION IN PROJECT IDENTIFICATION Assessing women's and men s needs 1. What needs and opportunities exist for increasing women's and men s productivity and/or production? 2. What needs and opportunities exist for increasing women's and men s access to and control of water supply services? 3. What needs and opportunities exist for increasing women's and men s access to and control of water related benefits 17? 4. How do these needs and opportunities relate to the country's other general and sectoral development needs and opportunities? 5. Have women and men been directly consulted in identifying such needs and opportunities? Defining general project objectives 1. Are project objectives explicitly related to women's and men s needs? 17 These benefits should include participation in decision-making, job opportunities and paid labor. 19 P age

23 2. Do these objectives adequately reflect women's and men s needs? 3. Have women and men participated in setting those objectives? Identifying possible negative effects 1. Might the project reduce women's or men s access to or control of resources and benefits? 2. Might it adversely affect women's and men s situation in some other way? 3. What will be the effects on women and men in the short and longer term? WOMEN'S AND MEN S DIMENSION IN PROJECT DESIGN Project impact on women's and men s activities 1. Which of these activities (production, reproduction and maintenance, socio-political or other) does the project affect? 2. Is the planned component consistent with the current gender denomination for the activity? 3. If it is planned to change the women's and men s performance of that activity, i.e. locus of activity, remunerative mode, technology, mode of activity) is this feasible, and what positive or negative effects would there be on women? 4. If it does not change it, is this a missed opportunity for women's and men s roles in the development process? 5. How can the project design be adjusted to increase the above-mentioned positive effects, and reduce or eliminate the negative ones? Project impact on women's and men s access and control 1. How will each of the project components affect women's and men s access to and control of the resources and benefits engaged in and stemming from the production of goods and services? 2. How will each of the project components affect women's and men s access to and control of the resources and benefits engaged in and stemming from the reproduction and maintenance of the human resources? 3. How will each of the project components affect women's and men s access to and control of the resources and benefits engaged in and stemming from the socio-political functions? 4. What forces have been set into motion to induce further exploration of constraints and possible improvements? 5. How can the project design be adjusted to increase women's and men s access to and control of resources and benefits? WOMEN'S AND MEN S DIMENSION IN PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION Personnel 1. Are project personnel aware of and responsive to women's and men s needs? 20 P age

24 2. Do personnel have the necessary skills to address gender and social concerns of women and men? 3. What training techniques 18 will be used to develop delivery systems? 4. Are there appropriate opportunities for women to participate in project management and supervisory positions? Organisational structures 1. Does the organisational form enhance women's and men s access to resources? 2. Does the organisation have the institutional capability to implement gender mainstreaming and women empowerment? Operations and logistics 1. Are the organisation's delivery channels accessible to women in terms of personnel, location and timing? 2. Do control procedures exist to ensure dependable delivery of the goods and services? 3. Are there mechanisms to ensure that the project resources or benefits are equitably distributed between women and men? Finances 1. Do funding mechanisms exist to ensure allocation of resources to gender related activities? 2. Are funding levels adequate for proposed tasks or implementation of gender equality action? 3. Is it possible to trace funds for gender equality and women empowerment from allocation to delivery with a fair degree of accuracy? Flexibility 1. Does the project have a management information system which will allow it to detect the effects of the operations and service delivery on women and men? 2. Does the organisation have enough flexibility to adapt its structures and operations to meet the changing or new-found situations of women and men? WOMEN'S AND MEN S DIMENSION IN PROJECT EVALUATION Data requirements 1. Does the project's monitoring and evaluation system explicitly measure the project's effects on women and men? 2. Does it also collect data to update the Activity Analysis and the Women's and Men s Access and Control Analysis? 3. Are women and men involved in designating the data requirements? 18 Use of participatory learning approaches is important in this regard. 21 P age

25 Data collection and analysis 1. Are the data collected with sufficient frequency so that necessary project adjustments could be made during the project? 2. Are the data fed back to project personnel and beneficiaries in an understandable form and on a timely basis to allow project adjustments? 3. Are women involved in the collection and interpretation of data? 4. Are data analysed so as to provide guidance to the design of other projects? 5. Are key areas of gender equality and women s empowerment research identified? Adapted from: March, C., Smyth, I., and Mukhopadhyay, M. (1999) A Guide to Gender Analysis Frameworks, Oxfam, Oxford, pp P age

26 ANNEX 2: The Gender Management System (GMS) The Gender Management System (GMS) is a holistic approach to integrating gender analysis into the mainstream of decision-making and action at all levels by government, civil society and other stakeholders. Developed by the Commonwealth Secretariat, this approach aims to bring about fundamental and lasting change in society as a whole, by transforming the structures and systems, attitudes and behaviours that create and perpetuate gender inequality and inequity. The GMS has four key pillars (enabling environment, structures, mechanisms and processes) that should be addressed simultaneously in order to successfully implement gender mainstreaming. These are described below: Figure 1: The Gender Management System (adapted from the Commonwealth Gender Management System) Enabling Environment Political will (Institutional policy/strategy, action plans, affirmative action) Human and financial resources Legislative and administrative framework Women in decision-making positions at all levels partnerships GMS Process (institutional roles) Setting up GMS structures and mechanisms Developing and implementing a gender equality action plan Mainstreaming gender within institutions and programmes GMS Structures (institutions) Accountability (highest authority) Gender management team Gender focal points/ committees Partnership with national or sector initiatives GMS Mechanisms Gender analysis (communication and awareness levers) Gender training (awareness lever) Management Information System communication lever) Performance Appraisal System (incentive/boundary l ) Enabling environment: The Water institutions must demonstrate their political commitment by putting in place an enabling environment for gender mainstreaming. This will include an institutional policy on gender mainstreaming that addresses the institutional and mandates (programme) of the institution in question; adequate human and financial resources are allocated to gender mainstreaming; an affirmative action on representation of women and men is adopted and implemented; legislative and administrative tools (gender workplace policy, etc.) are in place to facilitate gender equality. Partnership with national and other institutions with 23 P age