Global Waters Radio: Annabell Waititu on Gender and Water Management in Kenya
“By bringing women on board to become decision makers, you are increasing transparency and accountability.”
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. To listen to the full podcast, please click below.
To view or download this Global Waters Radio transcript, please click here.
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Global Waters Radio is a podcast series produced by the Water Team at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The series offers listeners insights from USAID officials, development partners, thought leaders and experts from across the water sector as they discuss current USAID water programming and cutting-edge research from around the world. Have a topic you would like to see covered in a future Global Waters Radio podcast? Please contact us at waterteam@usaid.gov, and follow us on Twitter @USAIDWater.
