Women and water

But, in recent months, we’ve seen first-hand the impact of water scarcity on communities in the region. Kajiado County has been hit hard by drought, which threatens the livelihoods, food security, health, and rights of communities. Crops are failing, livestock are dying and so families who depend on the land or livestock for income are struggling. We have seen parents sneaking into schools for free lunches, because they cannot afford to feed their families. 

The lack of water means that women and girls are spending long hours each day fetching water, at increasingly further distances, making it difficult for them to attend school or work to bring in money to the household. The shortage of water also increases the risk of diseases and infections, particularly for women and girls who lack access to safe and hygienic sanitation facilities.

Spending less time and effort to access water means that women and girls are able to attend school, engage in income-generating activities, and improve their health and well-being. They’re also able to engage with the programme to end harmful cultural practices such as FGM/C and early marriage. 

This dual approach of WASH – building sustainable safe water supplies, improving infection prevention and control – and ARP – reducing cases of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), early marriage, and teenage pregnancy – creates a powerful tool to increase acceptance and support for the community-led ARP model by cultural and political leaders. The programme is generating evidence, sharing lessons learnt, and best practices for ending FGM/C, early marriage, and teenage pregnancy through this approach.