Water, Gender and Development in Africa

Introduction Excuse my language, but who really gives a shit about shit? Africa is growing three times faster than the global average. It is projected that by 2050, Sub Saharan Africa’s population will double to 2.5 billion by 2050 and by 2070, it will be the most populous place globally. Overpopulation has resulted in a growth of informal settlements, corruption in governance, inadequate urban planning and limited access to water resources. ‘World Toilet Day’ is celebrated on 19 November every year, to address the sanitation crises. Although toilets are a basic human right, there are still 2.3 billion people lack access to basic sanitation. The UN states that in order to fulfil SDG 6.2 ‘water and sanitation for all and end open defecation’, the world needs to work 4 times harder than it already is.   The politics of sanitation Sanitation is often overlooked in development efforts.  As   George (2008:76)   states ‘Sanitation was always an afterthought, if c...

  What is period poverty? Period poverty is defined as the lack of access to menstrual hygiene products, education and facilities due to financial constraints. It is often coupled with the term 'Menstrual hygiene management' (MHM) which outlines specific hygiene and health requirements of periods.  In Africa, women are unable to access menstrual products and dispose of menstrual waste safely due to the inadequate WASH facilities which leads to negative physical, social and economic consequences.  Due to the discriminatory patriarchal norms which result in period shame, On 28 May 2013, WASH United created  ‘Menstrual Hygiene Day’  to create awareness. A Video created by the World Bank to promote Menstrual Hygiene Day 2022. The shame and stigma surrounding periods. In African communities, periods are deeply stigmatised and associated with shame and taboo. Many girls are led to believe that periods are ‘unclean’ and often feel ashamed and stressed when they menstr...