Gender & Poverty

In Nepal, demand for water supply services by the community are too often demanded by the so-called higher caste and better off men of the community, with little or no prior consultation with women and poorer men, who are often from socially excluded Dalit and ethnic groups. It naturally follows that it is these better off men who are the first to come forward to liase with project staff, to take the management decisions and ownership of water supply systems. Those who probably have the most to gain from these water supplies and sanitation systems, mainly poor women, men and Dalits are the least involved in management of these systems.

NEWAH's experience in the 1990s confirmed that equitable access and a sustainable supply of water are fundamental to the goal of eliminating poverty. Unsustainable supplies and inequitable access to water are a drain on the lives and livelihoods of the world's poorest men, women and children. International thinking has focused on a decentralised, demand-driven approach. This approach was based on a belief that people-centred approaches, which respond to demand, would prove more sustainable. However, in NEWAH's experience the demand driven approach does not always necessarily ensure that gender and poverty perspectives are taken into account. NEWAH believes the essential ingredient for an equitable, demand-driven, community-centred approach includes a long-term investment that seriously attempts to address gender and caste inequity and poverty issues in practice.

The rationale for NEWAH's Gender and Poverty approach stems from the strong links between gender, caste, ethnicity and poverty. It is often assumed that proposed development interventions will automatically benefit women and the poor and that community leaders reflect their needs. However, this has been shown not to be the case and that deliberate actions must be taken to enlarge people's choices, as well as providing opportunities to voice those choices. Analysis of poverty includes an assessment of groups that are vulnerable to poverty and social exclusion, which identifies growing gender disparities as a particular issue. In NEWAH's analysis a number of specific problems were highlighted. Though NEWAH's projects substantially reduce time taken by women and girls to collect water, thereby addressing a practical need, projects did little to empower women by addressing their strategic interests.

NEWAH's experience was that the richest and so-called higher caste men dominated all aspects of the project and women, poor Dalit and ethnic men were too often excluded from any form of decision-making, training and other benefits related to improved water and sanitation systems. Domination of water systems by male elites in Nepal often leads to unequal access to safe drinking water between the better off and poorest socio-economic groups and ultimately to the unsustainability of projects.

Given the above consideration, NEWAH recognised that unless a concerted effort is made at organisational and programme level to change negative attitudes, the status quo of unequal power relations in the community will remain. This will negatively impact on the ability of communities to successfully and equitably manage their water resources. The GAP approach was therefore formulated and applied to address these inequities for increasing social justice, livelihoods and sustainability of projects.

An intense process to mainstream a Gender and Poverty approach began in late 1998 with a discussion involving senior management staff about gender and poverty. A common understanding was subsequently built around gender inequality as a major constraint to poverty reduction, and was identified as a priority concern in NEWAH's Logical Framework. In response to this NEWAH would consider tackling social exclusion and promoting gender equality as a crosscutting theme to be mainstreamed across NEWAH. Further analysis was continued in a Gender Awareness for Poverty Reduction workshop for senior and middle management staff in early 1999. The workshop proved to be a catalyst for substantial change within NEWAH's institution and programme.

Within three months of the initial management workshop in 1999, a Gender and Poverty Unit was established comprising 36 technical and social staff. Five regional operational GAP teams and one team based at Headquarters were created. After a period of training including gender awareness and TOT, and gender-sensitive PRA, teams practiced by delivering gender awareness training to peers in NEWAH, and partners and communities in five pilot projects. This was the beginning of establishing a critical mass of operational and middle management staff within NEWAH as gender trainers and advocators to take gender mainstreaming forward. During this time a GAP strategy was developed for piloting and replication of GAP projects. The teams began in 2000, piloting what became known as a GAP approach in five projects in all the five development regions of Nepal.

NEWAH's Gender and Poverty strategy aims to ensure that benefits obtained through improved water supply and hygiene practice are sustainable and reach to women and the poorest, thereby improving their status, confidence, involvement in decision making processes and access to economic resources. Since NEWAH's primary focus is on water supply, sanitation and health education, it was agreed that NEWAH can only be sensitive to the issue of poverty but cannot implement any programmes aimed directly at poverty alleviation since it is beyond its mandate. However, by being sensitive to poverty, NEWAH can do a number of things that, in the long run, can help to alleviate poverty.

NEWAH's Definition of Gender

Gender roles are socially determined. They influence the division of labour, which is valued differently based on who does the work. Different roles, work and the value placed on work create differential access to information, decision-making, services and benefits. The differential value placed on work and access, support existing power relations, which are unequal. Because men and women have different roles in society, women and men have different needs of both a practical and strategic nature. This is why NEWAH believes in mainstreaming a gender approach. Gender issues must be addressed. It is a cross-cutting issue and a major component for the sustainability of projects and for reduction of poverty of beneficiary communities."

NEWAH's Definition of Absolute Poverty

"The condition of the households which have been categorised in the lowest quintile using a well- being ranking tool of the participatory rural appraisal (PRA) method by the local key information as the poorest, most vulnerable and marginalized: who have no or limited land and therefore can not meet the food requirements of their family through their regular income and production: and who are forced to take loans and to do daily wage labour activities in their landlord's farm or elsewhere."

NEWAH has developed a number of strategies to provide various subsidies to the poorest households to meet the basic requirements. NEWAH's philosophy behind its subsidy policy is that no households in NEWAH's programme areas should be deprived of its services because of the difficulty they have to fulfill NEWAH's requirements. An equally important principle guiding the formulation of these strategies is that NEWAH's requirements for community women and men to participate and contribute in its activities should not further deteriorate the economic condition of the poorest households nor should it widen the existing gap between the rich and poor.

GAP Strategy

Well-being ranking of households to identify poor members of communities to give them greater voice and choice during the process of service establishment

Graded rate system of O&M payments according to socio-economic groups

50% unskilled labour contribution to the poorest households

Priority for project paid jobs and training to women and poor men

Gender balanced community project management committee

Health, hygiene and sanitation education to women as well as men

Health, hygiene and sanitation education to in-school and out-of-school boys and girls

Flexibility in number of water points policy

Women making decisions over water points location and design modification to meet practical needs

Child and gender-friendly school latrines

Free latrines to the poorest households

Kitchen garden training

Gender awareness training to partners and communities

Gender-sensitive savings and credit organisation

For further information, Email:  himalaya@newah.org.np