Water and Gender in Africa

Tamara Magwashu grew up in South Africa without access to sanitary products. Sharing 1 toilet between the  village, in a community without running water. When her mother had to make choices between buying food or sanitary products, Tamara had to utilise alternative ways of taking care of her menstruation. Tamara always knew the unfairness of this situation, and now as a ' Forbes 30 under 30'  nominated business woman, she has created an initiative to provide free sanitary pads to schools across South Africa. Tamara has dedicated her life's work to tackling period poverty.  Tamara's mission against period poverty But what exactly is this term Period Poverty ? A global issue referring to how women and girls are unable to access the sanitary products and resources necessary for a safe and clean period. UNESCO reports that 1 in 10 girls miss school during their period in Sub-saharan Africa - and in South Africa alone, 3.7 million girls cannot get access to necessary...

When deciding on what aspect of water and development in Africa I wanted to explore in this blog, I gravitated to the subtopic of ‘gender’. As a woman, I find topics surrounding gender inequality and female empowerment intriguing; viewing social matters through a feminist lens. Thus, I think this blog will be a suitable opportunity to view physical discussions of water alongside a social impact perspective, searching for links and providing more clarity between gender & water. A sustainable future? A pertinent place to start may be the 2030 sustainable development goals: 17 goals set out by the United Nations to lead all countries to a more sustainable and developed future. What has always stuck out to me is the question of ‘What is the most important SDG?’ or maybe the question is ‘If there is even a most important one?’. Whilst the main goal is ‘No Poverty’, some have argued that clean water and sanitation is perhaps most vital for a sustainable future ( Lampert & Papadong...