FG Targets Women For Water Programme

The Federal Government says plans are under way to establish water kiosks and sanitation facilities that will be strictly managed by women and girls in the FCT, to boost women empowerment.

The Director, Water Quality Control and Sanitation, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Mr Samuel Ome said this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, recently.

The Tide recalls that the Minster of Water Resources, Mrs Sarah Ochekpe, had earlier hinted that the ministry would embark on a low cost high impact empowerment programme for girls and women.

The pilot programme, she said, would be done in collaboration with the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

The programme aims to create key target, employment and wealth for girls and women through the management of water kiosk facilities, water supply schemes and other related economic activities.

Ome said that the programme was targeted at increasing women and girls’ access to adequate, appropriate and safe management of waste water sanitation facilities in public places.

The programme would in turn, reduce incidences of water borne diseases and other challenges associated with inadequate water supply and sanitation facilities.

While expatiating on the details of the programme, Ome said the ministries were working out intricacies towards building water kiosks and sanitation facilities in bus terminals, shops and schools, for public use.

“Looking at empowerment of women and girls, gender empowerment, gender is a cross-cutting issue.

“We are working on one— take the ladies for instance, in all our motor parks, you find that most of them hardly address the issue of nature in most public places and they endure, the inconveniences that are there.

“We recognise that in schools also, the reason is that the male and female cultural practices are different; a man may choose to turn behind and do his thing but a lady won’t do that so she bears that pain and whatever inconveniences.

“So we are looking at such public places like markets, motor parks and all these schools and  most of them are not hygienically sound.

“What type of level of sanitation do we introduce there to improve it? if you have gone to some motor parks, bus terminals, bus stops here and there, you see how people half way of the journey they come down, to look for where to ease themselves and such things.

“We are looking at all such areas that particular people, segment of society are disadvantaged, what can we do.

“Government wants to show example, other communities and individuals can come in to complement.”

Ome said that the move by the government would encourage women and girls’ participation at community levels in water management operations and enhance their capacity to take ownership of water schemes.

“It will involve source of water where they can manage water points and its distribution.

“We have also hygienic sanitation environment like toilets and washrooms where people can ease themselves and be happy to use the facility.

“So that is the philosophy of it, and it will lead to the empowerment of keeping them busy, generating some income for them.

“At the same time, providing service and keeping the environment clean and neat so we are still working on it.”

The Ministry of Water Resources, apart from creating these kiosks, hopes to train women on how to get involved in water contract jobs for better economic empowerment.

These women programmes would also be used to acquire statistical data for future water projects in their localities, he said.