African women's everyday struggles and sacrifices for water

As established from the beginning of my blog, there is an abundance of water in Africa. The problem is the distribution, affordability and infrastructure to supply water in an equitable manner. As the blogs have unfolded, I hope I have stressed the layers of hardship African women face as a result of the fundamental issues regarding water accessibility. Girls' education is compromised from a young age - from water collection responsibilities to period poverty - it affects girls' and their intellectual growth. This also transcends into both the relative and absolute poverty women experience later on in life and their lack of involvement in decision-making. Furthermore, the multitude of dimensions of gender-based violence linked to water and sanitation in Africa is startling.  There is a lot of progress that needs to be made in order to alleviate women of the poverty that comes with water stress. Throughout my blogs, I have placed an emphasis on the importance of education. Educa...

Women in Africa hold invaluable knowledge about water and are the biggest users of water in the continent, however, they remain voiceless in decision-making processes and management of water. Women's participation has been associated with the success of water projects. Women played a significant role in decision-making before colonialism, however, during and "post" colonial periods excluded women and maintained gendered power imbalances in society.   Even though Ghana has an abundance of water availability, the country lacks adequate water access. According to UNICEF,  76% of households in Ghana drink water that is faceally contaminated.  Ghana's water management has undergone a series of reforms since its independence in 1957 and has introduced a decentralised approach to water management, entailing the empowerment of local people and increased public participation. Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs  ( MOWAC) is the department in charge of enforcing the ...