WfW IN THE LUZERNER ZEITUNG

As part of the summer series on the topic of water in the Luzerner Zeitung, Lior Etter spoke about the connection between water and gender inequality. Women and girls are disproportionately affected by the lack of water and sanitation infrastructure. In the WfW project countries Zambia and Mozambique, girls and women often spend several hours a day fetching water because there are no connections nearby. This expenditure of time affects their educational and work opportunities, as does the lack of sanitary facilities in schools, which often leads to absences from classes, especially when girls reach menstrual age.

With our project work, we counteract these inequalities. With the laying of pipes and the installation of household connections, the time needed to obtain water is massively reduced. This frees up time resources that can be used for education or employment, for example. Clean drinking water and safe sanitation reduce the risk of waterborne diseases and infections of the reproductive organs. In addition, project work in schools is central to promoting equal opportunities: Thanks to gender-separated toilets and education on the topics of menstrual hygiene and reproduction, girls can be prevented from staying away from class during their menstruation. In this way, we strive to educate and remove the taboos surrounding gender-specific hygiene and health issues - in Zambia and Mozambique as well as in Switzerland.

Many thanks to the Luzerner Zeitung for this article!

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© Article: Luzerner Zeitung, Image: Lior Etter