Awa Traore finds the fact that women are so unaware of their own rights to be the biggest challenge in her job. Awa works for Join For Water in Mali as a thematic advisor specialising in gender. She talks about her approach and the situation of the women she meets in the villages where Join For Water is active.
How did you go about specialising in gender?
Awa: ‘In 2019, I took a training course on gender and methods for raising the issue of gender. After that, I became the focal point for gender within our team. This motivated me to further integrate gender issues into my daily work and to pay more attention to the needs of women. Join For Water wants to leave no one behind in the realisation of access to water, and women are certainly still a disadvantaged group when it comes to this. Join For Water drew up a charter on gender, which both staff and partner organisations endorse. They commit to respecting the principles of equality among colleagues and within the organisation itself, but certainly also within the activities we carry out.’
Awa regularly organises focus groups in which only women participate. Through awareness-raising and role-playing, the women become more aware and stronger. It is noticeable that women dare to say different things when they are among themselves than in the presence of men. During these meetings, Awa therefore learns a lot about the specific questions and needs of women and is also a good sounding board for them.
Secondary role
What do you consider the biggest challenge?
‘That the women simply do not know what they are entitled to because they have too little information. That is why we carry out awareness-raising campaigns and strengthen the position of women, primarily by teaching them about their rights. Women can only claim their rights if they know what they are. Women are certainly allowed to sit on drinking water management committees, for example, but they often have a second-rate role, such as secretary. They can only really influence the decision-making process if they are (vice) chair or treasurer, a position they are not even aware they are allowed to hold.’
We also work on this theme with the men, local officials and partner organisations. We inform them about women’s rights and involve them in the process towards greater gender equality. This is how we ensure the sustainability and equality of our interventions.’
How do you ensure that the women can express themselves freely during the focus groups?
‘Our partners inform all the men in the village through the village chiefs about our plans to organise a focus group in advance. They also inform the female leaders, who in turn mobilise the other women. If we respect the existing hierarchy and pass on our information, it is not a problem for the women to participate.’
‘I always take the women’s availability into account. We meet at a time of day when they are not busy with the housework or the children. I provide a safe environment where the women can speak freely and where no one else can listen in or judge them. They don’t have to worry about privacy either, everything stays between us. It also helps enormously that I am a woman myself and can share my own experiences as an interviewer.’
Proverbs and songs
How does a focus group with women work?
‘The sessions often take place in the shade of a tree and last a maximum of two hours. First, we do a few ‘warm-up exercises’ to give us energy. We use role-playing to make the theory about gender equality very concrete and to encourage them to examine their own situation. A fun activity is, for example, to think about certain proverbs and songs. For example, we know the saying ‘a woman is the belt for her husband’s trousers’, which means that she protects and supports him and hides his weaknesses. By reflecting on this, you can see how ideas about women and men arise and are reinforced by social customs. We invite the women to analyse such sayings and give their opinion. In this way, the women understand that they often lack information or are not involved in decisions that also affect them.’
What inspires you in your daily work and the actions of Join For Water in Mali?
“Women take on the entire household and the care of the children, but that work is not valued. The focus group discussions reveal many challenges to women’s living conditions. That motivates me even more to work on gender equality and access to resources for all.’
To conclude, Awa tells us about a woman who deeply affected her with her story during one of the meetings.
“She told me that she takes on all the tasks at home. One day she asked her husband to pay for something for her son. He had no money and told her to sort it out herself. She cried when she told us this and it touched me deeply. It emphasises the invisible burdens that women in the household have to bear.’
Thank you, Awa, for your testimony and for the wonderful work you do.
* WASH = Water, Sanitation and Hygiene