Water and Sanitation Sub-Sector Gender Strategy (2010-15).

The Water and Sanitation Sub-Sector Gender Strategy (2010-15) highlights that women and girls in Uganda, as in other sub-Saharan African countries, are the major water collectors, users and managers in homes. They are also the major promoters of household and community sanitation activities. They, therefore, bear the impact of inadequate, deficient or inappropriate water and sanitation services. However, men still dominate the arena of planning and decision making regarding water and sanitation investments and women’s views are often underrepresented, implying that women’s practical and strategic needs are not addressed. In order to address these issues, the Water and Sanitation sector in Uganda developed its first Water Sector Gender Strategy (WSGS, 2003- 2008) (WSG I), in line with the National Gender Policy. This second Water and Sanitation Sub-Sector Gender Strategy for 2010–2015 (WSSGS II) has been prepared after reviewing the WSG I and experiences gained from its implementation.
The Poverty Eradication Action Plan (Revised 2004) enhances the quality and availability of gainful employment: through provision of viable UWSS for domestic, industrial and commercial uses; provision and effective use of WfP (agricultural production including crop irrigation, livestock and aquaculture; rural industries; hydropower and tourism); integrated and sustainable management of water resources. Improve social, economic and trade infrastructure nationwide: through provision of viable UWSS for domestic, industrial and commercial uses; Provision and effective use of WfP (agricultural production including crop irrigation, livestock and aquaculture; rural industries; hydropower and tourism); Integrated and sustainable management of water resources (2.1.5).
The goal of the Water Sub-sector Gender Strategy II (WSSGS II) is to empower women, men, and vulnerable groups through ensuring equity in access and control of resources in the water and sanitation sector, leading to poverty reduction. Specific Objectives: integrating a gender perspective in the water and sanitation sector policies and developing guidelines to operationalise gender in programme planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation; enhancing capacity of the water and sanitation sector stakeholders for gender mainstreaming; improving opportunities for men, women and other disadvantaged groups to access of water and sanitation facilities and to participate in their management; strengthening the collection, analysis, documentation and dissemination of gender related information for enhancing the visibility of gender issues and achievements in the sector; promoting and building partnerships and networks with other institutions for effective implementation of the strategy.
In addition, it prescribes regular monitoring to assess and map water resources in the country to provide information on availability and distribution of water resources for water development programmes. This will improve efficiencies in water development, contributing to increased access and reduction in the burden of women and children who collect water. Develop an early warning system that will provide information on natural disasters which affect poor people, especially women and children; develop guidelines for prevention and mitigation measures for natural disasters for use at community level; Reducing the vulnerability of the poor to water related natural disasters (Strategic Objectives 3 and 4).