Kibera Evaluation Report

So I know I stated at the end of my previous post that I would explore the role of women in water-based management...

However, today we coincidently received an email from Ben Page telling us to take a look at UN Habitat's Integrated Water Sanitation and Waste management project publication once again, on Kibera. 

So i felt that it would be good to continue with this trend, seeing as though this region is certainly quite relevant within this discourse. Additionally, I guess it also still sticks to the plan of focusing my next post on the topic of water management.

After reading the publication, which evaluates the impact of the K-WATSAN- The Kibera Water and Sanitation project and KENSUP project- The Kenyan Slum Upgrading project, in Soweto East (see map below), it is clear that the Government of Kenya in collaboration with UN-Habitat, are addressing the key concerns towards quality of life in these informal settlements.

This study therefore involved conducting interviews, surveys and field observations, to assess the situation, impact and level of engagement in regards to project implementation and planning. It is clear that the objective of these surveys were to give the locals a voice and to consult community members, in order to ensure policies were effectively met and these measures continue to meet the needs of the residents in these slums.

Gallaher et al (2013)

From reading this publication, it seemed like they gathered positive results from the evaluative assessment. However what particularly drew my attention was that in the section analysing survey respondents, UN-Habitat disaggregated their results based on gender, putting emphasis on the importance of data collection that factors gender perspectives.

For example, Figure 6.5.3.2 illustrates the best attributes based on gender based on 381 responses, and shows that the women mentioned "community" more than men (24.6% versus 14.9%). This indicates how women in informal settlements such as Kibera, tend to have a more collective, holistic and community based viewpoint as priority. This supports why many argue that women are essential in management planning and practices in these neighbourhoods, as they are heavily involved in day to day activities and are likely to factor into consideration the needs of different groups within these communities.

All in all, one of the lessons learnt from the KENSUP and K-WATSON projects, is that there needs to be more focus on improvements in sanitation and security, which undeniably affects women considerably in these communities. Furthermore, to identify, empower and seek representatives from members of marginal groups, such as women, youth, the disabled and ethnic minorities, as they can contribute towards generating sustainable and positive outcomes in slum upgrading.

To read the full publication: http://unhabitat.org/books/kibera-integrated-water-sanitation-and-waste-management-project/