Water and Sanitation in Africa

A perspective on water and sanitation that I find particularly interesting is its relevance to the idea of dignity. When I started googling, it appeared that there is much more to this than I initially expected and sanitation itself has a deeper, darker history. Having previously discussed the political nature of WASH discourse , this blog post will explore the inequalities in WASH infrastructure that too have been undeniably been shaped by colonialism.  I give a shit, do you? If you had to openly defecate as your only option, how would you honestly feel? Awkward? Embarrassed? Humiliated? You're not the only one. The quote "sanitation is dignity" which encapsulates well, the idea of physical hygiene being linked to moral hygiene and the feeling of dignity and morality. Perhaps the reason for this is linked to the colonial (and racially motivated) legacies that have shaped development processes over time.  The separation of filth and smell from the body/house has been...

Happy World Toilet Day! First established in 2013 by the World Toilet Organisation, World Toilet Day has been celebrated every year on November 19th with the aim to celebrate toilets, raise awareness of those living without access to safely managed sanitation, and educate about the struggles they face. In a nod to WTD, this blog post will discuss gender inequality within the WASH sector - something that is perhaps not spoken about as often as it should be and was the theme for 2014 WTD. Sexual and Gender Based Violence  A harsh and horrible reality for women living in urban slums is sexual and gender based violence (SGBV), of which most occurs when "someone is using a toilet, bathing and/or maintaining their menstruation" . Rates of rape (36%) were much higher in the Kibera slum than the 14% averagge across Kenya - why is this the case?  Essentially, the shared sanitation facilities (SSFs) that have been constructed in an attempts to tackle the issues in the WASH sector have ...

 Who comes to mind when you think of the frontline workers of the COVID19 pandemic? Doctors, nurses, teachers, supermarket staff? Do sanitation workers appear on your list? This blog post aims to highlight the struggles of the forgotten frontline workers who have been especially ignored in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Figure 1: A sanitation worker cleans himself after a day of work  Source: SmartWater Magazine 2021   Who are they and what do they do?  Sanitation workers have always been essential, especially within densely populated urban areas were sewage systems are inadequate or non-existent. They protect us from infectious diseases which maintains not only public health but also the economy; which requires a strong and healthy workforce. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for sanitation workers has been more important than ever - so how and why is it that their vulnerabilities have been exacerbated more than ever?  How has COVID-19 affect them? Sa...