By Dr Leunita SumbaGender & WASH Expert 

Opportunities for Flood Victims: Building Back Better and Stronger Recovery Strategies

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As I reflect on the recent floods in Kenya, I am reminded of the late Prof. Wangari Maathai???s words: “Nature is very unforgiving; if you destroy nature, nature will destroy you!”

When it comes to natural disasters, both men and women are negatively affected, but did you know that women are hit hardest during disasters? Women are more likely to die because they lack information. Women are more vulnerable than men due to their gender identity and caregiving roles. They are less prepared for the onset of disasters, during the disaster, and afterwards. Particularly, female-headed households are most vulnerable, impairing their ability to cope with adverse circumstances and long-term recovery from flood-induced vulnerabilities.

I have been talking to some women and asking them how the floods affected them, and I wish to briefly mention this in the context of gender.

Gender-Specific Impacts of Floods

1. Water Points Destroyed: The Kenya Red Cross Society reports that 2,322 water points have been destroyed. Now, women have to use floodwater, risking disease, or travel further to access clean water sources. The wood fuel that could be used to boil water is wet and useless. Dublin???s Principle No. 3 states that women play a central part in the provision, management, and safeguarding of water.
2. Sanitation Facilities Destroyed: Septic tanks and pit latrines are overflowing, with sewage contaminating water sources. Women are unable to manage their hygiene adequately, including menstrual hygiene. SDG 6.2 aims to achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene by 2030, paying special attention to the needs of women, girls, and those in vulnerable situations.
3. Houses Submerged or Destroyed: Women, children, and persons with disabilities have moved to shelter homes, IDP camps, schools, and churches with limited WASH facilities. They face long queues to use the facilities and risk sexual harassment. Their clothes have been destroyed, exposing them to cold weather and illness. In Mathare North, a mother of two had to split her children to accommodate them with relatives, causing social disruption. 41,674 households have been destroyed.
4. Loss of Employment: Women who are daily wage earners, such as domestic workers and vendors, are hard hit. Unlike women, men find it easier to migrate to other places for jobs.
5. Damaged Crops: Women comprise nearly half of the world’s smallholder farmers and produce 70% of Africa’s food. The destruction of crops in family gardens and farms will widen the gender gap.
6. Damaged and Impassable Roads: Pregnant women and those in need of medical care face life-threatening situations due to impassable roads. For example, in Magadi, a pregnant woman had to be carried in lesos to receive help.
7. Disease Surge: Waterborne diseases like diarrhea, cholera, and malaria surge after floods. Women, as caregivers, have to take care of the sick.

Moving Forward: Strategies for Recovery

1. Preparation for Disasters: Learn from past experiences and prepare better for future disasters. Warnings from the Meteorological Department need to be taken seriously. Riparian lands should be vacated and gazetted as protected forest zones, with tree planting along the banks.
2. Gender-Dis-aggregated Data: Collect data that highlights the impact of floods on women, girls, and vulnerable groups.
3. Empowerment Programs: Implement programs to mitigate household risks for flood-affected women.
4. Improved Access to Recovery Assistance: Provide special attention to improving women???s access to recovery assistance and capacity-building.
5. Gender-Friendly Facilities: Ensure gender-friendly toilet facilities, such as separate toilets at shelter centers and portable toilets during flood periods. Explore opportunities for onsite WASH technologies.
6. Public Awareness and Preparedness: Raise public awareness and promote disaster preparedness.
7. Gender Equality: Improve gender equality to strengthen resilience to disasters. More resilient women mean more resilient societies. Communities recover faster when women are supported.
8. Needs-Based Disaster Response and Recovery: Address the specific needs of women, children, and vulnerable groups during disaster response and recovery.
9. Sustainable Local Livelihoods: Organizations working in flood-prone areas should facilitate the building of sustainable local livelihoods.
10. Psycho-Social Support Services: Offer free psycho-social support services for survivors, as losing loved ones or experiencing near-death events can be deeply traumatizing.
11. Government Programs and Funding: Rally both national and county governments to create special program kitties to source funds for resettling flood survivors in new homes. In cases like Mai Mahiu, this could mean building a whole new town at a safer location with carefully planned physical and sanitation infrastructure.

In conclusion, the impact of floods on communities, especially on women, cannot be overstated. As we strive to rebuild and recover, it is crucial to recognize the unique challenges faced by women and other vulnerable groups. By focusing on gender-sensitive strategies, we can ensure that recovery efforts are inclusive and effective. Empowering women through access to resources, education, and support is not just a moral imperative but a practical strategy for building resilient communities. Let us heed the warnings of nature and the wisdom of leaders like Prof. Wangari Maathai, committing to sustainable practices and preparedness. Together, we can transform adversity into opportunity, fostering stronger, more resilient communities for the future.

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By Victor Omondi,Climate Change Adaptation and Sustainable Development Expert

Empowering Women in the Global South: The Untapped Solution to Climate Change

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Climate change is arguably the most pressing global crisis of our time. The Global South, in particular, faces heightened vulnerability due to the intersection of high poverty levels and environmental degradation. As extreme temperatures, erratic rains, droughts, and floods become more frequent, the adverse impacts on livelihoods and living conditions in these regions are exacerbated.

Women in the Global South are disproportionately affected by climate change due to entrenched gender disparities. As primary caregivers and providers of essential resources like food, water, and fuel, women face increased vulnerability. Traditional cultural beliefs and systemic challenges further deny them equal opportunities and rights, excluding them from decision-making spaces. Women in these regions are more likely to experience poverty, less likely to own land, and have less socioeconomic power compared to men.

Despite these challenges, women in the Global South possess the potential to be powerful agents of change in climate initiatives within their communities. Lasting solutions and transformative actions against climate change can only be achieved by fully including and empowering women. Building women’s climate resilience can unlock significant economic potential, driving growth and development to
unprecedented levels in the region. Providing women with access to resources, information, appropriate technologies, and the skills and knowledge to use these technologies effectively is crucial. Additionally, ensuring the stability and effectiveness of cultural, economic, social, and governance institutions will enhance women’s capacity to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Policy makers and climate actors must reflect on several critical questions: Has the current level of gender integration in climate action planning, policy development, and implementation strategies allowed for women’s full and fair participation in the Global South? To what extent have the intersections and urgency of addressing gender dimensions in climate action been elevated in the region?

Globally, the 2022 SDG Gender Index highlights insufficient progress on gender equality, with Goal 13 (climate action) being one of the three lowest-scoring goals even among high-performing countries. However, the report also notes that more than half of the countries worldwide are moving in the right direction regarding gender equality. Against this backdrop, it is imperative to urgently push for greater recognition and participation of women in climate action, not only in the Global South but everywhere.

Empowering women as leaders and stakeholders in climate initiatives is not just a matter of justice but a strategic imperative for achieving sustainable and inclusive development worldwide.

References

1. United Nations (2021a) Climate change ???biggest threat modern humans have ever
   faced???, world-renowned naturalist tells Security Council, calls for greater
   global cooperation | meetings coverage and press releases, Meeting Coverage
   and Press Releases. Available at: https://press.un.org/en/2021/sc14445.doc.htm
   (Accessed: 19 June 2024).
2. Ngcamu, B.S., 2023. Climate change effects on vulnerable populations in the
   Global South: a systematic review. Natural Hazards, 118(2), pp.977-991.
3. Seneviratne, S.I., Zhang, X., Adnan, M., Badi, W., Dereczynski, C., Di Luca, A.,
   Vicente-Serrano, S.M., Wehner, M. and Zhou, B., Chapter 11: Weather and
   Climate Extreme Events in a Changing Climate. 2021.
4. Fund, G.G. and UNDP-UNEP Poverty Environment Initiative, 2015. Gender and
   climate change: evidence and experience. Gender Climate Brief.
5. Dimitrov, B.G., 2019. Effects of climate change on women. Res. Rev. Int. J.
   Multidis, 4(5), pp.201-215.
6. Notta, S. and Zetterli, P., 2023. BOLSTERING WOMEN???S CLIMATE
   RESILIENCE AND ADAPTATION.
7. Macharia, W., 2023. 2022 SDG gender index report, Equal Measures 2030.
   Available at: https://equalmeasures2030.org/2022-sdg-gender-index-
   report/#:~:text=The%202022%20SDG%20Gender%20Index%20finds%20little
   %20progress%20on%20gender,than%20two%20points%20since%202015.
   (Accessed: 20 June 2024).

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The baseline assessment is poised to dissect and examine multifaceted aspects, including but not limited to;

• Evaluating community knowledge and adaptive practices pertinent to climate change and sustainable land management.
• Investigating the existence and underlying catalysts of potential conflicts over
  forest resource utilisation.
• Assessing gender equality dynamics within communities proximal to the Forest reserve.
• Delineating varied land uses and their consequent effects on natural ecosystems, environmental degradation, deforestation, and biodiversity attrition in the designated study locales.
• Identifying and mapping potential territories for forest landscape restoration initiatives.
  

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