World Water Week 2019: Strategic approaches to integrating and measuring gender dimensions

At World Water Week in Stockholm in 2019, Sarah Dickin presented the Empowerment in WASH Index (EWI) tool to WASH practitioners, policy-makers and researchers. This session was co-convened with BMGF, Biomass Controls, Duke University, SEI, University of Cranfield, UTS and WaterAid. The aim was to share tools, new methodologies and applied case studies drawn from a number of global teams that are striving to advance gender inclusion and empowerment in WASH. This work fills a gap in R&D, technology adoption, and program implementation and monitoring in how to evaluate and foster a gender lens into activities in the WASH sector, ensuring no one is left behind.

We used a world café format to discuss different tools. In addition to the the EWI, the other cases included: India On-site MHM and Water Reuse (Myles Elledge, Biomass Controls); India Public Toilet Design and Uganda Girls School Toilet Lighting (Alison Parker, Cranfield University); WASH Gender Equality Measure (Juliet Willetts, UTS); and Integrating Gender Indicators for Tracking WASH Services (Chelsea Huggett, WaterAid).