Water / Schools / Girls / Sanitation / Ghana - must read

It's times like this when I wish this blog had a billion readers instead of just several hundred million. Below is an important piece from Voice of America on sanitation / hygiene / water / girls in school (or NOT in school) in Ghana. You put a bunch of taboos in a room together (human sexuality, girls, bodily fluids, poverty) and you get few people interested in tackling whatever the issue is. That's why more folks need to see this reporting and take action. Sanitary pads and safe water: enablers of girls' education as important as a teacher, textbook or schoolhouse.

Ghana - Keeping Girls in School May be a Matter of Better Sanitary Protection

When boys and girls reach puberty, their bodies go through many physical changes. But for girls in Africa, the onset of menstruation can bring with it discrimination, unwanted sexual advances and the end of their education. Now a pilot study in Ghana says it doesn’t have to be that way.

The study says when free sanitary protection is provided to secondary school girls there is a sharp drop in absenteeism and increased participation in household chores and socializing.

Oxford University Professor Linda Scott led the study, which involved more than 180 girls in four remote villages in Ghana. She says menstruation is often a taboo subject.

“I think it’s a combination of its links to sexuality and its links to bodily outputs. We don’t usually like to talk about bodily outputs or sexuality. And of course the fact that it affects females also has a tendency to make it more stigmatized, particularly in a developing nation context,” she says.

Cost and lack of availability are two reasons rural girls in poor countries go without sanitary protection.

Scott says, “It’s so much something that people take for granted. And even in the poor nations, people who would be middle class, and therefore government workers and NGO workers, they also would tend to take it for granted.” Also because it’s a taboo subject, it’s not something people talk about. So it tends to be invisible.

Perceptions change

What’s more, Professor Scott says girls are perceived differently once menstruation begins.

“Part of the problem is that the onset of menstruation in remote areas of Ghana is taken as signifying the coming of actual adulthood in a way that we don’t recognize it in the West. We don’t think of a 12 or 13-year-old girl as being marriageable or sexually available. But actually in this context it’s a signal that she’s both,” she says.

A girl without sanitary protection faces serious consequences.

“Her biggest problem is that if people know about this it’s not just an embarrassment and a laughing matter. It’s something that may actually put her in danger. And at this time also families often feel it’s time to withdraw their economic support for the girl to continue in school. So she suddenly starts having quite a bit less support for her continuing education,” she says.

Many of the girls, she says, simply get discouraged and drop out of school. But they face a physical risk as well.

“Sexual harassment and sexual predators are a big problem even for very young girls. Once they’re known to be sexually ready, from that perspective, they may be the victims of unwanted sexual advances. And unfortunately, very, very often it might come even from their teachers,” she says.

In the long-term

Scott says the long-term consequences are “huge.” While education for both boys and girls is critical for a nation’s development, ensuring girls remain in school can bring many benefits.

“There is quite a lot of data at this point to show that it has positive impact on economic development and productivity. But in particular, very quick impact on fertility rates, infant mortality, disease transmission, nutritional level and of course just generally improve the individual girl’s chances of having a happy and prosperous life,” she says.

The Oxford professor says government and NGO programs providing free sanitary protection could be a cost-effective way of ensuring girls’ education. But she says it would have to be done in such a way that is culturally sensitive. Also, she says communities need to be made aware of the importance of secondary education for girls.

Similar but longer studies are being considered for other African counties, as well as Muslim countries in Asia.

Water Advocates is hiring - Water, Schools and Health

Director of Global Water, Health and Schools

Water Advocates (www.wateradvocates.org) is a small but influential nonprofit advocacy group in Washington DC (DuPont Circle area) dedicated to helping solve the global safe drinking water and sanitation challenge. Water Advocates neither implements programs overseas nor seeks funding for itself, but works to raise awareness of and funding for the global water and sanitation sector as a whole.

The Director of Global Water, Health and Schools is responsible for planning and implementing Water Advocates’ outreach and advocacy program focused on a) water, sanitation, and global public health and b) the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Schools Initiative. He/she will play a leading role in the growth of Water Advocates’ ambitious outreach program and will serve as one of the main advocates and representatives of Water Advocates and its allies.

Responsibilities

The Director’s main role will be to support the overall mission of Water Advocates to significantly increase awareness of and financial support for the global safe drinking water and sanitation sector from private and public US-based supporters. He/she will maintain and grow the existing WASH in Schools Initiative, and identify and pursue new funding opportunities, special initiatives, communications efforts, and other projects concerning the linkages between water, sanitation and global public health.

Qualifications

Knowledge of and experience with the global safe drinking water and sanitation sector and linkages to other international human development challenges; experienced in working with global health and education
· Networking expertise, preferably with strong existing relationships in the community of potential funders; ability to broker partnerships, including across development sectors
· Excellent research skills, and the ability to deliver compelling arguments to new and existing funders (strong written and oral communication)
MPH or related degree preferred
· Able to travel occasionally (domestic)
· Able to work independently and creatively

Desired Skills
Commitment to values, mission and vision of Water Advocates; engagement in global health and/or development issues, preferably with a focus on safe drinking water and sanitation, health and education challenges
Strong background in outreach/advocacy/program management; record of proactive efforts to build new relationships with potential supporters/funders and expanding/strengthening existing relationships
Experience with basic fund-raising and communications techniques
Ability to develop, plan and implement specific short- and long-term outreach goals
Demonstrated public speaking skills, and experience in planning and facilitating meetings
Ability and desire to work in a small organization with a consensus-oriented environment with different work styles
Ability to use modern/leading edge communications tools and software applications, and excellent written communication skills
High-energy, love of challenge, and ability to be effective in a constantly changing environment

Writing samples will be required.

This position is located in Washington, DC. This is a full-time exempt position, lasting from date of hire through December 31, 2010. Salary range is commensurate with experience. Some domestic travel may be required. Water Advocates is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer that is committed to diversity in the workplace.

Please send résumé and cover letter to joldfield@wateradvocates.org.