2 WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
Improving Women’s Well-Being Through Sanitation Solutions
1. Washing
Why gender sensitive sanitation solutions are needed Literature stresses that women highly benifit from gender sensitive sanitation designs, as women have more specific needs and concerns than men. This was confirmed during the field research of TU Delft.
private space for changing & soaking sanitary products
Four important concerns >> The menstruation taboo. In many communities menstruating women are excluded from community activities due to cultural believes. Girls are dropping out of school when reaching puberty. >> Insufficient solutions for menstrual hygiene management. Limited options are offered for managing and disposing menstrual materials, causing an inconvenient situation. The use of unhygienic menstrual material leads to infections and diseases.
2. Soaping washing and rinsing
>> Forced into a routine. The risk of harrassment makes women go for defecation very early in the morning, when the darkness of the night still offers them a glimpse of privacy. Women change their diet to defecate only once a day, causing health problems (infections and constipation) as well as psychological problems (stress and insecurity).
drying
>> Negative toilet experience. Some women indicated to feel embarrassed and unsafe when going to the open defecation field or public toilet, afraid to be seen by men. The act of going to the toilet is domiated by a range of negative connotations.
3. Scrubbing
MARA’S IMAGE
4. Drying
To meet the needs of women the Sanitation Centre offers: 1. A personal hygiene room for menstrual hygiene management 2. Safety and regularity offered by the long CSC opening times 3. A recreational area where women can socialize 4. A shop where women can buy sanitary napkins and alternatives
1. Personal Hygiene Room for menstrual hygiene management For female hygiene, proper sanitation is a very important aspect during the menses. The Community Sanitation Centre (CSC) offers a Personal Hygiene Room, where women can wash their reusable cloths or sanitary napkins before reusing or safely disposing them. The Personal Hygiene Room allows multiple women to use the room in an efficient way and facilitates a four step washing routine that is based on current Indian washing practices.
5. A secure entrance out of sight of the men’s entrance
4. Availability of products at the shop 2. Safety and regularity The CSC is a guarded place, open from 04:00 till 24:00. The long opening hours enable women to visit the safe environment at any time of the day; they would not have to control their bowels anymore. During the focus groups in India, ladies indicated to be happy to visit at idle hours, around 3PM, when kids are at school and few men are around.
Next steps
3. Recreational area For men the CSC is designed for efficiency; they often go to the toilet as a pit stop on their way to work. For women the CSC can provide a more relaxed and social toilet experience. The recreational area allows them to come together, consult each other with sanitary practices and share the latest gossip in town.
Approach local NGO’s to discuss the impact of each element and explore how to further exploit these solutions.
Explore other features and services to empower women, e.g. Self Help Groups and educational activities.
Women can buy sanitary napkins and alternatives at the CSC shop. Buying these types of products from a man can cause shame among some women; therefor a more private buying sales is available at the women’s entrance. This easy availability stimulates the use of proper solutions and the use of hygienic practices, within the facility, but also at home. Monthly benefits, such as discounts, could be included in the membership system.
Validate proposed designs with end-users.
www.tudelft.nl/reinventthetoilet
5. Different entrances In the CSC the men and women entrances are out of sight of each other to enhance the sense of security. Women enter the building from the side, whereas men enter from the frontal roadside. At peak hours the ladies can wait inside instead of lining up in front of the building, where men can see them.