Unseen Heroes: #3 - Why water programmes increase gender equality with Tumba Mupango | English

WATER FOR WATER (WfW) is an international non-profit organisation with the vision of making the use of water resources climate-friendly and fair. Through long-term partnerships and holistic approaches, WfW sustainably improves the water and sanitation supply in Zambia and Mozambique. In Switzerland, Zambia and Mozambique, WfW places a strong focus on education and awareness-raising - always with the aim of establishing professional WASH systems and promoting the conscious use of water. Tumba M. Mupango is Programme Manager for Capacity Development at WfW in Zambia and advises the government in Zambia as a member of the Advisory Board. Question 1: Tumba, you have been working on water supply and sanitation projects in Zambia for more than ten years. Have you noticed any improvement? Answer: According to a demographic and health survey in Zambia, more than 36 percent of the population lacks access to basic water supply and more than 67 percent lack access to basic sanitation. Zambia has made many efforts to address these challenges. The development goal: to ensure access to fair and safe water and drinking water for all by 2030. Thanks to WfW, four districts of Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, have already been connected to the water supply. Question 2: As part of your work at WfW, you sit on the government's advisory board in Zambia, which deals with water and skills development issues. What are the challenges? Answer: Zambia’s Vision 2030 focuses on skills development and investment in educational qualifications that respond to the demands of the labour market. With this in mind, we established the Water and Sanitation Sector Skills Advisory Board, which aims to match the increased demand for skilled labour in the sector with supply. WfW has supported over 500 students to gain trade and craft qualifications in the water and sanitation sector. Question 3: What is the difference that local people in Zambia experience through skills and know-how development? Answer: In 2020, there were about 3800 secondary schools, nine public universities and about 54 private universities in Zambia. Every year, over 100,000 students graduate from secondary school and cannot get into universities because higher education and universities in Zambia are expensive compared to vocational training. Question 4: Your personal story is a difficult one, but also very inspiring. You grew up in a family with six siblings and had to take care of your family from an early age. This hard time fostered your dedication to support women from disadvantaged backgrounds. Answer: I lost my father at the age of 13, my older siblings were just 17 and the youngest 6. We were raised by my mother and many hard-working women in my extended family. Because of this experience, I have always been committed to making life better for the next generation of women. Question 5: How is safe drinking water related to gender equality? And how do the projects you run help other women? Answer: There are direct and indirect links from our projects to gender equality. One is that the provision of clean water is a time factor, during which women could better engage in other economic activities that improve their livelihoods. On skills development: Most of the students I support are girls and women. The aim is for them to be self-sufficient and to finance their own livelihood. Links:  Water for Water: https://wfw.ch/ Unseen Heroes: https://en.unseen-heroes.ch/heroes/tumba-m-mupango