Ensuring access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services is crucial for everyone, and gender roles significantly impact access to WASH knowledge and practices. To enhance understanding of gender mainstreaming in WASH services, ITN-BUET, in partnership with the CWIS-FSM Support Cell and DPHE, organised a training program for municipal personnel from July 6 to 8, 2024. The training, titled “Gender Inclusion in WASH Services,” also included a day-long exposure visit to Faridpur municipality.
Twenty-three officials, including six women, from the municipalities of ‘10 Town LLF Project’-Bagerhat, Jamalpur, Narsingdi, Patuakhali, and Shariatpur participated in the training. The attendees comprised Mayors, Panel Mayors, Ward Councillors, Sub-Assistant Engineers, Executive Engineers, Social Development Officers, and Waste Management Officers.
Despite local government efforts to provide safe water, sanitation, and waste management services, integrating gender considerations into municipal operations remains challenging. To address this, the training program was based on the ‘Training Manual on Gender Inclusion in WASH Services for Municipal Personnel ’, developed by ITN-BUET and the CWIS-FSM Support Cell, DPHE.
At the training’s inauguration, Eheteshamul Russel Khan, Additional Chief Engineer (Planning) of DPHE, attended as the chief guest. He emphasised the importance of gender inclusivity as a new and vital aspect of City-wide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS). He noted that the training would clarify gender inclusivity in WASH, helping to achieve significant milestones.
Director in Charge of ITN-BUET, Prof. Dr Muhammad Ashraf Ali, highlighted that in the past, gender inclusivity in WASH was not considered significant, with more focus on technological and technical issues. However, gender inclusivity is now recognised as essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Special guests, including Deputy Project Director of the 10 Town Project Dilruba Farzana, Mayor of Narsingdi Municipality Amjad Hossain Bacchu, Mayor of Shariatpur Municipality Parvez Rahman, and Project Manager of ITN-BUET Alauddin Ahmed, emphasised the critical need for understanding gender perspectives and integrating this knowledge into the work of municipal personnel for WASH services.
The training covered key concepts such as gender mainstreaming, diversity, and social inclusion, along with discussions on gender equality in WASH services, gender-transformative WASH, and gender-sensitive monitoring indicators. It aimed to address the needs of vulnerable and marginalised groups while ensuring the implementation of national policies and regulations supporting gender equality.
Following the two-day training, participants visited Faridpur municipality to observe gender-inclusive best practices in inclusive sanitation and engage with local communities. The municipal officials highlighted the involvement of women enumerators in household surveys, the empowerment of women sanitation workers, and the establishment of women sanitation worker cooperatives. The Mayor of Faridpur Municipality, Amitava Bose, demonstrated his leadership in gender-focused sanitation and FSM initiatives. Participants also visited the Compost Research and Training Centre (CRTC) to learn about the municipality’s solid waste and faecal sludge management practices.
The training aimed to equip municipal officials with the knowledge to assess various groups’ diverse needs and constraints and develop effective approaches to address gender inequalities in accessing WASH services. As a result, the participants developed gender action plans for their cities and committed to implementing these activities.
