ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that failing to take into account fully women’s historic involvement in water production may actually result in modern development programmes which effectively disempower them. It emphasizes the limits that the physical environment imposed and still imposes on water availability in many parts of the world. The chapter is based on a case study of WaterAid, a large international NGO, initially funded by British water companies specifically to provide water to ill-served communities in the South, but the findings apply broadly. The chapter is about the respective and interrelated roles and responsibilities of both men and women. It emphasizes the sustained commitment required if equity and empowerment are to be achieved. Changes were and still are needed, both internally within the implementing organization and externally in how the programme is delivered, particularly in interaction with communities.
