Celebrating women who run our environment

Uganda joined the rest of the world yesterday to celebrate the International Women’s Day. The national celebrations were held in Katakwi District under the theme, ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress’ which is aimed at tackling economic disempowerment. 

The government uses these annual celebrations to underscore its commitment to applying inclusive approaches that facilitate women to participate in key decision-making, in both private and public investment, and governance and management at all levels. Women’s inclusion highly impacts how families are managed, and how communities and our country develop.

The water and environment sector has been supporting the inclusion of women at all levels in management. President Museveni appointed women in two top political positions in the ministry – Ms Aisha Sekindi as minister of State for Water and Ms Beatrice Anywar as minister of State for Environment.

There are also other women holding top positions in senior management such as commissioners. 

The women receive equal opportunities and they are being empowered to accelerate their country’s economic growth both in the rural and urban areas where they work and live.

However, the sector’s unsung heroes are the women leaders in various management committees (water user committees and farm management committees) in their communities where various projects have been implemented to increase access to water for home use, production and sanitation services.

In most of the committees where women are members, they work as treasurers because of their proven levels of integrity and accountability. 

For instance, in Cheptui Irrigation Scheme, Kapsinda sub-county in Kapchorwa District, the treasurer of the farm management committee is a woman. There are also other women in the scheme who participate in the farm directly and indirectly. 

The treasurer has mobilised other women in Kapsinda to embrace Cheptui Irrigation Scheme and the number of the female farmers has increased from three to seven. 

Before Cheptui Irrigation Scheme was implemented, many women from Kapchorwa didn’t have enough vegetables, water for irrigation, and mostly depended on maize which took long to yield. 

Many women failed to take their children to good schools and they lived in grass-thatched houses.

But the water for production regional centre east – the regionalised structure of the Ministry of Water and Environment – has supported women by offering trainings and inductions on managing water pipes to ensure constant flow of the required volume of water for production.

The ministry has provided women with sprinklers, farm management practices, financial literacy and supports them in the purchase of the correct pesticides, application of the right quantity and spraying in the right time. 

As a result, the number of women growing high-yield crops such as cabbages, onions, tomatoes, green-paper, and Irish potatoes, has more than doubled. 

The women in the villages of Cheptui and Kepchesomb in Kapchorwa are very enterprising. They are involved in the money economy since they are able to practice agriculture throughout the year. 

After harvesting, the women earn money from selling cabbages, Irish potatoes, onions, and other high-yield crops. The women no longer depend on men for their children’s school fees and scholastic materials, medical treatment, and clothing.

After other women seeing benefits of the irrigation schemes in Cheptui and Kapchesomb villages, the number of women requesting for extension of the irrigation schemes has increased to 130, prompting the ministry to plan for extensions of the irrigation schemes to those areas. Happy Women’s Day to our mothers and sisters. 

The writer is a media researcher
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