The goal of the Environmental Services Program is to bring about better health through improved water management, access to water, and sanitation. Without clean water and proper sanitation, it is impossible to practice good hygiene, and without good hygiene, it is impossible to achieve better health. Thus, an integrated approach to water conservation in both the upstream and downstream reaches of watersheds is essential.
As Indonesian society is predominantly patriarchal, ESP is acutely aware of the need for both men and women to share the responsibility for conservation, including planting trees, keeping rivers clean, ensuring proper disposal of waste, etc. If such tasks are not shared, then these efforts will only place further burdens on women besides those they already have, such as running the home, working in the fields, fetching water and raising children.
Right from the very beginning of the program, ESP has been determined to ensure that its staff and partner subcontractors and agencies are aware of the importance of gender equity. This has become particularly important in the wake of the Aceh tsunami, which killed many more women than men. As a result, the burden on women in Aceh has increased, and many young women have been taken out of school for work or marriage.
The first stage of ESP’s strategy for achieving greater equality between men and women involved the conducting of a Gender Needs Assessment to obtain a clear picture of the situation on the ground. This will now be followed by efforts to increase awareness of gender issues through:
- Strengthening gender awareness among the staff of ESP itself
- Helping ESP partners incorporate gender awareness in their program activities
- Increasing public awareness of the need for greater gender equity
- In attempting to promote greater equality between men and women, ESP also recognizes the need to be aware of and understand local and regional cultures, sensitivities and attitudes, and to work within the system to achieve positive change.
