The big issue that’s on my mind is today how can we enable poor and excluded people to build their resilience to an ever increasing range of shocks which include a lack of access to food and water. We know that there is a direct relationship between vulnerability and resilience and that we can do a lot to enable people to reduce their vulnerability and increase their resilience to shocks such as drought.
Some of the stories that are emerging from East Africa demonstrate that a lack of power is a root cause of the massive vulnerability in the region.
The story of Halima Bidu in Northern Kenya is a compelling one. She has told ActionAid staff members: “the effects of the crisis are worse for women as they end up spending most of their time fetching water. When women finally get to the well they end up just sitting there waiting for a long line of people to finish fetching water. They can get here in the morning and wait till the end of the day. Because the mothers are away fetching water, the children often don't have a proper lunch. Also, the men dig the wells and then we have to pay to get water. Sometimes we don't have the money to pay”.
Halima’s comments raise many questions. Why is it that men own the wells and then charge women for water? Why is it that women are at the back of the line when it comes to accessing water? Why do children go without food as a result of this power imbalance between men and women? How can we enable women to challenge and change these unjust social structures?
On this World Humanitarian Day we need to redouble our efforts to address unbalanced power relations and ensure that there are enhanced social protection mechanisms in place that protect the people of East Africa, particularly women, from this drought and the shocks of the future.
