The empowerment of women : water and sanitation initiatives in rural Egypt

The research project reported in this monograph explored ways of improving water and sanitation conditions in two villages in the Nile delta. The main objective of the research project was to test various innovative participatory approaches to improving health and sanitation at the village level. The researchers explored various ways of involving local people in the planning and implementation of improvements in water, sanitation and drainage, and tested various models of environmental health education. The project sought to empower local people, especially women, by encouraging their participation in the decision-making process, and their leadership in health education and community activism. The project also identified the government bodies responsible for the promotion of issues related to health and sanitation so that proposed interventions could be channelled through existing administrative structures and villagers could be familiarized with the steps necessary to achieve the needed changes.