The female task of resource management

The participation of women in water supply programmes and projects was highlighted by the United Nations with the proclamation of the Water Decade. Many projects have arisen from the need to combine knowledge and its application with the needs of women in developiing countries. In this paper some outcomes of significant international meetings that have been the stepping stone in this direction in the past decade are outlined. A major theme emerging from a conference in Manila in 1984 was the participation of women in technical training programmes for the management of pumps. This issue was further elaborated at the Nairobi conference in 1985, and at a conference in Bamako in 1988 the promotion of women's activities in enhancing water resources was discussed. At the latter conference time constraints, language problems and the fact that women lack the means to maintain, protect and enhance their social role within the community were identified as constraints to women's participation in water activities.