Greetings all,

Yesterday, the Skills Advisory Group-Water Supply and Sanitation (SAG-WSS),  the National Water Supply and Sanitation Council (NWASCO) and AWSPN-ZC conducted a guest lecture with students pursuing water and water related courses at Kabwe Institute of Technology in Kabwe, Central Province, Zambia.

During the lecture, the three institutions explained the activities that are currently being undertaken to promote skills development in young professionals like the Internship program being coordinated by NWASCO and SAG-WSS and the Mentorship Program for young water professionals being coordination by AWSPN-ZC.

NWASCO shared with the students the biggest challenges being faced by the Commercial Utilities(CUs) among them high Non-Revenue Water.

Best,
Rosemary. 

Dear All,

The African Women Sanitation Professionals Network-Zambia Chapter (AWSPN-ZC) remains committed to its cause of taking leadership to enhance female participation in the sanitation sector. One of the ways to achieve this is by mentoring young females pursuing WASH related courses in institutions of higher learning.
In view of this, AWSPN-ZC in collaboration with the National Water Supply and Sanitation Council (NWASCO) and the Skills advisory Group (SAG) attended a guest lecture that was held at the Lusaka Business and Technical College (LBTC) on the 24^th of September 2021 to share about the network to the students at the learning institution and possibly recruit some students to be members of the network. NWASCO shared with the students about their role as the regulator of  water supply and sanitation in Zambia and the SAG talked to the students about their roles and how they act as a coordinator of water supply and sanitation skills providers at TEVET level.
AWSPN-ZC will continue to collaborate with stakeholders and existing networks on common areas in order to continue promoting networking and growth of the women's network and facilitate participation of women in the WSS sector.

Regards,
Rosemary 

Empowering Women in Sanitation space to reach their potential.  A mentorship Session  for Students from the University  of Zambia,  Evelynhone College  and Natural  Resources  Development  College  by the African  Women in Sanitation Professionals Network _ Chapter at the Zambia  Water Forum and Exhibition  under the theme: Innovative Water and Sanitation.  Leaving  no one Behind.  The students  were excited  about this engagement  and requested  for more engagements of such kind. 
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Dear All,

The first day of the Zambia Water Forum and Exhibition(ZAWAFE) Conference took off today the 7^th of June, 2021 at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre with the theme “Innovative Action for Water and Sanitation: Leaving none behind.” The event was officially opened by her honor the vice president of the Republic of Zambia Mrs Inonge Wina.
The African Women Sanitation Professionals Network is among the key note speakers at the ongoing 9^th ZAWAFE Conference, the Interim Chairperson Dr. Barbara Senkwe in her speech today highlighted one of the key areas of focus of the network which is to implement mentoring programs for women and girls. In line with this the African Women Sanitation Professionals Network will host a mentoring session at the ongoing conference for young women working in the WASH sector and students pursuing WASH related studies in Zambia.
Here is the link to the mentoring session bit.ly/3vsLbJS
Date: Tuesday 8^th June, 2021
Time:09:00 am – 11:00 am (CAT).





#AWSPN
#WomenInSanitation
#ZAWAFE

Regards,
Rosemary
 
 

Dear All,

The African Women Sanitation Professional’s Network(AWSPN-ZC) has been in existence for over a year and has continued to grow, with more women from across the sector showing interest to be part of the network.
The under representation of women in WASH will continue to be an issue that requires more action and attention. In Zambia, for example there are still very few women who hold key technical positions in the WASH sector. The AWPSN-ZC hopes to change that narrative. Some of the key areas we focus on and hope to see change as a network include:

• Inclusion of women in WASH activities
• Promoting collaborative work among women in WASH to encourage participation at all levels
• Establishing  of mentoring structures for women in WASH
• Participation  in enhancement of WASH skills for women’s training in collaboration with Technical Vocational Training Authorities
• Offering support to female entrepreneurs in the WASH sector

The African Women Sanitation Professionals Network joined the rest of the world in celebrating the Menstrual Hygiene Day which was celebrated in Zambia at the National Science Centre. The event was graced by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of General Education and the Country Representative from UNICEF with many other supporting partners. The African Women Sanitation Professional Network was in attendance too and had a chance to exhibit the network’s existence and share the goals and vision of the network in the WASH sector. The Permanent Secretary was pleased to learn about the network’s progress and how it is complementing the Ministry’s efforts.
It was an exciting opportunity for us to be a part of this year’s celebrations, we will continue to advocate for the prominence of women in WASH strategic roles.



Regards,
Rosemary
 
 

Good afternoon Raga. Thank you very much for your question. We will be happy to provide you information on the setting up of a chapter in Sudan. Kindly send me an email on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further discussion.  

Hi Elizabeth. Thank you for your questions and kind comments. 
The fee for ordinary membership is ZMW200 which is roughly USD10 per year. The funds are used for day to day administration of the network and for undertaking network activities such as hosting mentoring events etc. In relation to your remark on fees with regards to SuSanA, we opted to introduce the fee as part of enhancing commitment from our  members and enhancing sustainability of the network.  
The GIZ support is for a period of 2 years and intended to support full operationalization of the Zambia chapter as well as facilitating  outreach programs. 

Hi Chaiwe,

I looked at the presentation about the African Women Sanitation Professionals Network-Zambia Chapter that you posted and found it very interesting. I loved the last slide with the photos of all those active women in the sanitation sector in Zambia!

Just two questions:

1. I saw on the second last slide that members have to pay a fee. How much is the fee (in comparison to e.g. a simple lunch meal at a restaurant)? What is done with the collected fees? (I sometimes wonder if SuSanA will eventually also have to change to a fee based model)
2. I also saw mentioning of GIZ support. What does that entail and who long is it for?

Regards,
Elisabeth

Dear Raga,

It is my pleasure to assist you with some information that will help you make the first steps in the creation of the African Women in Sanitation Professionals Network- Sudan Chapter. To begin with, the African Women Sanitation Professionals Network is an emerging network of African women. The organization focuses on seeking to shape, build, and strengthen the engagement of African Women in the development of sanitation on the continent and globally. The goal of the network is to increase the numbers, equip, and advance the prominence of women in the sanitation sector. Additionally, women need to be capacitated to undertake strategic roles, (beyond being users of sanitation services). .The network promotes diversity, inclusion, and opportunities for African Women to contribute to the development of the sanitation sector globally. The network was established due to the realization of the lack of well and strategically organized, meaningfully mobilized influential engagement sanitation policies, programs, and initiatives, which in most cases fail to/ inadequately address gender diversity and inclusion.

Zambia established a chapter which comprises of a 12-member interim committee, the network is registered under the Registrar of Societies as per requirement in Zambia. Our long-term attraction has been to set up the network and change the narrative on women in sanitation in line with the mother network.

We are excited to hear that Sudan is interested in establishing a chapter and we are more than willing to render the required support based on the Zambia experience. You can get in touch with the Network secretary (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or better still contact the global network by emailing  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

On the other hand, the Zambian chapter recently held a successful introductory webinar on the 13^th November 2020 to discuss and engage with members with respect to the long-term goals of the chapter. The network looks forward to more women and girls attending and being part of WASH related trainings and having women led sanitation and hygiene activities at community level. You can have a look at the webinar presentation attached.


Best Regards,
Chaiwe

Very much looking forward to this session, Women in WASH!

Regards,

Dear All,

Get a chance to learn more about the newly created African Women in WASH Sanitation Professional Network- Zambia chapter. See flyer for details:



Regards,
Chaiwe

Dear forum,

Almaa organization has an interest to establish African Women Sanitation Professional Network - Sudan chapter. Because its based on public health and WASH professional and experts. If possible please provide us by the method and procedures.

With best regards,
Raga Elzian President of Almaa orgnization Khartoum Sudan