16 Water for Life
Developing a plan for community water security
When people have raised community awareness about the problems they face in
meeting their water security needs (see page 5), they are ready to take the next step.
Communities can work together to plan for water security.
Women must have a role in planning for water
Women may have different needs for water than men. It is usually women who collect
and treat water for family use, but it is often men who are in charge of building and
maintaining water systems. Because of these differences in men’s and women’s work and
needs, it can be useful to create planning activities that ensure women’s participation.
Two circles
This activity helps women think
about their water needs and the
barriers they face in meeting
these needs.
Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Materials: Large drawing
paper, drawing pens
Step 1: Divide into groups of no more than 10 people each. Give each group
drawing pens and paper.
Step 2: Each group draws 2 circles on their paper, a large circle with a smaller
circle inside.
Step 3: Each person draws inside the larger circle the water, sanitation, and
health-related problems that affect the whole community. Inside the smaller
circle they draw the problems that affect women in particular. If a person cannot
draw, she can write down her thoughts.
Step 4: Now bring all the groups
together into one large group and
begin a discussion.
• How do the problems in the
2 circles differ?
• How are the problems similar?
• What solutions can be found
for both, making sure that
the women’s problems receive
sufficient attention?
This activity can also be done with men. Have one of the groups consist only
of men, and have each group draw 2 small circles rather than only one. One of
the smaller circles represents problems that affect women in particular and one
represents problems that affect men.
When the groups come back together, ask the men to consider how they can
help improve conditions in the community by addressing some of the issues
that affect women. This may include building toilets closer to homes, carrying
water, spending more time with children, and so on. It may be more comfortable
to have the women discuss their issues in private before the men discuss theirs,
especially in communities where men and women may have strong differences
of opinion.