GTZ Head Office awarded Community Mobilizing Workers (CMW) first prize

Women play a vitally role with high social responsibility in the water sector. In the traditional context of Yemen women are responsible for the household, the child education and the procurement of water. The Yemeni-German Technical Cooperation / Water Sector Program builds up on this key position of the women in communicating knowledge, skills and practices in respect of water usage. In his component "Development of Independent and Commercialized Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Utilities" the program tries to support not only the effectiveness, functionality and work of the municipal water utilities to guarantee a reliable, sustainable drinking water care, also "community mobilizing workers" (CMWs) are trained - men and women.

The concept of CMWs was now chosen as one of five winners of the GTZ boarder competition „effective concepts to promote and create sustainable employment“. The award was given to the Water Sector Program on 18th of December, 2008.

Since end of the 1990th 275 CMWs were trained with the support of GTZ - among them 132 women. They act as a link between the municipal water utility and the population at large, i.e. the customers. Beside the realization of awareness and information campaigns for hygiene and water consumption in the 14 up to now involved towns, the CMWs also enlighten the population about water meters and water tariff systems and help the customers to form financial reserves to pay their water bills. Furthermore the CMWs help the customers to communicate their problems face to face to the municipal waterworks.

The concept of CMWs should not remain limited to the water sector, but also be implemented in the agriculture and health sector. The jury which honored this program of the water sector Yemen came to the conclusion that the CMWs do not only reach determining developing-political aims, but, in addition, the concept creates high-quality possibilities of employment for women under difficult socio-cultural parameters and regimentations. The women working as CMWs get the chance to participate in public decisions, they are able to strengthen their posi-tion in the society, as well as in the family and in spite of the strict segregation between the genders, the their jobs offer themselves a promising, independent income possibility.

December 2008