Page 82 - CIWA-AR24

A male champion for gender equality

A male champion

for gender equality

ssefa Gudina is blunt when it comes Building on progress close attention to the challenges facing
A
to describing why he joined CIWA’s women and girls by mainstreaming
new Male Champions for Women’s in the Nile Basin gender into its structures, programming,
Empowerment initiative. “Leaving half of and processes.
society out and discouraging them and udina says that ENTRO and
G
NBI are more advanced on GESI
their participation is a crime.” issues than other workplaces he has “The vision of NBI is to achieve
experienced. He said that while other sustainable social and economic
In the male-dominated transboundary organizations have gender plans, development and to benefit from
water sector, men who support gender “there is always failure in common water resources,” he says.
equality are well-positioned to challenge implementation because of the lack of “Unless we encourage men and women,
cultural norms about gender roles and commitment by decision makers” to boys and girls, to participate, we cannot
advocate with other men to advance find the budget resources, allocate achieve sustainability.”
women’s equality and empowerment in staff time, and conduct monitoring
water resources institutions. and evaluation activities. It’s critical to bring others along in the
journey toward gender equality. The
That is precisely what the new CIWA For example, he says, gender is rarely need is great throughout the region.
initiative seeks to do. It has recruited a considered in procurement for goods
group of Male Champions to take actions and services or in hiring processes and “Experts and team leaders working in
individually and collectively to spark a decisions because of a lack of policies, water-related sectors in Eastern
reduction in gender inequalities and an strategies, and directives. Gudina adds Nile countries have little-to-no
increase in women’s participation in that organizations need to do more to understanding of NBI’s gender
decision making on WRM. create working conditions that are mainstreaming policy and strategy, only
attractive to women, such as having a basic understanding of gender
“Unless males encourage the onsite childcare and dedicated spaces equality, and knowledge gaps on
empowerment of women, the issue of for breastfeeding. gender-responsive planning and
gender will continue as a mainstreaming,” Gudina explains.

business-as-usual scenario,” says “Whenever it came to gender issues, CIWA has conducted two GESI training
Gudina, 48, ENTRO’s regional social putting women aside was very common,” sessions for 30 people in the Nile region
and environment officer and gender says Gudina, who lives in Addis Ababa to begin to close those gaps and
focal point. with his wife, two daughters, and son. mainstream GESI throughout the
organizations and projects it supports.
“The Male Champions initiative is a very But at NBI and ENTRO, he says, “the Gudina’s role as a Male Champion and
powerful effort to empower women,” he commitment of management is very gender focal point motivated him to
says. “If I as a male talk with another good,” including allocating budgets for approach CIWA to conduct a training.
male, the acceptance is more. He can gender-related activities and
bring about change.” But, Gudina adds, conducting gender training. They are
it’s important for Male Champions to also supporting his proposal to hold a
ensure that their advocacy of gender gender forum for eastern Nile
equality doesn’t become “another form countries. The NBI has shifted from a
of male dominance.” gender-neutral approach to paying

77