Author: Deepa Khanal
AIT Library Call Number: AIT Thesis no.GD-16-09
Year: 2016
Academic Program: Gender and Development Studies (GDS)
Type: Thesis (M. Sc.) – Asian Institute of Technology, 2016
Examination Committee: Joyee Shairee Chatterjee (Chairperson); Philippe Doneys, Thammarat Koottatep (Examination Committee Members)
Abstract: In recent years, women participation has become a common goal, which is being advocated by Governmental, Non-Governmental, International, National and Community Based Organizations. Government of Nepal (GoN) has made a formal commitment to ensure women participation by providing one-third reservation for women representatives in governmental (local or national) committees. GoN has set a target to declare the country free of open defecation by 2017. In this regard, ODF campaigns and activities are carried out actively, whereas as committees are formed at different levels (i.e. national, regional, district, municipalNDC) to undertake those activities smoothly. In most cases, women participation in community based projects are found to be at nominal level, just enough to fulfill the requirement, but they are often passive and are excluded from decision making processes. While women are considered to be more responsible to sanitation (toilet) facilities, who can best introduce behaviors that will lead to use of facilities in long run. Despite existence of a clear linkage between women and toilet, the role of women in ODF campaigns has not been well documented. This study aimed to evaluate women’s participation in declaration of Open Defecation Free (ODF) and post ODF activities in Jhaukhel Village Development Committee (VDC), Bhaktapur District, Nepal. A case study approach was adopted to explore the situation. The exploratory and descriptive based qualitative research was applied in this study. Qualitative research technique involving key-informant interviews (KII), in-depth interview (IDI) were conducted among 13 and 35 individual respectively. The ODF campaign was initiated in April, 2011, and the study area was achieved ODF status in 2013. Thirteen members a formal committee named Jhaukhel Drinking Water User Committee (JDWSUC) was formed to carry out ODF campaign activities smoothly. Three women were included in committee, corresponding 23%, which was found lower than the Government com
Scholarship Donor(s): Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through the Sustainable Decentralized Wastewater Management in Developing Countries Project; AIT Fellowship
Note: A thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Gender and Development Studies, School of Environment, Resources and Development
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