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=~=====~New skills, new lives: Kerala'swomen masonsThresiamma Mathew

The Jeevapoorna Women Masons of Thrissur have revolutionizedlocal expectations of what women can and cannot do. What's thesecret of their success - and are the men happy?

SEUs have beeninvolved in the

construction of 53 763household latrines,

253 institutionallatrines, and two pay·and-use latrines, withfull community, localgovernment, and user

participation.

The Jeevapoorna Women MasonsSociety (JEEWOMS), an offshoot of

Socio-Economic Units, Kerala, wasformed in 1989, becoming a registeredcharitable society in 1995.

SEU itself was established in 1988 as aresult of a bilateral agreement between theDutch, Danish and Indian governments inimplementing W&S projects in Kerala, itsmain responsibility being to ensure thatpeople participated in projects fully, fromplanning to monitoring. Water-supplyactivities were carried out in closecollaboration with the Kerala WaterAuthority, but the sanitation programmewas launched independently. As we write,SEUs have been involved in theconstruction of 53 763 household latrines,253 institutional latrines, and two pay-and-use latrines, with full community-group(ward water committees), local government(panchayat), and user participation.

It soon became the norm to see womenassisting skilled male masons in allconstruction works, especially the buildingof low-cost latrines. The ProgrammeOfficer (Health Education), based at thecentral unit, decided that the next step was

Training in progress - these JEEWOMS trainees are preparing steel for the roofs of latrines in construction.

22

to initiate masonry training for thesewomen. At first the women were highlysceptical, but gradually they began tobelieve that they could do it. One womansaid 'If, madam, you will give the training,I am ready to learn'. Soon others wereexpressing their enthusiasm.

Supply and demandSEU faced a shortage of skilled masons,so the idea was welcomed. The first batchof 12women began in 1989 but, as theybegan to marry outside their villages, theydropped out. So in 1990, when the secondgroup of ]4 began, they had to meet thefollowing criteria:• women had to be married, below the age

of 45, and from below-poverty-linehouseholds;

• the intensive years of child-rearingshould be over - their children shouldbe more than three years old;

• widows, deserted women, and singleparents - in greater need of extraincome - were preferred; and

• all candidates should have previousexperience as a mason's helper.The training comprised: cement-block

making: mortar and cement proportions;mortar constituency; cement-block quality;and curing and strengthening. The womenthen learned the practical skills ofbricklaying, level-checking, plastering,floor construction, making and fixingconcrete slabs, reinforcing steel work,using moulds to construct rings for latrinesand wells, and how to construct low-costtwin-pit latrines.

The women started by learning to makesolid cement blocks which, after three days,they could make on their own. A cementmixture of 1:9 (for latrines) is poured into a3" x 6" x 12" mould in the middle of whichare placed three stone chips, both to add

VOL.17 NO.1 JULY 1998 IIIIIIm:D

gender and water - six years on

strength, and reduce costs.Once they'd gained some confidence

with the blocks, the women started onmore complicated areas: slab-casting,foundation works, and superstructure. Fora month they used only sand and mud tofix the blocks, so that, by doing andundoing again and again, they learned theright techniques.

Social pressuresWhat proved really difficult waspersuading the women that they couldlearn masonry. Some shook their headssaying, 'Madam, how many years after aboy has worked with a master, that helearns; how can we think of learning theskills in two months?' Others fearedviolating the cultural norm: 'Will othersaccept us? What will happen to us?' Theywere concerned that they might end uplosing their helper jobs. So a participatorytraining programme was developed to:• build up the women's confidence that

they could become skilful masons;• strengthen team building - solid bonds

are very important, and only as a teamcould they face the men's jeering,neighbours' criticism, and the cultureshock; and

• awaken the women's obvious but latentpotential.Various participatory techniques -

including songs, slogans, and games wereused; and the trainees and facilitatorformulated the 'ten commandments' (seebox). The training also touched on savingsand money management, and hygiene, so

Real women - real experiences• JEEWOMS President, Omana, a 45-year oldwidow, has the confidence of her members. Shecan now speak to any gathering. A timid womanhas blossomed into an outstanding leader.• The progress that Geetha, the Group Secretary,has made is incredible. A tiny, quiet woman, shehas acquired amazing managerial skills. Shedoes all the bookkeeping, organizes workarrangements, and visits members in variouspanchayats, Her husband, who is generally out ofwork, has become her 'helper', makingornamental plant-pots, and preparing moulds.• Ms Mani, a deserted mother of two says, 'Ihad to work very hard [as a helper] thecontractors would shout at me; and the paywasn't that good, Now I can build a latrine andearn up to Rs150 a day, I also learned toconstruct houses, What is more, I am master of

~ VOL,17 NO.1 JULY 1998

that the women can be agents of changewithin their communities.

Male master masons provided theconstruction training. After a month ofintensive training on a single site, thegroup was sent out, in twos, with a masonto work on household latrine construction.This enabled them to gain experience indifferent panchayats. Later on, two tothree women worked together in allottedpanchayats.

As helpers, these women earnedbetween Rs25 and 35 per day. Duringtheir first month as trainees they receivedRs35; in the second and third months thiswent up to Rs25 plus a real market wage- so, from the beginning, they earnedequal pay.

ReactionsOver the next few years, the Thrissurwomen became a crucial component ofSED's sanitation programme - producingcement blocks and concrete rings, orbuilding latrines.

Nevertheless, the women masons facedconstant problems and opposition. On oneoccasion, they were turned away fromconstructing latrines in a particular ward,because they were women. But during thesecond phase of the programme, they gottheir revenge; they did all the buildingwork in the very same ward, and won overthe opposition.

There was publicity and appreciationtoo - from, among others, the local MPand the Dutch Ambassador; while

myself, I have more dignity, my family gives memore respect, and I am known in myneighbourhood, I am proud of my improvedstatus in the community.'

• Another woman mason, Fathima says, 'Myhusband cannot work, I have three smallchildren. Now we can buy milk, fish, meat, andeggs, and my children have better clothes, Welead a prosperous and happy life'.• Lalitha, a 40-year old mother who participatedin the sanitation programme, remembers thetwo women coming to build her latrine, 'Myhusband had already left for work, and I did notknow whether to let these women work or not. Idoubted the skill of these women whom I hadknown as helpers, Once the work was over andfound to be really well done, I breathed a sigh ofrelief, Nowadays, when the women masonsarrive they are treated as important people',

TheJEEWOMStrainees' 'TenCommandments'• Have a definite aim, forexample, 'to become anefficient mason'

• Participate eagerly andattentively

• Be determined: 'I willbecome a clever mason,whatever the hurdles andstruggles'

• Be confident: 'I can do it'• Persevere: 'even if at first Idon't succeed, I will still go ontrying'

• Co-operate: with co-traineesand trainers

• Unity: 'together we can do it'

• Work hard and win• Be tolerant: accept, respectand support one another

• Be honest and loyal

Preparing hand-made, solid bricks forlatrine construction,

... continued

23

gender and water - six years on

about the authorThresiamma Mathew is theWomen in Development

Director for the SEU in Kerala,

Contact her at the Socio-Economic Unit Foundation,Post bag 6519, Vikas Bhavan

PO, Trivandrum 695 033,Kerala, India,

Fax: +91 471 325914,E-mail: seuf@md2-vsn1.net.in

books

The IT BookshopUnless stated otherwise, all

priced publicationsreviewed here - and

those listed in theresources guide on pages27-28 - can be ordered

direct from the ITBookshop, Europe's

leading specialist stockistof development titles, 103-105 Southampton Row,London WC1 B 4HH, UK,

Fax: +44171 4362013, E-mail: orders@itpubs,org,uk

24

national newspapers printed headlinessuch as 'Breaking male bastion brick bybrick'.

In 1996, with support from the Womenin Development section of the DutchEmbassy, JEEWOMS ventured intomachine-operated hollow-blockproduction, which developed their skillsand boosted their earnings. Nine womencan now operate the power machines, andare supplying hollow blocks for latrines inthe Kadappuram panchayat.

Twelve masons completed one-monthtraining courses in house construction;they immediately won a contract to build12 houses for a charitable society.

And the trainees soon became trainers

Beyond Big Dams: A newapproach to energy sector andwatershed planningEdited by Juliette MajotInternational Rivers Network, Berkeley,1998. 126pp. Pbk. US$20 (plusshipping and handling).This 126-page report sets out to consider aworld in which new large-scale hydropower isnot a preferred option for electricitygeneration. It describes the world energysituation, current planning processes, andwhy they favour projects like large dams; howto improve energy-planning priorities; andalternatives to large-scale dams. 'With anestimated 78 per cent of the earth'shydropower potential yet untapped,proponents continue to promote hydro as animportant source of electricity, even as thedays of vastly expensive and environmentallydevastating large-scale dams come to aclose,' Juliette Majot writes.Adding to the urgency is slow growth in

'non-hydro' renewables, and a global push torely less on fossil fuels: a potent combinationthat could lead to a call for more large dams.Thus, the need to explore the use of rivers togenerate power in a more sustainable way,specifically small-scale hydropower, is a keyfocus of Beyond Big Dams. Small-scale hydro(that is, anything less than 10 megawatts)offers a less destructive energy option to meetgrowing energy demand, though it has itsown set of potential problems,The report explores the pros and cons of

this approach, in part through valuable casestudies from countries that have experiencewith small-scale hydro, including Norway,Nepal, China, Sri Lanka, and Peru. Majot

themselves. At the moment, two of thewomen are instructing 50 trainees atA1leppey District, on a Unicef-supportedprogramme, while a further two aretraining male masons in the two-pittechnology, which they demonstrate withmodel latrines at Trivandrum.

Now the idea is catching on - more ofKerala's district panchayats are trainingwomen in masonry as a main plank oftheir women's-empowerment initiatives.

JEEWOMS is now Thrissur's officialagency for training women masons, and iswell on the way to establishing a trainingcentre. Society members are rapidlyacquiring further skills in other low-costtechnologies.

•writes that the crucial element in a sustainableenergy future is in creating energy planningapproaches 'that consider the social,environmental and political economies ofappropriate energy' and involve communitiesin the process. An entire chapter examinesthoroughly how to create such a planningprocess. Available from IRN, 1847 BerkeleyWay, Berkeley, CA 94703, USA. Fax: +1 5108481008.

Hitosa Water Supply -A people's projectTrish SilkinWaterAid, London, 1998. 26pp. Pbk.FREE. ISBN 0 9513 4663 6.For a copy, contact: Julie Jarman, AdvocacyManager, WaterAid, Prince Consort House, 27-9 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7UB, UK.Fax: +44 171 793 4545. E-mail:wateraid@compuserve.comThis, the second in a series of reportsanalysing WaterAid's exprience in integratedwater, sanitation, and hygiene-educationprojects, assesses a community-managedgravity scheme in Ethiopia which provideswater to more than 60 000 people living in 31communities. The water runs through 140kmof pipeline to 122 distribution points - howhas such a large-scale scheme beenmanaged successfully?WaterAid contends that the report

'challenges the orthodoxy that large-scalenecessarily equates to complexity. Hitosademonstrates that gravity water-supplyschemes, even one as extensive as this, aretechnically simple and can be operated,maintained and managed by people withoutspecialized skills.'

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