Looking through an equity and inclusion lens in Tanzania: the experience of WaterAid

Abstract

Globally, 780 million people still do not have access to safe water and 2.5 billion lack improved sanitation. Since its inception, WaterAid has been deeply committed to issues of equity, choosing to work in some of the poorest countries in Africa and Asia, and within these, to work with people who are marginalised. In Tanzania, WaterAid has been using an equity and inclusion approach to ensure that the most marginalised people have access to safe water and sanitation. This article draws on WaterAid's experience of implementing an inclusive water and sanitation project in Bashnet, Babati district, Manyara region, Tanzania. Specifically, lessons from this project highlight the ability of the equity and inclusion approach to better understand and meet the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) needs of women and girls, as well as other groups who are often excluded