Relieving the Women

In Malawi, with their backs turned toward you, men will relieve themselves almost anywhere in public, leaned against a wall or tree, even in an alley in downtown Zomba. I have to admit it is a little shocking to Western sensibilities at first, but it bothers me more because of what I understand about the spread of germs. One of the reasons I am here is to make knowledge about sanitation and hygiene available in the rural villages where we work.

But let's not focus only on the ease with which men relieve themselves. Consider the difficulty rural women have performing one of the most basic of body functions, relieving themslves. Many women limit their intake of fluids so they will not have to go or wait until dark, because if they should go into the field to relieve themselves during daylight, the men will laugh. This puts women at risk of predators, both human and animals.

On her best days, the life of a woman in a rural village is difficult. Her work besides cooking, cleaning, and caring for her children, includes collecting water and firewood, labor intenseive tasks that can consume several hours of her day. A 45 minute car ride into a village for us becomes hours of walking for a woman who wants to take her produce out of her village to a market along a paved road.

Traffic in and out of the villages is over 99% on foot or bicycle, and there are no rest stops, gas stations, or convenience stores along the way. A woman will typically wait until it is unbearable before she will relieve herself. A few days ago along a main road, I saw a woman stand over a ditch, legs apart, and urinate.

This women's need is not a priority in a culture where women are almost a subclass and traditionally bow to their husbands when they enter a room where he is seated. When I teach sanitation and hygiene to the women in the rural villages, I tell them that having good sanitation can keep their families healthier, something the women are very interested in. I encourage them to pool their resources and work together to help one another build latrines near their homes. I have read about villages in India where the women did this with great success.

We have visited several churches in rural villages since we have been here and most of them have no place for the women to relieve themselves. We have much work to do.

This may seem a small thing when you consider the fact that the disparity begins early in life. Girls are not afforded the same opportunities to get an education as the boys, and because this is true, women do not have the same economic opportunities as the men throughout their entire lives.

For the sake of the Gospel, pray for our success as we work to reach the women and minister to their needs in a male-dominated culture.