SOUTH AFRICA
Women in water and related sectors
In support of Women’s Month,
the Water Research Commission
(WRC) and EWSETA hosted a
one-day event to showcase
entrepreneurship opportunities for
women in the water and related
sectors, through highlighting case
studies of existing enterprises
owned and led by women, and
introducing entrepreneurship as a
post-qualification option to female
EWSETA learners.
The
Women
in
Water
Empowerment Programme’s (WWEP)
goal is to provide support to
women-owned and led enterprises,
to be effective and efficient in
delivering water and sanitation-
related services to the public.
The programme will, among
others,
target
women-owned
companies in the fields of research
Rebecca Pfarelo Ramugondo (centre) receiving an award from Errol Gradwell (CEO
and
development
(including
EWSETA) (on left) and Dhesigen Naidoo (WRC), for her outstanding contribution,
technological innovation), science
commitment, and support to communities struggling with water challenges.
and engineering, construction, and
local community initiatives. WWEP’s
numerous market opportunities for young women for self-
purpose is to facilitate a safe and supportive environment
employment, as well as to create jobs for others in the long run.
where newly-formed enterprises, especially those from
The strategic objectives of the event were to increase
previously disadvantaged groups, can start-up and sustain
female business ownership in the sector and catalyse female
their businesses and access available opportunities in the
entrepreneurship through role models and skills training,
water and sanitation sector.
and to create networking opportunities between female
The programme’s cohorts are divided into three groups:
entrepreneurs and learners. No one organisation can achieve
beginners (women-owned enterprises in business, but
all these objectives on their own — hence the creation
with no sustainable growth), intermediates (women-owned
of a partnership between the WRC and EWSETA. The two
enterprises in business, but not as established big enterprises),
organisations are committed to capacity and skills development
and advanced/established (women-owned enterprises at
in the sector, with EWSETA’s special focus being to promote
intermediate stages that function as fully-fledged businesses,
scarce-skills occupational learning pathways through career
but require additional support to take their businesses to the
guidance initiatives.
next level of operation and compete nationally and globally).
Together with the WRC’s strategic objective of promoting
The programme has three projects whereby cohorts are
co-ordination, co-operation, and communication around water
selected for participation. These are:
research and development, this partnership will assist the
• Women in Water Entrepreneurship Incubator Project
transformation of the equity profile of the sector, particularly in
(WWEIP), targeted strictly at women-owned enterprises
professional and technical occupations.
from the cohorts;
Beyond institutional partnerships, the WRC also values
• Women in Water Mentorship Project (WWMP), targeted at
partnerships with communities who do extr aordinary work in
both women professionals and women-owned enterprises
the management of water resources. The WRC recognises the
from the cohorts; and
role played by ordinary citizens, particularly women in rural
• Women in Water Forum Project (WWFP), a dialogue space
areas, who give up so much of their time on a voluntary basis,
where women professionals and entrepreneurs can
with little or no support, in the management of their water
interact, network, and strategise about amplifying their
resources. One such woman is Rebecca Pfarelo Ramugondo
voice in the water and sanitation sector, provide support
from Ha-Makhuvha Village, 25km east of Thohoyandou,
to one another, and make inputs on how to strengthen the
Limpopo. Ramugondo is a leader of Tshikofokofo Adopt-A-River
programme.
project, made up of volunteers comprising mostly women, as
well as people with disabilities, youth, and some men, who
This is part of a sector-wide effort to address the gender
clean and care for rivers in the 19 villages in and around
imparity highlighted in the EWSETA Sector Skills Plan (SSP),
Ha-Makhuvha.
among others, and a direct response to the transformational
As a token of acknowledgement and appreciation for
imperatives enshrined in the National Skills Development
this act of selflessness, the WRC presented Rebecca Pfarelo
Strategy (NSDS) III. In the same vein, EWSETA supports young
Ramugondo with an award at the event celebrating Women’s
female learners to enter the entrepreneurial space. Currently,
Month, recognising her contribution to enterprise development
most people in formal employment are employed by small
in the water sector. u
or medium enterprises (SMEs), and the water sector offers
Water Sewage & Effluent September/October 2017
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