Unusual gender and equity picture draws many page views and comments

A picture and story on Mohammad carrying his baby on his back, while fetching water from a local well for his family in Sierra Leone, has in six weeks time triggered 794 page views and 22 comments. It was published on IRC’s The Voice from Communities weblog as part of the Source story contest on 13 September 2010. The headline: “Gender is also about men” also helped to catch attention.

Author Sorabh Baghr, WASH coordinator for ACF Sierra Leone and Liberia, is a member of the Gender and Water Alliance, the network that unfortunately does not get funding anymore for its Secretariat from the Dutch Development Cooperation budget. That the member network is continuing to function is demonstrated by Sorabh’s action. She shared the story with the GWA Google group and asked the members to vote for her story in the online poll. This resulted in 13 comments on the weblog, of which at least four by men. Through the GWA Google group she received another nine comments.

Interesting comments on gender equity

“The man is a good example for the Africa society, in the case of gender. He shows the community the way, he loves his family, which makes people to admire him in the community and even wish his kind for their daughter,” writes Zainab Conteh.

“It is an excellent piece work which highlights there is role both male and female in gender issues.
It is also interesting story, as it is not about the implementation of a project by an international or local NGO but a personal story of a man who has love and responsibility towards his family and in this regards not only he accept the consequences of his action but also promotes it among other men too”, writes Hassan Ali.

Another man, George F. Bundu writes: “The action of Mohammed is a good sign of love and care for the family. If men practice this, it helps them to be less violent to their mate as they will come to appreciate the hard work of the wife and mothers at home. Most women are workers but they take great care of us the men. So given them hand at home will help to bring love and happiness for the family”.

A young man from Tanzania doing his PhD in Global Gender Studies at University at Buffalo, New York, USA writes:
“I agree. Personally, I am a man doing his PhD in Global Gender Studies at University at Buffalo, New York, USA. Though, I am considered poor in the USA (a student with three dependents living with me here in Buffalo, USA), I am middle class back home in Tanzania where conditions are similar to those in Sierra Leone. Here in USA, I cook meals, do laundry, prepare my 3-year-daughter for school and take her to the school bus. Back home, I did shopping which is considered a female activity, some cooking and cleanliness. I love my wife and two daughters and I could afford leaving them in Africa. My mindset is that I do not own them but they are a precious gifts from GOD and I have the responsibility to take good care of them. Indeed, gender must be about men and women.”

Source: An overview of Comments on “Gender is also about men” and the GWA Google group, 26 Oct 2010.

Dick de Jong

Tags: africa, gender, information and communication, water supply