The Role of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Promoting the Participation of Women in Water Management: Perspectives from Chimanimani District, Zimbabwe

This study is centred on evaluating the role of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in promoting the participation of women in the management of water resources as a way of promoting sustainability of water resources. The study focuses on Chimanimani as a case study. The major objective of the study was to examine the nexus between gender, water management, and the sustainability of water resources in Chimanimani District. This study is guided by the feminist political ecology theory. The Feminist Political Ecology Theory provides the importance of involving women in the management of society's natural resources. The study was guided by the qualitative methodology, and the main data gathering methods were interviews, participant observations, documentary analysis, and focus group discussions. The study applied content analysis to analyse data. This study provides original views in the sense that available literature does not provide a link between SADC, women, and water management. The key findings of the study are that women in Chimanimani district were being excluded from participating in the management of water resources due to patriarchal society, which is male-dominated. In addition, Chimanimani has strong religious and cultural values that treat women as inferior to men. The study found that women in Chimanimani were facing several challenges in relation to accessing and managing water resources, and these challenges include: discrimination, sexual harassment, physical assault, and unequal access to irrigation water, among other challenges. The study found that women in Chimanimani were using water more than men, and women were also having a better understanding of water issues. The study therefore recommended the involvement of women in the water management processes so as to improve the sustainability of water resources in Chimanimani district.