World Water Day - Real challenges must be faced

The struggle for universal access to water is linked to many things -- geography and hydrogeology, governance and politics, poverty and social conflict, but in Nigeria it is also intricately linked to inadequate energy supply (in a nation that is the 6th largest supplier of petroleum to the U.S.)

Still, as countries of the world Sunday March 22, 2009, marked World Water Day with
the theme 'Sharing Water, Sharing Opportunities', the Lagos Water
Corporation (LWC) seems poised to face its challenges to increase water
supply to the residents of the state, according to this article in Nigeria's Sunday Independent.

Shomolu, Lagos - Water supply progress

Just saw this piece of good news reported in The Punch newspaper online on May 4, 2009 about water supply improvements in Shomolu Local Government Area of Lagos. The local government chairman reports they have rehabilitated 21 boreholes and procured 21 standby generators to alleviate the plight of residents in the area.

Three communities in Shomolu Local Government were in my study area. They faced some of the worst water supply in my study -- in one community, boreholes were nowhere to be found and there was only one public tap that produced whitish, foul smelling and tasting water. Residents were fed up with past broken promises by government officials to repair the water situation. The real problem is the lack of maintenance. Project get commissioned, but the resources and oversight are not dispatched to ensure they continue to serve communities.

Let's hope this marks the beginning of a new and better era of water provision.

Development vs. Democracy?

Does a choice have to be made between the two? Simon Kolawole over at This Day online (one of the main Nigerian newspapers) talks about a "Lagos model" of development--a delicate balance between politicking and technocracy.

In the following excerpt from the full article is the crux of the debate:


"I want to ask: which should come first - democracy or development? Let me put it in a different way: will Nigeria only develop when we have true democracy or is it development that will give us true democracy? I have been involved in serious debates over this. One school of thought argues, quite convincingly, that until we have free and fair elections, Nigeria cannot develop. The logic is that when you know that you derive your legitimacy genuinely from the people and not through INEC manipulation, you will have a better incentive to perform in office so that you can face the people confidently. You are beholden to the people. You will work very hard to deliver the goods and flaunt your achievements as your credential for re-election. You are therefore naturally going to be accountable to the people. But if it is INEC or your party that rigged you into power, your "loyalty" is to INEC or your party. You owe the people nothing.

The second school argues that until we have development - that is, the majority of the people have access to water, electricity, healthcare, education, roads, jobs and generally enjoy a decent standard of living - genuine democracy will continue to elude us. This school is of the conviction that rigging is very easy in an atmosphere of poverty. Voters cannot reject those N500 notes. They sell their conscience at election times. Jobless young men readily make themselves available to be used as thugs and riggers. INEC officials and security agents are also vulnerable to inducement. This school concludes that if the standard of living improves dramatically, the gospel of democracy can be well received by the people. We can then have free and fair elections and enjoy true democracy. Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State said as much recently." More...

Registration (it's free) is required to view the whole article. The comments (no registration required) also make for an interesting read.

Video - "Lagos La Vida Loca"

A good friend recently forwarded a link to a video that's been on the web for a while. If you want a good feel for what it would be like to walk around the streets of Lagos for a few days, check out this short (14 minute) 2007 video shot on location in Lagos, Nigeria with journalist Mariana Van Zeller. It took me down memory lane in a way and Van Zeller does a really good job of getting "man on the street" interviews and shots. It would have been nice to get a little more "woman on the street" but you have to give it up to her journalism skills--the best part was probably the last, when she spent an evening with neighborhood vigilantes--self and community provision of security (like water, electricity, and most other basic services). Also check out the other videos on Van Zeller's site -- she travels around the world to uncover tough stories about every day people, amplifying voice in the process.

Fieldwork supplies online

If you are thinking about carrying out research projects of your own and you need to locate research supplies, I'd suggest checking out The Graduate Research Depot. You can find useful reviews of research supplies and equipment that you might need for your particular project, and useful tips for doing research, such as this primer on designing research surveys. The site is new, but its resources are growing rapidly everyday. You'll definitely want to bookmark and go back often!

Learning about Africa

Today I wanted to highlight two online multimedia resources for encouraging young people to learn more about Africa. The first is sponsored by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and is called PBS KIDS, Africa. The site is for young children and is based on the AFRICA series, with African tales, music, masks and African students' photo albums.

The second resource is called GlobaLink-Africa. The GlobaLink-Africa Curriculum Project is a free school-year-long, multi-media, online curriculum resource for critical thinking about globalization and its relationship with Africa, Africans, and United States-Africa policy. The curriculum gives high school students a view of Africa and the world that is not accessible through conventional curriculum activities. The curriculum also provides enriching resources for anyone interested in Africa or globalization issues.

Happy learning!

Women and Water

On this mother's day I thought I'd post a sobering reminder of the unique challenges women face in their roles as the primary caregivers and food producers when there is insufficient access to adequate amounts of clean water on a daily basis. 2003 was the International Year of Freshwater. The ongoing website has a facts and figures page on women and water, highlighting the role of women in traditional tasks, agriculture and food security, and the need for gender equity, bringing women into decisionmaking around water development, and the need for sustainability.

And here are a few of my favorite mother's day quotes (You can find a much bigger list of these quotes at The Quote Garden):

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan

All mothers are working mothers. ~Author Unknown

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. ~Rajneesh

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty

Newly Published Demographic and Health Suveys

Here are links to some of the newest publications from Measure DHS. The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) program carries out surveys on nutrition, HIV and population in over 75 countries. The website features online tools to generate maps and tables with data by country and regions within countries.

2007 Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey
The 2007 IDHS includes information on fertility, family planning, childhood mortality, maternal and child health, nutrition, malaria, and knowledge of HIV/AIDS. Download the full IDHS report

2007 Indonesia Young Adult Reproductive Health Survey (IYARHS)
The IYARHS focuses on young women and men, age 15-24, and covers topics including education, knowledge and attitudes about reproductive health and family planning, knowledge of HIV/AIDS and STIs, attitudes about sexual activity and marriage, smoking, and use of alcohol and drugs. Download the full IYARHS report .

Concurrent Sexual Partnerships and HIV Infection: Evidence from National Population-Based Surveys (Working Paper)
This working paper analyzes the relationship between concurrent sexual partnership and HIV prevalence, on both individual and country levels. The study finds that, at the individual level, women and men who had concurrent sexual partners in the year before the survey were more likely to be HIV-positive than those who had only one lifetime partner or those with multiple lifetime partners but no overlapping partners in the past year. This relationship does not hold at the community or country level. Download the full working paper.

Social Context of Disclosing HIV Test Results: HIV Testing in Tanzania
This study examined the circumstances and social contexts in which individuals in Tanzania were tested and counselled for HIV, and patterns in disclosure of test results to partners, family, and friends. The overall objectives of this study were to understand people’s experiences in showing their own HIV test results to others, to discover the pattern of disclosure among individuals tested (whether or not disclosure occurred, to whom, how it was done, after how long), and to discern the role of social relations in facilitating disclosure to others. Download the full report.


2007 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey

See the press release.
Get the final report.


2007 Zanbia Demographic and Health Survey

See the press release.
Get the final report.