Sub-Saharan Africa - Africa Regional
The incidence of extreme weather events and disasters in Africa has increased significantly over the last four decades. Women and girls are among the most vulnerable groups to disasters, partly due to the gendered division of labour, higher rates of poverty, and lower levels of literacy. Cowater worked with four African regional economic communities (ECCAS, ECOWAS, SADC, IGAD) to develop ‘Gender Strategies and Action Plans’ for disaster risk reduction. It led inclusive consultations with government, private sector, civil society and academic organizations with the aim to develop practical gender-responsive frameworks that are inclusive to all segments of society, and to build capacity for gender mainstreaming in disaster risk reduction initiatives across the three regions. Cowater applied a collaborative approach that worked in alignment with ECCAS, ECOWAS, SADC, IGAD and African Union (AU) strategies, policies, protocols, and plans and supported their leadership in gender mainstreaming. This assignment was funded by the World Bank as part of the Building Resilience to Natural Hazards in Sub-Saharan African Regions, Countries, and Communities Program.
