Women’s participation in the sanitation business (Malawi)

Countries including Malawi are urged to reach universal access to basic sanitation by the year 2030 to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6. Women participation in sanitation business is one of the many approaches and strategies in use, However, in Many countries including Malawi women participation in sanitation business is very low. The study was conducted in Northern Malawi in Nkhatabay district. It assessed factors that affected women participation in sanitation business at Nkhata-bay main market by exploring experiences and perceptions of women in businesses, market leaders and district council staff members. It was a cross-sectional study design, participants (n-24) were selected purposively. An exploratory and explanatory study and used qualitative methods of Focus Group Discussions, In-Depth Interviews and Participant observations. The study found that; social cultural, economic challenges, lack of sanitation business trainings, and construction issues affected women participation in sanitation business. These were due to several factors which included, economic, environmental, social, and cultural factors and a lack of knowledge on the subject matter. Little was known about women participation in the sanitation business in the district. In contributing to achieve SDGs 6 and 5, the study has recommended different strategies to various organization to improve women participation in sanitation business and to further research on models to used.