The 2020 IWD theme is “I am Generation Equality: Realising Women’s Rights.” The core message of the theme is “An equal world is an enabled world” and focuses on the fact that everyone has a part to play in bringing about greater gender equality.
Each year, Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) commemorates IWD and uses it as an opportunity to continue to celebrate the achievements of Caribbean #WomeninWater and to empower women and girls.
Here are some amazing Caribbean women professionals in the water sector from the GWP-C Network, who each play an extraordinary role in their own right. They were all asked the same two (2) questions and this is what they had to say!
Ahyana Bowen
Member of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN)-Grenada Chapter
University Student: Master of Environmental Science & Engineering in Environmental Management and Sustainable Development with a focus on water sector of small island developing states’ practices in domestic wastewater treatment.
What has been your journey to become a woman leader in the water sector?
“It started as a simple, pure and unwavering love for my beautiful island and extended into a passion for saving the bodies of water that fed all the lands around us. Water is part of every aspect of my life and my survival, so what greater cause could I dedicate my career to.”
How can we collectively tackle the unfinished business of empowering all women and girls in the years to come?
“We need to lead by example. Our young women need to see themselves represented in managerial positions of every sector. Then, they will know that every possibility is available to them and we can, as a society, move away from gender biased roles. Once we encourage them to express themselves and follow their dreams, they will come to the realisation that there is infinite potential within them.”
Mary Beth H. Sutton
Executive Director of the Caribbean Student Environmental Alliance (Caribbean SEA)
What has been your journey to become a woman leader in the water sector?
“My journey started with hands on experiences which opened my eyes to the possibility of working in the water sector. Working with the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers, led me to major in Environmental Science with a focus on water quality in undergraduate school and in Environmental Science and Engineering with a focus on wetlands and sewage treatment in grad school. Serendipity led the way to the Caribbean, where we work every day with young people and community members to protect and restore our waterways.”
How can we collectively tackle the unfinished business of empowering all women and girls in the years to come?
“Women and girls need to have the same doors open to them as the men do. We need to mentor young women and give them opportunities to try out different options, those hands-on experiences that open their eyes to the possibilities that are available.”
Khafi Weekes
Consultant at the World Bank
What has been your journey to become a woman leader in the water sector?
“Over the past nine years, I have been working in progressively complex roles requiring exceptional technical acumen in hydrology, sustainable water policy and international development with additional language skills in French and Swedish. In my first job as the Technical Advisor on Drainage to the Minister of Works of Trinidad and Tobago, I completed strategic review to guide the national transition to watershed-based storm water management and gained approval and $25 Million USD seed funding to establish the nation's first Coastal Protection Unit . As the founding Director, I led organisation building and staff recruitment and established a three-year project pipeline, including a mix of baseline data research, infrastructure development and policy reforms, improving resilience of coastal zones to climate risks.
After having left that position in 2015, I embarked on Doctoral studies specialising in sustainable transboundary groundwater policy. Concurrently, I worked at the Inter-American Development Bank headquarters in Washington D.C., where I contributed to 28+ projects with a combined value of over $300 Million, resulting in sustainable use of water and coastal resources in 13 countries in the Latin America and Caribbean region. Currently at the World Bank, I work in similar sectors, mainstreaming nature-based solutions to climate risk resilient watersheds and coastal zones.”
How can we collectively tackle the unfinished business of empowering all women and girls in the years to come?
“In the Caribbean, we have made tremendous inroads in promoting the education of women resulting in young women's enrollment in tertiary institutions currently outnumbering men in many faculties. However, this has not yet translated in meaningfully advancing the socio-economic status of women. For example, many leadership positions are male dominated with men continuing to out-earn women in similar positions. Violence against women and girls continues to grow, which coupled with deep-seated cultural devaluation of women, have caused many to not fully realise their potential. With these results, narrowly focusing on conventional education is not the panacea solution that many hoped it would be to empower women and girls.
A multi-pronged approach including financial assistance to women of lesser means to start up small businesses allowing for more financial autonomy, as well as continued work to change perceptions on the value of women as equal to that of men, could go a long way in finishing the work of female empowerment. With respect to the latter, representation matters, which is why initiatives such as these highlighting the work of women leaders in technical sectors can have a transformative impact on how we collectively value women.”
Amira Odeh
Chair of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN)-Puerto Rico Chapter
Geographer and Director of Colectivo de Acciones Sustentables
What has been your journey to become a woman leader in the water sector?
“Water has always been an interest of mine, ever since I was a little girl who had to live through drought and water rationing in Puerto Rico. I decided to use this interest and use the opportunity of studying, to learn more and raise my voice for water issues in Puerto Rico. It is my calling and motivation to talk about water and help prevent the larger effects that climate change will bring for water accessibility in islands.”
How can we collectively tackle the unfinished business of empowering all women and girls in the years to come?
“It is key to offer education and labour training opportunities for women. Women are more connected to nature and will suffer the worst effects of climate change. By offering labour opportunities in water and sustainability, their knowledge and power can transform communities in a just and safe way.”
Louise A. Alfred
Water Resources Officer at the Dominica Water and Sewerage Company Limited (DOWASCO)
What has been your journey to become a woman leader in the water sector?
“My journey has been one of growth and raising awareness. I try my best to learn from those around me who are more experienced, read and keep up-to-date on the water sector and aim to share that knowledge with others so that they realise the importance of the sector and the need to play their role.”
How can we collectively tackle the unfinished business of empowering all women and girls in the years to come?
“Motivation is key to empowering women and young girls. Encourage them to be present, let them know that their opinion matters, and they are capable!”
Jenny Rosanna Vásquez Susana
Project Assistant/Master's Degree Coordinator at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM)
What has been your journey to become a woman leader in the water sector?
“The road has not been easy but working in the water sector at the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INDRHI) and at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), I have been able to be a voice of the integral management of water resources, teaching future resource managers and conducting research on water.”
How can we collectively tackle the unfinished business of empowering all women and girls in the years to come?
“Educating and training, provide a favourable scenario to teach women and girls about our role in water management. Knowledge empowers and together with raising awareness, the incorporation of women into positions of resource management, can be achieved and be part of the generation equality.”
Maxine Welsh
Member of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN)-Grenada Chapter
University Student: Master of Water Management and Governance (Water Quality and Water Services) with a focus on the effects of wastewater pollution on riverine and coastal ecosystems.
What has been your journey to become a woman leader in the water sector?
“It stemmed from being an 8-year-old who was worried about fish swimming in the polluted water near the wharf to a 22-year-old with a passion for ecology and the earth sciences. A pivotal aspect of my path, however, was the opportunity to engage with the multiple facets of water: from the policy developers to the entrepreneurs to the community members. These experiences taught me the importance of understanding the basic and shared needs of all water users in order to find the best management solutions.”
How can we collectively tackle the unfinished business of empowering all women and girls in the years to come?
“It can begin by teaching women and young girls that their roles are not limited to collecting and managing water in the household. The provision of examples that show women being active decision-makers, whose contributions are valued and duly credited in the water sector is one type of representation that will matter to future women water leaders.”
Christine Kelshall
Customer Service Supervisor at the Dominica Water and Sewerage Company Limited (DOWASCO)
What has been your journey to become a woman leader in the water sector?
“Becoming a woman leader in the water sector has been transitional from Cashier to Customer Service Supervisor. Bearing in mind, my role as a woman and wife, I had to channel and manage my interests in a life-giving manner for the benefit of all. I had no interest in working para-fashion, so I aimed at the needed values to include support from management and colleagues.”
How can we collectively tackle the unfinished business of empowering all women and girls in the years to come?
“To tackle the unfinished business of empowering all women and girls in years to come, we must ensure that policies, procedures and guidelines are well established and that our young girls and women position themselves now, in order to take advantage of such opportunities.”
Cornelia Walters-Jones
Project Manager of The Water Project Jamaica
What has been your journey to become a woman leader in the water sector?
“From an early age, I decided to dedicate myself to Jamaica and over the years I have taken the lines from our motto literally “Play our part in advancing the welfare of the whole human race.” Every post that I have accepted since I returned from studies in Mexico, has been married to my pledge. I chose to work on The Water Project because it was the perfect opportunity to educate my countrymen on the importance of water conservation and management and its correlation to climate change and innovation. The project has produced a Water Adaptation Guideline (for architects, drainage engineers and planners) business case studies and cost benefit analysis and we are currently undertaking a pilot study on water adaptation measures in Jamaica.”
How can we collectively tackle the unfinished business of empowering all women and girls in the years to come?
“Even though climate resilience is everybody’s business, greater emphasis should be placed on sensitisation sessions, especially for women and girls about the industry as it relates to opportunities to study and do business in this sector. Each of us “Women in Water” have the obligation to spread the word and encourage our friends, families and communities about the benefit of being climate resilient and the consequences for the lack thereof. Additionally, the government and private sector need to begin to treat water conservation with the seriousness it deserves.”
Sara-Jade Govia
President Elect of the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA)
Water Sector Specialist at the Ministry of Public Utilities of Trinidad and Tobago
What has been your journey to become a woman leader in the water sector?
“My path to a water (woman) leader began and continues with service – constantly 'putting up my hand' for opportunities to learn new skills and take risks. It has also compelled me to quiet the dissenting voice which stews a false notion that feminism is affixed to weakness. However, with this experience, I am even more cognizant of the great responsibility I now have, to groom the young women and men around me to arrest the gender gap in science and decision-making toward a water secure Caribbean.”
How can we collectively tackle the unfinished business of empowering all women and girls in the years to come?
“Actually, in my eyes women’s empowerment should now be directed to men. Our women are finding their voice and are possibly the most liberated they have been in generations. The challenge is equipping men to embrace this shift and equally share management and decision-making functions.”
Semesha Corea
Member of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN)-St. Vincent and the Grenadines Chapter
Field Officer
What has been your journey to become a woman leader in the water sector?
“I have been working in the disaster management field for one year. Through working on a Project, I have been able to assist communities on how they can better be able to prepare and respond to disasters, such as providing sustainable water storage with tanks for their shelters and training persons to monitor their rivers to allow for a quicker evacuation time for flood risk areas.”
How can we collectively tackle the unfinished business of empowering all women and girls in the years to come?
“To encourage women, I would say that providing job opportunities and making them readily available to the general public, it can drive persons to realise they can sustain themselves by doing impactful work, as usually women focus mainly on securing their core needs first. This will work along well with more examples or role models in the industry and opportunities to learn in these fields.”
Kerry St. Hilaire
Stores and Procurement Supervisor at the Dominica Water and Sewerage Company Limited (DOWASCO)
What has been your journey to become a woman leader in the water sector?
“As an inventory supervisor, I am responsible for ensuring the availability of fittings and materials for daily operations of the company. This is a very involving job which is a huge responsibility. It was a very tough job to come into a position held by a man for over 30 years. With the limited experience that I had, I was obligated to hit the ground running and learn the work as quickly as I could. I wasn’t initially looking to join the water sector but now I am very comfortable in my position and I am looking to further my experience in the water sector.”
How can we collectively tackle the unfinished business of empowering all women and girls in the years to come?
“As women professionals, we should continue to strive for excellence and be a living example of the possibilities that exist. We should encourage women and girls to pursue their dream in whatever field they are interested in.”
Valerie Jenkinson
Chief Executive Officer of the World Water and Wastewater Solutions Ltd. (WWWS)
Founder and Chair of Operators Without Borders
What has been your journey to become a woman leader in the water sector?
“Perhaps the bigger question is what does it take to be a leader – man or woman? For me it was positive role models, going back to school so I could make mistakes in school rather than the workplace but also learning from my mistakes. It was a growing process. Above all, through all the ups and downs it was belief in myself, a lot of hard work and perseverance.”
How can we collectively tackle the unfinished business of empowering all women and girls in the years to come?
“It takes a village to raise a child and it takes a supportive work environment to raise a leader. Both men and women have to step up to the plate to provide support and a “You can do,” attitude, both in the home and workplace. When I started my career a long time ago as the first woman in my industry, a lot of people expected – perhaps even wanted me to fail. I was determined not to and had two wonderful male managers who were totally supportive.”
Leanne Spence
Director of Instant-Save Conservation Solutions
What has been your journey to become a woman leader in the water sector?
“My journey of becoming a leader in the water sector has been a constant process of learning and striving to change the world through my company, Instant-Save Conservation Solutions. This is our 6th year, the journey has been a whirlwind, tough but exciting and is our environmental responsibility.”
How can we collectively tackle the unfinished business of empowering all women and girls in the years to come?
“Through mentorship, leading by example and being the best versions of ourselves. Encouraging women to replace self-limiting beliefs with empowering ones, to continue to invest in themself and in those around them and to redefine success for themselves not only financially, but other metrics such as joy, wellness and passion.”
Amana Hosten
Member of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN)-Grenada Chapter
Technical Advisor – Water Resource Management, Climate-Resilient Water Sector in Grenada (G-CREWS) Project, Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
What has been your journey to become a woman leader in the water sector?
“My academic background is in meteorology, particularly research on extreme weather systems in the tropics. I started working at the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) on climate change adaptation and climate finance projects and I’m currently working as a Technical Officer on Grenada's first major water project financed by the Green Climate Fund.”
How can we collectively tackle the unfinished business of empowering all women and girls in the years to come?
“Since mentors have been crucial in my development, I believe there should be a continued system of mentorship and leadership training for early career employees in water-related sectors.”
Suphane Lenecia Dash-Allleyne
Member of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN)-Guyana Chapter
University Student: Environmental Studies Major (BSc)
What has been your journey to become a woman leader in the water sector?
“The journey has been like any other, full of ups and downs, but I have learnt that once I believe in myself, I can achieve anything I want and more. My country Guyana is known as the land of many waters and just as it is abundant in water resources, the amount of bright young female trailblazers like myself are ready to take on any challenge thrown at them in the water sector. I am not afraid to get my hand dirty, once it’s for the right cause and protecting our water resource and educating the public about its importance, has been of paramount importance to me, as I need to be a role model to younger girls out there to show them that they can make a difference.”
How can we collectively tackle the unfinished business of empowering all women and girls in the years to come?
“Empowering of women and girls needs to have a holistic approach. Young girls from all walks of life need to be targeted but in different ways, as they come from diverse backgrounds and this requires extensive research that would aid in specialised projects being created. But in order for this to occur, women and girls’ empowerment need to be a priority in every country because as the saying goes “when you educate girls, you educate a nation.” Once funding is available and the respective governments of countries play their role, the future will be bright for the women and girls of this world.”
Florian Carriere
Customer Service Representative at the Dominica Water and Sewerage Company Limited (DOWASCO)
What has been your journey to become a woman leader in the water sector?
“It has not been an easy journey in the position where I am today but believing in myself and teaming up with positive people, have helped bring out the best in me.”
How can we collectively tackle the unfinished business of empowering all women and girls in the years to come?
“We can collectively tackle the unfinished business of empowering all women and girls in the years to come by becoming mentors to our sisters and help them find their true selves in society and the world by extension.”
Danielle Howell
Member of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN)-Barbados Chapter
Consultant
What has been your journey to become a woman leader in the water sector?
“My journey becoming a woman leader in the water sector has been steered through being an advocate in my Small Island Development State, Barbados. I have worked with the Government Information Service and the Ministry of Health and Wellness to educate the country on the adequate storage amounts one should keep, especially during the Atlantic Hurricane Season and proper purification techniques for storage through Public Service Announcements.”
How can we collectively tackle the unfinished business of empowering all women and girls in the years to come?
“Collectively, we can tackle the unfinished business of empowering all women and girls in the years to come, through advocating equality in professional careers and stressing on the need to protect this important and vital resource.”
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