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Cycle 9 (2020 Deadline)
Bridging higher education and practice: addressing gender inequity in STEM and sanitation in Malawi
PI: Brighton Chunga (bachunga@gmail.com), Mzuzu University
U.S. Partner: Francis L. de los Reyes III, North Carolina State University
Project Dates: April 2021 - September 2023
Project Overview
Malawi faces significant challenges in the water and sanitation sector. Currently, household sanitation in Malawi primarily consists of simple pit latrines, a basic hole in the ground often surrounded by an enclosure made of local bricks and either a grass or iron sheet roof. Given the increase in population density, this technology is pushed beyond capacity by both high-volume usage (requiring routine emptying) and lack of space for the construction of new pits, especially in urban areas. Women and girls in particular face health and safety risks, as they are primarily responsible for the management of household sanitation and require adequate infrastructure for menstrual hygiene.
A well-trained, expert-led, sanitation sector is needed to meet this challenge. In Malawi, no university offers a four-year bachelor’s degree in sanitation and currently, sanitation is only a topic in related STEM degree programs. This project sought to improve sanitation in Malawi, particularly for women and children, through improving gender equality in STEM education, particularly sanitation-focused education, and fostering a more gender-inclusive sanitation policy.
Final Summary of Project Activities
Dr. Chunga and his team conducted a comprehensive investigation into the barriers or drivers of gender inequity, especially in sanitation and STEM education in Malawi, starting from high school. The researchers undertook this study in 15 out of 28 districts in the country, involving different high schools categorized as rural, urban, peri-urban, and lakeshore. Among their findings was that while sanitation plays a critical role in the public health and water resources sectors, there is no specific undergraduate degree program in sanitation in any of the higher education institutions in Malawi.
The team therefore developed an undergraduate degree program in integrated sanitation at Mzuzu University in the Department of Water and Sanitation, Faculty of Environmental Sciences. The curriculum is specifically designed to address emerging issues in sanitation and public health in Malawi: COVID-19, the prevalence of cholera, and flooding impacts due to climate change. The program is being vetted by the university’s academic planning committee and other relevant units. Once vetted, it will be rolled out in the next academic year, and the national regulatory body, the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), will be invited to accredit the program.
The team also organized a Girls Science Day at Mzuzu University in which 100 young girls from five schools in Mzuzu City were taught lessons in Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), took part in science laboratory demonstrations, and talked to female college students who were studying science and engineering. The PEER project also supported female postgraduate students with scholarships.
The researchers presented their findings at the 2nd Paris Conference on Education and published an article. The PI has received additional grants worth $28,000 to continue his research, and the project has also led to another WASH-focused project funded by the National Science Foundation to support field-based student research experiences in Malawi.
Publication
Brighton A. Chunga, David Mkwambisi, Cassandra L. Workman, Francis L. de los Reyes III, and Rochelle H. Holm. 2022. Educating sanitation professionals: moving from STEM to specialist training in higher education in Malawi. Waterlines 41:3, 1–13. https://dx.doi.org/10.3362/1756-3488.22-00662
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