Women
Pulling Women, Girls Out Of Poverty
For more than 844 million people worldwide, or one in every nine people on Earth, access to clean and safe water is still out of reach. The majority of these people live in rural areas and have to walk for hours to collect water for themselves and their families. And the burden of gathering water for households falls disproportionately on women and girls. In sub-Saharan Africa, women are responsible for 72 per cent of the water collected and walk for miles each day to haul 40–80lb (18–36kg) of water home, sometimes repeating this journey several times a day. In Africa alone, women spend 40 billion hours a year walking for water – time that could instead be used to go to school, run a business or improve their households.
Beyond the time lost fetching water, the gender-specific implications of not having access to water faced by women are unfairly weighted. For example, in many developing countries, girls drop out of school when they reach puberty as a result of missing a week every month for menstrual management. Without an education, these girls become trapped in the poverty cycle with no tools to help build a way out. In fact, according to USAID, for every extra year a girl stays in school, her income can increase by 15–25 per cent.
In addition, the water collected is often filled with disease-causing pathogens that cause conditions such as giardiasis, cholera and schistosomiasis. These illnesses can last for weeks or sometimes months, forcing people to lose valuable time at school or work. As primary caregivers, women are also impacted by sickness due to unsafe water, time spent caring for ill children or other family members may be time spent away from income-generating activities. If untreated, these diseases can often lead to death, especially in vulnerable individuals such as children, nearly one in every five deaths in those under the age of five worldwide is due to a water-related disease. Without clean water, people are unable to wash their hands or clean their food, which can further increase the spread of disease.
In the Caterpillar Foundation’s work to alleviate poverty around the world, we have seen first-hand how access to clean and safe water transforms the lives of these women and girls, and, ultimately, their communities. We are proud to work with innovative partners dedicated to solving this critical issue, such as Water.org.
Water.org focuses on removing the cost barrier of financing sustainable water access – some 91 percent of people reached by Water.org live on less than $6 per day. By bringing small, easily repayable loans to those who need access to affordable financing and expert resources, household water and toilets become possible. Furthermore, access to these resources helps to reduce hunger, improve health, enable equality, increase education, encourage economic empowerment and, eventually, break the cycle of poverty. Through our support of Water.org’s work since 2008, we have helped bring clean water and sanitation to 3.8 million people in India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Peru.
The ability to turn on a tap and have instant access to water for cooking and cleaning is something many of us take for granted. But for those in the developing world, the value of water and its impact on their lives is all too clear. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), access to clean water and basic sanitation can save around 16,000 lives every week. A WHO analysis also shows that for every $1 invested in water and sanitation, there is an economic return of $4. When people are no longer worried about collecting water, taking care of sick children or becoming sick themselves, they can invest their time in working toward a better future instead of just surviving. They can start businesses or improve their homes. They can go to school or get a job. They become empowered to improve their lives and the lives of those around them and can take steps to rise out of poverty.
With the help of our global partners, the Caterpillar Foundation has set out to empower 50 million people around the world to rise out of extreme poverty by 2020 and has worked to advocate and educate people about the important role water plays in making this goal achievable. This kind of work cannot be done alone; however, through collaborative and strategic partnerships, engaging with local communities, and implementing innovative and sustainable solutions, we know that water is one issue that can be solved.
So now we ask you the question that we have spent the past year asking ourselves and our partners: What will you do for water?
Karol writes from Lagos.
Kathryn Karol
IVY-K Fashion by Igiebor Daddy Lucky, a Nigerian-born designer now based in the UK, has launched the latest menswear line, Dapper Man.
One of the collection’s strengths is its classic, clean aesthetic. Dapper Man delivers sharp, structured suits in a timeless black and white color scheme that exudes a sense of luxury and professionalism. The use of high-quality fabrics like wool and silk ensures that the suits not only look high-end but also feel luxurious to the wearer. The designer’s focus on detail is evident in the meticulous tailoring, with fitted blazers and crisp trousers forming the foundation of the collection.
Where IVY-K Fashion shines is in the subtle yet elegant touches. The inclusion of beads as embellishments on lapels and cuffs adds a unique flair, blending traditional craft with modern tailoring. This nod to African heritage gives the collection a distinct identity, offering something more personal and culturally significant than your standard menswear line.
However, despite the elegance of the Dapper Man collection, there is a lingering sense of missed opportunity. The black-and-white color palette, while classic, feels overly safe. In a fashion landscape where bold colors and daring patterns often make the strongest impact, the collection could benefit from incorporating more vibrant hues or experimenting with unconventional fabrics. Pushing the envelope with color or texture could elevate these designs from simply elegant to truly memorable.
In addition, while the tailoring of the blazers and trousers is immaculate, the collection lacks a sense of playfulness or modern edge that many contemporary menswear lines are embracing. The suits are undoubtedly stylish, but the collection as a whole leans heavily on tradition. Experimenting with asymmetrical cuts, bold patterns, or even layering could add an exciting dimension to Dapper Man. The challenge is to maintain the sleek sophistication of the collection while infusing it with a fresh, innovative spirit.
Another area that could use improvement is the overall cohesion of the collection. While the suits are well-crafted, there is a feeling of repetition across the pieces. More variation in design, such as different lapel styles, pocket configurations, or even bolder accessories, would give the collection greater diversity and visual interest.
In conclusion, Dapper Man by Igiebor Daddy Lucky showcases the designer’s strong grasp of classic tailoring and elegant design, but to truly capture the attention of a broader audience, IVY-K Fashion would benefit from more daring choices. By infusing the collection with bold colors, unexpected textures, and a more modern edge, Dapper Man could move from a well-crafted line to a trendsetting force in men’s fashion. With such a solid foundation, there’s no doubt that Igiebor Daddy Lucky has the potential to lead his brand toward greater heights
The trend of indecent dressing all in the name of fashion is fast becoming a norm in our generation and society at large. Most married women embrace this fashion as competition with single ladies.
Different scholars have given an in depth insight about dressing as a tool of communication. Non-verbal communication has been asserted as the communication between people by the means of signs or symbols. It conveys what we wish to disseminate to the public as either intentionally or not.
According to Paul Ekman and Michael Argyle, communication is carried out through what has been classified as “Presentational Code”. He listed nine codes of non-verbal communication, as body contact, facial expression, gestures, postures, eye movement, proximity, orientation, head nods and appearance.
This, being stated, married and single ladies should understand that their mode of dressing is communicative be it directly or indirectly as such body parts we call “private” are now being made public because of the trends or wearing of transparent dresses and this in turn calls on the attention of men who are weak and prone to illicit thoughts thus, resulting to most rape cases in our society.
This indecent dressing by most ladies has denied many their future husbands. The truth is that a man is attracted to his kind; his desires in marriage. It is often asserted that decency and beauty are in the eyes of the beholder, yet, in trending times of this 21st century, dress code and fashion in nudity form is gaining popularity.
This has become complicated as most men tend to toggle between their emotions (lust) and sanity (rationality) in terms of marriage, thereby setting a wrong foundation upon which most marriages are consummated.
On the other hand, most married women have embraced the trend of indecent dressing nipping it on the state of it being the choice dressing, approved by their spouses, leaving society with the question of what “responsible” man would prefer that the secrecy of the benefit of his marital vow has become the centre of attraction and viewership by the general public.
Hence, communicating with their dressing gas given licence to every male gender who is interested or attracted to what they see to make unsolicited sexual passes at them, which might be considered embarrassing.
At this juncture, it is important to state that ladies should dress decently knowing that they are the epitome of nation-building, they are nation-builders, character moulders and pacesetters not just in the lives of their families but to the society at large.
In most occasions, there are no clear border lines between the married women and the single ladies because of the rate of scanty dressing which has close the gap of differences.
Women and girls should embrace this call awakening to decent mode of dressing. Dresses that are meant to be worn indoors should remain indoors.
It is worrisome to see ladies wear shorts that are supposed to be worn in the living room on the streets without shame. This is an awakening call to our ladies, married and singles that the opposite sex do not expose their private body parts for the public. Sometimes, the ladies go about in the streets without wearing brazziers as to showcase their nipples.
The society should be sanitised of the menace of indecent dressing that is lurking and taking over the entire nooks and crannies of the society and the nation at large.
Let it be known that he or she is addressed in the manner he or she is dressed. There may be no room for a second impression. To the single ladies, your dressing decently will not stop you from meeting your Mr Right rather, it will increase your stake and place you on the list of most valued women in the society.
Dressing speaks louder than words.
Kate Chisom Isiocha
Isiocha is an OND final year student of Temple Gate Polytechnic.
