Breaking tradition, women learn home plumbing maintenance as a means of earning a living

	Khawla Al Sheikh broke all stereotypes and embarked on a career as a plumber.

Khawla Al Sheikh is a tall, well-dressed, attractive blonde with flashing eyes, and a charming smile. Perhaps the last thing you would expect her to be is a future plumber. But, the USAID-funded Water Efficiency and Public Education for Action (WEPIA) program, in collaboration with the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, is breaking ground in many directions, not the least of which is breaking stereotypes about women. Khawla, along with twenty-three other women, recently participated in a plumbing course that will enable her to now earn additional income from fixing residential plumbing systems.

Scarce water resources have been a constant challenge for the Jordanian government in supplying its citizens with the most basic human need. Domestic water use rate in Jordan of 79 liters per capita per day is among the lowest in the world. The amount of water delivered to homes barely meets requirements for basic household chores such as cooking, cleaning, and hygiene. However, annual water consumption still exceeds renewable supplies, and groundwater tables are being over-drafted at an alarming rate.

Water conservation efforts, therefore, became an important element of all efforts to address this challenge and improve water resource management.

	Constituting the first women plumbers in Jordan, seven women earn their certificates in home plumbing maintenance.

In 2000, USAID embarked on an innovative program to increase public knowledge of water issues and create a cadre of professionals that understand the concepts of water conservation. Women served as a great resource for encouraging water conservation at the home.

Khawla was among 110 women trained as sales agents for simple, cheap, easily installed water saving devices (WSDs) which they market “a la Tupperware” to friends, family, neighbors and anyone else they can reach at home. Through the Jordan Forum for Business and Professional Women (JFBPW), these women were trained to educate other women about the issues facing Jordan and its water scarcity, perform simple home water audits, and offer their audience a chance to reduce their bills and help conserve water. WEPIA developed simple flipcharts for them describing the water sector in Jordan, technologies that reduce water use without affecting lifestyles, and a simple step by step method for calculating their own home use and the water savings and money savings that might come from installing an aerator, a low-flow showerhead, or changing the toilet cistern. “Selling WSDs is the first job in my life. It shaped my personality. I became more confident and I learned how to deal with people,” said Khawla, reflecting on the program.

In a similar effort, the WEPIA program trained a group of “waethat” – women lay preachers – to further help with educating their parishioners about water conservation. In collaboration with the Women’s Affairs Directorate at the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Awqaf), WEPIA developed the Imam’s Guide to Water Conservation that invokes the sacred writings of Islam to guide the “waethat” in achieving this goal.

Stimulated by their foray into the world of commerce and the general public, twenty-three of these women participated in more in-depth training in home maintenance and plumbing. Khawla and six others went on to participate in a licensing course in plumbing conducted at the Vocational Training Center (VTC), making them the first women plumbers in Jordan. Interestingly, two of the seven women are “waethat.”

The sales force and “waethat” programs have had immense success. As change agents for women they are unparalleled. In the two years these programs have existed they have reached over 50,000 women with in-depth explanations, and sold more than 4000 water saving devices. The average discretionary income for the women ranges from $7.50 per month to more than $300 per month.

“Only a woman can sell to women,” says Khawla. In only three months, she sold 208 water saving devices and has 220 more confirmed orders. “What made me succeed is that I believe in WSDs,” she continues. Khawla and another of her plumber colleagues have started their own enterprises to sell water saving devices.

The success of the plumbing course prompted the VTC to establish a women’s plumbing program as a formal course. Now women in Jordan who wish plumbing help no longer have to wait for their husbands to call a male plumber and be present during the plumber’s visit. Women can now call on Khawla and her colleagues.

Since her graduation in June 2004, Khawla has aggressively pursued her career as a plumber. She started with conducting a market survey to help her set charges for her services. As a marketing tool, she is working with plumbing suppliers to market her services, and appeared on Jordanian television. In addition, she enrolled with 16 other women in the VTC’s advanced three-month plumbing course for women.