GENDER AND SCHOOL IMPACTS OF WATER CHORE AMONG ADOLESCENT GIRLS IN RURAL AREAS OF KONGO CENTRAL PROVINCE, DR CONGO

Introduction: Access to drinking water is a big challenge and remains a major issue at the root of many social problems in the Kongo Central Province which received interventions from the National Program for Healthy Schools and Villages in rural and peri-urban areas. This study focused on adolescent schooled girls and assessed access to water, gender and school consequences among adolescent girls fetching water. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 3 health zones of three educational provinces in the province of Kongo Central. A five-stage random sampling allowed the selection of 390 adolescents linked to their households and were interviewed by a questionnaire. Results: The study reported that 82.17% of adolescents attending schools without water points. Daily or weekly, 97.9% of them collect water in their schools and 64.4% invest less than 30 minutes to collect water. In households, 62.3% of the task of fetching water is supported by adolescent girls, 26.5% of them reported to be often late at school; 45.5% of them thought that collecting water impeach them reviewing lessons at home and, 41% indicated that collecting water affected their school performances. In total, 50.1% experienced at least one type of violence. Out of them, 52.2% who experienced violence at the community level (household) were girls and, 39.6% experienced violence while fetching water at school. At least 82.3% of girls cited parents, 69% indexed teachers, and 53.1% indicated known-boys to be the main authors of violence they have experienced in schools and at home. Conclusion: Adolescent girls continue to support the major burden of fetching water in households and schools in the Kongo Central province. Water chore compromises girls' school performances and exposes them to gender violence. Policies and interventions improving access to water in households and schools would promote the sociocultural status and development of girls in that province. Gender and school implications - Water chore - Adolescent girls - Rural areas - Kongo Central Province