[100 Emerging Women Leaders] Breaking taboos needs an open mind: public health specialist Maitabel Okumu

It’s 2023, and humankind has made significant progress in all walks of life.

However, basic necessities like sanitation and hygiene are still a luxury in the African continent.

According to a UNICEF report, in 2022, 418 million people lack a basic level of drinking water service, 779 million lack basic sanitation services, including 208 million who practice open defecation, and 839 million lack basic hygiene services.

Kenya-based Maitabel Okumu is on a mission to change this situation.

“I was born and brought up in a very small community in Kenya. Growing up, I saw my mother struggle to find clean water. Our only source of water was a lake, which was far away from the village, and the water was never clean or sufficient,” Okumu recalls. 

The public health officer in the Ministry of Health, Kenya, wants to create awareness about hygiene and sanitation, with a bigger agenda to dissociate taboos related to women’s health and sanitation. 

She adds, “Public health policy as a career was not something I happened to stumble upon. My personal experiences helped me understand the ground situation and why people in my community were falling prey to typhoid.” 

Today, Okumu is part of Living Water International, a non-profit organisation that helps communities to create sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene programmes. The organisation also produces reusable and sustainable sanitary pads for girls and women in communities across Africa. 

However, it is not easy to break stereotypes and taboos that communities have believed in for generations. “I have worked with communities where women are not allowed to talk,” Okumu shares. 

Recalling an incident, she says, “Once, when I was talking to such a community about the importance of condoms, men found it hard to accept that an unmarried woman was telling them to use condoms!” 

Although these experiences can pull down one’s morale, Okumu has never let them deter her from her goals. 

“If I feel I can’t do something, I will definitely look for another strategy. You have to trust yourself and engage with these communities. Learn and read about their cultures, move to different countries, and keep an open mindset,” Okumu says.