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English: Due to water scarcity in the world and its effect on rural women, the aim of the study was to document the strategies of rural women in Ndonga and their role in mitigating water scarcity with an aim of providing a set of recommendations. As the result of the relatively unexplored nature of women’s strategies, the study was exploratory. Firstly, the researcher confirmed that there was water scarcity in Ndonga. Through a literature search, interviews with key informants and focus group sessions with local women, the researcher discovered that women in Ndonga are vulnerable to water scarcity. What makes them susceptible to water scarcity is their status in the community. The women are left in the rural areas while men seek for work elsewhere. They also do not have proper access to water and therefore depend on natural resources. Secondly, their economic status (mostly unemployed) also makes it difficult for them to deal with stock and crop loss. Vulnerability is also due to their lack of participation in decision making. The South African government’s strategies to combat water scarcity include giving free basic water to poor households (This process is slow in rural areas like Ndonga) and to include all water users in the management of water resources. Women’s local wisdom and knowledge gained through experience, cultural and ethical values should help them to create their own future. Women’s strategies to cope with water scarcity are currently largely undocumented and therefore unrecognized. These strategies could, however, be a potential solution to water scarcity problems. Strategies used by women in Ndonga have confirmed that rural women are not just victims of water scarcity but that they are able to minimize the impact of this phenomenon. The strategy of Ubuntu ensures that women are able to share the minimum that they have with others in order to access equipment and secure food for the family during hard times. The women have also managed to conserve, Afrikaans: As gevolg van ’n waterskaarste in die wêreld en die effek daarvan op landelike vrouens is die doel van hierdie studie om landelike vrouens in Ndonga se strategieë en hulle rol om die waterskaarste te versag, te dokumenteer met die doel om ’n stel aanbevelings te verskaf. As gevolg van die feit dat vrouens se strategieë relatief onbekend is, is die studie verkennend van aard. Eerstens het die navorser bevestig dat daar ’n waterskaarste in Ndonga is. Die navorser het deur ’n literatuursoektog onderhoude met sleutelinformante en fokusgroepsessies met plaaslike vrouens bevind dat vrouens in Ndonga kwesbaar vir ’n waterskaarste is. Wat hulle gevoelig maak vir ’n waterskaarste is hulle status in die gemeenskap. Die vrouens word in die landelike gebiede agtergelaat, terwyl mans elders na werk gaan soek. Hulle het ook nie behoorlike toegang tot water nie en is dus van natuurlike hulpbronne afhanklik. Tweedens maak hulle ekonomiese status (meestal werkloos) dit ook vir hulle moeilik om vee- en oesverliese te hanteer. Hulle is ook kwesbaar omdat hulle nie aan die besluitnemingsprosesse deelneem nie. Die Suid-Afrikaanse regering se strategieë om waterskaarste te bekamp, sluit in dat hulle gratis basiese water aan arm huishoudings voorsien (hierdie proses verloop stadig in landelike gebiede soos Ndonga) en om alle watergebruikers by die bestuur van waterhulpbronne te betrek. Vrouens se plaaslike wysheid en kennis wat hulle deur ervaring en kulturele en etiese waardes verwerf het, behoort hulle te help om hulle eie toekoms te skep. Vrouens se strategieë om waterskaarste te hanteer, is tans grootliks ongeboekstaaf en word dus nie erken nie. Hierdie strategieë sou egter ’n moontlike oplossing vir die waterskaarsteprobleme kon wees. Die strategieë wat vrouens in Ndonga gebruik, bevestig dat landelike vrouens nie net slagoffers van ’n waterskaarste is nie, maar dat hulle in staat is om die impak van hierdie verskynsel te minimaliseer. As strategie verseker Ubuntu dat vrou, National Research Foundation (NRF)