To achieve gender balance in water and sanitation programming it is essential to address both the different needs of men and women, girls and boys, and the inequalities in access to and control over resources. This document presents in brief the importance of gender mainstreaming in water and sanitation projects, and a list of ten key points that can be used to check for gender equity in such programming. Two short case studies (one from Lesotho and one from Nepal) are used to highlight the importance of involving both women and men in project planning and implementation.