GenderMainstreamingInAction 2

GENDER MAINTREAMING IN ACTION ! GENDER MAINTREAMING IN ACTION !
GENDER MAINTREAMING IN ACTION
Gender Mainstreaming in Action

Successful Innovations from Asia and the Pacific
Published by InterActions Commission on the Advancement of Women & the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction
& the pacific
asia

Published by
InterActions Commission on the Advancement of Women International Institute of Rural Reconstruction
Published by InterActions Commission on the Advancement of Women (CAW) 1717 Massachuetts Ave, NW, Suite 701 Washington, DC 20036 United States !+1 (202) 6678227 !+1 (202) 6678236 www.interaction.org and the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) Y.C. James Yen Center Silang, Cavite The Philippines !+63 (46) 4142417 !+63 (46) 4142420 www.iirr.org
This publication was made possible through support provided by the Ford Foundation and the Office ofWomen and Development, EGAT/WID (Economic Growth,Agriculture, andTrade/Women in Development), United States Agency for International Development, under the terms of Cooperative Agreement GEW-A-00-03-00001-00. This publication has no copyrights. InterAction-CAW and IIRR encourage the use, translation, adaptation and copying of materials.Acknowledgments and citation will however be highly appreciated. Correct citation InterAction-CAW and IIRR. 2004. Gender Mainstreaming in Action: Successful Innovations from Asia and the Pacific. 248 pp. Printed in the Philippines ISBN 1-930261-12-8
Contents
v vi 1
Preface Acronyms Introduction Media, the Internet and the Arts
8 femTALK: Putting Media Production into the Hands of Women

FemLINKpacific The Republic of the Fiji Islands
18 OnlineWomen: Gateway to Sharing Information on Women in Politics

Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics the Philippines
26 Acting Out Womens Lives: Community Theater on Reproductive Health

Wan Smolbag Theatre Vanuatu
Community Mobilization
38 Better Life Options Program: Promoting Gender Equality through Empowerment and Health Services
CEDPA India
48 Mountain Womens Initiative: A Collective Approach to Sustainable Economic Development

Himalayan Action Research Centre India
62 Passing on the Gifts: A Holistic Approach to Gender and Development

Heifer Project International Nepal
74 Increasing Womens Participation in Public Dialogue: Learning Democracy by Doing

PACT Indonesia
88 Women Animators: The Key to Mobilizing Self-Reliant Development

The Hunger Project Bangladesh
Natural Resource Management

102 Empowered Women: A Study of Change Within the Forestry Department of Nepal
Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management Nepal
114 From the Government to the Community: Gender Programming in Crop Diversification
Winrock International Nepal
Contents continued
Preventing Violence Against Women
128 Community-based Initiative on Violence Against Women
CARE Bangladesh
140 Women-initiated Community Level Responses to Domestic Violence in India From Personal Suffering to Public Arbitration
International Center for Research on Women India
Transforming Organizations
158 Engendering the Bureaucracy: The Case of DENR in the Philippines
Department of Environment and Natural Resources the Philippines
168 Leading our Lives, Claiming our Destiny: PhilDHRRAs Gender Mainstreaming Experience
Lutheran World Relief The Philippines
Infrastructure Development
182 Building Gender Responsive Water User Associations
Asian Development Bank Nepal
194 Making Infrastructure Work for Women in Bangladesh

Asian Development Bank Bangladesh
Harnessing Professional Resources

208 Making Gender and Social Analysis Work for Natural Resource Management Research: An Umbrella Program for Building Researcher Capacity
International Development Research Centre China, India, Mongolia, Nepal, Vietnam
224 Helping Women Gain Voice and Visibility: Fostering Gender-Responsible Leadership in China
Winrock International China
Concluding Chapter
236 Gender Mainstreaming in Action: Successful Innovations from Asia and the Pacific 244
Participant List
Preface
In most countries of the Asia-Pacific region, relationships between women and men are embedded with glaring inequalities. Concerns about this situation are reflected in the program efforts of many development organizations working in the region. Women tend to fare poorly in relative terms compared with men even at the household level. Moreover, gender-based inequality is evident not only in the lack of opportunities for women to develop skills and talents, but also in more fundamental areas such as nutrition, health and survival. On a broader level, two-thirds of Asias poorest are women. In recent years, gender mainstreaming has emerged as a set of concrete ways to pro-actively promote gender equity. This involves two distinct, but inter-related, courses of action integrating women and their specific concerns and issues in the development process; and incorporating gender analysis in policy and program design, as a means of identifying the different interests and needs of males and females to enhance the effectiveness of international and national development agencies. Gender Mainstreaming in Action: Successful Innovations from Asia and the Pacific aims to highlight and draw attention to a number of innovative experiences from around the region which merit broader practice among development practitioners. It contains 18 case stories outlined in simple language and illustrations that feature practical experiences in gender mainstreaming at grassroots, program and institutional levels. Seventeen development organizations all of which are based in or working in the Asia-Pacific region have contributed to the publication. Roughly half of those case stories are drawn from the experiences of InterAction members, with the remaining cases coming from Asian organizations, or international organizations working in the region. The cases are derived from experiences in 10 countries, which have involved partnership-based collaboration among more than 100 other development partners in the region. Many of the experiences are also rooted in community-based efforts from dozens of rural communities from across the region. A team of professionals from InterActions Commission on the Advancement of Women (CAW) and the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) worked closely to design and coordinate the myriad efforts required to identify, craft and share the case stories contained in this volume. Direct funding support for this effort was provided by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Many other development agencies and donors have indirectly supported this publication and/or the experiences contained within, including:
" " " " " "
Asian Development Bank, Philippines CARE, USA CEDPA, USA CORDAID, The Netherlands The Ford Foundation, USA Heifer Project International, USA
" " " " " "
The Hunger Project, USA International Development Research Centre, Canada Lutheran World Relief, USA New Zealand Aid, New Zealand Pact, USA Winrock International, USA
We hope that every reader draws inspiration and finds practical value in the experiences from these case stories.
Mary E. McClymont President InterAction
Pratima Kale President International Institute of Rural Reconstruction
Acronyms
Acronyms
ADB: Asian Development Bank ADBN: Agriculture Development Bank of Nepal AFRHS: Adolescent Friendly Reproductive Health Services AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome AIT: Asian Institute of Technology ARH: adolescent reproductive health ASK: Ain o Shalish Kendro AT: animators training ATFM: animator training follow-up meeting BGMS: Bharatiya Grameen Mahila Sangh BLAST: Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust BLP: Better Life Options Program CAPACITY: Womens Capacity Building & Rural Development Program CAPWIP: Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics CBNRM: community-based natural resource management CBO: community based organization CCL: cash credit limit CDP: Crop Diversification Project CEDAW: UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women CEDPA: Centre for Development and Population Activities CENRO: Community Environment and Natural Resources Office CGIAR: Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research DADO: District Agricultural Development Office DAO: Department Administrative Order DAW: Division for the Advancement of Women DBM: Department of Budget and Management, Goverment of the Philippines (GOP) DENR: Department of Environment and Natural Resources (GOP) DFID: Department for International Development (UK) DISCUSS: Democracy Initiative through Sustainable Community Discussions DLS: Department of Livestock Services DOF: Department of Forestry (Nepal) DOI: Department of Irrigation DPCS: Development Pioneer Consulting Service DSI: Dinajpur SafeMother Initiative DV: domestic violence ECREA: Ecumenical Centre for Research Education and Advocacy EIS: environmental impact statement ENR: environment and natural resources vi
Acronyms
FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FDPA: Fiji Disabled Peoples Association FemLINK: FemLINKpacific FGD: focus group discussion FGWF: Farmers Group Welfare Fund FLE: Family Life Education FT: field team FWRM: Fiji Womens Rights Movement GAA: General Appropriations Act (GOP) GAD: gender and development GADFP: gender and development focal person GAD-TC: GAD Thematic Committee GAP: gender action plan GFP: gender focal person GO: government organization GP: group promoter GRP: gender responsive planning GS: gender specialist GST: gender sensitivity training HARC: Himalayan Action Research Centre Hb: hemoglobin HCMC: Ho Chi Minh City HIV: human Immuno-deficiency virus HLFFDP: Hills Leasehold Forestry and Forage Development Project HP: Himachal Pradesh HRM: Halcrow Rural Management IAAS: Institute for Agriculture and Animal Sciences ICDDR: International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh ICRW: International Center for Research on Women ICT: information and communications technology IDRC: International Development Research Centre IEC: information, education and communication (DENR) IFA: iron folic acid IFAD: International Fund for Agricultural Development IGP: Income Generating Program IMTP: Irrigation Management Transfer Project Inj. TT: injection tetanus toxoid IPHC: Institute of Primary Health Care ISF: irrigation service fee JT: junior technician
vii
Acronyms
JTA: junior technician assistant KMS: Kisan Mazdoor Samiti KPH: Kam Pushem Hed KRA: key result area KSA: knowledge, skills and attitude LCS: labor contracting societies LFI: leadership for impact LGED: Local Government Engineering Department LGU: local government unit LH: Local Hosts LHG: Leasehold Forestry Group LI-BIRD: Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development LWR: Lutheran World Relief MASS-SPECC: Mindanao Alliance of Self-Help Societies, Inc. Southern Philippines Educational Cooperative Center MFSC: Ministry of Forests and Soil Conversation MMC: market management committees MOAC: Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives MOFECO: Misamis Oriental Federation of Cooperatives, Philippines MP: Mahila Panch (womens council) MS: Mahila Samakhya NA: Nari Adalat (womens court) NABARD: National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development NARC: Nepal Agricultural Research Council NCRFW: National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women NEN: Northeast Network NEPED: Nagaland Environmental Protection and Economic Development NGO: non-government organization NOA: networks of advisors NPWA: National Policy for Womens Advancement NRM: natural resource management O&M: operation and maintenance OD: organizational development P2K: Persatuan Perempuan Kreatif PAMB: Protected Area Management Board PBKMS: Paschim Benga Khet Mazdoor Samity (union of agricultural laborers) PCU: Project Coordination Unit PHC: primary health center PhilDHRRA: Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas PHL: Partnership for Healthy Life
viii
Acronyms
PICT: project implementation consultancy team PIME: planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation PIU: project implementation unit PME: participatory monitoring & evaluation POG: Passing on the Gift PRA: Participatory Rural/Rapid Appraisal PRGA: participatory research and gender analysis PRIG: project implementation guidelines PRPW: project review and planning workshop PSC: project steering committee PSRP: Participatory Self-Review and Planning PTWG: Program Technical Working Group PVC: polyvinyl chloride RA: Republic Act RH: reproductive health RTIs: reproductive tract infection RTWG: Regional Technical Working Group SA/GA: social analysis/gender analysis SARS: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome SEEPORT: Socio-economic, Environmental and Political Research Team SMS: Shramajeebi Mahila Samiti (womens agricultural labor organization) SP: Solidaritas Perempuan (Womens Solidarity for Human Rights) SPD: Society for Partners in Development SPREP: South Pacific Regional Environment Program SPYM: Society for the Promotion of Youth and Masses SSC: secondary school certificate STI: sexually transmitted infection STWSSP: Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Project SUB: The Sustainable Use of Biodiversity THP: The Hunger Project TOVT: training of volunteer trainers TRIDP: Third Rural Infrastructure Development Project TWCW: Technical Working Committee on Women UCC: Union Council complexes UCs: Union Councils UNDP: United Nations Development Programme UNFPA: United Nations Fund Population Activities UNIFEM: UN Development Fund for Women UP: union parishad
ix
Acronyms
UP: Uttar Pradesh USAID: United States Agency for International Development VAW: violence against women VCAW: vision, commitment and action workshop VDC: Village Development Committee VMG: vision, mission, and goal WFDD: Women Farmers Development Division WFG: womens facilitator group WGCC: Womens Group Coordination Committee WHO: World Health Organization WID: women in development WiLD: Women in Livestock Development WIP: women in politics WMS: Womens Market Section WOCAN: Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management WSB: Wan Smolbag Theatre WUAs: water user associations YWCA: Young Womens Christian Association
Introduction
Patricia T. Morris, Ph.D.
Background
In the past three decades, international conventions that have focused on gender equality, such as the Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Beijing Fourth Womens Conference Platform for Action, have stimulated global efforts to analyze the state of gender equality and the impact of public policy and action. While the perspective of gender equality as a human rights and social justice issue remains strong, gender mainstreaming is now recognized as crucial to the achievement of sustainable people-centered development. Thus, many development organizations have embarked on innovative approaches to ensure gender equality, as part of their programs. In spite of many achievements, more efforts are required to reduce the gender gap in Asia and the Pacific. Along with the traditional challenges of achieving improvements in womens health, education, access to credit and income generating opportunities, development practitioners in Asia and the Pacific have sought to engender mainstream development sectors, including national infrastructure, irrigation, forestry and natural resources, the media, Internet technology and connectivity, enterprise development, scientific research and development institutions themselves. One of the ways to help accelerate development interventions that address the above challenges in these new areas is to provide development practitioners with examples of programs that have made an impact on womens lives and have promoted gender equality. Though there are numerous analytical studies related to many aspects of gender mainstreaming in Asia and the Pacific, there is a lack of simplified, readily available documentation from across the region of best practices based on real organizational and community level experiences. The contributions in this volume focus on innovative implementation strategies that is, the what and how of the approaches used to promote gender equality. Each case story concludes with a set of recommendations for adaptation or replication in hopes that the lessons chronicled within will be taken up by development practitioners who wish to facilitate similar social change in the communities and organizations they work. Thus, this volume on innovative practices for gender mainstreaming in Asia and the Pacific was designed to fill the resource void by documenting key best practices that can be replicated by development practitioners. This book is the result of collaboration between InterActions Commission on the Advancement of Women (CAW) based in the United States, and the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) with its headquarters in the Philippines. Gender Mainstreaming in Action is the second installment in a series of InterAction publications that chronicle the ways InterAction members and their partners are taking action to integrate gender equality in programs and organizational processes and structures. The first installment, Stories of Equitable Development: Innovative Practices from Africa featured best practices in gender mainstreaming from Africa.
Introduction
A Co-Creative Process
This collection of innovative gender mainstreaming practices is the outcome of a participatory, co-creative process IIRR calls a writeshop. Writeshops are designed to address the existing need for concise documentation of innovative approaches and practices. Participants in the writeshop that led to the development of this book were development professionals/practitioners experienced in gender issues representing various institutions working with civil society, educational institutions, government and donor organizations. After engaging in a process of online consultation, review and networking, participants convened in a 13-day writeshop together with artists, desktop publishers and editors. Each writer/author or team of writers/authors presented their best practices papers and received comments from fellow participants. The consultation and comments among the authors/writers were reflective and constructive and provided all participants with the opportunity to learn the kinds of information fellow practitioners would need to know should they choose to replicate the gender mainstreaming strategies presented. Every aspect of the book content, format, structure, illustrations and graphics - was jointly deliberated and decided on by the authors and the production team. This intensive collaboration not only strengthened the cases you find here, but re-energized writeshop participants and reminded them of the value of their own efforts to promote equitable and effective development.
The innovative strategies provide insights into sectors rarely touched by gender mainstreaming. Strategies for invoking the power of the media, the Internet and the arts are presented. The cases on community mobilization are filled with what we call implementation gems. Techniques for incorporating a gender equality perspective in natural resource management are also included. Tradition-based strategies for curbing violence against women are highlighted and effective methods for mainstreaming gender equality in organizations are introduced. Systems for integrating gender equality in infrastructure development are shared and approaches to harnessing the skills of development professionals in support of gender equality are chronicled.
Media, the Internet and the Arts

In the first case story, femTALK: Putting Media Production Into the Hands of Women, Henry Rigamoto and Sharon Rolls tell the story of how femLINK Pacific used a community media approach to train Fijian women in radio and video production. This approach empowered women to share their stories and to work in partnership with production teams to develop powerful media projects. Radio and video productions have been aired widely and have increased the publics awareness of womens issues and interests and the role gender equality plays in national development. In OnlineWomen: Gateway to Sharing Information on Women in Politics, Jose Maria O. Dimaandal and Eliza J. Villarino provide the details of how the Center for Asian Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP) used the Internet to promote women in politics, leadership and decision-making. Their innovative use of information and communications technology has linked women and men in the region with partners across the world in efforts to support and ensure that women have an equal voice with men in governance. In the next case story Acting Out Womens Lives Through Community Theater, Peter Walker and
Engendering Mainstream Engendering the Mainstream

The case stories in this book are examples of how development organizations in Asia and the Pacific are working to make mainstream development sectors gender sensitive by incorporating the differing needs and interests of women and men in their development efforts. The cases also highlight how the contributors organizations have used innovative approaches to eliminate gender discriminatory policies and practices.
2
Introduction
Jo Dorras chronicle the story of Wan Smolbag Theater in Vanuatu and the theater groups use of drama to create community awareness and action through dramatic pieces out of real experiences of people in the community. The group walks us through the artistic process and shows us how their community theater resulted in the establishment of a drop in reproductive community health center.
In Better Life Options Program: Promoting Gender Equality through Empowerment and Health Services, Arundhati Mishra and Tina Ravi from the Center for Population and Development Activities (CEDPA) India use adolescent friendly health services to address the health care needs of boys and girls. The Better Life Program has not only met health targets, it has also increased health awareness levels, self confidence, and transformed gender-based expectations and relationship patterns among young men and women. In Mountain Womens Initiative: A Collective Approach to Sustainable Economic Development, Chaya Kunwar and Kuldeep Uniyal from the Himalayan Action Research Center, highlight how their organization used a collective economic development model to help womens cooperatives harness their resources to build a viable marketing enterprise. The models success has led to its replication by a range of international development organizations across many parts of India. In Passing on the Gift: A Holistic Approach to Gender and Development , Surya Laxmi Bajracharya of Heifer Nepal documents the tranformative impact the Heifer Cornerstones and practice of Passing on the Gift have on women in Nepal. The organization uses this unique approach to help female recipients and their families become donors by passing on the first offspring of animals they have received as part of the integrated and holistic cornerstones program.
In Increasing Womens Participation in Public Dialogue: Learning Democracy by Doing, Angela McClain and Dan Spelman of PACT walk us through the implementation of PACTs DISCUSS project in Indonesia. The project strengthened the capacity of PACTs local NGO partners to increase womens participation in public discussions. DISCUSS resulted in an increase in the proportion of gender issues on civil societys agenda and more gender balanced public deliberations and advocacy. In Women Animators: The Key to Mobilizing Self-Reliant Development, Saif Uddin Musef and Subvina Monir Chithi of the Hunger Project Bangladesh highlight the catalytic role an individual can play in mobilizing a community. The authors take us through the details of the Hunger Projects Women Animator training program and share the story of Hasna Hena and her pivotal role in the emergence of Gokorno Union, a community based organization that is in the forefront of the communitys development.
Resource Management Natural Resource Management

In Empowered Women: A Study of Change Within the Forestry Department of Nepal , Jeannette D. Gurung, Kancha Lama, and Manohara Khadka of the Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (WOCAN) record how local community women called group promoters supported by gender advisors increased rural womens participation in natural resource and environmental projects and transformed government official perspectives and responses to the participation of rural women and men in natural resource management. In From the Government to the Community: Gender Programming in Crop Diversification, Dr. Milan Adhikary of Winrock International describes how the organizations Crop Diversification Project used gender analysis and gender programming strategies to increase womens participation in farmer groups, agrobusiness and built the capacity of gendersensitive male and female extension teams.
Introduction
Prev eventing Violence Against Women Preventing Violence Against Women

In Community-based Initiative on Violence Against Women, Jannatul Mawa and Mushin Siddiquey of CARE Bangladesh describe how CARE harnessed traditional structures like the shalishi , a traditional arbitration mediation mechanism, and village drama by youth groups to enhance community awareness of womens and human rights issues and to reduce the prevalence and social acceptance of violence against women. Numerous village level fora and an arbitration system are in place to sustain new awareness levels. In Women-initiated Community Level Responses to Domestic Violence in India: From Personal Suffering to Public Arbitration, Nata Duvvury, Anuradha Rajan and Nadita Bhatla of the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) highlight the emergence of a womencentered community arbitration system in India and how womens courts have used the approach to insert womens voices and perspectives in the arbitration process. The womens courts are widely used and women report a reduction in domestic violence, and an increase in respect and self-esteem. The womens courts themselves have gained stature and prominence even as they have included a feminist legal perspective into a traditional structure.
In Leading Our Lives and Claiming Our Destiny: The GAD Mainstreaming Experience of PhilDHRAA, Gilda Echavez of Lutheran World Relief Philippines walks us through the process a NGO network, PhilDHRAA, implemented to lead and provide support for the gender mainstreaming efforts of its NGO members. This case introduces the reader to PhilDHRAAs gender mainstreaming framework, its seven level GAD Continuum, and the tools used to design and evaluate member NGO progress in gender mainstreaming.
In Building Gender Responsive Water User Associations, Tulin Akin Pulley chronicles the Asia Development Banks Irrigation Management Transfer project in Nepal. The case highlights how building a project structure, which at the core is based on gender responsive user associations, can lead to improved irrigation management, cost recovery and agricultural production as well as womens empowerment. In Making Infrastructure Work for Women in Bangladesh, Tulin Akin Pulley describes how the Asia Development Banks Gender Action Plan for Bangladeshs Third Rural Infrastructure Development Project enhanced the project. The Gender Action Plan includes the establishment of Womens Market Sections, and womens involvement in employment, road construction, maintenance, tree planting, and gender sensitive infrastructure design. These interventions resulted in increased mobility and access to markets for women and to their greater participation in local governance.
Org Transforming Organizations

In Engendering the Bureaucracy: The Case of DENR, Yolanda Benitez-Gomez and Llarina S. Mojica of the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources document the gender mainstreaming process used in a government department. The authors review the four entry points used to mainstream gender equality in the government department. By designing interventions in all four areas-people, policies, enabling environment and programs the department has become more gender sensitive and is able to meet calls of national legislation for women and men to be full and equal partners in development and nation building.

In Making Gender and Social Analysis Work for Natural Resource Management Research: An Umbrella Program for Building Researcher Capacity, Ronnie Vernooy and Liz Fajber of the International Development Research Centre highlights a novel umbrella capacity building program designed to strengthen the capacity of natural resources researchers to apply gender and social analysis in their work. Training,
Introduction
action research and a learning stories project have been used to build researcher capacity, the capacity of their home institutions, and to support gender-sensitive natural resource research projects in China, India, Mongolia, Nepal and Vietnam. In Helping Women Gain Voice and Visibility: Fostering Gender-Responsible Leadership In China, Rose Bautista of Winrock International describes how the organization used its capacity leadership development model and Chrysalis, its leadership for impact training model, to train a cadre of 100 professional women from the Yunnan and Guizhou provinces of China to address rural womens needs. The training has resulted in action plans designed to meet the needs of rural women and to facilitate partnership among professional and rural women.
approaches shared are integrated and holistic in nature. Each case story shows how a combination of strategies is skillfully used to integrate a gender equality perspective in mainstream development sectors and to ensure sustainability of results. It is InterActions and IIRRs hope that Gender Mainstreaming in Action: Successful Innovations from Asia and the Pacific will benefit development practitioners, NGOs, donor organizations and government agencies seeking to mainstream gender equality in their work, and that the lessons learned in Asia and the Pacific will lead to further efforts to engender mainstream development.
Mainstreaming Innovations
What you will learn from the innovations chronicled in this volume is that mainstream development sectors can be made equitable and effective. The case stories here show that in order to make that happen development institutions themselves must be transformed through the use of gender focal points and gender action plans; that the community women and men must be at the center of project design and that women must be accorded voice and decision-making power; that it is important to build partnerships between technical professionals and rural women to ensure that these two crucial stakeholders learn from each other and jointly inform the design of development interventions; that natural resource management projects and infrastructure development can be made more effective and efficient when womens needs and their full participation are taken into account; and that the benefits of years of successful development work can be easily lost if violence against women is allowed to increase. As you review the case stories included in this volume you will see that while each case stands on its own, the gender mainstreaming
Media, the Internet and the Arts
P R o F I L E
Organization
femLINKpacific
Country Authors Contact
The Republic of the Fiji Islands
Henry Rigamoto Sharon Rolls
P.O. Box 2439 Government Building Suva, Fiji Islands !679-3316290 !679-3301925 "femlinkpac@connect.com.fj
Mission
femLINKpacific works closely with local and regional women's organizations to create spaces for discussion of peace, and other issues that are important to Fiji women, through the development, production and distribution of community media.
fem'TALK: Putting Media Production Into the Hands of Women
Introduction to media initiatives for women

femLINKpacific's Media Initiative for Women and fem'TALK community media productions and initiatives were born out of a response to the civil coup of May 2000, when perpetrators stormed into the parliament complex of the capital of Fiji while parliament was in session and seized control of the country. There was a perceived lack of participation of women in the mainstream media's response to the coup, thus pointing to a need for women's participation in media. With this need in mind, femLINKpacific decided to implement the concept of community media in order to give voice to women's views.1
Community media
In the Fiji context, community media involves media production that maintains a participatory approach at every step of the production process. This means that the stakeholders, being the women and their communities, are engaged at all stages of the production process: designing the interviews and topics for discussions, the recording, editing, and planning for the presentation of the stories to other communities. In this case study, we examine the process that femLINKpacific used for implementing community media. The process included developing and producing a series of "femTALK" community videos and radio programs, as well as printed and internet materials, all through a process of accessing, documenting and eventually producing and distributing community media initiatives1.
The community media projects described here were funded by New Zealand Aid in 2002 and 2003.
Situational analysis of Fiji: Women and the media
Fiji's recent political history of internal conflicts has brought about racial tensions between indigenous Fijians and resident Indians as well as new social and economic problems. These new issues translated into a need for people and communities to articulate their views on issues and stories, and thereby participate in the social and political development processes. Although the media should be an important channel of information flow to and from the community, there is very little community involvement in either radio or television production. For a small country with a population of three-quarters of a million people, Fiji has a relatively extensive media infrastructure. While newspapers are a primary source of information in Fiji, television claims to reach 80% of the population; but radio probably has the highest rate of penetration into Fiji's homes and grassroots communities.2 Due to recent privatization of government assets, radio, in particular the national broadcaster, has lost much of its public service ethos to mostly music-heavy programming with little thought provoking reporting. Fiji Media Watch (a local NGO) has noted that, due to the onslaught of commercial media in the last decade, there is both a need to conduct comprehensive research to analyze the impact of television and radio media on local cultures, and to also assist in the creation of more local program content. Otherwise, many of the small island communities will end up knowing more about foreign cultures through imported programs, thereby devaluing domestic culture and local issues. Even though both men and women have equal access to the media, there is a term often used by female media activists: "manstream media," to state the dominance of male composition in almost all aspects of the media industry. According to the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), "In Fiji, there is actually no national policy on women/gender and the media.3 Despite advancements made by women in Fiji, especially in greater access to education and employment opportunities as well as the increased capacity of predominantly urban-based women's groups and NGOs, the traditional decisionmaking structure does not allow women to communicate openly on matters of public concern. The predominantly volunteer-based women's groups have thus far not been very successful in negotiating adequate 'space' in the mainstream media to share their viewpoints and issues with a wider audience. Furthermore, women in rural communities, poor women and women with disabilities are especially invisible to the mainstream media.
2 3
Lynda Duncan, Pacific Journalism Review June 2002, p.10-11. United Nations website, online discussion of Participation and access of women to the media and their impact on and use as an instrument for the advancement and empowerment of women (26 August to 27 September 2002) www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/egm/media2002/reports/week1.html
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femLINKpacific | The Republic of the Fiji Islands
Objectives of femLINKpacific's community media initiatives

#
It is in the above-described environment that femLINKpacific attempts to do the following: Empower women to understand their social, political and civil rights and assist them to understand how these principles of human rights impact on their daily lives and the lives of women just like them in communities across Fiji. Provide women's groups around Fiji with an advocacy and awareness tool that will assist them in devising appropriate strategies for action to address their concerns and problems, in particular the social issues linked with the rise in poverty at their local community level, and at the national level. Share critical areas of concern with government and with development and civil society partners in order to assist them in developing a better appreciation and understanding of the perspective of the women's movement and the women's peace movement in Fiji4. Contribute to the process of racial reconciliation in Fiji through common stories and experiences of women from various communities in an effort to breakdown the barriers that lead to racial intolerance.
The process used by femLINKpacific
femLINKpacific has had to 'trial' a lot of its work, since it is one of the first women's media NGOs of this kind in Fiji. The project has had to learn about developing community-centered media production practices that would be inclusive of many sectors of society, while being cost-effective. Despite a dearth of models to follow, femLINKpacific has established a process for accessing, documenting and eventually producing and distributing community media initiatives. The process is summarized as follows: a A Coordinator was elected for the overall project whose duties included listening to and including the opinions of all involved, and developing project documents while being responsible for fund-raising. b femLINKpacific began by networking extensively with existing local women's groups to identify key gender experts. A series of meetings was convened with the experts; they were presented with the concept idea, and were asked for their advice and inputs on how best to put the concept of community media into practice. femLINKpacific received some good advice from this exercise. For example, Shelley Rao of the Ecumenical Centre for Research, Education & Advocacy (ECREA) shared how it would be far more effective to just let the women tell their stories while femLINKpacific guides the discussion. In addition, the Fiji Disabled People's Association
4
The women's peace movement was formed from the "Blue Ribbon Peace Vigil." This initiative involved the women getting together at regular intervals, wearing a blue ribbon and praying together for democracy and in remembrance on the 2000 civil crisis. Successful Innovations from Asia and the Pacific
11
(FDPA) women's group explained issues relating to women with disabilities and how FDPA would like to see these issues portrayed in media. Such experts also helped the producers to understand policy matters, which was very important, for example in the making of a video about nurses that involved explaining the situations in which they work. The information that came out of initial meetings, while not necessarily included in the final edit of the story, in some cases was featured in the news bulletins, and in other cases was helpful to the production team in understanding the issues better. c Stories and interviews have been used in video and radio programs, as well as in a fem'TALK monthly E-news bulletin, and the fem'TALK community magazine. These publications also contain information about femLINKpacific's video and radio dissemination activities with communities.
The first training workshop produced radio recordings including, recordings of women in a local market voicing their concerns and a recording of a roundtable discussion on poverty.
d Training workshops were held to create awareness about community media and to increase understanding about the role of mainstream media. The workshops helped femLINKpacific learn about community concerns. Initially, these workshops were held only for women, but since early 2004, men have been included. The first community radio workshop also developed the media skills of three young project staff. These young staff utilized the training they received by going out to communities and recording women talking about topics of concern, such as education for children with disabilities. They used the recordings to produce radio programs and articles for the news bulletins. E In addition to formal training exercises, the femTALK 89.2 FM mobile womens community radio project was established to give women a "safe space" to articulate and exchange viewpoints on issues such as violence and justice. To do this, a small mobile radio unit was taken out to the communities. The producers then discussed with the women how these recordings of their views could be used for live broadcasting or as prerecorded voices for future programming, and how their issues could be transformed into policy initiatives through advocacy with the Ministry of Women. F Women subjects for feature stories were located through existing women's NGOs. Introductions from NGOs with whom the women were familiar was important for building women's trust. During an initial meeting with them, the women were asked to contribute ideas and inputs with regards to the interview topic. Contributions and buy-in from all of the women involved is important for the women to feel a sense of ownership of the story. It also means that the women interviewees will be familiar and
5
These community media projects were funded by New Zealand Aid in 2002 and 2003. The womens peace movement was formed from the Blue Ribbon Peace Vigil. This initiative involved the women getting together at regular intervals, wearing a blue ribbon and praying together for democracy and in remembrance on the 2000 civil crisis.
6
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comfortable with the production expectations and they will be confident that their stories will be treated with respect. The process of getting these introductions to the women and getting feedback from them was conducted in an unhurried but efficient manner, such that the producers did not simply show up at their door and say "tell us your story." The time allotted for such introductions allowed the women to discuss the subject of their stories with their families, as well as gave the producers a chance to explain the production process, especially considering that oftentimes filming takes an entire day. It is also important to explain to the women how the videos and news bulletins are distributed, so they know who will be watching or reading the stories and why. G In addition to initial meetings with the women, there were also viewing and discussion sessions, after the video had been completed. These were important as a way to get some initial responses to the videos from the women themselves, as well as their families and other stakeholders. H The videos, once produced, are distributed to various sectors of Fiji society, such as the religious groups, women's groups and community stakeholders. i A mobile radio unit makes visits, once a month, to remote communities to broadcast the radio productions, and the broadcast is usually followed by facilitation of a community discussion.7 j Regular media action alerts and statements using findings from interviews have been sent to the mainstream media to increase their awareness of women's issues and initiatives.
Examples of community productions
The following examples from the fem'TALK community video series, were aired on Fiji Television Limited. The videos were broadcast as a special series around International Women's Day 2003.
This project component was recently added and has only been carried out in the past few months of 2004. Successful Innovations from Asia and the Pacific
13
Women's Civil Society: Balancing the scales

Awarded the "Fiji Human Rights Commission Television Prize" for World Media Freedom Day 2003, Balancing the Scales uses female legal rights training officers of the Fiji Women's Rights Movement (FWRM), Seema Naidu and Susana Naivaqa, as examples of members of a new generation of NGO activists and advocates. The video shows that there are many women's groups, clubs and organizations working to make positive changes, building on successes of the past and nurturing a positive future for the next generation - how women's civil society is collectively working to balance the scales.
em'TALK: features three Fem'TALK: "Day in the Life" series features three video stories:
1 Mothers labor: A day at the Nausori Maternity Unit Hospital.
This video highlights the role played by the nursing union in addressing workers issues, specifically the issue of working mothers' dual time commitments to work and home. The video features working mothers talking about the problems they have in balancing their time between work and home. According to one of the working mothers at the maternity unit, she is grateful for the work that the trade union does, ".because with one voice nobody will hear you but at least there is somebody, a group fighting for us, because with what we are doing I have no time to go and fight for our rights outside this work area. My whole day is committed here; with the union at least there's somebody looking after our rights."
2 Look at my ability: Litia's story
Education of young women provides a basic foundation for their future, including their chance to seek and secure favorable employment. Such is the case of Litia, a woman with physical disabilities. Litia was lucky enough to get an education and now runs a vocational school, and is also a mother. As we celebrate Litia's personal accomplishments, her story also highlights the issue of education and employment for persons with disabilities, in particular the special education needs of children with disabilities.
3 Sumintra's story
Due to local conditions, Sumintra is only able to leave the house once a week to join her friends at the local Kindergarten Mother's Club. Sumintra's day revolves around her family, who live in the cane farming area of Votualevu in Nadi. Her story provides us with a personal insight into a family's experience in dealing with the current land tenure situation and other growing concerns for women, particularly those living in rural settlements:
Sumintras Sumintras account

"Nowadays wherever you look, houses have shutters on windows and the gates are locked; in my area all the houses have locked gates because the ladies of the house stay home. Yeah all the ladies stay home and the husbands go to work and for our own safety we have to shut the gate and stay inside... There are a lot of displaced families in Votualevu and its not that farmers have a lot of money, because you only have to listen to the news to see that the farmers are struggling."
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According to Litia: " to me, what I see is a big gap from simple childhood to vocational. Those supposed to go to vocational centers, from there are supposed to go to normal schools but because with the disabilities that they have, they can't go further, so to me, its good to make a special school for them so that they can carry on with their educationbefore they reach the vocational school at the Fiji Rehabilitation Centre in Suva. "
Conclusion
The Media Initiative for Women encourages community participation in media production in order to highlight women's roles and concerns in society. femLINKpacific's continuous production process has been increasing public awareness of women's issues and perspectives through encouraging dialogue by bringing video and radio production to the community level, through dissemination of the final products to communities, and by facilitating community discussion. The potential for community media has been demonstrated both by interest on the part of mainstream media, and by an increase in womens participation and empowerment.
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LESSONS LEARNED
$ Although many communities have experienced a new kind of dialogue on women's
concerns, the reach has been limited. Greater investment in field trips is needed so as to reach more rural women.
$ In the context of Fiji, it is vital to deal with racial tensions and more meetings that
are multi-racial in nature should be organized, rather than inviting only people from one ethnic group.
$ Having the process be witnessed by men, for example family members of women
interviewees, was educational for the men in that it enabled them to realize the need for women to be given the chance to voice their opinion openly.
$ The media production process must allow for time to work at the community groups'
pace, especially in the Fiji context where rushing is not culturally acceptable. It is important to make time for consultations with the women's groups and the NGOs. This issue of time also needs to be communicated to donors/funders.
$ The initial visits to the communities in which the project and production plans
were discussed gave the producers an important opportunity to do some preliminary filming that can otherwise be time-consuming.
$ Introductions to women interviewees that came from NGOs whom the women trusted
was important for creating an atmosphere of trust between the producers, and the women and their families during the interview process.
$ Chronicling women's voices and perspectives through media creates a powerful

image such that the mainstream media often becomes interested in the final product. For this reason, although mainstream media may not be willing to invest in the media production process, it is important to keep them updated on productions because they might show interest in broadcasting them.
$ Young people were included in the project so that they could become community
media producers and advocates, and so that they could learn about the 'space' that women in their own communities need to better articulate their issues. The young people reported feeling empowered by the training.
$ In general, in Fiji, there is still a need for more media literacy; not just about the
need for mainstream media to incorporate more local concerns, but also about opportunities for community media and women's involvement.
P R o F I L E
Organization Country
Asia-Pacific
Center for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP)
Authors Contact
Jose Maria O. Dimaandal Eliza J. Villarino
4227-4229 Tomas Claudio Street, Baclaran Paraaque City, Philippines !632 832 0680/832 2112 !632 832 2263 "capwip@capwip.org www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org
Mission
The Center for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP) is a regional non-partisan, non-profit and non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to promoting equal participation of women in politics and decision-making. CAPWIP was established in 1992 by a group of women from the Asia-Pacific region who share a vision of governance that affirms gender equality, integrity and accountability, excellence, sustainable development and peace. CAPWIP advocates transformative politics: the use of power to create change towards economic, social and political equity between sexes and among sectors within the context of shaping a society that is just, humane and promotes a sustainable way of life.
OnlineWomen: Gateway to Sharing Information on Women in Politics

Background
The concept of promoting women in politics, leadership and decision-making in the Asia-Pacific region is new. The Center for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP), a regional non-profit organization promoting equal participation of women in politics and decision-making based in the Philippines, is itself about 12 years old, having been formed in 1992. When CAPWIP started to promote the concept of Women in Politics (WIP), even the United Nations called our attention and said that we could not use the word politics; instead we should use the word leadership. Gender biases still prevailed, and the use of the word politics invited controversy, demonstrating the many hurdles CAPWIP faced at its conception. In the 1994 First Asia-Pacific Women in Politics Congress organized and sponsored by CAPWIP, the representativesall three hundred of them representing women from all walks of life worked for three days to ponder the questions, Why women? What politics? The issue boiled down to something more basic: Should we use the word politics or leadership? Eventually, women leaders and WIP activists in that Congress decided to use the word politics instead of leadership. In fact, we agreed that we should claim it!
CAPWIP and other organizations supporting the promotion of womens participation in politics found very little data and information on women in politics. The volume of data on women in leadership or womens leadership is small, but as a newer concept, the number written on women in politics was even less. Only a handful of individuals and organizations have access to these materials. In 2001, sensing the urgency for quality information on women in politics to be available in one user-friendly and easy to find website, CAPWIPs female Executive Director conceived of a project that would help organize and collect data about women in politics. CAPWIP centralized this diverse data, processed the information and put it in a single website: OnlineWomen OnlineWomen (www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org).
Gateway to Sharing Information on Women in Politics
At that time, utilizing the power of information and communication technology (ICT) was already part of the strategies of some civil society organization to enhance their development work. The Internet provided them with cheaper and faster means of communication. While some took advantage of the power of the Internet, women, again were being left out. Not surprisingly, some studies revealed that aside from the inadequate ICT literacy of women, there was very limited material on the Internet on the subject of women in general. Although some womens websites maintain information, resources and databases, materials related to women in politics, leadership and governance are hard to find online. OnlineWomen provided a central space for data and information focused on womens participation in politics, leadership and governance. The website also houses materials on various issues, specifically the 12 areas of concern of the Beijing Platform for Action, which aid female and male politicians in formulating policies on women. Through a listserve, an electronic mailing list, OnlineWomen also distributes the data and information it gathers to hundreds of members in the region and worldwide.
Begum Khaleda Zia Prime Minister, Bangladesh
Goal
The project primarily aimed to develop the advocacy and leadership capacity of female politicians at all levels of governance by providing a digital working space for Asian and Pacific women leaders to share and exchange knowledge and information. Specifically, the project supports the capacity building of sub-regional affiliates of CAPWIP in their training and advocacy activities by establishing and maintaining a virtual resource center on women in politics and governance, thus creating a virtual community of women as well as men from the region who believe in getting involved in shaping their own future. CAPWIP provides female and male politicians and activists with the following services:
#
Just wanted to say that I think (Online Women) is terrific, informative, global, and in the context of the ongoing struggle for gender equalitybalanced.
Elizabeth Darlison Director The Miller Group Australia
Information on successful advocacy for gender responsive electoral reforms, legal frameworks, development planning and resource allocation. Information, online training and referral services through an electronic information resource network.
Process of implementing the project

1 In the beginning
The CAPWIP sub-regional affiliates took the lead in collation of materials on women in politics, governance, and decision-making, including experiences and synthesis of lessons learned, training modules, statistics and other relevant data and information. They also maintained the sub-regional databases of good practices, training manuals, rosters of trainers and resource persons, and other information
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Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP)| Asia-Pacific
and resources. These sub-regional databases are linked electronically with the regional database which is maintained by CAPWIP personnel. The project provided each sub-regional resource center with desktop computers including modems and printers to be used exclusively for the electronic information network.
2 Overcoming difficulties
Although CAPWIP was able to provide its sub-regional affiliates with the necessary hardware, the project did not begin at once because of the following:
#
Beyond their ability to access email and the Internet, the affiliates lacked knowledge on proper use of email and the processing of data into useful information. Budget for the project was limited to the provision of necessary hardware to the sub-regional affiliates and did not include the hiring of full-time personnel for the development and creation of databases. The foreign consultant hired for the project was based in Bangkok, which made it difficult to organize the materials gathered.
To address these problems, CAPWIP hired an experienced local content development officer and a female technical assistant to organize and manage all the information for the development of the site. The content development officer was an experienced cyber-news writer and the technical assistant holds a Masters degree in Computer Science. The project also hired technical people to train the sub-regional offices on setting up their own websites, the use of email and processing of information.
I find the bulletin interesting and relevant. It would be good to have continuous updates on women issues and their involvement in leadership positions. Its of particular interest to me being a journalist, to know how women in other parts of the world are handling some of the critical issues.
Glory Mushinge Freelance journalist/Vice chairperson, Media ICT Network for Development (MIND), Zambia
Promoting OnlineWomen 3 Promoting OnlineWomen

Upon the development of the OnlineWomen website, CAPWIP soon realized the need to promote the website so that users in the region and around the world would know about it. First, it registered the website in various search engines. Then, it established links with existing major womens websites. The most important approach employed was the use of a listserve, an electronic mailing list. The mailing list was created through networking, referrals and voluntary requests for subscriptions. Through electronic mailing OnlineWomen distributes a weekly electronic bulletin that announces new uploads and relevant articles and events to over 2,000 email addresses worldwide. The mailing list contributed to a major increase in site visits and facilitated feedback from visitors.
4 Instituting improvements
Some of the feedback we received led us to introduce a major facelift to the website such as, the use of other community building tools including an online calendar, polls, and a message board. The message board and responses to our weekly online bulletin: enable female constituents to contribute to the content of the website, suggesting features and story ideas. To improve services and enhance website content and features, OnlineWomen bought a graphical web statistics software that shows us exactly who are using our website, and when and where they are accessing it. The software analyzes user traffic behavior
Helen Clark Prime Minister, New Zealand
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OnlineWomen
ONLINE WOMEN IN POLITICS
What you can find on OnlineWomen...
ASIA PACIFIC ONLINE NETWORK OF WOMEN IN POLITICS< GOVERNANCE AND TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP
sections
COUNTRY FEATURES REGION IN FOCUS EVENTS STATISTICS BEIJING 12 WOMENS SITUATION CAMPAIGNS
COUNTRYfeatures
REGIONfocus
events statistics beijing 12 womens suffrage resources onlinewomen is managed by:
about OnlineWomen
contact us support us message board subscripbe to our e-bulletin post your own event
CAPWIP
whats new
NEWS * CAMPAIGNS Read the latest on womens issues from around the world. This page is updated frequently.
HOMEPAGE
She Said | Support onlinewomeninpolitics.org | Contact Us | OnlineWomen Poll
COUNTRY & REGIONAL FEATURES

Features information from over 25 countries in Asia and Pacific regions. Country subsections include information on women leaders, related documents, list of womens organizations, and related links.
BEIJING 12
Women and Poverty | Education and Training of Women | Violence against Women| Women and Armed Conflict | Women and the Economy | Human Rights of Women | The Girl Child | Women and Media | Women and Environment| Women and Health | Women in Power and Decision-Making| Institutional Mechanisms for the Advancement of Women
RESOURCES
Grants and Funding Institutions | News Sources | Major Search Engines | Training Institutions |Virtual Libraries | Online Learning Modules | Women and Gender-Related Sites |Governance, Leadership and Citizenship Documents 22
such as, the sections most visited. Between January and June 2004, the most commonly accessed pages, aside from the home page were Statistics, Womens Suffrage, Whats New, the Country Features and pages regarding the 12 issues of the Beijing Womens conference. This illustrates how popular the website is as a reliable source of information on womens issues for women of various status, positions, and nations. Comments from users demonstrate that the site is being used by women in Asia and worldwide for diverse reasons. Users come from varying backgrounds, including government, community organizations, and educators. A college professor has even made visiting OnlineWomen a requirement on her course syllabus.
5 Meeting users needs

OnlineWomen began to achieve success less than a year after it became operational. Its target audiencethe WIP advocates, government officials, research organizations and academic institutions from Asia and elsewhere have warmly received OnlineWomen. Proof of this are various online publications featuring the website and glowing feedback from online visitors. One visitor related that before OnlineWomen, she had to surf several sites to find information, thus she wasted precious time and resources. Links to OnlineWomen can be found in more than 20 major women and human rights websites. It can also be retrieved quickly by using the proper and relevant key words in the leading search engines such as, Google, Yahoo, AltaVista, and America Online. Just six months after its launch (December 2001-June 2002), OnlineWomen accumulated 106,440 website hits, an average of 17,740 hits per month or 591 hits per day, with visitors coming not only from Asia and the Pacific, but from the United States, Europe and the Middle East. The hits have increased more than ten-fold after two years. For the first six months of 2004, OnlineWomen had 1,151,537 hits, or an average of 6,327 hits per day. From feedback we have received so far, OnlineWomen is seen to have filled a need among women politicians and WIP advocates. Specifically, it provides information about women in politics in Asia and the Pacific, all in one site. Results from an online poll are presented below:
Kyi A ung Sang Suu Kyi General Secretary of the National League for Democracy party, Myanmar
OnlineWomen Poll April to June 2004 (As of July 15, 2004)

Are you in favor of a quota system or reserved seats to increase womens participation in politics? Answers 1. Yes, reservation is better than representation. 2. No, I want election not reservation. 3. I have no idea. Total Votes: 115 7 24 8 126 46% 3% Votes Percent
Thank you very much for sending Online bulletin to this organisation. This bulletin will tremendously help us in relation with the work of good governance where the women representatives are involved. We will communicate and share the ideas regularly. Really we want to keep in touch with this type of valuable contribution to the women.
M. Shafiqul Islam Director (Research and Planning) National Institute of Local Government (NILG), Bangladesh
51%
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Closing Reflections
Even during the Fourth World Congress of Women in Beijing, the term used in the Beijing Platform for Action was, Women in Decision-making. The taboo is slowly going away, but CAPWIP believes it will take another decade or so before the taboo can be completely overcome and for the rhetoric changed to numbers and action. Sylvia M. Ordoez CAPWIPs Executive Director
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LESSONS LEARNED
$ Identification and development of website objectives
Organizations that wish to focus on gender equity issues must answer questions about what their website is all about, and how their services and features fit the needs of female constituents. management org $ Content organization and management
It is not enough to have materials uploaded on a website. Be sure that the content is what people need to promote gender equality. Make sure to process these materials into useful and web-friendly format. Organize web content so that users can easily access information that they want within the so-called 3-click rule or the principle that every piece of content on a site should take no more than three clicks to access. Manage content effectively by doing away with unnecessary materials.
$ Promotion
We are all familiar with the saying, If you build it, they will come. This is a popular Internet myth. People, specially women, need to know your website is on the Internet. Use traditional marketing methods as well as Internet promotion. Gather email addresses. Email is the building block of online activism. After building a database of email addresses, use a listserve to promote the content. Moreover publicize the website by making sure it is included in all business cards, brochures, fact sheets, newsletters or any other publications of the organization and affiliates.
$ Community-building
It is not enough to send announcements and bulletins, but it is also necessary to establish and develop relationships with users. Find out what users want and what kind of content they need. Anticipate needs and solicit feedback and suggestions.
$ Power of technology
Information is power. The Internet can be used to highlight pioneering work and create opportunities for partnership, advocacy and real progress in womens advancement.
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P R o F I L E
Vanuatu
Wan Smolbag Theatre
Author
Peter Walker Jo Dorras
Contact
Wan Smolbag P.O. Box 1024 Port Vila Vanuatu ! 678 27119/ 27464 ! 678 25308 " smolbag@vanuatu.com.vu
Mission
Wan Smolbag Theatre is a regional non-profit organization whose mission is to 'use drama as a tool for community action and awareness'. Since 1989 Wan Smolbag has been working with the youth in Vanuatu and the Pacific region in the fields of reproductive health, the environment and good governance; using theatre, video, radio drama and drama workshops to create awareness and empower people to make better informed decisions about their lives.
Acting Out Womens Lives Through Community Theater

Behind the curtain: The background story
Blacksands is typical of a number of urban settlement areas in Vanuatu and other Pacific Islands. It has grown 'unofficially' over the last 20 years on land owned by the small island of Ifira, in the harbor of the capital of Vanuatu, Port Vila. Since government owned land is very small, most of the growth of the 'town' is actually in areas like Blacksands, on land still owned by traditional land owners. Until now, land owners have resisted the installation of electricity and running water for fear of seeming to encourage a sense of permanence amongst those who have settled in the Blacksands area. Though the settlers still pay rent to the landowners of Ifira, they have no tenancy rights. Moreover, election time brings eviction threats. The community faces social problems such as high unemployment, substance abuse and teenage pregnancy. People from Ifira also blame the settlers for urbanrelated violence.
Many communities from outer islands live in the Blacksands area, particularly people from Tanna, Paama and Tongoa. They are named after the outer islands where they come from. Tanna people are settlers from the Tanna island. The Tanna people have a strong sense of tradition, and at times this tradition limits women's say in official matters. Women are not allowed to speak in the nakamals (meeting houses). Customarily, come four o'clock in the afternoon, the men on Tanna meet for kava (narcotic drink made from the root of a plant) and women are supposed to stay well clear. Two-thirds of the cast of the community play were from Tanna. In 1997-1998, the Wan Smolbag (WSB) acting group consisted of 11 core actors, a research officer and expatriate director/ scriptwriter, and two part-time groups of actors who have had a few years of formal schooling. In fact some members who were in their early teens and twenties had either never been to primary school or had dropped out very early. Most of these groups were from the Blacksands area.
During those years, Wan Smolbag had made its reputation by doing plays on gender, reproductive health, family planning, and sexually transmited infection (STIs). In our plays we also explored the double standard societies set for young girls and boys, the devastating effects multiple pregnancies have on women, and the scorn women face when they try to teach their children about STIs and AIDS. We were quite well known and had a reputation for tackling issues such as the aboveit won us friends but also enemies! To teach commercial sex workers about the dangers of HIV/AIDS, we developed an interactive drama. The actors play the parts of sperm, eggs, diseases and perform one-minute plays to explain how they can spread. Then the actors freeze and a "narrator" asks the audience questions to see how much they understood. By the tenth sketch, the audience usually yells out the answers.
Excerpt, It's Cold:

The girl is fearful of her community's reaction to her pregnancy and therefore leaves her baby in the trash. "Stop looking at me! I couldn't have done anything else! I know what they'll say in the papers It's a crime! It's murder! How can a woman throw out her own baby? You want to blame me, don't you? I can see it in your eyes. Staring, staring at me, saying I'm a murderer! You don't even think about him! You don't think he did anything wrong! There he is walking down the street without a care in the world. He hasn't done anything! No one's going to say he's evil! A murderer! No, he's a respectable man!"
Excerpt, "Coming Home":

A young woman, whose brother has died of AIDS decides to teach children about sex, pregnancy, STD and AIDS. Joseph: What did you think you were doing? Talking to young children like that? Agnes: I was telling them what they need to know about life. Joseph: Agnes, I brought you up to be a good, Christian girl. You know the difference between right and wrong. Agnes: I didn't do anything wrong. Joseph: Don't answer me back girl! You were telling those children about sex! Agnes: They've got to know about sex, Father. Joseph: Know about sex at that age? Agnes: When do we want them to find out? When they're pregnant or when they've got an STD, or AIDS? When do you think they should know Father?
We decided to produce a community play because we wanted to be closer to the people with whom we shared the neighborhood. None of us had any previous experience producing community plays. I had read about similar experiments in England and was inspired by the British playwright/director Ann Jellicoe who had produced community plays in her native country.
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Wan Smolbag Theatre | Vanuatu
Goals and objectives

Our goals were:
# # #
To produce a play by involving a squatter settlement close to Wan Smolbag Theatre's base in Tagabe, Port Vila. To produce a play involving at least 60 people of all ages from the community, in addition to the 11 core actors of WSB Theatre. To reflect the stories and struggles of Blacksands women and their quest to claim their destinies and change their lives.
We hoped the community theater would:

# # # # #
Engender a spirit of equal partnership between the women and men of Blacksands; Allow Blacksands women to tell their stories, their struggles, their hopes and their dreams; Bring WSB and the people of Blacksands closer together, thus establishing WSB House as a true community centre; Allow a large number of unemployed men and women to discover skills and create a vehicle for their voices to be heard; and Create a community-based learning space in which the community would identify issues they could resolve through discussion and role play.
Drumming up for the play
Our plan was very vague. This was because we had no idea how it would turn out. I explained about what I had read to group members, how there would be a process of improvisation and research with the community and how the WSB scriptwriter would eventually turn the stories into a play. I explained at the same time we would have to develop the confidence and skills of the community so that many would be able to act in the play. We were hoping that many will take the lead roles and that WSB core actors would play some of the smaller parts. We also decided to include all those who volunteered in one way or other. Even those who did not want to act but wanted to participate would be included in some way. We had no idea whether we were going to end up with a finished product. That we could even attempt something like this required a great degree of flexibility! We started by distributing leaflets to communities in Blacksands saying that we were coming down to the chief's yard to talk about a play in which the community would participate. We especially encouraged women to join the play. Though we were able to secure some funding from the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID), we could not afford to pay salaries to all actors. Therefore, we made it clear that we would only pay people's bus fares to and from WSB after every rehearsal. At that first meeting in Blacksands 130 people came to hear about the project. After explaining how we wanted to make a play with the community, we played a little game in a circle, all one hundred and thirty of us, in which the whole group had to copy the actions of the group leader. A WSB actor would start shaking his
29
body around like an apoplectic spider whilst saying 'I aaaaaam reeeeeaaaaallllly glaaaaaad that we are goiiiinnnnng too dooooo this plaaaaay together' and we would all copy him. Well, we thought people should realize from the outset that this was going to involve making a fool of oneself. I don't think the chief's yard had witnessed anything quite like it. We went home telling everyone that if they were still interested, to present themselves at 1.30 p.m. the following Wednesday. The following Wednesday we waited and at 1.30 p.m. no one was there. We were a little concerned but we hoped this would be another case of 'Vanuatu time'. And sure enough by 2:00 p.m. over 80 people crowded into the theatre. And I think 73 stayed the course for the next five months. For the first three months we met twice a week for rehearsal.
Writing the script

The cast contributed to the writing of the script. At the end of each session, anyone who wished to stay behind and tell a story to the scriptwriter was welcome to do so. Since we did not want to make the traditional plays about men and power, we encouraged women to tell us their stories. Some told us about domestic violence. Since we had also noticed that people usually laughed when a man hit a woman on stage, we decided to confront this serious issue. These plays gave people a lot to laugh at, but also provoked them to think about gender relations. In addition to listening to the women, the writer would visit them in the Blacksands area to try to understand their lives so that she can incorporate it in the script. At the end of three months she had produced a script. It was quite an effort; she had had to produce a full length script that offered a large number of parts plus a choral element so that everyone had something to do. And it had to accommodate the full age range of the participants. We had few people aged forty and above, two or three men in their thirties and then a large number of men and women from 18 to 30 and another group from 12 to 18.
Creating the music and the props
from play, Excerpt from the chorus of the play, Louisa's Choice:
Our village looks so quiet and nice A perfect Pacific paradise But when a man is angry he must use his hands! You can hear them every night: Man: You were talking to him! Woman: No, I wasn't! Man: Don't lie to me (cries and a scream) He thinks he has the right Man: She's my wife, isn't she? The right to hit To keep on hitting
Two weeks were devoted to making musical instruments that we would use in the play. One afternoon we brought in pieces of old corrugated iron, PVC piping, loads of dead coral, bamboo, hammers, nails, string and we had a delirious afternoon with people sawing, hammering, testing their flute, drum, xylophone, etc. We then divided into groups and each group had to create rhythm. A conductor stood in the middle and conducted the whole thing to a thrilling effect. Lights were cheaply made with Milo tins and disco bulbs; we also created a special atmosphere with hurricane lamps.
30
Minding the process

Since we had decided that we would make all major decisions when the whole cast was present, we had to devise ways to keep order in the discussions. For instance, we followed the 'talking stick' format. The person holding the stick would talk uninterrupted, when s/he was done, the facilitator would pass the stick to the next person wishing to speak. We also introduced the concept of "freeze" whereby all would stand still when the facilitator would say "freeze". We used different games to encourage cohesiveness and creativity. To encourage creativity, we asked people to imagine and describe their versions of heaven and hell. To encourage bonding, we played the familiar game of gently letting oneself fall in the circle of other actors. To keep everyone occupied all the time since some scenes did not involve everyone, we set up a tarpaulin in the yard. Core Wan Smolbag members worked with different groups helping them to rehearse.
Promoting the play

A good script, thorough preparation and excellent performance are nothing without an audience. We did interviews with radio stations and recorded clips from the play so that they can be broadcasted on the radio. In the last week, the whole cast marched from one end of town to the other singing the songs from the play and carrying banners! If it is important that decision makers such as politicians come to the performance, make sure you invite them well in advance.
Challenges Challenges
We faced several challenges when creating the play. For instance, two of our leads were unable to read and had to be coached individually. We also needed to develop the confidence of the community so that many could participate in the play in one form or another. We trained and mentored many of the actors, musicians, and sound technicians. Misunderstandings between married couples, teenagers, the WSB announcer and the cast nearly jeopardized our shows! Some teenage boys bullied girls and the younger actors, which left many crying. But they managed to come around. Another time, two main characters married in real life, failed to turn up as they had a huge fight. We had a full house, with people crammed to the roof. We had just finished handing the money back to the audience, when a truck pulled up with members of the cast whooping and cheering. They had solved the row! When women complained about their husbands disappearing the whole night to drink kava and were left to worry about their financial situation at home, we decided to organize role plays and used them as take off points for discussing the issues.
31
Another source of tension ensued when a core group member started a relationship with one of the girls in the community, which nearly led to a mass walk out of the women from her community. Fortunately, we solved much of the problem through discussions. When the truth about the relationship was revealed, the cast ordered them not to go within 100 meters of each other, except during the play. This all worked well for a week or two until the family turned up with huge rocks saying that the actor had the girl hidden at his house and that the two of them had made plans to elope. We offered them the taxi fare to go see if she were really there. It turned out she was. Another meeting followed in which the girl threatened to commit suicide if they forced her to leave him. 'Good' was the family's response. In the end, the actor resigned. The relationship did not continue and the girl did not commit suicide. In another incident, many actors refused to perform when the WSB spokesman mentioned in his introduction that some of them had not been to school, several could not read, but that they had all managed to put together a magnificent play. He had meant it as praise yet many took it as an insult. We had a discussion on the matter, the WSB spokesman apologized and the incident was forgotten. Costs were also beginning to mount. As rehearsals grew longer, people were getting hungry so we had to buy bread to keep people going; there were sets and costumes to think about. We were fortunate that at this time, the South Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP) decided to buy 1000 copies of a puppet musical video we had produced, which helped cover some costs. Some people were also hinting that it was hard to give up so much time for nothing. We agreed that everyone who stayed to the end would be paid US$100 each, a small sum for the time people put in. The whole project must have cost about US$50,000. We also learned to be transparent about any money involved. When we charged for performances, however little it may have been, the community saw money coming in. We had to explain very carefully how much publicity cost, how much we had to spend on costumes and set so that people do not think that we were making money out of the project.
Finally!
We put the play on, finally, for two months, twice a week to packed houses. The play caught everyone's imagination; there was one particular government minister who must have come to see it at least six times. We even took the play by boat to the northern island of Santo and performed it in Vanuatu's second town, Luganville. After the performances, we started encouraging group discussions. We were ready to answer all sorts of questions.
Beyond the play

The enthusiasm for the discussions encouraged many of us to pursue initiatives that would outlast the actual experience of the play. So, one memorable morning, we divided the cast into groups by age and gender and asked: 'If Wan Smolbag could find the money to build a small reproductive health clinic onto the back of
32
the theatre, what services would the community play group members like it to provide?' Some wanted expatriate nurses who would not know them; others said that did not matter so long as they were kind. There was also much debate about whether there should be charges. The women wanted a membership fee but those who could not pay would not be turned away. The men said if it was a choice between a dollar membership fee and a shell of kava, they would choose the kava. Following consultations with the health department, Kam Pushem Hed ("drop in centre") opened its doors in 1999. The service offers counseling, STI and HIV testing, family planning and STI treatment. It is staffed by two nurses and eight peer educators, three of whom were in the community play. The Kam Pushem Hed (KPH) has had a major impact on women and girls. The teenage girls tell us that they feel luckier than girls in other neighborhoods as KPH is at their doorstep. Also, KPH's sex worker program has led to a lot of sex workers getting condoms and STI/HIV tests. Many store keepers and kava bar owners now ask us for regular supplies of condom. We also published a book on reproductive health entitled Drama in Reproductive Health: A Guide. Funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the publication was intended for government, non-government organizations and other drama groups who wished to improve their skills in using development theater as a tool for population and reproductive health education. Wan Smolbag has played an instrumental role in changing the climate for discussing reproductive health in Vanuatu. For instance, 12 years ago, when we tried to put on a pilot radio soap about reproductive health, the stations refused to broadcast it. However, four years ago, when we launched our quite explicit radio soap, all the stations including some located in the Solomon Islands agreed to play it. One leading clergyman came back from a conference overseas and told our nurse that while he had previously been suspicious of the clinic, he now understood its role and he supported it wholeheartedly.
Postscript
Our community play has been a success. People still talk about the play; and how the first youth clinic in Vanuatu came from it. The peer educators drawn from the play have traveled to other countries; one was part of a study tour to Africa last year. Two were trained as sound recorders and are now the sound team. Others were incorporated into the various acting troupes of Wan Smolbag. One of the older women is WSB's office messenger. The community play was a major turning point for the group. As mentioned earlier, before the start of the community play, WSB employed 11 core actors and a couple of part-time acting groups. Now between the clinic, the theatre groups, the radio soap, the video work, the organization employs over 50 people. Blacksands is still there, still growing rapidly, still with no electricity and no running water. However, our neighbors know that WSB is a place where they are welcome, where some have been able to earn money, and where anyone can get to see nurses in confidence and receive free contraceptives.
33
LESSONS LEARNED
$ A community play is a vehicle for women to tell their stories. It is an effective
means to raise people's awareness on sensitive issues that require reflection.
$ Expect problems. The community will have issues which might take you by surprise.
When there are conflicts, especially between women and men, you must identify the spokespeople for the community, those who will help you through the disputes. Before you start any intervention, however, let the women and men tell their stories and let the community or the group understand their conflicts.
$ All major decisions should be solved with meetings with the whole cast, if the
project is truly about giving the community a voice.
$ Make sure that you consult with community authorities first if they are not actively
involved in the actual play process and include them in the process of research for the play.
$ At the beginning do not promise too much. Make it clear that what you can offer is
six months or a year of an activity that may be preferable to having nothing to do all day. Unless you know that you can offer something concrete after the play, do not make promises you cannot keep.
RECOMMENDATIONS
$ Put aside at least six months for this type of project. Developing the script that will
voice the concerns of women and men in the community, rehearsing and publicizing the play will take that much time.
$ If you are primarily a community worker rather than a theatre facilitator, engage the
services of a writer, a director, and a couple of core actors preferably known to the community.
$ If you are not able to engage the services of writers/directors/core actors, you can
use this model to set up different kinds of collective creative experiences such as dance or artwork or music performances. I would say that the thrill and confidence people gain from working on a live performance of their stories are exhilarating.
$ Meet as often as you can with the whole group; maybe every morning so that nobody
feels left out. Sort group issues and be aware of issues affecting women and men, and boys and girls.
$ Make sure that you publicize the performances well. It is heartbreaking to go

through months of work and then have nobody to see it. Approach promotion in such a way that will encourage women and men in the community to watch the play.
$ All of the above assumes that the community members are performing not just for
their own members and families to see but also for a larger audience. For example, we worked with the Blacksands community (pop. 3,000) but were drawing audiences from the whole of Port Vila (pop. 40,000).
P R o F I L E
India
The Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA)
Authors Contact
Arundhati Mishra Tina Ravi
CEDPA C-1 Hauz Khas New Delhi, India 110016 ! 91-11-51656781 ! 91-11-51656710 " a_mishra@vsnl.com | tina_ravi@vsnl.com www.cedpa.org
Mission
CEDPA is an international non-profit organization whose mission is to empower women at all levels of society to be full partners in development. Since 1975, CEDPA has been working globally to enable women to be full and responsible partners in development by promoting their access to development opportunities. Its strategies for empowering women include programs in reproductive health, family planning, advocacy, capacity building, gender awareness and youth development.
Better Life Options Program: Promoting Gender Equality through Empowerment and Health Services
The Better Life Options Program
In 1987, the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA) established the global Better Life Options Program (BLP). The program promotes opportunities for adolescent girls and boys to make better life choices concerning their health, economic status, civic participation, education, employment, decision-making abilities and family planning. The program is based on an empowerment model and combines elements of:
# # # # # #
education, family life education, life skills, vocational training, health services, and personality development.
CEDPA initiated the BLP for girls based on the belief that early intervention would be most effective in improving their long term status and empowering them to later take their place as full and equal partners with men in Indian society. While working with girls, CEDPA perceived that true womens empowerment would be possible and sustainable only if male support and behavior change was forthcoming for womens issues. You have changed my life, now You have changed change future please change the thinking of my future husband was an often heard refrain at CEDPAs programs. The need for a similar empowerment program for adolescent boys, to effectively challenge gender inequalities, was also expressed by the communities and by the boys themselves. When a program for boys was first discussed, it was as a strategy for empowering girls, since boys form part of the enabling environment that either hinders or enhances the process of empowerment for girls. However, CEDPAs
Choose a Future!
Issues and Options for Adolescents in India Topics covered:
thinking has changed over time and the boys program is currently implemented not just to enhance the empowerment of girls but also because boys are limited by gender roles and stereotypes as well, and have very real needs and rights of their own that must be addressed if they are to be partners with women in development and achieve their full potential. Thus, empowerment is examined within the construct of gender by looking at the power, which boys and girls have in relation to one another and in relation to society. BLP uses a program guide for facilitators entitled Choose a Future! Issues and Options for Adolescent Girls in India and Choose a Future! Issues and Options for Adolescent Boys in India. It actively involves adolescents (10-19 years old) in creating their own solutions to situations they encounter at home, in their neighborhood, in school, at work and with male and female peers.
Integrating adolescent-friendly health services into the Better Life Options Program
CEDPAs approach to empowerment also recognizes that a variety of approaches and contents are required, ranging from non-health empowerment activities such as microenterprise, literacy, and legal literacy to health information, counseling and services. Adolescent girls participating in the BLP had frequently confided in the program facilitators about their health problems. It was observed that they suffered from menstrual problems, reproductive tract infections (RTIs), anemia1 and weakness, and other health complaints. Yet little importance was placed on these problems by their families. During a needs assessment with boys and girls, participants expressed the need for information about reproductive organs, physical and emotional changes, menstruation (girls), prevention of RTIs, masturbation and use of condoms (boys). They also claimed that health facilities were not accessible and reported stigmatization, lack of privacy and confidentiality, and unfriendly health providers at the health centers. Realizing the need to provide health services to adolescents, CEDPA integrated a health services component into its existing BLP program. In July 2001, CEDPA India launched the Adolescent Friendly Reproductive Health Services Project (AFRHS) with financial assistance from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This was done in collaboration with four partner organizations.
1
# # # # #
# # # # #
# #
# # #
Self-awareness Value identification Gender awareness Feelings Communication skills Interpersonal relationships Families Community The world of work Puberty Reproduction, including safe motherhood and child care Health Marriage, partnerships and parenthood Legal rights Environment Taking off from here
Anemia is one of the primary contributors to maternal mortality in India (maternal mortality is five times higher in anemic women) and is associated with the progressive physical deterioration of girls aged 10-19. Nearly two-thirds of pregnant women and one-half of non-pregnant women are anemic. Nutritional deprivation leads to excessive menstrual loss. In addition, early/frequent pregnancies aggravate and exacerbate anemia and its effects.
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CEDPA | India
The organizations that were awarded sub-grants were: Bharatiya Grameen Mahila Sangh (BGMS) in Madhya Pradesh, Young Womens Christian Association (YWCA) and Prayatn in Delhi and the Society for the Promotion of Youth and Masses (SPYM) in Delhi and Haryana. The duration of the project was from July 2001 to December 2002. Its beneficiaries included adolescent boys and girls, both married and unmarried, in-school and out-of-school. The overall goal of this program was to implement community-based adolescentfriendly services using strength-based approaches2. The objectives of the program were defined by the partners themselves and included:
#
# #
empowering adolescent boys and girls by providing them with a comprehensive package of skill building, family life education (FLE), and sexual and reproductive health (RH) awareness; providing adolescent-friendly health services through adolescent-friendly service providers; sensitizing the gate-keepers parents, teachers, community and local leaders towards the special health needs of adolescent boys and girls (thus, ensuring community ownership and participation); and establishing a cadre of peer educators-cum-counselors from among the project participants to ensure sustainability of the project.
Activities undertaken under the AFRHS Project

#
The project activities were officially launched through an orientation meeting attended by the organization heads of the partner non-government - Adolescent boy organizations (NGOs) and the project staff responsible for implementation of the project. Two or three program staff were identified from each NGO. Then, a 10day program management training cum training of trainers (TOT) for using CEDPAs Choose a Future! training package was provided by the CEDPA training team. The TOT was organized in three phases, staggered over six months. This proved beneficial to the program managers, who had the opportunity to clarify their questions and Adolescent friendly services concerns, especially on reproductive health (RH) as described by adolescents: issues. The program managers, in turn, provided training to the grassroots facilitators in their # Provided by sensitive and non-judgmental respective project areas, who subsequently medical and paramedical staff reached out to the adolescents. Technical # Provided in a non-threatening assistance and mentoring was also provided by environment CEDPA during these training programs. # Maintained confidentiality
# # # # #
We do not know what is going on. We can neither talk to anyone in the family about this, nor can we go to our friends as they are as ignorant as we are... when the problem becomes too much, we are left with no other alternative but to visit a local quack.
Strength-based approach is an approach to community-based development based on the principles of (a) appreciating and mobilizing individual and community talents, skills and assets rather than focusing on problems and needs; and (b) community-driven development rather than development driven by external agencies.
Provided accurate information Catered to the needs of adolescents Provided counseling services Should be accessible and approachable Imparted through trained peer educators
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Groundwork with communities
I shall share this information with my husband and then decide on what family planning method to adoptof course, I shall discuss this with him only when he is in a good mood.
- A married adolescent girl
The initial ground work in the communities was done by the project partners. They organized meetings with community leaders, parents and teachers to sensitize them to adolescent needs and issues and orient them about the program. The need for providing medical services was also shared with the parents. This created a feeling of mutual trust and respect between the NGO and the community. # Community participation was ensured throughout the duration of the project and sensitization camps (held regularly) for parents and other community members. Issues including the importance of girl child education, evils of dowry, age at marriage, gender equality and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) awareness were discussed from time to time with community members. Health services were provided to the adolescent participants during this period. To be culturally appropriate in the conservative social environment in which adolescents mature, reproductive health services were provided within the context of general health services to adolescents. A protocol was developed for providing medical services, which was shared with the partner organizations. The project partners hired part-time doctors and laboratory technicians to provide the adolescents with health services as per this medical protocol. At the time of enrolment, all adolescents attended a general health checkup. Doctors (preferably female doctors) were taken to the community to provide the services. As per the medical protocol, adolescent girls enrolled in the program were checked for their Hemoglobin percentage (Hb%) and provided with a course of de-worming tablets and 100 tablets of Iron Folic Acid (IFA) for the treatment of anemia. After 3-4 months, Hb% was estimated again. Occasionally, eye check-ups, ear, nose and throat examinations, screening for tuberculosis, gynecological check-ups and counseling sessions were also organized for both boys and girls. Adolescents diagnosed as having serious health problems were referred and escorted to the nearest public/private health facility to ensure that treatment was provided. This also helped in compliance as the facilitators would counsel the parents and make sure that the drugs prescribed were taken and follow-up visits were made. Counseling services were provided for RH issues, drug abuse, RTIs, domestic violence and incest.
#
Approaches used in reaching out to adolescents

1 Long-term integrated approach
Batches of 20-25 adolescents were imparted the Choose a Future! curriculum over a period of 3-4 months by the partner organizations. Sessions were held at a time that was convenient to the participants (2-3 hours a day, 2-3 times a week to cover the entire 140 hours of Choose a Future!). To ensure that participants were not bored, the program was integrated into vocational training courses, remedial
42
CEDPA | India
coaching, gym activities, and recreational clubs. The participating adolescents were asked to fill out a pre-program and post-program knowledge-based evaluation forms, which included questions related to RH, family planning and HIV/AIDS. Health services were provided to the adolescent participants as per the medical protocol.
2 Day camps
Week-long intensive day-camps were organized during holidays to impart a shortened version of Choose a Future! sessions which were held for about six hours a day. To make the program more interesting and practical, short courses on food preservation, beauty culture, electrical repair, and theater training were some of the short courses integrated into the program. Game competitions like cricket or football matches and cooking competitions, especially for boys, were also held. Health services, as per the medical protocol, were provided during the camps. To ensure compliance, continuous followups were carried out for three months.
Adolescent boys learn to share in domestic chores
3 School programs
Sessions were held during school hours, after securing permission from the school authorities. A shortened version of Choose a Future! was used during these programs and usually took 7-8 months to complete. Health services were provided to the school students.
4 General health camps

In addition to the services provided to program participants, health camps were also organized in the community to address the needs of the non-enrolled adolescents. Occasionally, adults living in these communities also benefited from health check-ups.
5 Peer educators training

Program alumni, with good communications skills and leadership qualities were identified and trained as peer educators, through refresher trainings. As peer educators, they co-facilitated the sessions, provided counseling support, and helped in identifying health problems among the adolescents during health camps and follow-ups.
6 Community-based advocacy
Adolescents were involved in community mobilization through clubs and theater groups that were formed during the project period. Issues related to reproductive health, drug addiction, early marriage, importance of education, HIV/AIDS, etc. were taken up. The project also demanded networking with government agencies, other NGO networks in the area, private doctors, international donors and others. This was necessary to provide quality health services including identifying service providers and maintaining a steady supply of medicines.
Now my brother treats me well. He even shares some of my work.

- Sister of a boy participant
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Project impact
Under the program, 9,762 adolescent girls and boys were provided family life education, RH information, health care and counseling services, and vocational skills training. In addition, 111 adolescent peer educators were trained and actively participated in facilitating FLE and providing RH information to peers. A post-program impact evaluation was conducted by CEDPA to measure the results of the Adolescent-Friendly Reproductive Health Services Program on knowledge and health outcomes of participating adolescents. According to the key findings of the evaluation:
The program led to higher levels of knowledge and awareness about reproductive health, societal and gender issues. Statistically significant increases in pre- and post-intervention knowledge were found for: changes in physical characteristics during puberty, HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention, modern methods of contraception and family planning, dual protection role of condom (against disease and pregnancy), awareness of sexual harassment/Eve teasing3, gender equality, and ante-natal services. # Participants found more employment The program provides education in family life, opportunities than expected and reported high reproductive health, health care, vocational, among others satisfaction ratings with the vocational skills training. # The program led to substantial increase in participant involvement in decision-making at individual, family and community levels. Earlier men # The program had facilitated positive attitude changes in parents, the wanted to community and adolescents themselves. For example, most participants prove their had progressive views on subjects such as the age of marriage and number of children desired. masculinity by # The girls participating in the program showed evidence of greater selfbeing forceful. confidence, mobility and functional autonomy. There is now # Boys increasingly became more sensitive towards gender issues and realization that responded that they no longer felt inclined to Eve tease or sexually harass girls. In fact, they strongly advocated gender equality and felt that girls love is for life should be given equal opportunities at home and outside. and lust is only # Significant improvement was found in Hb% levels among girls who were for a short provided iron supplements. In the age group of 10-14 years, the percentage of adolescent girls who had hemoglobin level of below 10 gms was reduced while. from 86% to nearly 20% and in the age group of 15-19 years, it had decreased from nearly 86% to 36%. The corresponding change had taken place in the Sabir, - Sabir percentage of girls with hemoglobin higher than 10 gms percent or more 19-year old in both age groups. This shows that the intervention had significant impact adolescent boy in improving the hemoglobin level of adolescent girls in the project.
#
3
Eve teasing is a euphemism used in India for sexual harassment or molestation of women by men. Considered a growing problem throughout the sub-continent, Eve teasing ranges in severity from sexually-colored remarks to outright groping.
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CEDPA | India
......and how it affected their lives

1Prathama
At 15, Prathama was on the verge of dropping out of school. Her father was the only earning family member, trying to make both ends meet by working as a security guard in a nearby factory. Today, at 19, Prathama is financially independent and in charge of her own life. She takes home US$43 every month, a princely sum for a family of four living in one of the slums outside Delhi, more than matching her familys total income. From a lady in the neighborhood, she learned about the BLP. During this program, she learned that girls such as herself had the right to make choices about education, career, economic independence, about when and whom to marry and about when to have children and how many.
Computer training and a career are options now open to women aside from early marriage
She was chosen as one of the 24 girls who were trained in computers. She was a quick learner and as a reward, when the course was over, the Computer Center decided to retain her as a trainer. Today, she is a trainer in a computer center. She not only trains but is also learning an advanced computer course, offered to her gratis by the Center, as a reward to her sincerity and keenness to learn and do better in life. She credits the BLP as the harbinger of changes in her life. She says that the program opened her eyes to the rights of girls that it is not a cardinal rule that girls are meant to be married early and sent off to her husbands house. She realized how important it is for a girl to work and be economically independent, to contribute to her familys kitty and earn not just for herself but for her parents and her brother. Prathama who refuses to be married before she is 21 dreams of running her own computer center, where girls like her can embark on a new career.
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2 Subash and Banesh

Subash: Earlier I had no knowledge, now I share the knowledge that Ive learnt with my wife. I used to make decisions on my own, now I involve my wife. Banesh: There has been a change in my husband. Initially he was very quiet and did not talk to me but now he talks to me about various issues and is more caring. Subash (21 years old) and Banesh (19) are husband and wife. After participating in the BLP, they jointly decided to have their first child after two years and the second child after a gap of five years. Subash has also started assisting his wife and mother in household chores and has assumed the responsibility of waking up at four in the morning and fetching water from miles away a chore that is traditionally regarded as a womans job.
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CEDPA | India
LESSONS LEARNED
$ Adolescents have a wide range of information and health care needs that must be
addressed in a sensitive and adolescent-friendly manner.
$ In conservative societies such as in India (where adolescent girls have low prevalence
of pre-marital sex, experience a wide gender gap, and are strongly protected within the family) provision of adolescent reproductive health services is highly controversial and sensitive. Such services must be provided through an integrated approach consisting of service delivery, life skill development, and informal/formal educational opportunities.
$ Adolescent boys have their own unique sets of needs. It is essential to have a
program that not only views boys in light of gender roles vis--vis girls, but also addresses their specific needs.
$ Adolescents especially girls and their parents are often reluctant to go to existing
health facilities for adolescent health care needs as this might stigmatize them.
$ When services are brought to program sites, there is an overwhelming response

and interest shown by the community. adolescent health.
$ Doctors found the medical protocols useful as they had no specialized training on $ In some cases, it was difficult to find doctors willing to go to villages to provide
care for adolescents. Networking with local qualified health providers helped in some cases. In other instances, project partners reached an understanding to share their medical and paramedical personnel.
$ Maintaining a steady supply of medicines (IFA, Inj. TT) was found to be difficult
especially in rural areas. Sometimes, projects would purchase medicines from the market using their own funds to tide over the shortfall. In other cases, project partners would bail each other out by sharing their medical supplies with each other. For example, when SPYM in Haryana ran out of stock, Prayatn in Delhi, helped out by sharing their free government medical supplies. Later, when SPYM received their stock of free supplies, they returned back the medicine stock advanced by Prayatn.
$ The project helped in creating an enabling environment where adolescents could

freely express their thoughts and personal problems to trained adolescent-friendly providers. During counseling sessions with female counselors, adolescent girls brought up a number of confidential issues like rape, incest, RTIs and menstrual problems. Adolescent boys, who preferred male counselors, expressed their need for career guidance and shared their problems related to sex, sexuality, RTIs and masturbation.
$ Program alumni can be used as an entry point for program development and expansion.
It is useful to build on these existing relationships.
47
P R o F I L E
Organization
Himalayan Action Research Centre (HARC)
Country
India
Authors
Chhaya Kunwar Kuldeep Uniyal
Contact
H.A.R.C. 744 Indira Nagar, Post - New Forest Dehradun - 248006 Uttaranchal, India Tel/Fax: 0091-135-2760121 Email: harcddn@sancharnet.in URL: www.harcindia.org
Mission
HARC, a nonprofit voluntary organization based in Dehradun, Uttaranchal, India, was established in 1989 with a vision of holistic, integrated and sustainable development of the mountain people based on their cultural values, traditions, and resources. Adopting human resource development as a key focus, HARC enables the local people to organize into community-based institutions for collective action to increase their food security, socio-economic security, promotion of livelihoods, and rural market linkages. HARC also enables the local people to influence policies related to their rights, benefits and issues on development, business, and environment affecting them.
Mountain Womens Initiative: A Collective Approach to Sustainable Economic Development

Social and cultural context
Uttaranchal, traditionally known as Uttarkhand, is a land of rich natural and cultural heritage. The Uttaranchal people live mainly from agriculture and dairy farming. Like other societies in the world, the Uttarkhand society is marked by an unequal division of labor, power and property between male and female. Women are very hardworking. They toil hard in the field to provide food to the family, carry out household responsibilities, take care of the livestock, procure fuel, water and minor forest produce to meet the survival needs of the family. They have a very important role in the subsistence economy, but this is considered only secondary to the role of the men. Women are economically, socially and emotionally dependent on the male head of their family. Although the mountain women, with their greater freedom of mobility and decision making to some extent, seem more independent than the women in the lowlands, they nevertheless suffer from discrimination, poverty and exclusion from mainstream development. They do almost 90% of agricultural work but have no land in their name. They contribute tremendously to the socioeconomic development of the family, the community and nation but their contribution remains invisible, unrecognized and hardly counted in policy making. In the Uttarkashi district of Uttaranchal is the valley of Rawain. On an average, 23% of the population of Rawain is scheduled caste1. Like other areas of Uttaranchal, Rawain Valley also had a rich tradition and culture of communitybased institutions and practices of collective planning and resource management. Over the past decades, rich traditions like community solidarity, traditional practices of managing natural resources, and systems of collective problemsolving (which were the strength of the village people) have declined because of the modern top-down approach to the
1
The term schedule caste was used by the British government to designate all castes and classes previously covered under the term Depressed Classes. The word is embodied in a section of the Constitution of India.
Uttaranchal, rich land, d iverse culture

Uttaranchal, the 27th state of the Republic of India, is a land of infinite mountains, floral scapes, teeming fauna and Gangetic plains. It is wellknown for its rich and lively natural and cultural heritage. Being home to diverse cultures, various religions and scenic spots, Uttaranchal has been a center of great attraction for religious people, nature lovers and tourists from all over the world. The region is mostly (88%) hilly. There are about 9.18 million families residing in 13 districts of Uttaranchal; 7.97 million (81%) of these are dependent on agriculture. A fragile environment, inaccessibility, economic and political marginalization are the major problems faced by the Uttaranchal people.
development process. As a result, the communitys sense of ownership of decision making decreased and the people became more dependent on government development programs. Because of this trend, the people have become less concerned about managing and conserving their resources, and misuse of natural resources has increased. Low productivity of the land, lack of new technical knowledge, poor market linkages, and lack of strong and active peoples institutions have resulted in low production and limited livelihood options for the people. Those who may have had any surplus agricultural produce to sell in the market were exploited by the middlemen. The Mahila Mangal Dals (village-level women welfare groups) came into existence during the implementation of government development schemes in Rawain Valley. They became inactive from a lack of proper vision, guidance, future plan of action. Women have a low level of awareness and have little or no opportunity to participate in village meetings or decision-making at the community level. The men have control over the cash, and the environment is not conducive nor is there social acceptance for women to start income generating activities like trading of agriculture produce. These prevailing social norms had relegated women to secondary status in society and not valued their traditional knowledge, practical experiences, and managerial skills. Women themselves did not recognize their qualities and potential, and accepted their status as part of their lives. Women also lacked entrepreneurial attitudes and skills.
Empowering mountain women through collective enterprise

To address these issues in a holistic and integrated way, the Himalayan Action Research Centre (HARC), with a special focus on women, embarked on a process of building and strengthening peoples institutions to increase food and socioeconomic security and promote their livelihood options. HARC identified the following priority needs: Empowering the community-based institutions on the basis of economic, social and gender equity. Increasing production and crop diversification for food security and sustained livelihood. Adopting special approaches and programs for women according to their aspirations, felt needs and stated priorities. Building and strengthening financial and rural marketing linkages. Adopting a holistic approach to regenerate the overall biomass productivity and restoring the balance of nature. Using the model it developed for a collective approach to economic development (see diagram on opposite page), HARC set out on a slow but determined process of developing womens entrepreneurial disposition and enhancing their participation in decision-making, their income-generating ability, and their socioeconomic status in the community.
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Himalayan Action Research Centre | India
HARCs collective economic development model

HARCs model of collective approach to the economic development of the hill people in Rawain Valley consists of the following steps:
1 Strengthening the planning process

(1997 - 1999)
Villagers, both women and men, have a vast capability for understanding their own situation, problems and priorities, and in finding their own solutions. Achieved by building the local peoples abilities, especially incorporating ideas and experiences of women in planning and managing their resources and development programs.
2 Building, strengthening and empowering

peoples institutions (2000 - 2002)
Local peoples institutions can bring about positive changes in the socioeconomic status of people and sustain the development process. Achieved by regenerating community solidarity, reestablishing the tradition of collective working by organizing male and female groups at the community level, and increasing peoples access to and control over resources.
3 Resource-based development for sustained

livelihood (2001 - 2003)
The promotion of agriculture and horticulture can provide better options for sustained livelihood to the people. Achieved by providing technical inputs and training to men and women farmers and linking them with different development agencies for income generation opportunities.
4 Developing financial and rural marketing

linkages (2002 - 2004)
Strong market linkages are needed so that farmers can have access to markets and get better prices for their products. Achieved by promoting federations and women cooperatives for collective marketing of products.
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HARCs Collective Enterprise Process

Step 1: Strengthening the planning process
1 Community mobilization for bottom-up planning
By facilitating womens own identity and analysis of their needs in village meetings, women soon realized their importance in planning and decision making.
The process started in Rawain Valley of Uttaranchal State with mobilizing the community to analyze their resources, problems, opportunities, strengths and weakness through the microplanning exercise in the villages. Based on these collective activities, the community people prepared their village action plan. To encourage women to participate, HARC initiated discussions with them whenever and wherever they were available in their homes, in the field, near water resources, or on the way to the forest. Efforts were made so that planning meetings suited the schedules of the women. By facilitating womens own identification and analysis of their practical and strategic needs during the village meetings, women realized their importance in planning and decision making. Issues identified by the women were included in the village action plan. Regular networking with the menfolk of the village and sensitizing them on the needs and priorities of women were an integral part of the process. All-women meetings were conducted on womens issues, while joint meetings with men were organized to discuss common issues. This helped sensitize the menfolk on the problems of women and their burdens.
Identification of issues during the bottom-up planning
Common priorities of the villagers Diversification of agriculture and horticulture Increasing the production of grains, fruits and vegetables Building and strengthening peoples institutions and federations Developing agro-eco-based microenterprises Developing rural marketing linkages Specific womens issues Organizing womens collec Lack of access to all types information Increasing their social and economical status by enh skills and leadership qual Involving women in incom generating activities Developing their linkages financial, marketing and e institutions Lack of access to training extension services
2 Developing a cadre of barefoot scientists
HARC built a cadre of barefoot scientists recognized as paratechnicians or paratechs (men and women who provide technical assistance) and women motivators in the area. A total of 40 paratechs and 45 women motivators underwent multifaceted capacity enhancement trainings and, by the end of one year, were ready to pass on what they had learned. These barefoot scientists were instrumental in building the environment for enhancing womens participation in preparing the village action plan according to their and the local peoples needs and priorities.
Major challenges faced

Changing the trend of men-driven decision making processes, reversing the top-down approach to development; and incorporating womens active participation in the planning process.
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strengthening peoples gr Step 2: Building and strengthening peoples groups and institutions
1 Formation of womens collectives
Because of sociocultural barriers, women had very limited say and access to decision making when men were present in the meetings. After a long discussion with the village men and women, it was decided that women farmers self-help groups and men farmers interest groups would be formed and strengthened in the village. HARC started a campaign to facilitate the process of group formation among the men and women in the village. Women motivators and paratechs who took the lead in this process tried to convince the people that a collective approach could enhance their socioeconomic status, sometimes citing examples of success stories of women collectives in other villages. This process which started in 67 villages of Rawain Valley eventually led to the formation of 100 womens groups doing their own savings and credit activities. This occurred because of the positive attitude of village menfolk towards the advancement of village women. HARC gave equal attention to the organization of men farmers interest groups. As a result, 50 men farmers groups were formed and registered their federation as the Rawain Valley Fruits and Vegetables Growers Association. This parallel intervention also helped create an enabling environment for bringing women out of the four walls of their homes and getting them organized.
2 Knowledge and skill building
After the formation of womens collectives in the villages, the second most important intervention was to strengthen these collectives. To increase the skill, knowledge and information level of people, HARC organized exposure and capacity-building programs on various issues, such as building an understanding of group dynamics, management, leadership, and documentation. Village information centers were established to enhance the access of women to all development information.
Women maintaining records and registers
Major challenge faced

Low level of education of the women in the village.
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crops: Traditional crops: Back to basics

In Rawain Valley, traditional crops like pulses, millet, and spices are grown by following traditional environmentfriendly organic methods of farming, but over the last three decades production of these crops have declined because of the promotion of high-valued cash crops. Although traditional crops are in great demand in the market, they are not promoted in a planned way, nor are there systematic marketing strategies for these products. HARC made it its mission to increase the production of these traditional crops by promoting womens participation in this sector. The productivity of these crops is being increased by exchanging the seeds, improving cultivation methods, and promoting organic practices.
HARC organized separate skills development programs for women only and encouraged the menfolk to send the women to attend these programs. In some places where womens participation in meetings and trainings was very low, the men were asked to help ensure womens participation. Women motivators took care of motivating the women of the village. This process took almost a year.
Step 3: Resource-based development for sustainable livelihood
As the process of strengthening womens collectives went on, some groups felt the need to start income-generating projects (IGP) to earn cash. To address this need, an intensive exercise on identification of the income generation activities was conducted at the group level. Most of the womens groups agreed that the income generating activity must be based on their local agro-economic resources. After conducting the resource analysis exercise with the women, it was unanimously decided that women would increase the production of traditional crops, pulses, grains, spices, millets, and market the surplus produce. Production of jam, pickle, juice, and squash, along with locally available raw materials, were also included among the IGPs.
1 Mission: to promote production of local traditional crops
2 Income generation activities by women groups
Women grading and packing their products
Those groups that were mature enough and had a good record of group management, had strong and effective leadership, and had saved some amount of money to start an IGP were given entrepreneurship development training. Agro-eco-based, specifically biomass-based activities the prevailing subsistence economy in the mountain areas became the main IGP of the groups. Agro-eco-based income generation activities are cost-effective and socially acceptable, and the resources, skills and market are locally available so the chances of success were great. Although women showed their willingness to start IGPs, it was not an easy task for women. Also, finding spare time from their busy schedules was itself problematic.
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In rural areas of India; women do all of the agricultural work but the men of the family are the ones who sell the surplus produce in the market. Women had no access to market and hardly handled cash. These sociocultural barriers made the task of engaging women to start IGPs in trading activities a big challenge for HARC. So initially, the strategy for income generation was adopted only among a small group of women at the village level. Since men farmers were dealing with the marketing of fruits and vegetables, women farmers decided to buy and market pulses, grains, millets, spices and some processed items made with locally available raw materials. All these arrangements helped in getting the menfolk to share in the agricultural activities, thus reducing womens agricultural workload. HARC organized a number of training programs for enhancing womens risktaking capacities, fruit and vegetable processing skills, grading and packaging, quality control and cost analysis of products. Women of the groups started collecting surplus products and after grading, packing and labeling, the products were sold in the local market and some products were marketed in big cities during fairs and exhibitions. This was the first attempt of these women in trading, and the first time the women of Rawain could get direct cash in their hands by selling agro-eco products. It was only a small-scale venture, but because they invested their own money, time, and energy, they felt confident and realized their power and potential to establish micro enterprises that are managed and controlled by women only. Extension centers in and outside of the State helped women enhance their skills in crop production, processing of the raw materials, and quality control of the products.
challenge Major challenge faced

Building risk-taking capacity among women takes time, and women have to be convinced to reserve time for these activities within their
It was only a small-scale venture, but because they invested their own money, the women of Rawain felt confident and realized their power and potential to establish microenterprises that are managed and controlled by women.
Developing linkages Step 4: Developing financial and rural marketing linkages
1 The need to build a federation and capital fund
The first attempt of women in a trading activity was quite encouraging, but they had to face a lot of challenges. The biggest challenges were: improving and maintaining the quality of the products, tough competition in the market, and lack of marketing skills among women. These indicated the need for combined efforts in womens trading activities. At that time, however, there was no womens federation for trading anywhere in Uttaranchal. It was decided then that a women-only federation should be formed by the women collectives engaged in income generating activities in order to give women equal opportunity to manage and control a trade, make their own decisions, and have control over their financial and marketing dealings without interference from others. The menfolk were invited to the meetings so that they would realize the importance of their support to the women. Thus, the womens federation was formed without any objection from the menfolk of the villages.
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These women collectives held several meetings to discuss the structure of the federation and building of a capital fund. Some members of the group and men of the village were suspicious about the use of capital fund and did not allow the women to join the federation. Again motivators took the responsibility to convince all the members and the menfolk of the village. Finally, 13 groups had come forward to be organized into a federation. Each member of the group decided to contribute a share of INRs.500/-(US$10) to the capital fund to start trading activities collectively. The federation was formally established in October 2002. They elected their office bearers and distributed the responsibilities among them.
Major challenges faced

Building the confidence of women in a totally new area (like trading); and convincing them to adopt a collective approach to economic development.
HARC helped in designing the structure of the federation, formulating its by-laws, drafting its constitution, and developing needed systems. HARC also analyzed the groups risk-taking ability and helped develop their business plan and marketing strategy. Regular inputs were given to the executive committee on federation management, stock keeping and account management, and in marketing and negotiation. Members were oriented on trade-related government regulations. The next step was to give legal identity to the federation. The federation was registered as the Rawain Mahila Multipurpose Autonomous Cooperative Ltd. Society Ltd At present, the cooperative has 230 members and a 17-member board of directors. Four committees of the cooperative are responsible for managing and controlling different aspects of microenterprise. Once a month, the cooperative members meet to discuss their plans, problems, Board of directors of cooperative discussing business plans and ways to take action. Four regular staff, supervised by the board, work directly on production and marketing.
2 Strengthening the federation and giving it legal status as a cooperative
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3 Marketing linkages
Once the cooperative assumed legal status, the most important task was to align its activities towards the achievement of its goal. The first priority was to build financial linkages to start production and trading activities. Exploring market channels for selling the products was the second most important step. With the help of HARC and market experts, the cooperative members prepared their market strategy. Women collectives were linked with banks and had regular interface with the bankers. Financial institutions like the State Bank in Naugaon and Barkot and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) helped in developing clarity among women to manage Major challenges faced their accounts systematically. Banks also Lack of social acceptance sanctioned Cash Credit Limit (CCL) for prevailing myths that women cannot do marketing some of the womens groups. Through this, tough competition in the market the groups could then get loans from the low level of marketing skills bank. The cooperative is engaged in the trade of millet, grains, spices, and pulses, using the brand name, Rawains Natures Pure. The board of directors decides the rates of purchase and sale. For marketing the products locally, an outlet was opened in Naugaon Uttarkashi and in Dehradun, the capital of the state. Marketing linkages were built with retailers and wholesalers in some big cities of India, like Dehradun, Delhi, Chandigarh and Bangalore. Intensive efforts were made to strengthen backward and forward linkages. The cooperative also participated in national and international trade fairs to popularize its products. During the first year, the federation did a business of INR 300,000 (US$6,543.07), and at the end of the year distributed the dividend among members. This year the cooperative has fixed a business target of INR 1.5 million (US$32,500). At present the cooperative deals in more than 25 items, most of them grown the traditional way and free of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. This is the strength of the products of Rawain Mahila Multipurpose Autonomous Cooperative Society Ltd.
and lack of experience among the women in this area.
Cooperative marketing its products Successful Innovations from Asia and the Pacific
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The State government of Uttaranchal supported womens groups and their cooperative by providing them the opportunity to participate in state, national and international trade fairs. This increased the publicity of different products of the cooperative.
Step 5: Ensuring sustainability

Right from the beginning, the matter of sustainability was addressed by the development of the cooperative based on womens capacities and local agro-eco resources. The most important factor is the collective approach to economic development, which is based on felt needs of the women. HARC focused on building the federation instead of creating it. The vision, mission, objective and operational strategies were clearly defined and made understandable to the members from the beginning. The members made all the financial investments so they have a strong sense of ownership in the cooperative.
The outcomes and impact

The establishment of the womens cooperative is the major outcome of the whole process. The impact of this can be seen from a comparison of womens situation before and after the cooperative came into being. The Rawain Mahila Multipurpose Autonomous Cooperative Society Ltd. is the only womens federation engaged in trading activities in the State of Uttaranchal. It has become an inspiration for other womens groups within and outside the State. Now a lot of womens groups formed under development projects of the Uttaranchal government are looking into this model to learn the process. Members of the cooperative are benefited in three ways. First, they are selling their surplus produce to the cooperative and getting direct cash. This has reduced the exploitation of producers by middlemen who do not give them a fair price for their products. Second, the cooperative hires the services of its members for grading, packing and processing the items. And third, the gross profit earned by the cooperative is divided among the members of the cooperative.
Packing and labeling the processed items
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Glimpses of outcomes and impact

Prior situation Women never dealt with banks or any financial institutions as these matters were totally handled by the male head of the family. Present situation After joining the womens co with the banks on a regular bank accounts in their name Women now have the skills t other financial institutions, t and consumption needs. Fo group of Upradi village have money earned from inter-loa selling their produce to the c Now, women are also marke processed items. As women now feel more secure and al rights at different policy-leve With the emergence of wom women have gained confide meetings and articulating th Womens Collective of Kotiya encroachment of community The mens mindset and beha household level is changing participation of women in tra exposure visits, as men start agricultural and some house out for training or participati The emergence of the Rawa Society Ltd. gave a common start collective micro-enterp Now, women of the cooperat income. Slowly it is being recognized can handle micro-enterprise very well.
Marketing of agricultural produce was handled solely by the men of the family.
The men of the village never gave any importance to the womens views, suggestions and even their participation in village-level or panchayat meetings.
There were no income generation options for women; it was not socially acceptable for women to engage in trading activities which were the mens domain.
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women lives omens Impact on womens lives

Increased social acceptance
Just four or five years ago, 30-year-old Mrs. Jagdamba Parmar had no identity of her own in the village. But because of her association with the village-level womens collective she has been elected secretary of the Women Cooperative of Rawain Valley. Since then she has gained enough confidence and her leadership qualities have been enhanced. This brought major changes in her life. Being a member of a cooperative, she gained the opportunity to share her experience at State and national-level platforms. She feels that the attitude of the menfolk in the village as well as in the family has become very positive towards her. She is being invited by government agencies, community and panchayat leaders to talk on womens issues and her suggestions are given full importance during the development meetings. She is earning Rs. 2000/per month (US$45) on a regular basis from the cooperative.
Confidence building
The empowerment process helped Mrs. Sushila Bandhani in a major way by building her confidence and developing her understanding of womens issues. She knows that economic security is a must for women to raise their social status. She sensitized her family members on this issue such that her family agreed to buy a piece of land in her name. Her increased confidence encouraged her to contest the election of the urban local body. She was elected as Vice President of the town of Barkot.
Enhanced decision making

Lakshami Devi of Kimmi village is an illiterate woman and is a widow. She joined the womens collective in her village in 2001 and provided effective leadership to her group. Although she has had no education, she has a clear understanding of the development process and womens issues. She mobilized the group to join the cooperative to sell their produce through it and earn cash. Seeing her active and effective leadership in the group, the villagers selected her as a member of panchayat unopposed. Now, through panchayat, she raises the women issues in the meetings and gets them incorporated in the panchayats development planning. Due to her intervention, the panchayat selected the womens group for the implementation of a mid-day meal scheme for the children in the village. Through the women collective, Lakshami is trying to increase womens participation in panchayat as well as in income-generating projects. She is also earning money on a regular basis by providing her services to the cooperative in grading, packaging and processing activities.
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LESSONS LEARNED
Some major lessons that HARC and the womens cooperative have learned from this collective approach to sustainable economic development and its recommendations for replication:
There is no single approach to addressing gender issues; the need is to adopt a multi-pronged strategy. To create an enabling environment for womens active and effective participation in any process or action, family level sensitization, involvement of men and seeking their suggestions in joint meetings are essential. Social transformation and behavioral change, especially changing the mindset and the attitude of men towards women, is a time-consuming process. Collective efforts and voices help women to articulate their concerns and negotiate effectively for their rights. Thus the need to strengthen and promote local womens groups and their coalitions. There is a great scope and potential for increasing income from agroeconomicbased activities by encouraging small enterprises. Skills development and training efforts have to be undertaken to develop the capacity of women to undertake such activities. The success of any collective approach to development is based on the principles, values, behavior and attitude and capacities of stakeholders, male and female. To inculcate a sense of ownership, rigorous and meaningful participation of women and men at every level of project planning, implementation and monitoring is essential. Trading is a male dominated area. Promoting women in this field is a great challenge but there are ways of getting around it if there is strong will and determination. Effective leadership, the skill to resolve conflicts, strong backward and forward linkages, a sense of ownership, and knowledge of markets and its trends are key to womens success in micro-enterprise. The development of local level experts able to respond to the needs and requirements of the community can contribute to the success of the mission.
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P R o F I L E
Nepal
Heifer Project International Nepal
Nepal
Author
Dr. Surya Laxmi Bajracharya
Contact
Arun Tole Satdobato, Lalitpur - 15 G.P.O. Box 6043 Kathmandu, Nepal ! 977 1 553 2554 / 554 4841 ! 977 1 554 2873 " info@hpinepal.org.np | surya@hpinepal.org.np www.hpinepal.org.np
Mission
Heifer Nepal's mission is, in partnership with others, to enable farm families to improve the quality of their lives through livestock and related activities and to equip them to assist others. Heifer Nepal provides opportunities for families to produce as well as share food and income from their own resources, in ways that are economically and ecologically sound.
Passing on the Gifts: A Holistic Approach to Gender and Development

Social and cultural gender context
Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world, faces various socio-economic problems from illiteracy to unemployment, gender discrimination to social violence. The lives of girls and women are well defined: there is household work during early childhood, marriage at a young age, and a struggle for life and subsistence thereafter. In addition, women must always live up to the demands of their in-laws and husband. People grow up with the belief that women are second class citizens. In Hindu society, the husband is treated as a god, the life-saver of the wife. This belief puts women under pressure to obey their husbands at all times. Womens patience and resilience are considered to be their ornament, and society puts equal pressure on them to tolerate their husbands without question. Domestic violence is common in rural as well as urban areas. In rural areas, there is a myth that if a husband dies the wife is to blame and is accused of being a black witch or bokshi. She is then forced to eat human excreta or urine because it is believed, this will make her witchs powers vanish. It is extreme but still common in rural communities. Women cook and serve, but only men and boys are fed when food is scarce. Only a few fortunate girls get the opportunity to attend school. Women have no voice in family decisions. The mobility of women is controlled by men. The birth of a boy is rejoiced, while mothers of newborn girls receive little care and regard. Women are compelled to get pregnant to give birth to a son even after repeatedly giving birth to girls, putting their own health at stake. Women work longer hours, but men control over the family income. Such practices and traditions are passed down from generation to generation. The illiteracy rate is very high among women. Parents are not eager to send girls to school, due to the social belief that only a son can look after elderly parents. Daughters, on the other hand, are expected to leave their parents upon marriage and parents will not expect to receive any assistance from their daughters. Girls are considered only a helping hand in the family. For this reason the school dropout rate among girls is high.
In Nepal, women occupy only 5.9 percent of parliament seats and only 14.8 percent of government ministerial positions. Female literacy rate is only 25.2 percent compared to 60.5 percent among men. Womens life expectancy is only 58.9 years, for males 59.4 years.Women put in a daily workload of 11 hours, men only 7 hours.
Even literate women are disadvantaged because there is little gender justice in society. Figures from the United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP) Human Development Report 2003 highlight the gender injustice in Nepalese society. For Nepal is among the very few countries in the world with very low life expectancy among women. Other forms of gender injustice are child marriage, girl trafficking, social and domestic violence. These conditions warrant the urgent need for addressing gender injustice issues, for uplifting the social status of women, and for sustainable community development.
Heifers gender program
Heifer Nepal, a nonprofit organization that works in partnership with others to alleviate hunger, poverty and environmental degradation through livestock and related knowledge, is working to address these problems through its gender focus program. Program participants are trained on gender justice and leadership development in order to make them aware of gender-sensitive issues and to empower them. At the same time, Heifer Nepal is assisting women to be more competent, to get better employment and to increase their status in society. Heifer Nepal focuses on the family unit within the context of the community. Heifer believes that a strong family is the foundation for just and sustainable communities. Gender issues are addressed through creating awareness, strengthening the family, participatory approaches, and various training activities. The Heifer Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development constitute the essential building blocks for effective, sustainable development that all of Heifer Nepals programs are founded upon. These cornerstones Passing on the Gifts are a set of 12 values-based principles that together make up Heifer Nepals holistic approach to development. These 12 Cornerstones comprise the totality of the Heifer Cornerstones most important things in life for Just and Sustainable covering the personal, social, economic and spiritual Development concerns. They address not Passing on the Gifts only gender but also other Accountability community development issues. The 12 Cornerstones are Heifers tool in all its activities, from screening to project evaluation, and the basis of its accountability process.
Sharing and Caring Sustainability and Self-Reliance Improved Animal Management Nutrition and Income Gender and Family Focus Genuine Need and Justice Improving the Environment Full Participation Training and Education S pirituality
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Heifer Project International | Nepal
Objectives and strategies

Table 1 Project objectives and strategies
Objectives
For grassroots wom en
Empower women of Heifer Nepal's working areas to decrease social discrimination and domestic violence. Increase family income through livestock and related enterprises and increase women's access to it. Increase women's literacy rate through adult literacy program Creating awareness on gender issues focusing on family harmony Providing leadership development trainings, organizing women's groups and training them in group management Providing income generating animals Enhancing women's group welfare fund and training them on mobilization of group fund Promoting non-formal education to women's group on need basis Creating awareness on family health and nutrition Encouraging them to consume nutritious food Promoting kitchen garden, bio-gas plants Encouraging women to take leadership in community development Encouraging parents to send their girls to school Sponsoring girl-childrens education for one year
Strategies
Increase equity in health care, family nutrition and education.
Increase participation of women in community development activities.
For young school-age girls from rural com munities

Promote education of the girls through its Girl-Child Education Promotion Program.
Recent fem ale graduates of universities

Make fresh graduate women competent through Heifer's Mentoring Women for Professional Development Program. Fresh graduate women are trained in office related work as well as developmental programs
Empowering grassroots women

Heifer Nepal chose to work through womens groups in the community in its attempt to address gender issues. Although it is not entirely closed to the idea of working with mens groups, the organization gives preference to womens groups in order to narrow the wide gender gap that prevails in Nepalese society. Almost all projects that Heifer Nepal is running are womens projects. This strategy has been proven very effective, both in fighting hunger and poverty in rural areas, and nurturing womens empowerment.
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women gr omens The womens group coordination committee: gender development A success story in gender development
A group of 25 resource-poor women of Gitanagar of central Nepal, denied a loan by the local bank due to lack of collateral, were supported by Heifer Nepal in 1993. This was the very first project of Heifer Nepal. The women were provided with 25 female goats with twin kids, a breeding buck, fodder, tree seedlings and grass seeds, related trainings, and were linked with the government Livestock Extension Service network in the district. This group of women enjoyed the benefits of empowerment, such as improved living, recognition from government and other NGOs, and more significantly, appreciation from their male counterparts. Even more women benefited when the first group passed on the gift of the goats offspring to other needy women. They formed a savings fund that was mobilized into a micro-credit project, formed more groups, developed more leaders and at present they have all come together and formed a federation of womens groups named the Womens Group Coordination Committee (WGCC). Over the past ten years, these women have become very skillful, strong and confident, and are able to handle community development projects all by themselves. The respect and continuing support from their family members, the positive advice from male counterparts, their ability to take up responsibility and leadership, the ever-growing relationship with various donor agencies and the small micro-credit project run under group savings and credit program, are all good signs of self-reliance and project sustainability. The federation now has about 50 groups each with 25 women working with them.
Approach and process
Since culture and custom confine women within their homes, much effort is required to bring them out. Lack of cooperation from family members, criticisms from neighbors and very low self-esteem in the women themselves pose huge obstacles. Heifers approach is to make a long-term commitment, which nurtures these women with continuous trainings to bring out their hidden potential. Basically, the approach consists in providing a group of poor community women with farm animals (such as goats, chickens or water buffalo) for them to tend and breed. After several months, when the animals have reproduced, each woman gives the first female offspring of the animal in her care to another needy woman in the community. She keeps the rest of the offspring, and continues to tend and breed them for her familys continued source of livelihood. The passing of the new animal offspring from one group of women to a new set of recipients is a big event in the community. The handing over of the animals from one woman to another, which is literally passing on the gift, is also a symbolic gesture of the essence of caring and sharing, mutual responsibility, community participation and spiritual commitment embodied in Heifers 12 Cornerstones. The womens husbands also take part in the gift passing ceremony.
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Prior to animal distribution, project participants receive the three-day Heifer cornerstone training a valuesbased planning tool that helps the group identify their values, and the importance of these in their daily life. Participants learn the 12 Cornerstones and examine these in their own context. Participants also undergo a three-day personal leadership development training on positive attitude and selfleadership within the self, and another three-day group management training on the role, responsibilities and accountability of each group member in the project. Technical training in animal health and management is provided to the groups to ensure that the project animals are productive and bring tangible benefits to the families. This training, like the other trainings, is proactive and participatory. The gender development training consists of three phases first only for the women, second only for men (husbands), and finally for both men and women together. The entire training takes nine days. Gender analysis performed through role playing, songs, drama, video, games, completing a gender activity profile (what men do and what women do in a 24-hour day), and defining the roles and responsibilities of men and of women reveals the reality of the communities for the men and women who live there, and the constraints and limitations of the present situation. Participants discuss the sexual division of labor, the socially and culturally constructed gender roles, and access and control over resources. Participants reflect on their own lives and identify where they would like to make changes. Then they make commitments for improvement.
Assessment tools
Over the period 2000-2003, Heifer Nepal undertook research in its three project sites, consisting of a baseline, mid-term and final survey conducted in the first, second and third year, respectively. Data were collected through questionnaires, field observation, question-and-answer and group discussions during the training period and in informal gatherings. Comparative analyses were then done with the processed data. Participatory self review and planning (PSRP) based on the Heifer cornerstones is conducted as a continuing process. This is a values-based participatory review and planning method for assessing how a project is doing relative to its goals, aspirations and priorities. The women themselves analyze their existing situation, set indicators of change, self evaluate where they stand and formulate action plans for improvement. First, they set indicators for each cornerstone and on a regular basis check how they are progressing on each. For example, in the sharing and
Our husbands had never before lent their hands in any household work. Today, their assurance to help us with chores enables us women to fully concentrate during the training.
Durga Parajuli Project participant
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caring cornerstones, they set as indicators the sharing of seedlings or vegetables grown in their kitchen garden, helping each other in time of need, taking care of a group member that is sick, etc. Based on the indicators they assess how they are practicing each cornerstone. The PRSP expects to achieve the following:
# # # # # # # # #
Strengthen the project/community groups Provide valuable insight from the projects Foster accountability for plans Track progress of the project as planned Celebrate achievements Examine areas that need growth Ensure participation of all members in planning and monitoring progress Adapt the original plan to new circumstances, if needed Make plans for the future
Results and impact
Everyone thinks of changing the world, but rarely does anyone think of changing themselves. We are overjoyed with the transformation in our husbands. We are proud that they have taken this step in the journey to fight gender discrimination and overcome the workload injustice that women face.
- Durga Parajuli Project participant
Heifer has more than 100% pass-on all the project participants passed on the animals to other needy women in the village as required. There are many women who came forward and passed on additional animals. As early as during the gender training, the effect of the program was already beginning to show. Male participants, realizing that they did not have to wait for a special occasion to do something exemplary for their wives, prepared and served tea to the women participants during the training breaks. The findings of the comparative research affirmed this as both men and women realized their roles and responsibilities and made corresponding adjustments in their households:
# # #
By the third year, the percentage of literate women had risen from 58 to 84, as a result of non-formal education. The gap of daily working hours between men and women was reduced from 3.6 to 1.7 in the peak season, and from 4.7 to 1.8 in the lean season. To the question Do men help in household chores? the percentage of women who answered yes increased from 69 in the first year to 80 in the third year. To the question What makes you say the project has positive impact on gender in your family? the female respondents said:
Before, womens mobility was controlled by the men, now the women can move as per their need (51%) Men started helping women with household work (45%) The disputes between husbands and wives were reduced and husbands started using better language while addressing their wives during conversation (40%)
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#
To the same question about the gender impact of the project in their family, the male respondents said:
Instead of uselessly spending free time, we now help our wives or do some productive work (70%) Disputes between husband and wife have been reduced (30%) We have realized that education is necessary for both sons and daughters, so many girls are now going to school (23%)
Heifer Nepal has definitely produced visible impact on gender equity in the lives of individuals and in the community. People have started to look up to women with respect. After the training and the gift of farm animals from Heifer, the women developed a more visible and prominent role in the community. At home and in the community, women are regarded with greater importance and respect. The animals that the women bring into the household increase womens direct contribution to the family income, which improves their families status. More importantly, womens active part in the familys livelihood and their newly acquired skills bring them greater recognition from male family members. The project participants appreciate Heifers passing on the gifts model. This gives women the opportunity to enjoy the dignity of being a donor and contributing to the effort of alleviating hunger and poverty. When Laxmi Shrestha of Imadol gifted another woman with a pair of first offspring of the goats she received from Heifer Nepal 16 months ago, she was elated. The new confidence, self- respect and dignity in Laxmis eyes, and the rays of hope and dream of a happy family in recipient Gyanus face, and the bond of love and friendship between these two families, demonstrated the essence of sharing and caring that is at the heart of Heifers efforts. This is the same Laxmi who had lived a very difficult life, exhausted in hardship of poverty; the same Laxmi who used to say I am just a woman, what can I do? The big crowd that had gathered to witness the ceremony was startled to see her speaking confidently in front of local leaders, Village Development Committee chairman and other distinguished guests. She has become a role model for others. One indication of the programs success is the recognition of its female participants in international awards. For five consecutive years (1999-2003), Heifer Nepal has been the recipient of the Women in Livestock Development (WiLD) award, given every year by Heifer International to one individual woman or project in each Heifer geographical area, for outstanding contributions to women in livestock development.
I never thought that I could also give. I cannot imagine it was I who would help end the suffering of my neighbor.
Laxmi Shrestha Shrestha, Project participant
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I had already given up the hope that I could continue my school again. But now, I felt that my mother has come back. I am very thankful that there are people in this earth who care and support a person like me.
Sarita Giri, Project participant
Another mark of success is the fact that Nepals Department of Livestock Services (DLS) has replicated Heifers Values-based Cornerstones model by the name of Sata Sat (meaning exchange) throughout the country. The model has also been replicated/appreciated by the Ratnanagar Municipality, other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international NGOs like the Swiss Development Corporation, Habitat for Humanity Nepal, Educate the Children, SNV-Biogas Sector Program Nepal, Peace Corps, and others. The model was also cited by Institute for Agriculture and Animal Sciences (IAAS), Rampur, Chitwan in their publication, Social Mobilization and Concerns of the Ultra-Poor Vol. 1. July 2002. Heifer Nepal is also conducting training on its Cornerstones for other potential partner organizations, other donor agencies, related government line agencies, the DLS, the District Forest Office, Social Welfare Council, and among local leaders. After the training, getting the support of these agencies and officers became easier. Now they are not only supporting the Heifer program; some even became Heifer ambassadors.
Girl-child education promotion program

Education is a key factor in empowering women to help bring about family harmony and sustainable development. Heifer encourages its project participants to send their girl-child to school and support them with their income-generating livestock. While the recipient families have not yet generated income from the livestock, Heifer Nepal sponsors the education of their schoolgoing girls for a year. This support catalyzes the girls empowerment for later life. Results and impact As of April 2004, Heifer Nepal had supported 302 girls from its project areas. These girls can now cherish the personal, social and economic opportunities that a better education can bring, besides the feeling of being valuable members of the family and the community. The program has significantly changed the participants attitude of sending boys only to school. It had multiplier effects to other people in the community, too.
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Mentoring women in professional development program

Heifer believes that both men and women can bring important and diverse views to programs for just and sustainable development. But men have traditionally had more field experience, more responsibility in the workplace, more language capabilities, and so they are the ones that get hired most often. Women encounter difficulties seeking employment. This program hires women university graduates (referred by schools and organizations that Heifer has links with) for six-month periods. In the process, it equips them with various training and hands-on experience in development work. Results and impact From January 1999 to December 2003, Heifer Nepal trained eight female graduates. Three of them were subsequently awarded with scholarships from different countries for their masters degree, another three are working in different government and nongovernment organizations, one is a full-time employee of Heifer Nepal; only one is not yet employed. The benefits that accrue to the program are: (1) the addition of a person who can bring diversity to the team, (2) contribution to the implementation of the program, and (3) development of a cadre of individuals who can become ambassadors of the program. The benefits for the apprentice are: (1) working experience in an international organization; (2) involvement in the work of the Heifer development program; (3) learning new skills and knowledge while working with and under the mentorship of persons experienced in the field; (4) exposure to Heifers philosophy about the poor and approaches to working with them; and (5) gaining documented work experience that can be used in future applications for work elsewhere. One of the apprentices, Dr. Nirmala Parajuli has this to share: I was a recent veterinary graduate from the IAAS, Rampur, Chitwan, when I joined Heifer Nepal as an apprentice in February 2002. At that time, I lacked the nontechnical knowledge which is required for a successful professional and personal life. By participating in this program, I was enriched with the basic virtues of self-esteem, confidence and communication skills. Heifer provided me the opportunity to be a part of its administration, planning, monitoring, evaluation and other work based on the need, and to develop team spirit inside me. Leading by example was another important lesson that I have learned, which inspired me to take leadership. I have adopted these tools in my life and have been getting praise from the people around me. Now, I have a bolder personality, self-confidence, and competence. Equipping women who are educated with technical or non-technical background with development work, positive attitude, leadership development and above all the gender issues developed these women into ambassadors and gives full energy to work for gender equality.
I used to watch my friends going to school and wishfully dream if I could be one of them. I cannot express how grateful I am to Heifer for turning my dream to reality. I promise to put all my effort and become a responsible citizen of my country.
Sarada Chaudhary Chaudhar y, Project participant
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LESSONS LEARNED
$ The Heifer Values-based Cornerstones are effective, practical and easily accepted
by rural communities. When women define their own values, they can easily put them into practice.
$ Participatory Self Review and Planning (PSRP), which is also based on the 12
Cornerstones, is also a very useful and effective tool for monitoring and assessing the progress of development projects. Being participatory and case-specific, the process yields indicators and measures of progress that are truly reflective of the womens concerns.
$ Working with women is essential when addressing gender and development issues,
but the involvement of men is vital for the success of the program. Men should be included even in the planning process so that they support the women, and are willing to share work and benefits.
$ Grassroots groups often need extensive assistance with leadership and organizational
development; this is necessary for the sustainability of womens projects.
$ Distributing livestock is a sound practice, but training in sound animal management

is essential.
$ Changing peoples attitudes and behavior is a slow process, but it is vital for the
success of the program.
$ Successful development is integrated; a livestock project isolated from group

development or gender issues will not be as successful.
$ Employing a holistic approach not only makes a program more meaningful to the
target families and communities. It also facilitates acceptance of the different components of the program. For example, the Girl-Child Education Program was easily able to convince the parents to send their daughters to school (in spite of the existing bias against girls going to school) because these are the same families that have received animals from the grassroots womens program.
$ Girl-Child Education and Mentoring Women for Professional Development programs

are important catalysts to the promotion of gender equality and the sustained empowerment of women.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
$ Heifers Values-based Cornerstones is a highly recommended tool when involving
womens groups, or village-level groups in general, in community development initiatives, especially those that touch peoples most basic social and cultural concerns.
$ Participatory Self Review and Planning (PSRP) is another proven effective tool
in development projects where community people, women and men, are the key players as planners, implementers and participants. It is applicable for planning, goal setting, progress monitoring, reviewing and assessment purposes.
$ Appeal to values of unity and harmony and involve both the male and female
members when addressing gender issues. Addressing the needs and concerns of the members of the family, males and females, and promoting helping and caring among them is more effective in gaining their support and sustaining the program.
$ Involve the men in the family and in the community. Mens support is essential
in reducing gender discrimination. Their involvement in the program creates in them a sense of responsibility and co-ownership of program which motivates them to support the women; otherwise their attitude could be that of nonconcern this is not my animal, not my program.
$ Adopt a holistic approach. Heifers holistic transformation approach through

its Passing on the Gifts model leads to a holistic social change. As people form groups and communities to work for their own self-determined goals, they can change and be transformed as the cornerstones synergize and reinforce each other. The process of transformation starts with the values of people involved. The desired physical quality-of-life aims of a community, group or family are achieved most readily when sharing and caring. This and the other social and spiritual values are the foundations of their lives and bind them together in a common cause.
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P R o F I L E
Organization
Pact
Country
Indonesia
Authors Contact
Angela McClain Dan Spealman
Pact 1200 18th Street NW Suite 350 Washington, DC 20036 !202-466-5666 ! 202-466-5669 " www.pactworld.org
Mission
Founded in 1971, Pacts mission is to help build strong communities globally that provide people with an opportunity to earn a dignified living, raise healthy families, and participate in democratic life. Pact achieves this by strengthening the capacity of grassroots organizations, coalitions and networks and by forging linkages among government, business and the citizen sectors to achieve social, economic and environmental justice. Pact envisions an interconnected world in which relationships of trust and mutual benefit among the state, the marketplace and communities provide the inspiration and foundation for taking actions to end poverty, ensure justice and achieve greater equity.
Increasing Womens Participation in Public Dialogue: Learning Democracy by Doing

Between September 28, 2000 and January 31, 2003, Pact managed the Democracy Initiative through Sustainable Community Discussions (DISCUSS), a United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded project aimed at strengthening democratic practices in Indonesia through development of a critical and active democratic citizenry. The project focused on the creation of fora in which community members could discuss common concerns in open dialogue and draw up action plans to address them. An important goal of the project was to increase womens participation levels in public dialogue and policy-making. By the end of the project, over 1,000 discussions had been held in over 250 communities with an estimated 50,000 individuals participating. Womens participation levels improved markedly. Moreover, in a number of cases, women began to play leading roles in their communities, advocating for policy changes and winning recognition of their rights as fully enfranchised citizens.
The social and cultural context

By 1998 Indonesia had spent over forty yearsa large segment of its history as a nationunder authoritarian rule. Over thirty of those years were under the military Suharto regime, known for its brutal repression of dissent and curtailment of freedoms in the name of economic development. During this time, most political parties were banned or co-opted; any newspaper that dared question the government shut down, and many individuals suspected of holding opposing views to the ruling party kidnapped and sent to die in penal colonies or killed outright. In 1998, the Asian currency crisis brought about the collapse of the Indonesian economy and ended economic justification for continued oppression. Citizens began to demonstrate and demand an end to the government. Hundreds of thousands marched and rioted, and in the end Suharto was forced to step down. A new democracy was formed from this struggle, leading to free elections in 1999.
Still, it was not easy to erase the effect on civic life of the previous decades. Marginalized populations were still disenfranchised because of ethnicity, religion, geography, and especially gender. Though womens rights were enshrined in the constitution, the reality was that women were treated as second-class citizens, especially in areas where fundamentalist Islam was strongest. With decentralization, fundamentalism was getting stronger. There were almost no womens organizations, outside of a few quasi-governmental mass organizations and small urban NGOs, which promoted traditional womens roles. This lack of organizational association, along with cultural practices and government policies that bolstered these traditions, kept women subordinate to men. Examples of discriminatory practices included:
# # # # # #
Sanctioned polygamy The requirement of a husbands consent before a woman could be sterilized or have an abortion, even in the case of life-threatening situations The requirement of a husbands consent before a woman could apply for a passport Unequal land inheritance rights Lack of protection against marital rape A marriage law that defined men as heads of household.
More generally, citizens had lost the ability to participate in any meaningful way in civic life. Organizations that were meant to act as intermediaries between the government and communities knew only how to deal with the government in a confrontational manner and could not relate to, nor communicate effectively with, their constituents. Conflict that had been suppressed and allowed to fester would suddenly burst forth, often in violent ways.
Goals and objectives
With the help of local partner organizations, Pact identified some of the conditions necessary to secure and deepen the transition to democracy. Five elements were determined to be critical: 1 A new and/or renewed attitude towards public participation, especially in having trust in one another and in the governance system. 2 Local organizations, such as NGOs, that could play a brokering role to ensure that ordinary people were given opportunities to engage with government on issues affecting their lives. 3 Citizen skills in public dialogue, articulating positions, respecting differences, finding common ground, solving problems, and creating action plans. 4 A platform where communities could discuss issues, resolve conflicts, and propose solutions. 5 Access to relevant information and knowledge to ensure informed decisionmaking. With these needs in mind, Pact and its partners submitted a proposal to USAID for the three-year DISCUSS project (later shortened to two and one-half years due to funding constraints). The goal of the project was to give citizens experience in participating in the democratic process through problem-solving at the community
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Pact, Inc. | Indonesia
level. To promote this civic awakening and engagement, Pact and its partners employed a unique empowerment methodology that enabled people to learn about democracy through direct participation (learning by doing), rather than passively listening to the delivery of civic education lectures. The methodology made use of organized, interconnected, sustainable fora (facilitated community discussions) wherein citizens could identify concerns, debate issues, resolve conflicts and move to action.
Setting gender targets
At the outset of the project, Pact held a planning and design meeting with its NGO partners. To confirm that they understood the communities interests, partners were asked to come to the meeting with the results of rapid needs assessments, which included information on issues of concern to women and the extent to which women were involved in civic life. Most of the organizations reported that womens participation in community matters was extremely limited. Many NGOs did not know how to identify issues that women cared about. They didnt believe that women would participate even if given an opportunity, and therefore, felt no need to develop a specific plan for engaging women. When offered training in gender integration, the NGOs claimed they had already undergone gender training and did not need any more. Although Pact recognized early on that womens participation was surely to be a challenge, it was decided to adhere to the participatory, learn by doing principles of the project and allow the NGOs to discover this for themselves. The strategy was considered somewhat high risk. If it were successful, the result would be greater ownership of the gender integration objective by the NGOs. As a first step, Pact urged NGOs to consider setting gender targets and using a reporting format to record the number of women in attendance and the topics discussed relating to womens concerns. Eventually at the planning meeting, NGOs agreed to set a minimum level of 25% participation for women. They further agreed to monitor participation rates and designed a form to track the number of women who attended and the degree to which they were engaged. The form also required the community co-facilitator to identify any obstacles inhibiting womens participation and the steps they planned to take to overcome them.
The process
DISCUSS was a project based on the principle of learning democracy by doing. It was supported by an information strategy that helped local partner NGOs share lessons learned, and through capacity building, ensured that they and their community-based constituents possessed the necessary skills and confidence to put participatory democracy into action.
1 The community discussions

The core of the DISCUSS project was the community discussions. These were hosted by Pacts 13 local NGO partners, also referred to as local hosts (LH)1. At least four discussions were hosted within each community, facilitated by a representative of the local NGO and a co-facilitator selected by the community.
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Local NGO partners

1. Forum Cinta Bangsa 2. FIK ORNOP 3. IRE 4. LAKPESDAM NU 5. Piar 6. Pussbik 7. Walhi Aceh 8. Walhi Sumut 9. Walhi Sulawesi Tengah 10. YALI 11. Yayasan Manikaya Kauci 12. Yayasan Koslata 13. Yayasan Riau Mandiri
The discussions were facilitated in a way that encouraged direct participation, guided by the principles of experiential adult learning. Participants moved through a sequence of activities that engaged them in looking at their experiences, reflecting on what they had learned, generalizing to the larger context, and applying their knowledge to the current situation. Facilitators were responsible for gathering issues from community residents, formal authorities (i.e., local government officials and village heads), and informal authorities (i.e., religious or customary leaders). They were trained to help communities determine their own needs and aspirations, prioritize among them, and develop detailed and feasible plans for accomplishing their objectives. At times, facilitators also served as resource persons in community discussions because of their expertise on a particular subject.
The community co-facilitation was a key component of the projects sustainability strategy. The selection criteria for community co-facilitators included, but were not limited to the following: leadership in the community or an organization; demonstrated commitment to the methodology of community discussion; and capacity to generate interest among communities in continuing the practice of open debates. The profiles of community cofacilitators varied in terms of job and education level. Generally, they were prominent people with high social status, such as Madrash (Islamic education) and university graduates, farmers, elementary school teachers, leaders of religious groups, dusun (sub-village) leaders, middle-aged/senior community volunteers or individuals of some royal descent. At the first community meeting participants identified issues for discussion, drawing from a list of topics based on findings from a rapid needs assessment conducted by the NGO facilitator. Sometimes an issue was addressed and fully resolved within one meeting, in which case a new issue was selected at the next meeting. In other cases the issue might be discussed in two, three, or even all four meetings. After deciding upon the issue to be discussed, participants were asked to reflect upon and analyze possible root causes. Following reflection, people were asked to broaden their understanding of the issue by looking at the larger political context and factors impacting on it. When the group was ready, they moved to the development of an action plan to address the issue. Action plans were written so that the community could handle the issue(s) themselves. Activities took many forms, including public gatherings for larger discussions, working with other communities to solve problems, meeting with
Local hosts were NGOs or NGO networks that acted as a catalyst, planned and conducted community discussions in their regions. In addition, Local Hosts trained community volunteers as co-facilitators and distributed information through the website, newsletters, etc.
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decision-makers, drafting local laws, writing project proposals, trainings, collecting community resources, protesting/demonstrating, and taking legal action. Many plans could be immediately carried out by the community itselfsuch as clearing a community-owned field or renovating a marketplace. However, if the community could not solve the problem themselves, they would identify the steps for engaging in the local political process and advocating their position to local decisionmakers. Decision makers were often invited to act as resource persons in community discussions. On other occasions, meetings with decision makers were scheduled as part of community action plans to assist in resolving issues. These meetings took the form of hearings, petitions, demonstrations, and dialogues at the decisionmakers office. The dialogues provided opportunities to clarify positions and discuss proposals regarding the issue at hand. It was expected that the decision makers would become more sensitive and responsive towards peoples concerns in carrying out their duties, and the communities would become accustomed to actively participating in democratic processes.
2 Information strategy
Another important component of DISCUSS was the comprehensive information strategy that gave communities the information they needed, helped them to make their voices heard, and allowed all of the actors involved to learn from each other and quickly adapt to changing circumstances. NGOs and communities were trained and funded to share information via the Internet, newsletters, bulletin boards, radio, community theater, festivals, posters and more. Lessons shared through these media allowed participants to inform each other as well as to reach a broader audience about useful mechanisms for resolving local problems and to bring those ideas to similarly-themed discussions that they were being hosted in other locales. For example, when one community was discussing their concerns about fair elections, NGOs were able to invite an expert that had spoken with another community concerned about the same issue. The result was the spread of community-based election monitoring from one locale to another. Communities themselves took creative steps to inform their peers on important issues. With the assistance of local NGOs, one community founded a radio station so they could broadcast their discussions to everyone in the village.
3 Capacity building
To ensure that NGOs and communities were able to perform their responsibilities well, Pact provided a wide range of capacity building training including: group facilitation, information management, community media, participatory planning, financial management, organizational capacity self-assessment, organizational management, and monitoring and evaluation. In turn, the NGOs trained the local community facilitator in facilitation skills and community media. This comprehensive training supported the sustainability of the project over time. The plan was for skills to be transferred so that the methods taught would continue
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to be used in creative ways beyond the life of the project. Once NGOs learned key skills, they were able to apply those skills in other projects and make all of their work more democratic in nature. Indeed, of their own volition, participating NGOs decided to create a Democracy Alliance, or Aldek, in order to coordinate and promote DISCUSS-like activities in perpetuity, with or without continued funding from Pact2. In addition, Pact expected that at least 30% of participating communities would continue to hold discussions after the end of the project. In fact, by the end of DISCUSS, that number had reached 50%.
Implementation encouraging womens participation
By the end of the fifth month of project implementation, NGO reports showed low rates of participation by women in community discussions. In some cases it was noted that women would come to the meetings but not participate in the discussions. Instead, they would serve food and drinks to male participants. Many NGOs realized they were ready for assistance and requested help from Pact. At first, the NGOs attempted to deal with the problem through a mailing list in which they shared lessons learned and best practices in enhancing womens participation. This provided some improvement, but it was quickly evident that it was not enough. The NGOs needed specific skills and methodologies to achieve real impact. In response Pact hired Solidaritas Perempuan (Womens Solidarity for Human Rights), a womens organization in Indonesia that advocates for womens rights and political participation at the local and regional level. Budget constraints permitted only five of the 13 NGOs to be mentored on how to increase the quantity and quality of womens participation in community discussions and the political decisionmaking process. NGO facilitators, male and female learned techniques, and approaches such as the following: 1. How to encourage participation of women in community discussions. # Directly invite women to attend. # Treat women with respect and make it known that their ideas and opinions are valued during community discussions. # Place men and women in separate groups during discussions to develop solutions and then compile their suggestions together. 2. How to encourage participation in decision-making. # Ensure that women understand clearly the connection between discussing their problem and making decisions about them. # Invite women to decision-making meetings (i.e., village meetings). 3. How to create a new understanding of and appreciation for equality among citizens. # Explain the concept of equality and its importance to the community.
2 ALDEK was founded in March 2002. Under the Partnership for Governance Reform Program, ALDEK received a grant from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to use the DISCUSS methodology for political education programs leading up to the 2004 election in Indonesia.
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4. How to organize special womens discussions. # (See section on womens-only discussions below). 5. How to make womens issues a topic for the general community discussions. # Learn about womens issues by talking to women separately. # Suggest womens issues as topics for community discussions. Following the mentoring by Solidaritas Perempuan (SP), facilitators began to pay more attention to the special needs of female participants in terms of topic selection and discussion structure. Facilitators were encouraged to gather more womens issues to include in the community discussions and identify fora based on their local context.
omens-only Womens-only discussions

SPs key approach to increasing womens participation was the introduction of womens-only discussion groups to better prepare women to take part and be active in the community discussions when men were present. This proved to be the most effective and successful way to increase womens participation. Prior to the womens-only discussion, SP and the NGO identified likely issues of concern to women in the community, determined the best time for women to get together, and set the agenda for the meetings. The time and location of the womens-only discussions were usually decided between the women and the NGO. Meeting places were close to home because women did not like to travel far, especially at night. Under the guidance of SP, NGOs were also encouraged to use existing venues where women already came together. For example, in parts of Sulawasi, womens-only discussions were held at health clinics where women began by discussing their babies health and then moved on to discuss other issues of concern to women such as education, sanitation and clean water. Other venues used were wives meetings, religious study groups and youth meetings. In communities where there were no traditional or local fora, womensonly discussions were advertised and held at Market Day events to encourage more participation by women. Figure 1. Sequence of womens-only discussions As shown in Figure Introduction 1 , womens-only Opening womens-only discussion Community discussion discussions were scheduled before Follow-up womens-only discussion Community discussion and following each of the four Community discussion c o m m u n i t y Follow-up womens-only discussion discussions. The following describes Community discussion Follow-up womens-only discussion the purpose and general format of Concluding womens-only discussion each of these meetings:
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. 1 Introductory meeting. The introductory meeting provided women with an opportunity to learn about the purpose of holding separate womens-only discussions and for community co-facilitators to find out how women viewed their relationships with other members of the community and their role, in particular, in public affairs. At this meeting, women also identified problems of particular concern to them.
2 Opening womens-only discussion. At the first womens-only discussion, the

women selected an issue and talked about ways to resolve it. In the course of their discussion, the facilitator helped women to understand that they had a right to speak about problems outside of the home and that their experiences could give them something valuable to contribute. They also talked about the connection between public policies and womens daily experiences and the consequences of not participating in the decision-making process. At the close of the meeting, the facilitator went over the upcoming community discussion and talked about how the women would specifically participate. Women often selected one woman to be their spokesperson for the community discussion.
3 Community discussion. At the beginning of the community discussion, the cofacilitator asked participants to identify good democratic practices, such as giving everyone a chance to speak, respecting the views of others, and finding common ground. Often gender integration was among the good democratic practices named. If the turnout of women was low, the facilitator would ask participants to reflect on what they could do to increase womens participation. The group as a whole then selected the issue they wanted to address, entered into discussions, and came to a resolution. In some cases, men and women were placed in separate groups to develop solutions. At the end of the meeting, the facilitator reported on the turnout of women, their level of participation, and any obstacles that had inhibited their participation.
4 Follow-up womens-only discussion. After the general discussion, a follow-up meeting for women was held to review and evaluate the discussion, its resolution, and any action plans. Women also analyzed their participation quantitatively and qualitatively and prepared for the next community discussion. 5 Follow-up community discussion. In the second, third and fourth discussions the group either continued with the topic they had begun, or, if resolved, selected a new topic. In the case of a new issue, the discussion would proceed similarly to the first discussion. 6 Concluding womens-only discussion. The final womens-only discussion
provided women with an opportunity to evaluate the process and results of alternating between special womens-only discussions and community discussions. Women shared lessons learned, hopes for the future, and steps they could take outside of the DISCUSS framework.
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Results
Over the course of the DISCUSS project, more than 230 womens discussions took place (defined as discussions on topics in which women were directly affected and had a substantial voice in selecting the topic and/or those that were attended solely by women). These made up almost a quarter of the projects 1,000 discussions. Topics ranged from floods, income generation, waste issues, water and education to healthy homes and womens rights. In some communities, women were facilitators in community discussions. Nearly 100 facilitators were trained by the local NGOs, of which 40% were women. Of the community co-facilitators, 250 were trained by the local NGO partners, and 5% of them were women. Communities where there were a high number of women facilitators experienced more participation by women in their community discussions and significant changes in womens empowerment.
Frankly, I was nervous. But now, after we are accepted by the ladies and gentleman here to talk about garbage problems, I feel pleased and grateful. It turned out to be not as frightening as I imagined.
Jamilah -local facilitator from Banyumulek Village, West Lombok, on the dialogue with West Lombok Peoples Legislative Assembly.
A community discussion in Yeh Mampeh village

In Yeh Mampeh, an isolated village located in the mountains, women were able to convince the village to improve conditions and facilities in their community. Before DISCUSS, women were not involved in village meetings nor in formulating village policies. One day, a mother was about to deliver her baby. Because there was no electricity or health clinic in this village, she had to go to the sub-district to deliver. The road to the sub-district was unpaved, making it difficult to travel and it took longer than expected to get there. So the mother had to stop and deliver the baby alongside the road. She had a boy and named him Wayan Asphalt. This incident prompted community villagers to discuss the importance of having a paved road, electricity and a health clinic in their community. The women also got involved in the discussions and lobbied the village council, held many meetings with decision-makers and were successful in convincing the village council to make the improvements. The Yeh Mampeh village now has a paved road, electricity and a health clinic.
1 Women in Aceh
A local NGO in Aceh province selected all women facilitators. These facilitators had more focused womens-only discussions and many more women participated. The issues covered in their discussions were all issues to which the women felt a connection, such as garbage collection, day care, and access to markets. Following the community discussion women often picked-up the issue and carried it forward with specific projects. For example, with regards to the issue of compost development, they advocated for more garbage collection and spoke on radio talk shows to discuss improving local environmental conditions.
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The Aceh women became very outspoken. They discussed the inconsistency of government service in the province when taxes werent paid regularly. When taxes werent paid, the government would not provide decent services. They also took up the issue of corruption and problems with the delivery of health services. For instance, many health officials were charging more than the standard amount for check-ups. The women expressed their concerns to the local official, who then admonished his staff and promised action if there were any future violations of government policy. He also invited the women to approach him if they uncovered more violations.
Tengg engganan village 2 Women in Tengganan village

Tengganan village is an adat3 village located in Bali province. It is a patriarchal society where decision-making is done at the village level and where only men are allowed to participate in village meetings. DISCUSS came to the village and introduced community discussions through Kramu Isteri (wives meeting) and youth meetings. Before the village meeting, women would hold womens-only discussions. They would then send a representative to talk to the elder (man) and speak on behalf of the women. During the village meeting, if the womens topic were considered important, the representative presented the issue to the group. Sometimes if the topic were really important, several women would be invited to present at the village meeting. This was a huge breakthrough in the village because women were not allowed in previous meetings. During one community discussion a woman representative raised concerns about clean water in the village. The men decided to make the issue a top priority for the community action plan. The women also raised the issue of repairing the village elementary school. The community saw this as a problem they could resolve and decided to repair and improve the school themselves, stating, This is also our school.
3 Women in Plabuhan, East Java Plabuhan, Java

Its great that women have become more involved. The best thing is that there are no more walls separating men and women in village affairs.
A religious leader from Plabuhan village
When Lakpesdam NU, a local NGO, first introduced the DISCUSS project to Plabuhan, a small village north of Jombang in East Java, the level of female participation was disappointingly low. Very few women attended community discussions, and those who did rarely spoke up, allowing the menand in particular the village eliteto dominate discussions. Womens submissiveness in community decision making was incommensurate with the major contributions they had been making to and the welfare of their families and communities. In addition to cooking, caring for children and keeping the household, the women spent much of their day collecting wood from the neighboring forest to be sold in the local market. It was physically demanding and risky work, requiring women to climb high into the treetops to collect dead branches and carry home loads of up to 100kg on their backs. As both homemakers and breadwinners, they wanted to become more involved in village affairs but didnt know how. A local facilitator, Pak Kholiq, was optimistic that women could be encouraged to play a greater role in community discussions, and he was proven right. An evaluation of womens low level of participation led to the development of a project to provide gender
3
In Indonesia, adat refers to custom or tradition. Adat has a kind of legal status that is recognized by the government as legitimate in activities such as agricultural production, religious practices, marriage arrangements and legal practices. (Source: www.indonesiaphoto.com).
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training and technical assistance to individual women as well as several organizations that already operated in the village. Within a short time the number of women attending discussions began to rise. The story of Afif and Ima, two of Plabuhans female residents, and the organization they founded is particularly inspiring. Afifs awareness and concern for womens issues were enhanced by her attendance at training sessions in alternative media and facilitator training. She began talking about it with other village women, who turned out to be concerned as well. With the help of Lapkesdam NU, Afif and her friend Ima planned a series of organizational development training sessions that eventually led to the founding of P2K [Persatuan Perempuan KreatifThe Union of Creative Women]. P2K has faced challenges, but their activitiesranging from training sessions about gender and household management issues to lessons on baking cakeshave had an immediate positive impact. The energy and effectiveness of P2K has not gone unnoticed by the village government, which has approached the organization to help in various ways, including arranging Independence Day activities, representing the village in youth affairs at the sub-district level, and offering input at every village assembly meeting. P2K is particularly proud that one of its nearly 35 members was entrusted with the position of Secretary of the Village Development League (LPD, Lembaga Pembangunan Desa). Holding an official position in village affairs is a first for the women of Plabuhan. The increased participation of women in village affairs has been widely noticed and enthusiastically accepted.
Challenges faced
The major challenge in the DISCUSS project was to build womens self-esteem and courage to speak publicly, especially in front of their husbands, brothers and fathers. This awareness and empowerment took time. The separate women-only discussions allowed women to build the skills and confidence necessary to articulate their concerns in the public venues. Communities were encouraged to develop action plans to undertake the solutions themselves but often had inadequate resources. Various solutions were devised collecting voluntary contributions from community members; approaching government officials or community figures for funding seeking in-kind contributions from private companies or government institutions and carrying out the activity in stages as funding became available. In an effort to sustain DISCUSS beyond the life of the project, each NGO developed a strategic plan for continuing DISCUSS values, methods and results, within their own organization, among a network of peer organizations and, most importantly, within the local communities they exist to serve. Through capacity building activities, Pact ensured that NGOs were equipped with the necessary skills to follow through with ongoing community discussions and action plans.
An important consideration in entrusting the Secretariat of the LDP to P2K was our belief in their abilities. On their own, within this past year, theyve already done many things for the village, especially in pushing youth activities in a positive and productive direction. For example, P2K has helped curb bad behavior amongst the youth, like drinking alcohol.
the Village Chief of Plabuhan village
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LESSONS LEARNED
$ Giving NGOs a say in setting clear gender performance standards and determining
the skills/training needed to achieve gender integration avoided the perception of a donor-driven gender agenda and ultimately resulted in greater ownership of the projects gender objective.
$ Allowing communities to select topics at community discussions ensured their

relevance to communitys needs and aspirations
$ Conducting frequent and regular reflection sessions with NGOs to share lessons
learned and best practices was necessary in seeking to change long-standing cultural practices.
$ Starting each community discussion with an assessment of the level of womens

attendance and how to overcome obstacles to their participation served to increase community ownership of the gender integration objective.
$ Holding women-only group discussions allowed women to develop their own skills,
ideas and strategies on community issues and gain confidence in articulating positions in front of men.
$ Seeing women as facilitators encouraged women to participate and provided women

a role model of empowerment.
$ Encouraging communities to provide in-kind contributions such as meeting spaces,

snacks, etc. training community members as facilitators, and using local communitybased organizations as focal points for information dissemination enabled communities to continue discussions after the project period ended.
$ Engaging local decision-makers in the community discussions helped to promote

the concept of .learning democracy by doing. and secured their commitment to finding solutions.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
$ Partner NGOs should be given space to determine gender performance
standards as well as the skills/training necessary to reach those standards.
$ Communities should be allowed to select the topics for discussion to ensure

local relevancy.
$ Projects seeking to change long-standing cultural practices need flexibility

to meet unanticipated needs and should use frequent reflection and learning sessions as a means to flexibility.
$ Each community discussion should begin with an assessment of the level of

womens attendance. When levels are below agreed targets, communities should discuss the obstacles to womens participation and how they can be overcome.
$ Women-only discussions should be considered as methods that give women

the opportunity to build their skills and confidence in public speaking and articulating positions on community issues in front of men.
$ Women facilitators should be used to provide role models for empowerment

and increase womens participation.
$ A small amount of investment in capacity building and networking with local

NGOs are sufficient financial commitments needed to replicate this type of project.
$ Local decision makers should be engaged in community discussions in order

to ensure their commitment to the solution of the problem.
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P R o F I L E
Organization
The Hunger Project
THE HUNGER PROJECT
Country
Bangladesh
Authors Contact
Saif Uddin Ahmed Subvina Monir Chithi
House # 27 (New), Road #27 (Old) Dhanmondi C/A, Dhaka - 1209, Bangladesh
! (880-2) 811 2622; (880-2) 812 7975 ! (880-2) 811 6812 " thpb@bangla.net
www.thp.org/bangladesh
Mission
The Hunger Project Bangladesh is a voluntary organization and global movement committed to the sustainable end of hunger and poverty. The Hunger Project (Head Office in New York, USA) started its movement in Bangladesh in 1991 with the mission to create a social movement for a self-reliant Bangladesh by mobilizing the human and non-human resources of the country. The focus of the organization is the human component. It empowers individuals to discover their vision and express their leadership to work together to translate their vision into accomplishment.
Women Animators: The Key to Mobilizing Self-Reliant Development

Social and cultural context
Bangladesh is a fertile delta inhabited by 128 million. It is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, where most of the people live in the rural areas. The degree of poverty is severe. Despite being hardworking, people have very low incomes, education and access to health care, sanitation and clean water. Bangladesh has the highest rate of malnutrition in the world, due largely to the low social status of women in society, where often the women and the girl-children eat last and least. Many women in Bangladesh live in unimaginable isolation, malnutrition and powerlessness. Distorted religious teachings are reinforced by traditions that subjugate and disempower women. The forces of patriarchy and fundamentalism continue to resist womens participation in their communities and strongly oppose women taking leadership roles. Women bear the brunt of poverty both physically and psychologically. Since Bangladesh gained its independence in 1971, initiatives have been taken to improve the socioeconomic condition of the people. Foreign aid has been invested in different development programs. However, these traditional programs of poverty reduction are not sufficient to solve local needs. It is now increasingly clear that the challenges of abject hunger and poverty cannot be arrested by the prevailing top-down, aid-dependent, donor-driven, expert-led service delivery approach. These handout programs are most often designed by hired specialists who are not necessarily conversant with the needs and aspirations of local communities. Public participation in decision making, planning and implementation of projects is usually very low. On the other hand, local capacities remain far from fully tapped. The traditional aid-dependent approach has not only failed to end hunger in the country, it has also created a deeprooted sense of dependency, resignation and cynicism among the people. The strategy and programs of The Hunger Project Bangladesh arise from this specific reality.
Women Animators:The Key to Mobilizing Self-Reliant Development
People know that there is a science of agriculture, but they dont know that there is a science to mobilize people for selfreliance.
- Joan Holmes Holmes, President of The Hunger Project
The Hunger Project Bangladesh: Beliefs and strategies
The Hunger Project believes that sustainable development takes place when the program is owned and controlled by the people themselves it is upon the people to make change happen, and they should no longer wait for the government or donors to take care of their lives. The organization places total confidence on peoples power and creativity. It believes that there is nothing that can stand against human supremacy. The Hunger Project Bangladesh seeks to mobilize grassroots people for self-reliant action towards sustainable development. To achieve this, the organization is carrying out a large-scale strategy to demonstrate that a strong local democracy, coupled with strong womens leadership, is the best path to overcoming Bangladeshs endemic hunger and poverty. The strategy embraces both intensive communication and direct action and expresses the basic principles of The Hunger Project, which are: self-help, partnership, human dignity, popular participation, human creativity, strategic action and women empowerment. The strategy is characterized by three modes of action:
1 Changing the mindset of the people To transform people from the traditional mindset (dependent, no confidence, self-centered, irresponsible) to a new shape (responsible, creative, confident, and eager to volunteer and to be an organizer), the organization developed a decentralized, flexible, people-centered approach as its core strategy.
Tools: Four-day animator training (AT) Day-long vision, commitment and action workshop (VCAW)
2 The Hunger Project does not show any roadmap of development to the people. It just plays a catalytic role in their planning and actions, and coordinates with existing government organizations (GOs) and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) if needed.
Tools: Animator training follow-up meeting (ATFM) Training of volunteer trainers (TOVT) Skills training Publication of animators success stories
3 Civil society mobilization and creation of pressure groups To uphold democratic rights and ensure good governance, strengthen local government institutions, address environment and population issues, and continue advocacy for women empowerment and girl-child rights, The Hunger Project mobilizes civil society fora and creates pressure groups.
ools: Tools Roundtable meetings Workshops Seminars Civil society fora

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The Hunger Project | Bangladesh
Animator training: The key tool

What is an animator? An animator is an agent of change and action who wakes people from their complacency and dependence, and moves them to action, selfreliance and self-determination. The animator training (AT) is the main and most important input of The Hunger Project in creating an alternative stream of development. The distinguishing fundamental feature underlying the animator training is the belief in the ability, dignity and self-reliance in each person. The prevailing notion in society is that the people are not able. Even people themselves think that they are not able. The concept of AT is a complete turnaround from this notion. The main features of an animator training:
# #
# #
Duration: Four days Participants: Anyone may be trained as an animator a social worker, teacher, a responsible government official, the union chairman, or any regular member of the community. Women are especially encouraged to attend the training. Trainers: The Hunger Project staff and trained volunteer trainers Objective : To change the frustrated mindset to an active frame of mind, and to form a group of volunteers who will take the responsibility of leading the local development process through planning and mass mobilization in their area. Sessions: 1 Scenario of our success and failure. A clear scenario of the peoples glory and poverty is presented through history and information. The purpose is to make participants proud about their glory and sensitively sad about the tragic reality. 2 Identify the root of the problem. The existing power paradigm is exposed, development strategies in use are analyzed and their lack is pointed out. To overcome this lack, a base of alternative development strategies is created. People are made to think out of the box with the help of some tools, tactics and exercises. 3 Women are the key to ending hunger. If women are informed, educated, healthy, aware of their rights and potentials, and are organized, their own families and communities will benefit and have a more enriched and fruitful life. 4 Principles of the alternative strategy. The 10 key principles that are to serve as the animators tools (the human spirit, interconnectedness, vision, commitment, leadership, strategy and action, self-reliance, enabling environment, empowerment of women and global responsibility) are explained. 5 Vision exercise. A hypothetical ideal model of a village/city is presented, pointing out the components that made the model perfect and the ways through which these can be achieved. The main objective of this session is to make the participants eager to be part of and to lead one such ideal village/city.
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6 Declaration and planning. This is the final and most important session. The participants who are convinced of the approach of the training take the vision in mind, commit to change the existing reality, and declare themselves as an animator. They then draw up the action plan for the solution of the problems identified.
Animators : The key actors

After completing the AT, the animators bear the responsibility to move forward with their plans and aspirations for the community. The Hunger Project monitors their activities through monthly follow-up meetings and provides suggestions and coordination if needed. The animators work totally on a voluntary basis and are accountable only to themselves. To date, more than 40,000 animators have been trained in over 500 ATs across the country. Though not all of them remain fully active, the overall result is very encouraging. The Hunger Project is confident of the effectiveness of this volunteercreating approach and is putting more effort in the development of training materials to improve trainers skills and make the training more effective. Animators have already implemented successful projects with some unions, one of which is the Gokorno Union.
The success story of the Gokorno Union

A backgrounder on the union parishod
The union is the smallest unit of governance in Bangladesh. British colonial rulers, by virtue of the Bengal Village Choukidari Act 1870, created the structure of union parishod (UP), which is the governing council of each union. The British originally instituted the UP to ensure their dominance over the local people. But the people eventually took it as their own institution. The council has won the faith and reliance of the local people and begun to play a greater role in village life, especially on social issues. Although undemocratic laws and the highly centralized power structure of the country have somewhat weakened the UP, the villagers still rely on this institution. The UP chairman and members are the real representatives of grassroots people. In 1997, the Bangladesh government passed the law reserving 30% of union seats to women. This was a big boost to the political empowerment of women. Women gained access in the power arena. Grassroots women took greater interest in holding leadership and playing a social and political role in their community.
The Gokorno Union

Gokorno, a union of Nasirnagar Upazila under Brahmanbaria District of Bangladesh, is inhabited by 19,316 people, about 48% of whom are women. Only two years ago, filthy environment, open latrines, malnourished children were common sights in the village. Women were not organized, they had no independent income and most importantly, they were unaware of their rights. Womens educational level was low, and opportunities for development were few and far between. Dropout
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rate among schoolchildren was on the rise as they were forced to help their families in the fields or with their businesses, missing out on their childhood. The childrens families, however, were unconcerned, the school managing committee was irresponsible and the teachers were apathetic. Such is no longer the case today. The situation has changed dramatically. And it all started with one woman animator, Hasna Hena.
Hasna Hena, woman animator

Hasna Hena was a struggling village woman of Gokorno Union. She studied up to just Class-VIII. She dreamed of giving her children a good education, a dream that was about to be shattered when her husband became unemployed in 1995. Life became tough for them. But Hasna was determined not to lose hope. She started a tree nursery in a 15-decimal land close to her house with a loan for one year. At first she produced 8,000 saplings of eight different tree species. The following year she produced 10,000 saplings. There were so many orders that she could not keep up with the demand. Her dream is now a reality. Her children are in school and her elder daughter has appeared in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination this year. But Hasna wanted to do more. Friendly and sympathetic in nature, she always helped the women in her village in their sufferings. After the bill giving women union seats was passed, Hasna was requested by the villagers, especially the women, to vie for membership in the union parishod. She won and became Woman Member of the UP from 1997-2002.
Testimonials
Five years ago I was a simple housewife and an ordinary woman. I cooked every day, took care of my children and my husband. After I attended the animator training, I realized my worth as a human being, more than just a housewife. I discovered that I could contribute a lot to the improvement of the lives of the people in my union, not only as a woman member of the union parishod, but also as a human being. This is my dream and I love doing this. I dont think I can live a day in my life without working with others as a volunteer. - Hasna Hena Woman animator Since the beginning of my life, I have always wanted to do something for the people of Gokorno. But I did not know how to do that. I did not have enough money, which I thought was the only resource. Then came the animator training. The AT taught me that although money is important, social capital is as important in making Gokorno hunger-free and self-reliant. And I realized that the people, especially the women, are the key to freeing the people of Gokorno from hunger and suffering. - Moslema Akther Woman animator
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It was about that time that Hasna attended the 34th animator training at the Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD) organized by The Hunger Project. This training brought a lot of new ideas, new dreams, and a new spirit to her sense of self and world view. She devoted herself to the social movement. As an animator and at the same time a UP member, she felt she could do a lot more. Armed with an action plan, she set out to bring changes in her village. Hasna held meetings in her house where she tried to make people understand that a person of self-power cannot be poor. She shared her own struggles and the lessons she learned from the animator training. In July of 2002, Hasna organized an animator training session at the Gokorno High School. The UP chairman was a participant and after four days he also declared himself as an animator. The new animators, many of them women, eagerly went about improving the dismal situation of the village. They regularly organized meetings where they rigorously discussed their problems, visions and expectations for their community.
The Gokorno Animators Organization

On August 23, 2002, the animators of Gokorno formed the Gokorno Ujjibak Sangathan (Gokorno Animators Organization) with a total of 50 members. This organization served as the umbrella organization for the Gokorno Union. Currently it has about 135 members, of which over half (81) are women. The members are playing a key role in the union, forming many women cooperatives, enabling them to access the existing GO/NGO facilities to become self-reliant, helping to bring down the dropout rate in the primary level of education, creating an enabling environment for ensuring the rights of the girl-child, taking initiatives for safe health and sanitation, and making the UP body more active as it would be the ultimate institution for development, democracy and good governance.
Animators in action: Accomplishments and impact Local planning and local initiatives: Partnerships in health and education
Animators perform thorough planning and implementation. They help voluntarily in the initiatives undertaken by the UP and make sure they are implemented with transparency and accountability. This way, they act both as partners of government as well as its watchdog so that programs really benefit the people.
Health initiatives
The Gokorno Ujjibak Sangathan members discuss ways to prevent communicable diseases in the village through sanitary living and child and mother care. Seeing the need for sanitary latrines in each house, they formed the Sanitation Samity (The Sanitation Association) and agreed that each person would save Tk.50 (equivalent to USD 1) per month until there was enough to put up a sanitary latrine in each house. Another group, the Purbapara Susthya Thakun Samity (Stay Healthy Association), was also formed to work for sanitation.
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Health initiatives impact

Impact: About 70% of the 3,865 families in Gokorno are under safe sanitation today. The rest of the families cannot afford the cost. The union parishod and the animators are trying to help those families through partnerships.
#
Animators are raising health awareness and health education. They encourage parents to bring their children to the health centers, where the animators immunize the children on National Immunization Day.
Impact: The children of Gokorno are 90% immunized. About 60% of families are now taking family planning measures. Seventy % of all the families take iodized salt.
Education initiatives
In order to stop and reduce school dropout rate and bring awareness among the parents, animators, with the help of the teachers, village elders, managing committees and students, organized education meetings and education fairs. At those meetings, the guardians committed to ensuring their childrens attendance in school and study time at night. Teachers committed to stay in regular communication with the guardians. The UP chairman and members regularly meet with the teachers and the schools managing committee to discuss progress and any issues and problems related to education.
Education initiative impact

Impact: There was a sharp increase in school attendance from 10% to 75% among both boys and girls.
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Income-generating initiatives: every Income-generating initiatives: A handful of rice every day

The women animators, wanting to do something to help the women earn more income but without any capital, gathered 30 poor women in one village and formed them into the Jagoroni Mahila Samity (Jagoroni womens cooperative). Another group of women were formed into the Atmanirvarshil Mushtichal Samity (selfreliant handful grain cooperative). Members of these two cooperatives saved one handful of rice every day. When the price is good in the market, they sell their saved grain. This way, they were able to make the minimum capital to start a sewing and handicraft store. Animator Halima, an experienced tailor, trained the members for a minimum honorarium.
Income generating impact generating

Impact: Members of cooperatives have now become self-reliant. A group of 19 adolescent girls were organized into the Gokorno United Adolescent Handful Grain Cooperative. Saving a handful of rice every day, each of the members saved kilo of rice a week. The girls sold their saved grain collectively, and earned money for their school expenses. Impact: The girls were able to save for their own educational expenses and accumulate capital for the future. They plan to put up a vegetable garden and start a sewing project in the near future.
After retirement in 1998, I met a serious accident and felt that life was finished. Attending VCAW at that time, I found new meaning to my life and new responsibility towards fellow human beings. I then took the animators training in 1999. I am now a voluntary trainer for The Hunger Project, training and awakening others.
- Prof. Mohammed Meher E-Khoda, Ph.D. (Dhaka) Volunteer Trainer 96
Growing social consciousness

With the support of the union parishod, the Gokorno Animators Organization has been conducting campaigns to improve the quality of education, bring health awareness, protect the environment and promote incomegenerating activities in the community. These have inspired and mobilized the community people in various development initiatives. On environment, initiatives for starting a plantation have been taken by villagers and students. The UP is providing support through coordination with the concerned GO/NGO facilities. On women issues, animators, women UP members and adolescent girls are holding uthan boithok (yard meetings) to address womens issues, cases regarding girlchilds rights, womens education, womens self-reliance, womens consciousness and boldness about their own rights, building grassroots women leadership, and similar issues. They organize events to celebrate the International Womens Day and National Girl-Child Day.
Social consciousness impact

Impact: Impact A growing social consciousness has been developed among the community. The animators have become an inspiring model for social action, and individual action and initiative.
Strengthening local government

As UP is the institution nearest to the people, animators are very much conscious about its activeness, transparency and autonomy. To promote openness and increase peoples participation in governance issues, animators have initiated the following activities:
Face to face program during the UP election. In this program all of the candidates answer questions from the people in an open stage and present their plans and commitments to them. Through this open dialogue, people get the opportunity to make their judgments about government leaders. Womens concerns are brought up before the council. Open budget meeting . This is another effective program to ensure clarity of UP and to get people involved with the development planning of their own area. The UP chairman presents the coming years budget before the people and explains the allocations. This gives people a chance to raise public demands, concerns and suggestions before the UP body.
Local government impact

Impact: Impact There is better communication and clearer understanding between people and government. A culture of democratic practice is established. The union parishod is trying to do its work for community development and women empowerment through the women animators.
Conclusion
It may seem that all of these are happening magically and with absolute smoothness. But in fact there are a considerable obstacles in the social structure, practiced culture, and in the mindset of the people. The low status accorded to women, the traditional role expectations that hinder womens participation in public affairs and prevent their access to resources and opportunities these are barriers that cannot be eliminated overnight. It is not as if all problems have already been resolved. But the important thing is that mass consciousness has been raised, women are becoming aware of their value and their rights, and people are preparing to take the responsibility for positive change. All of these things are happening only on the basis of public ownership and volunteerism. Again, it is not the time to say Yes, its done. But the groundswell of action seems to say that Yes, it has been started in the right way.
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LESSONS LEARNED
Lessons from this innovative case include:
$ Social and economic issues and many of the basic problems that concern
communities are mostly local in nature and specific to the peculiarities of a people's culture and way of life. The Hunger Projects experience with animators has demonstrated the value of mobilizing community members and equipping them with the capacity to identify and find solutions to their own problems, and take action on these based on their own understanding and experiencing of the situation.
$ For programs to be meaningful and acceptable they must be carried out using
integrated and participatory action procedures. Dynamic and self-motivated women animators, concerned local leaders and effective union parishods, who are also closest to the people, are the key here.
$ Women's participation in the development planning processes of the country and

the Union is not yet extensive. But women cannot be excluded from any development effort. If women leaders, as exemplified by Hasna Hena, from the community to the national level can efficiently identify, voice and take responsibility for the solutions to women's problems, and organize women for their implementation, the pace of development can be hastened.
$ Decentralization of administration and devolution of power can bring effective

development in the countries of the Third World, as we see from Bangladesh's experiences. In a stressed political situation as in Bangladesh, where corruption and absence of accountability have made the bureaucracy inefficient and ineffective, achieving good governance can be started from the grassroots level. In order to establish transparency, accountability and equitable democracy at all levels, work can be started through the union parishod.
$ The law reserving 30% of union parishod seats in Bangladesh has provided an
enabling mechanism for raising womens status, elevating the voice of women on policy issues, and securing the needed measures and opportunities for facilitating womens development.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendations for replication:
$ Inspire the women and organize them. Traditional mindset (i.e., aggravation,
pessimism and dependency) should be eliminated. A vision must be created among women so that they can take actions based on commitment for the betterment not only of themselves but of society as well. Though organizing people would build primarily a community's social capital, it should also lead ultimately to the formation of economic capital. Such investments, managed effectively, can bring socioeconomic development to grassroots people, especially poor women.
$ Ensure women's participation in the development and power arena and advocate
continuously for ensuring the girl-child's right. As 30% perseverance for women in the local government structure has brought extremely positive outcome, it should be increased to 50%. With the encouraging UP experience, womens politicial participation should also be exercised at the national level so that women may have better power access and their concerns may be brought to the policy making level.
$ Strengthen local government. As public representatives and union parishods are

the closest to the people, they can play a vital role in boosting womens participation and advancement at the grassroots level. The case of Gokorno has shown that, through the initiative and vigilance of the women animators, the local governing council can be harnessed as effective partners of the people in community development. If local government institutions can be strengthened, and actions are taken through effective use of local resources, total development can be achieved. The union parishod can be further strengthened by: (i) increasing direct financial allocation for union parishods; (ii) ensuring its autonomy; and (iii) making union parishod elections neutral, fair and free from all sorts of political influences.
$ Revive volunteerism but at the same time aim for change at the policy level. Even
community volunteers, like Gokornos animators, can bring about positive changes in government procedures, budget plans and basic services programs if they work with local policymaking and governing bodies like the union parishod.
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Natural Resource Management
P R o F I L E
Nepal
Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (WOCAN)
WOCAN
Authors
Jeannette D. Gurung Kanchan Lama Manohara Khadka
Contact
Dr. Jeannette D. Gurung, Director 26 Beckett Way Ithaca, NY 14850 ! 607-257-9795 " jeannettegurung@yahoo.com
Mission
WOCAN envisions transformed natural resources management programs, and transformed organizations working to achieve gender equality and environmentally sustainable development. WOCAN empowers women professionals by enhancing their capabilities and providing them with opportunities to share information and experiences globally; and works to strengthen the positions of women professionals engaged in agriculture, forestry and other relevant sectors, by increasing their effectiveness and services reaching rural women.
Empowered Women: A Study of Change Within the Forestry Department of Nepal

Introduction and goals
The intended beneficiaries of forest management initiatives are often excluded from decision making and access to benefits due to their gender, class and/or ethnicity. Contemporary environment and development programs, therefore, often promote the participation of women in order to increase project efficiency while addressing social injustices. This is based on an understanding that increasing the participation of women often the primary users and managers will mobilize local resources and commitment to sustain project outcomes. This case study examines how gender interests became incorporated into a forestry project in Nepal, and the resulting changes in the attitudes of rural women, and more significantly, staff of the Department of Forestry (DOF). In 1993, the government of Nepal and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) initiated the Hills Leasehold Forestry 1 and Forage Development Project (HLFFDP). Its objectives were twofold: 1) raise the incomes of families in the hills who were below the poverty line, and 2) improve ecological conditions. These were to be achieved through leasing areas of degraded forestlands to groups of poor households who would be assisted to regenerate the land. The project managers viewed the incorporation of gender issues and targeting of poor women as essential to meeting these objectives. The HLFFDP is situated within a society where gender ideologies implicitly state that privileged men are dominant, and relationships between community members and government workers are often steeply hierarchical. These conditions present serious obstacles in the ability of male professionals within male-dominated organizations to address gender issues and to achieve the participation, much less the empowerment, of rural, uneducated women. No less than an attitudinal change is needed - a complete turn-around in the way of thinking about rural women and their
Leasehold forestry involves leasing degraded forest land to poor households through contracts lasting for 40 years.
1
capabilities. In short, civil servants would have to question their biases and challenge societys stereotypes about women. This project has provided us with an approach to achieve forest regeneration, womens empowerment and poverty alleviation through a process of gender mainstreaming that aims at organizational change within the agencies responsible for natural resource management, hence moving womens empowerment from a field-level to an institutional concern. Institutionalization and the long-term sustainability of equitable natural resource management require nothing less. This study, based on narratives of the project and government staff, as well as the rural women involved, assesses the key elements that contributed to the genderrelated aspects of the project that are largely responsible for its success, and the degree to which these aspects have been institutionalized.
Nepal context
Gender in the profession of forestry
The gender ideologies of lowland South Asia have a large influence on organizations operating in Nepal, affecting both the programs and the individual work experiences of women within these organizations. Religion, culture, tradition and social attitudes place severe limits on womens participation in public life. These factors have shaped the individual self image of women, resulting in a negligible number of Nepali women involved in professional, managerial or decision-making positions. Because of a lack of womens socialization, lack of female control over productive resources and a large gap in literacy levels between male and female literacy, women have related to the professional world and the development process largely through the mediation of men.2 Like forestry departments around the world, Nepals Department of Forestry (DOF) considered by those on the inside as a field of expertise to be practiced by professionals who have a forestry degree from a specialized school, and as such is exclusive. Forestry training in many parts of the world resembles that of military training, and it is thereby imbued with masculinity; traditionally, the symbolic ideal forester is a well-built male who can handle a gun as well as a chainsaw and tackle wild animals, malaria, and the populace alike. As a result of the extreme male domination within the profession of forestry, gender gaps are frequently observed in forest-related programs. These are manifested, most visibly in a lack of women staff, lack of activities of interest to women, low budgets for women-related activities, and an absence of women in decision-making within the department and within the communities where activities are undertaken. Womens role in forestry at the community level is believed to be as collectors and users not as managers, decision-makers and important stakeholders. Nepals DOF had proved to be no exception to this. Despite studies that demonstrate that women were becoming involved in community forestry, and that forest user-groups
2
Shtrii Shakti 1995.Women, Development, Democracy: A Study of the Socio-economic Changes in the Profile of Women in Nepal. New Delhi, p. 140.
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Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management | Nepal
run by women practice more transparent and more regular meetings than those organized by men, women were still not formally recognized as important stakeholders who have rights to its benefits and who should be consulted in policy matters.3
gender Official gender policies

Since the 1990s, themes of poverty and social development have moved to the forefront of the development discourse within Nepal, creating a favorable environment for gender equality. The Governments Tenth Five-year Plan for 20022007 recognizes women as a target group for achieving its overall aim of poverty alleviation, specifically intending to increase effective participation of women in forest management, in order to minimize gender disparity and increase access to social and economic resources. In addition to such policies, the country has an active feminist movement that pushes for legislative reform to allocate land rights to women, to address other issues as well. According to a study conducted by the FAO, such a macro policy commitment provides an enabling environment to fulfil the gender mainstreaming objective of the HLFFDP.4 In the 1990s, the National Planning Commission issued a directive for all agencies to create a gender or womens cell; almost all complied within that decade. The DOF, however, has only recently installed theirs, through the creation of a Gender and Equity Working Group under the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation (MFSC).
The process of implementation

Supporting framework
Despite limitations in gender promotional systems within the MFSC and the DOF, the HLFFDP project benefited greatly from the leadership of two male project managers, one from the DOF and one from FAO. These managers had the vision to hire a four-woman team, known as the team of Gender Advisors, and grant them autonomy that allowed them to develop an innovative strategy. The project managers goal was to address the organizational culture of the implementing agencies in order to make their male counterparts more aware of, and responsive to, rural womens realities. The members of the team of Gender Advisors were gender professionals employed by FAO. Through the persistence of this team, their sustained support and firm belief in the abilities of the rural women, a process of continual gender and leadership training for government officials was implemented, and local female Group Promoters (GPs) were recruited from the project areas. During the early stages when it was difficult for GPs to gain access to government offices, the team of Gender Advisors provided continuous backstopping support
3
Maskey, V. et. al 2003. A survey analysis of participation in a community forest management in Nepal. Research paper 2003. 4 Balakrishnan, R. 2000. Aligning Gender Mainstreaming Policies with Institutional Directives. Technical Backstopping Mission, Gender Mainstreaming in HLFFDP-Nepal. FAO Kathmandu, p. 26.
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through mediation, counseling and networking with government officials. The approach was an appreciative inquiry technique whereby the advisors observed behavior changes during project meetings, made note of indications of appreciation on the part of government officials, and wrote brief case examples describing the changed attitudes. The case examples were then disseminated to project partners and district offices.
Group Promoters
Group Promoters (GPs) are local community women (married or unmarried) from the leasehold forestry groups (LHG), identified by rangers in consultation with the community of LHGs. Their selection is based on their leadership potential and respect shown for them by the other families of the LHG. First, there was an interview with the team of Gender Advisors, together with the District Forest Officer. The interview was a simple procedure, so as not to scare the GP candidates, and also so that candidates can express their expectations of the GP role. Through this process, the selection was thereby authenticated by DOF involvement. Once selected, the GPs received training on the following topics: social motivation, gender analysis, communication techniques at both the community and government level, speech communication, case study documentation, incorporating gender issues in leasehold forestry planning, participatory monitoring and evaluation, national government gender policies, as well as several training sessions regarding the management of savings and credit groups and the development of cooperatives. These training sessions were held at regular intervals in order to maintain the learning process and skill level of the GPs. There were also regular bi-annual review meetings for sharing of lessons learned among all the GPs. The training also brought home for the GPs that their main roles included the following:
# # # # # #
Supporting women in their participation, especially in LHG matters Developing the organizational capacity of womens groups Helping to create an enabling environment where women can access services from the district-level line agencies Promoting women and mens mutual cooperation and collaboration in LHGs and their community development work Building networks among poor communities and women in order to advocate for their rights as leasehold forestry groups Collecting and mobilizing savings for productive purposes and keeping records of collection.
A primary responsibility of the GPs is as a mediator between the LHGs, and the district and national-level line agency representatives. The GPs collect information from the community and inform government offices, and vice versa. In order to do this, the GPs participate in village-level meetings such as the LHG meetings and village development council meetings, where they advocate for womens access to public resources and government planning processes. In addition, the GPs establish links to government line agency offices at the district level by making appointments to visit the officers and by attending the meetings at these agencies. In 2001, the GPs contracts were terminated. Despite receiving no pay, the GPs continued to organize activities for social mobilization and womens participation
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in forestry. As volunteers, they continued working for the LHGs they had been serving, and where they themselves live. One subgroup of GPs kept in contact with the Gender Advisors (themselves also no longer employed by the Project) frequently for support and advice. This continued interest encouraged the original project adviser to develop a project proposal for funds to continue support for this group. The objectives of the new initiative went beyond the original goal to enhance womens participation, because it included providing support for organizational development, which was in response to the GPs desire to form a nation-wide association that could advocate at the policy level to institutionalize gender in forestry organizations. With the support of some DOF staff and funding from IFAD, the new initiative has been implemented. The GPs new association, called Aastha, is a district-level NGO and has now expanded to cover seven out of ten project districts. The objective of the Aastha is to sustain the GPs engagement in forestry development for promoting gender concerns at the local level. The sustainability of the Aastha will soon advance to a new level since a committee was formed in 2003, which is going to be formalized in November 2004 as a national-level association to advocate for womens rights to natural resources and for local-level employment for female grassroots motivators.
Training of other stakeholders

Because HLFFDP was a multi-stakeholder project, training was also focused on the staff of four line agencies, namely the DOF, Department of Livestock Services, Agriculture Development Bank of Nepal (ADBN) and the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC). The project conducted several training sessions with their staff that focused on developing indicators that express the expected results of gender interventions in the four departments; developing conceptual clarity on the prerequisites for addressing gender-related organizational change and cultural adjustments in attitudes and behaviors; as well as a PRA/Gender Analysis and Gender Analysis Framework (FAOs Gender Analysis and Forestry Development training package). Support from the government project coordinator led to a round of projectsupported training for existing technical persons within the district-level government structure. These technical persons were all men, and following their training, were known as Gender Focal Persons (GFPs). The training for GFPs involved training-of-trainer sessions on gender topics, gender analysis and forestry development, domestic violence, Nepali law as it relates to women, case writing, and a special interaction training that was held with Nepals leading gender specialists. The GFPs also held district-level gender training and were invited by other government offices to deliver gender-related training. On these occasions, the GFPs would often invite the GPs to support them, and this supporting role contributed to greater respect for the female GPs on the part of the male GFPs, and better cooperation between the two groups.
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Figure 1 The GPs linkages NATIONAL NATIONAL LEVEL
Team of Gender Advisors (mentors for GPs)
MAIN CONTACTS: # HLFFDP project managers (GPs employers)

# DOF, DLS, NARC, ADBN officials
DISTRICT LEVEL
MAIN CONTACTS: # GFPs (direct supervisors of GPs) # District forest officers, rangers, & DLS office (direct supervisors of GPs)
# Other line agencies
GPs
The GPs Linkages

*Wards in Nepal are the smallest administrative unit, under the village level.
COMMUNITY LEVEL
MAIN CONTACTS: # LHGs (GPs are members)
# Village/ward* development committees # Others
Initial obstacles
Initially, on the part of the GPs, there were some real fears. For some of the women from remote areas who did not personally know the rangers who had selected them, there existed in their imagination the possibility of wrongdoing. In the words of one woman: At first I was afraid. The ranger came to my village to ask for women interested to be GPs. Friends and my husband encouraged me to apply. I was the only one selected from my village. I was so scared - what would I say? I had only traveled to a city a few times before. When the ranger invited me to a training in Kathmandu, I was scared. When we reached there I was sure it was a brothel and I was about to be sold. However, being with other GPs, I started feeling safe and convinced that this really is a training. Work was very difficult, but I kept going. Finally, the community respected me. There has been a history of non-collaboration amongst the government agencies engaged in the project, as cultural barriers and norms of professionalism had prevented staff from working together. The GPs entered into this world of professional men, a world divided by group interests and loyalty to superiors, saddled with the duty of working with several agencies.
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There was also ignorance and some resistance among the DOF staff, who, until this project, had had very limited exposure to gender issues. Many of the staff did not believe that the women could be mobile and work effectively, or had knowledge and communication skills that could be useful to the project. They questioned their abilities to walk in difficult terrain, to work after marriage and childbirth, and to speak properly with government staff. Partially due to a lack of clarity about the role of the GPs, a few staff asked for favors that went beyond the womens terms of reference. At least one of the forest guards expected them to cook and work for him, as an office peon. Some behaved paternalistically towards the women, while many expected them to solve technical problems related to forest management. Overall, members of the DOF wondered how the hiring of rural women as GPs could assist the project to achieve its objectives; many believed that this was an irrelevant initiative pushed by the project donors.
Impacts
After nine years of implementation, the HLFFDP is now recognized as an innovative and unique project that has achieved a significant impact on the lives of its group members, especially women, as well as on the environment. The project has contributed to meaningful gains in the quantity and quality of livestock that farmers now own, reduced pressure on national forests for fodder and fuel wood, increased household food security, diversified and increased sources of income, and decreased farmers indebtedness to the local moneylenders.5 The impacts related to gender mainstreaming are listed as follows, starting from the individual women, up to government institutional levels.
women change agents 1 Local women as change agents

The major gender impacts of the project can be attributed to the development of the tight-knit group of GPs, who have demonstrated persistence and continuity in their efforts to mobilize district-level resources for the benefit of community members even after the termination of their contracts. These strong, outspoken women speak frankly and even with a sense of familiarity with DOF rangers, and have succeeded in securing resources for activities like literacy classes from agencies other than those involved directly in the project. In addition, the GPs have also been able to garner small grants from other development agencies, including technical support from a national-level NGO, the Society for Partners in Development (SPD).
GPs GPs impact:

# # # #
The GPs themselves have demonstrated changed attitudes and behaviors as a result of their training and newly developed leadership abilities. They have started to speak out, to take action against those who dominate them, even in instances of male harassment by government officials. This has created a new space for rural men, even with men who have more professional qualifications and higher social status.
5
Secured resources for additional projects

Created space for rural womens participation Built solidarity and respect among the group of GPs Won the respect of communities and government officials
Ohler, F.M.J. 2000. The Impact of Leasehold Forestry on Livelihoods and Environment. FAO Kathmandu, p. 34. Successful Innovations from Asia and the Pacific
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In the process of their work, the GPs were inspired to build a sense of solidarity, to encourage and depend on one another for support a behavior modeled on the collegiality of the team of Gender Advisors. A great deal of respect for the team of advisors had evolved among the GPs, especially as they a gained a sense that we had a mission; we were willing to take risks, even to lose our jobs. The GPs felt proud to be associated with such a group of women, and they womens participation on equal ground with themselves gained in status through linkages to such high-level project staff and government officials. The village-level officials and district development officials, due to the GPs increased leadership capabilities and their linkage with government line agencies, began to cooperate with the GPs and invite them to participate in their meetings. As their roles became more visible, some community people even encouraged some GPs to take on political roles, which demonstrates the improvements in the GPs oratory and leadership abilities.
2 Community men and women

Changes in attitudes and behaviors were also evident among men and women in LHGs at the community-level. Women farmers now commonly take the lead in group meetings as well as in forestry planning along with the men. Some men have even begun to share household work and childcare so that their wives can attend meetings.
3 District forest officers

Another successful outcome of this synergistic initiative has been the change in attitudes of some district forest officers and senior officials; these men now express their support for the women GPs and for the GFPs. They have encouraged rural women to speak out, creating spaces for their involvement in fora attended by forest department staff. They have demonstrated, and expressed publicly, their respect for these women and rural women in general, and directed their junior officers to do the same.
4 The GFPs
The Gender Focal Persons, mostly male district-level foresters, mid-level managers in ADBN and livestock technicians, have built a support system for the GPs. Through gender training, on-the-ground supervision of the GPs, and interactions
Empowerment of GPs
In 2003, at a national poverty alleviation advocacy workshop, the leader among the GPs, herself a woman from the poor indigenous community of Praja, noted that, The project impact can be assessed by looking at my own personal development, coming from a very poor and backward community , now after seven years, I have been asked by the villagers to fight in the next election for chairperson of the ward1- level political committee; and I am also thinking that it is a positive development for a woman like me through this projects womens empowerment activities. Suntali-Maya Praja
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with the Gender Advisors on a regular basis, this group has come to respect and value the work of the GPs as catalysts for gender equality within the line agencies. Though still few in number, the GFPs have given moral support and encouragement to the GPs. Eventually, mostly due to the healthy relationships among the three parties, that is the Gender Advisor, the GFP and government officers, the GPs gained the respect of the government officers. The GFPs played an important role by being supportive of the GPs through promoting their involvement in district-level forestry development planning and other activities related to developing leasehold forestry communities.
Government agencies 5 Government agencies

This Project has demonstrated dramatic changes in attitudes of the professionals involved. Through the leadership of a few actors thinking strategically, this did occur within the DOF and other agencies associated with the HLFFDP. Currently, there is a high level of interest within DOF and the DLS to assure the continuation and expansion of the process of womens empowerment. In addition, due to the extensive training with government departments, DLS agreed that the concept of GPs will be integrated in its next project design.
GPs meet with a district forest officer
GPs impact on district forest officers

In one instance, some of the GPs from a remote district had difficulties working with some districtlevel forest rangers when the rangers were refusing to sign the GPs monthly activity report. As a result, the GPs expressed their concern in their bi-annual magazine publication. Following the publication, the President of the Association of Rangers was furious that such behavior was published and demanded that the Gender Advisor clarify what had happened. The Advisor immediately flew to the remote area in order to meet with him and the other team members. The resolution of the situation was due in great part to the manner in which the district forest officer mediated the meeting and allowed for the GPs to express their concerns. It was obvious that the district officer had been sensitized from the training that he had attended. In the end, the President supported the GPs demand for suitable working conditions and ensured support from his position.
Conclusion
Much more needs to be done, but this project has provided us with an approach to achieve forest regeneration, womens empowerment and poverty alleviation through a process of gender mainstreaming. From the beginning, the process has been aimed at organizational change within the agencies responsible for natural resource management, hence moving womens empowerment from a field-level to a centrallevel concern. Institutionalization and the long-term sustainability of equitable natural resource management require nothing less.
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LESSONS LEARNED
$ Utilization of synergies across four collaborating agencies (DOF, DLS, ADBN and
NARC) meant the four agencies participated together during gender orientation and training, resulting in a common vision about gender mainstreaming.
$ The establishment of the team of Gender Advisors, and the training of GFPs, all of
whom were from within the government structure, led to necessary backing and compliance at all levels of government by communicating the message of the project to other government offices, which helped the GPs gain greater access to government offices.
$ Gender Advisors networking on behalf of the GPs, and the introductions they
made for the GPs to government officials, helped the GPs to grow confident and empowered, emerging as a vocal,confident and organized group of marginalized women. The involvement of the team of Gender Advisors demonstrates that support from a group of women professionals is helpful in motivating grassroots gender integration.
$ The team of Gender Advisors were allowed autonomy that gave them room to be
innovative. Their experience and innovations were especially helpful in finding creative ways to inspire greater levels of participation from the GP women.
$ The training was highly effective due to its link to the results of individual needs
assessments, its use of simple Nepali and a practical structure, its merging of gender analysis training with other relevant topics, and especially its focus on investigation of root causes of problems and finding solutions through collaboration.
RECOMMENDATIONS
$ There is need for continuous dialogue, capacity building and advocacy in governmentlevel structures, and a need to promote space for associations of grassroots women (the forest users), especially those from marginalized groups and their representatives.
$ Given cultural constraints to gender equality and a male-dominant environment,

support from within government is required to build a sustainable base for the continuity of efforts to connect gender equality with environmental conservation and poverty alleviation.
$ The mobilization of groups of professional women working in forestry or other

natural resource management sectors is an important source of support and mentoring for rural women.
$ Autonomy should be allowed for the program managers and advisors so that they
have room to be innovative in finding creative ways to inspire greater levels of participation from rural women.
$ Requisite institutional structures to assure womens role in forestry decision-making

need to be developed as an integral part of the programs.
$ Training should be designed for rural women in such a way that it follows a needs
assessment of each individual trainee, that it was practical in nature and responsive to community needs and, that gender analysis training is combined with training in other relevant themes.
$ A consistent focus on women and their participation should be enforced in order to

change attitudes at many levels.
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P R o F I L E
Nepal
Winrock International
Author
Dr. Milan Adhikary
Contact
Winrock International P.O. Box 1312 Kathmandu, Nepal ! 977-1-4467087 | 4472839 | 4476101 ! 977-1-4476109 " madhikary@winrock.org.np; milanadhikary@hotmail.com www.winrock.org.np
Mission
Putting ideas to work: Winrock International is a non-profit organization

that works with people around the world to increase economic opportunity, sustain natural resources, and protect the environment. Winrock matches innovative approaches in agriculture, natural resources management, clean energy, and leadership development with the unique needs of its partners. By linking local individuals and communities with new ideas and technology, Winrock is increasing long-term productivity, equity, and responsible resource management to benefit the poor and disadvantaged of the world.
From the Government to the Community: Gender Programming in Crop Diversification

Background
Gender mainstreaming in agriculture is not an easy task; it requires careful planning and must be integrated at the earliest possible point in the program or project cycle to achieve considerable impact. Rather than a one-time exercise, gender mainstreaming is an integral part of the entire program or project planning and implementation process. Therefore, even during the planning phase of an agricultural program or project, there is urgent need to develop gender-sensitive indicators that would help in designing questions to establish a solid basis for gender sensitivity. It also helps in demonstrating successful efforts to mainstream gender issues in formulating specific objectives, activities, outputs and long-term outcomes for both women and men. In Nepal, where agriculture is a mainstay of the national economy, women and men have different roles, rights and responsibilities. Although rural women contribute significantly to agricultural activities as the men, they often have less access to productive agricultural resources and opportunities such as education, training, credit, capital and land, and have less decision-making authority. In this context, mainstreaming gender equity becomes critical. In the late 1970s, the Government of Nepal, started to recognize and consciously integrate the role of women in development, particularly in the agriculture sector, in their national development plans. Starting in 1980 with the Sixth Plan (1980-1985), the Seventh Plan (1985-1990), and the Eighth Plan (1992-1997), with the establishment of Womens Farmers Development Division (WFDD) in Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC), the government gave attention and priority on the role of women farmers in agricultural development. Although the policies and guidelines looked good on paper, the lackluster implementation, follow-up and monitoring and evaluation from a gender perspective plagued most of these programs. Moreover, the programs failed to disaggregate data by gender, which made analysis and future planning based on gender difficult, if outright impossible.
Women farmers play a crucial role in agricultural production, resource management and food security. According to studies, 90% of women involved in agricultural activities account for 48% of the labor force from agriculture. Despite intensive involvement of women in agricultural activities, their contribution has not been fully recognized.
Source: Acharya, 2003.1
However, in 1997, Nepal put into motion its Ninth Plan (1997-2002), which aimed at addressing the limitations and drawbacks of the gender provisions of past development plans. It envisions creating an environment where men and women would have equal participation on matters related to agricultural development. The Ninth Plan laid emphasis on the formation of women-mixed or women-specific groups to increase their access to capacity-building agricultural activities related to improved technologies, technical services, inputs and credit access. The plan mandated the participation of women, of at least 35% in all training activities related to agriculture development, and at least 10% representation in market development and management activities. The plan also had provisions to generate gender-disaggregated information for monitoring and evaluation purposes.
Crop Diversification Project
In view of the significant role of women farmers and in line with the Ninth Plans vision, the Crop Diversification Project (CDP) was designed to give emphasis to gender and development (GAD), to reduce poverty through improved production, and to promote a cash crop market. The project was jointly funded by His Majestys Government (HMG) of Nepal and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for a period of six years (January 2001December 2006). Implementing agencies of the project are: Halcrow Rural Management (an international consulting firm), Socio-Economic, Environmental and Political Research Team (SEEPORT), and Development Pioneer Consulting Service (DPCS). The gender and development concerns of CDP have been effectively implemented through development of necessary system and procedures at different levels from policy to the grassroots, with the assistance of a project implementation consultancy team (PICT) to the government. The PICT team comprises of six members including one woman gender specialist (GS).
Objectives of CDP
Reduction in rural poverty through increased cash income for farm household and promotion of production and marketing of secondary crops (crops other than rice and wheat) are the general objectives of CDP. Its specific objectives are: # Thirty-five percent (35%) womens participation in its activities, particularly in the areas of production and agri-marketing. # gender-balanced farmer groups are effectively mobilized in the project sites with the aid of appropriate support services. The CDP envisions that with this focused approach, it would be able to help improve the plight of socio-economically disadvantaged women farmers in the rural areas. Farmers are the intended principal beneficiaries of the project. However, women and disadvantaged groups have been especially identified as priority targets for project intervention.
1
Acharya, Meena. 2003. Efforts of Promotion of Women in Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal.
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Winrock International | Nepal
The project covers 12 districts of the mid-western and far-western regions of Nepal and intends to directly benefit 45,300 farm households or 12% of Nepals rural population.
Procedures implemented by CDP at different levels
At the policy level $ Government established an inter-ministerial Project Steering Committee (PSC) headed by the Secretary of agriculture. $ A five governmental staff Project Coordination Unit (PCU) was formed to provide operational linkage and to organize quarterly regional technical working group (RTWG) meetings at the Department of Agriculture (DOA) level. $ Actual field implementation responsibilities are given to two Project Implementation Units (PIUs) comprised of three government staff (project manager, monitoring and evaluation officer, and gender development officer) in each region of the mid- and the far-west. $ The GS/PICT assists gender development officer of PIUs in identifying gender-or women-specific needs prior to implementing the GAD concerns program. $ The District Agricultural Development Office (DADO) plans the program with assistance from PIUs. $ A gender-balanced field team (FT) is recruited in each production pocket of project districts for social mobilization at the community levels with the guidance of a field supervisor. $ It is the responsibility of the field team as well as the junior technicians (JTs) and junior technician assistants (JTAs) to exert effort to increase womens participation in farmers groups either by creating a separate womens group or including more women in mixed farmers groups.
At regional level
At district level At field level
Implementation approaches
The CDP developed Project Implementation Guidelines (PRIG). - a comprehensive manual for the field staff, to assess whether a program or an organization is gender sensitive or not. The PRIG is comprised of clear-cut working policies for GAD, work plan and program, and gender sensitive monitoring indicators. Importance has been given to a gender assessment study to provide feedback for designing policies and programs in the agricultural sector from a gender perspective.
Working policies
# # # # # #
Ensure active participation of at least 35% of women in a farmers group in the project area of CDP. Identify appropriate production and income-generating activities for women. Coordinate with concerned organizations to support women farmers in agricultural production and agribusiness activities. Recruit gender-balance field teams in project areas as social mobilizers. Ensure womens representation in key decision-making positions in farmers group. Compile gender disaggregated data-base for gender analysis.
Needs identification
Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) is considered a simple and perfect tool to identify needs at the grassroots level. With the help of a focus group discussion (FGD) and PRA tools, the needs of the community people including landless women, were drawn up for their socio-economic empowerment.
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The following are CDP-recommended work programs for its successful implementation: Impart training on small-scale agri-business activities such as, nursery raising, fruits and vegetables processing (eg. jam/jelly, dry vegetables and fruit candy, potato chips, etc.), bee keeping and mushroom cultivation. Distribute seeds of broom grass, medicinal and herbal plants, and spices to generate income from these locally available resources and preserve the environment as well. Emphasize Pewa (keeping ownership of resources)-oriented program on crop sectors through mass campaign for socio-economic empowerment of women.2 Impart necessary information about agriculture to male and female farmers by organizing the agricultural school. Operate revolving fund, seed chain bank and record keeping system for farmers. Organize and celebrate farm family day once a year to recognize the effort played by farmers groups and to create awareness in the communities as well.
#
# # #
Gender focal point
The project has given priority to GAD concerns in its objective of promoting market-led agricultural production. In this connection, the project hired a GS as a member of the PICT, to work on gender concerns of the project. The project has also recruited two male gender development officers from DADO at PIU levels to look after gender program in two regions. At the field level, the project mandated recruitment of gender-balanced field teams consisting of one male and one female responsible for social mobilization activities in project launched districts.
Gender profile
The salient feature of this project is its strategy of successfully transferring skills to government staff through close coordination. In this regard, the project has assigned a GS to develop resource materials that are useful to the successful implementation of the project in the long run. A gender profile is essential not only to collect gender disaggregated data for base line study but to also monitor impact evaluation of the project. A dummy gender profile was prepared, pre-tested, and finalized for implementation
2
Pewa is the tradition of giving livestock (calf, goat, chicken, etc.) to brides by parents for their daughter for future security in the form of dowry. This tradition is prevalent in rural communities. In this project bee hives and fruit trees are taken as Pewa, not as a form of dowry but for keeping these resources for their own security.
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at the field level. The profile covers the aspects of participation of male and female farmers in groups, trainings, meetings and tours. In addition, a gender division of labor profile provides a clear picture of the roles of male and female farmers in cropping activities and gender relationship. Two separate profiles a Production Pocket Profile and a Farmers Profile, were prepared to collect information at inter-farmers group and within the same farmers groups, respectively.
Gender and development training manual
The CDP realized that sensitization is not only important at the farmers level; it is important also for project staff such as, field technicians (JTs/JTAs), field teams, and district officers. Thus, a gender training manual was prepared as a handbook to guide all. The manual has a good combination of theory and relevant exercises on GAD equity issues in the context of agricultural development.
Gender and development monitoring indicators

# # # # # #
To evaluate GAD in the project, monitoring indicators were identified in line with the working policy, and these include: Number of male and female representatives in decision-making positions of the mixed farmers groups, trainings, tours and study programs. Number of males and females associated with small agricultural incomegenerating occupations in the project area. Degree of mutual understanding and cooperation among members of mixed and women farmers group. Degree of cooperation of the family and society to women. Changes in role and responsibilities of men and women in agricultural and household chores. Change in migration pattern of the male class within the project areas.
PRA manual for gender analysis
PRA has been identified as an effective tool for collecting gender disaggregated information. It was also used for analyzing the situation of farmers by the farmers themselves and their problems from a gender perspective. In addition to this, the gender analysis tool could be useful for planning, monitoring and evaluating the project, along with future policy implementation. The various tools included in the manual were:
1 Gender participation and decision-making

The tool was used to understand the participation and decision-making or control over resources of men and women in a farm family. To obtain the information, both men and women farmers were asked to list the agricultural activities they perform. The farmers were then asked to draw three circles one after another at the same place. Again farmers were asked to make rooms in the circle by sketching straight line from the center on the basis of listed activities. (See Farm family participation and decision-making chart in the next page.)
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Figure 1 Farm family participation and decision-making chart
LEGEND M= F= 1= 2= 3= 4= 5= 6= 7= Male Female Land preparation Plowing Manuring Plantation Weeding Harvesting Marketing
M M M F MF M F F 6 5 4 M 7 1
F M M 2 3 MF F M F
MF
= Participation = Decision-making
Source: HMG/MOAC/CDP, 2003.3
M F
The farm family participation and decision making chart gauges level of participation of men and women in a farm family in decision making and resources in various farm activities
Farmers had a consensus to write M and F (in the local language) to denote male and female, respectively. The use of this tool at the vegetable farmers group depicts that farmers carried out a number of activities for vegetable cultivation such as, land preparation, plowing, manuring, plantation, weeding, harvesting, and marketing. Among the activities, males only involvement was found in land preparation, plowing and marketing, while female participation was only observed in weeding. Male dominancy was noticeably found in marketing. This analysis was useful in addressing gender gaps, particularly in decision-making in agricultural activities.
2 Male and female farmers group strength analysis

There are three farmers groups prevalent in Nepal: male, female, and mixed farmer groups which includes both male and female farmers. Farmer groups have been formed formally or informally under the umbrella of DADO since the early 80s. Currently, each district has 10-25 different types of farmers groups, many of which meet regularly, and collect money for the welfare fund as a saving and credit aspect of the project. The tool is important to evaluate the groups strength by the farmers groups themselves. As a methodological procedure, farmers were asked to sketch 2 lines, one horizontally and the other vertically crossing one to other. Farmers were asked to place activities (farmers group meetings, fund collection, decision-making and action plan implementation) at the ends of the sketched lines. The strengths and weaknesses of the group were analyzed on the basis of scores received on each activity. The higher the score of the activity, the more strength there is in that particular activity, and vice versa.
3
HMG/MOAC/CDP. 2003. Gender Specialist Second Mission Report.
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Figure 2 Level of participation in farmer group activities

Group meeting
Decision making
Action Plan && Action Plan Implementation implementation
1 =Inactive 2 =Active, but not satisfactory 3 =Active & satisfactory
Welfare Fund collection
Figure 2 illustrates a farmers group that is inactive (dotted line) in action plan implementation, decision-making, but is active and satisfactory in welfare fund collection, and conducts farmers group meetings (continuous line) with regularity. The analysis helps identify the weak point of farmers group participation also urges to find a way to overcome the problem.
3 Identification of key local stakeholders

Identifying institutions or local stakeholders is important to create linkage and coordination for the success of developmental programs. With this, a Venn diagram PRA tool was prepared. It is useful to check duplication in activities, future coordination with relevant institutions, and to address the issue of distant facilities for farmers access. To identify the key stakeholders, different sizes of circles were given to the group. They were asked to write the distance and the name of the most prioritized institution in descending order of the circle size.
Figure 3 llustrates the key local stakeholders (DADO, market, immigration, agricultural dipo and blacksmiths) for Women Vegetable Farmers Group in Kanchanpur, far-western region.
Project impact
The project, during its mid-term evaluation, realized the following achievements:
#
Increased womens participation in farmers group and decision-making level through gender sensitization trainings, and awareness creating materials developed by the project.
HMG/MOAC/CDP. 2002. Gender Specialist First Mission Report Successful Innovations from Asia and the Pacific
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Figure 3 Key local stakeholders, women vegetable farmers group
Blacksmith 0.25 km
Farmers' Group
Health clinic 0.25 km
VDC 0.25 km
Tharu mahila Manch 1.5 km
Market 5 km DADO 0.25 km DDC 5 km Agriculture Dipo 5 km
Irrigation 5.5 km
# # #
Built self-confidence of male and female farmers at the grassroots, through training and exposure visit programs, which resulted in increased farm income through the adoption of new technology. Encouraged women to adopt agri-business activities for their socioeconomic empowerment. Increased vegetable production, thereby improving the economy of farm family along with the health of its women farmers. The various manuals prepared by the GS have been widely used by field staff for collecting gender disaggregated information from the grassroots for future policy and program development.
(mixed) gr Dadeldhura, male and female (mixed) farmers group VDC-Bagerkot, far-w -western region Lakam VDC-Bagerkot, far-western region
Dadeldhura is one of the projects launched in districts in the far-western region of Nepal. The project selected the area for promotion of fresh vegetable and fruit production and marketing (particularly of mandarin and sweet oranges). With the encouragement of the project, a mixed farmers group was established with 35 members that included 18 women and 17 men of the village. When access and control over resources tool of PRA was used for conducting gender perspective analysis, one of the farmers reported that he, along with his wife and children are responsible for the nursery and tree management of the orchard. The farmer said my wife mobilizes herself 80% of cash generated from the orchard. Also, he reported that about 20-25% of the citrus plants of the Village Development Committee (VDC) are from their production rather than outside. The gender sensitization training opened the eye of our men. However, it is not common to the whole village as many farmers are not members in this group. -A farmers wife
HMG/MOAC/CDP. 2003. Gender Specialist Second Mission Report.
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# # #
Mainstreamed gender in agriculture through the establishment of gender focal point. Provided effective extension service to the farmers through gender sensitive male and female field teams at the project areas for social mobilization. Documented and prepared manuals such as GAD, PRA and a number of awareness-creating materials (i.e. leaflets, posters and charts) which are employed as resource materials for government units as well as NGOs working in the area of gender.
women veg egetable gr Bhagbati women vegetable farmers group Bardiya, mid-western region Bardiya, mid-western region
The farmers group was established in 1998 initially with ten members. At present, the group has 27 women members actively involved in vegetable farming activities. The group meets every month and collects Rs. 10 (USD 0.14) per month as welfare fund from each member. It also gives loans to the members with the interest of 24% per annum. As per 2003 data, the group has already collected Rs. 45,000 (USD 620). The women farmers borrowed loans from the welfare fund and used them for vegetable farming and marketing activities. At present, the women farmers enjoy their activities, which provide them employment and fresh vegetables for consumption. Furthermore, the farmers group increased their household income and improved their health status. A president of the Bhagbati Women Farmers Group in Panditpur, Bardiya said, Farmers group approach has brought change in womens behavior in our village. It has built a saving habit and empowered us socio-economically. Women in this village are now welloff due to the mobilization of their fund in off-season vegetable farming. The project has taught us the method of earning. Now we can also support our family and we even get respect from our family members. The future plan of the women farmers group is to extend their market to other areas.
Nursery
Orchard
FGWF
Vegetable Cultivation
Bee-keeping
Mushroom Cultivation
Agricultural Products
Source: Adhikary, 2003.6
Adhikary, Milan. 2003 How Women Could be Empowered, poster for CDP. Banke PIU, Nepalgunj, Nepal. Successful Innovations from Asia and the Pacific
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LESSONS LEARNED
Some major lessons learned from the project:
% Illiteracy impeded the active participation of male and female farmers. However,
resource materials such as, gender and PRA manuals, were observed as useful tools for farmers as well as field technicians for the effective implementation of the project.
% Due to government bureaucracy, the project faced difficulty in recruiting field teams.
Thus, social mobilization and GAD information could not be launched in all project areas as scheduled. However, collaboration with government organizaitons is useful for sustainability of the project.
% Situational analysis of the project areas is necessary in project design or in the

appraisal phase to incorporate certain interdisciplinary activities such as, education program in the CDP project.
% The project basically provides capacity-building type of trainings to farmers and

lets them start their agri-business on their own initiative. Allocation of budget on GAD helps to implement the program effectively, particularly to support poor women farmers with seed grant for their socio-economic empowerment.
% The Pewa program for women could be effective if family members accept the program
positively. The need for social mobilization and gender awareness activities targeting families is essential to make the program effective.
% The needs of farmers differ with their socio-economic status. Therefore, homogenous
farmer groups should be formed.
% Women social mobilizers play an important role in increasing active participation of

community women.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendations for successful implementation:
% District offices should include GAD activities such as training and farm-family day
celebrations, in its regular annual program to achieve gender equity in the long run.
% There is need to coordinate with stakeholders of different programs (i.e., irrigation,

literacy, market promotion) to provide tangible benefits to farmers in order to manage time and money effectively.
% The follow-up program at the project areas should be carried out through district
level women development officers with the aid of field staff instead of just waiting for field teams.
% It is necessary to strengthen the farmers group through trainings to address their

lack of knowledge in action oriented farm-business activities. The project should link the farmers groups production activities with business promotion by: a) identifying labor saving small agri-business, processing type of technology for sustainable agricultural production, and b) raising the livelihood of rural male and female farmers.
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Preventing Violence Against Women
P R o F I L E
Organization
CARE-Bangladesh
Country
Bangladesh
Authors Contact
Jannatul Mawa Muhsin Siddiquey
CARE-Bangladesh Pragati RPR Center (8th-13th Floor) 20-21 Kawran Bazar, Dhaka 1215 Bangladesh ! muhsin@carebangladesh.org | muhsin@caredin.tistaonline.com www.carebd.org
Mission
Guided by the aspirations of local communities, CARE works together with poor and vulnerable people to eliminate poverty and foster human dignity. As part of a dynamic global and local network, we facilitate lasting change by challenging the forces in society that produce and reinforce poverty. In solidarity with others, we pursue our mission with excellence, compassion, and humility. CARE International is the worlds largest private, nonsectarian, non-profit development agency. Since 1946, CARE has assisted people in over 75 countries in five continents to improve the quality of life.
Community-based Initiative on Violence Against Women

Background
CARE-Bangladesh (CARE), as a part of CARE International envisions a world of hope, tolerance and social justice where poverty has been overcome and people live in dignity and security. CAREs long-range strategic plan expresses its commitment to work on removing underlying causes of poverty and social injustice, with a rights-based approach as the key program principle. The issue of gender discrimination has become a major issue as patriarchy and gender discrimination are identified as root causes of poverty and marginalization. Additionally, CAREs long experience, reputation and acceptance in the community and with the government has provided the scope to work on violence against women (VAW) issues. The community-based initiative on VAW is a gender focused initiative which has been designed to explore, test and demonstrate different community-based methods and approaches that affect womens dignity through its Partnership for Healthy Life (PHL) project, a three year initiative from, 2001-2004. This case focuses on four interventions used to address violence against women. Violence against women is the most pervasive yet least recognized human rights abuse in the world. It is rooted in a gender ideology which perpetuates womens subordination and male dominance. The structural imbalances of power between women and men, the systemic nature of discrimination against women, and the general absence of women in the formulation of laws as well as their implementation, continue to disproportionately reflect the experience of men and exclude the experience of women (Benedek, et. al. 2002:23).1 A World Health Organization (WHO) publication reported that the prevalence of genderbased violence in Bangladesh is among the highest in the world. A UN study (UNFPA State of the World Population Report, 1999) revealed that 47% of Bangladeshi married women reported physical violence from their husbands. In 1998, an International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research,
Benedek, Wolfgang, et.al., 2002, Human rights of women, international instruments and African experiences, Zed Books, London, New York.
Bangladesh study determined that 14% of all maternal deaths in Bangladesh were due to physical and emotional violence, including homicide and suicide. Although womens rights have been recognized through the constitution and laws, women continue to suffer from a high degree of social oppression, low status and physical violence. VAW includes physical, mental and social violence and discrimination. As to frequency, it was noticed that minor or low-grade violence happens more regularly than extreme cases and is more common at younger ages. As part of the safe motherhood program, CARE began addressing the VAW issue in 1999. In the beginning, the focus was limited to ensuring quality health services to women subjected to violence who reported to a health complex. However, considering the nature and depth of the issue, CARE realized that multiple interventions other than just health were required, and stakeholders should be involved. To better understand the issue and its causes and to identify potential stakeholders and partners, CARE conducted several qualitative research studies2. For this research, focus group discussions, in-depth interviews and case studies were conducted with victims, perpetrators, local elite, local government representatives, service providers, NGO workers and other community groups. Triggers of violence include disobedience, extra-marital relationships of the husband, suspicion of infidelity or a wifes assertion of her rights. Such triggers came about because of miscommunication between husband and wife, and conflict of interest with in-laws, such as those related to dowry and economic demands. Cases of VAW, if reported, are resolved in rural society by the village elders, informally or through the shalish a local village arbitrator or mediator, usually an influential male leader who retains informal cultural, economic and kinship power. The elders or shalish rarely include women. The shalish very often take the side of the men in conflict and there is little understanding for the women. They do not have any gender education, nor formal training on legal aspects and/or conflict resolution. Local government representatives are not sensitized to the needs and perspective of women and most feel that men have the right to discipline their wives with some violence. Women are not aware of their rights. Traditional gender stereotypes (male dominance and superiority and womens subordination and subservience) perpetuate the oppressive interpersonal relations and social institutions. Different discriminatory laws such as the inheritance laws, have evolved from this gender ideology. In CAREs research, many women and men reported that the disparity in the rights of women and men created the social imbalance that has resulted in the VAW syndrome. Simultaneously, while some women said that it was the lesser value of women in Bangladesh that led to this problem, the men disagreed. Although a woman spends her entire life building her home, she does not have the right to it.
Qualitative study conducted by CARE-Bangladesh, 2000, Construction of Masculinities and VAW by Therese Blanchet, 2001, Needs assessment study for Violence Prevention by Nasreen Haw, 2002.
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CARE-Bangladesh | Bangladesh
Goal and objectives

Goal
The CARE VAW initiative aims to ensure the realization of womens dignity and rights to freedom from gender-based violence by empowering communities, building their capacity, promoting local level governance, making allies with stakeholders, and advocating for womens rights at all levels of intervention. To accomplish this goal CARE works through facilitation, support and capacity building at various levels of intervention including village, union, sub-district (upazila), district, and national levels.
Process of implementation
The VAW initiative of CARE is on-going in two sub-districts of Dinajpur, in the northwestern Bangladesh. CARE facilitated a community-centered partnership by involving all potential stakeholders. The implementation strategy includes: 1) review of research findings and experience to better understand the issue; 2) facilitation of community mobilization through empowerment of the community and village level support mechanism, and improving the governance of local arbitration; 3) coordination among sub-district level system support; 4) provision of legal counseling and services for victims; and 5) advocacy at different levels.
1 Reviewing research findings and conducting community diagnosis

CARE began addressing the VAW issue as part of its safe motherhood program. Gradually, the initiative evolved. CARE continued to conduct qualitative research throughout the programs implementation to see how different approaches work, and to review strategies and refine them. At the beginning of the initiative, CARE reviewed the findings of previous research. After this effort, it conducted community diagnoses to identify community strengths, potentials, different actors and allies, community based organizations (CBOs), leaders, and other cultural factors. From these reviews, CARE realized a need for advocacy and community mobilization, linking these to the service provision.
"I built everything in my shongshar (family/ home). But I can't even sell a chicken egg. If I do he will shout and say, 'with whose permission did you sell that'? If he sells and I question that, the answer is clear - it is his shongshar, his decision - who am I to question?"
-A female project beneficiary
2 Community mobilization through empowerment of the community and village level support mechanism community village level
advocacy ocacy, roles Facilitating initial advocacy, bringing commitment and clarifying roles of Facilitating advocacy, duty bearers To initiate any program, it is essential to advocate the issue at all levels. After the community diagnoses, many conversations were held with the community elite to begin the process of creating awareness and acceptance of the VAW focus. The beginning steps of advocacy were interpersonal, informal discussions, in which CARE personnel created open, honest environments to share about the condition of women. Men were asked to share about the lives of their mothers, wives, and sisters who need protection from violence, thus eliciting emotion in the men who may not have otherwise been willing to discus VAW. It is important to note the necessity of involving men, including religious leaders and the elite, in the process of changing social norms and customs. These are the people who hold the power
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and influence to create lasting change and they must realize the effect of violence in their communities. The elite were reminded of their position as moral role models and the influence they hold in the community. These conversations helped identify those appropriate community leaders to be part of the advocacy workshop.
Upazila (sub-district) and union3 advocacy workshops were organized to advocate the issue through providing information on womens rights, VAW and its consequences, to identify specific roles and responsibilities of different duty bearers, and create a commitment of all relevant stakeholders for the initiative. Participants were from different government departments including: administration, womens affairs, law enforcement, health, social welfare and education. Local government representatives and political leaders, local elites, such as religious leaders, and the shalish, youth and adolescents, NGO and CBO representatives, lawyers, journalists, and representatives of women and human rights organizations were also included.
In these workshops, participants identified the causes of gender-based violence at different levels and the roles and responsibilities of each group. Representatives of different classes and professions expressed their commitment to the initiative. The workshops proved to be a great success. Important resolutions which emerged were commitments to accept cases of VAW by the police, provide quality services at health complexes, ensure presence of union parishad (UP) members at local shalish, refer cases to the appropriate place for legal service, facilitate the movement by NGOs, motivate students and the community by school teachers to prevent early marriage, raise awareness by religious leaders, provide legal advice and voluntary service by lawyers, and commitments to print stories in newspapers by journalists. The youth planned to be involved in raising awareness and voices wherever there was violence. After reviewing the research findings and the experiences from the workshops, specific activities were outlined. These included: raising mass awareness through village meetings, folk song and drama; establishing and strengthening different groups; training shalish; and conducting advocacy with relevant duty bearers. enforcing village level VA Establishing and enforcing village level support mechanism: VAW forum VAW After the village diagnostic, CARE staff discussed the issue individually and ingroups with different community people, referring to the union advocacy workshop and highlighting extensions and consequences of the VAW issues. How VAW potentially hinders the family, community and state was shared. Social and cultural issues were given attention in the discussions. Through this process the initiative identified and prepared community level facilitators and mobilized leadership. After programmatic and logistical preparation, a general meeting was organized in which data and case studies on VAW were presented. It was decided that a village level support mechanism needed to be established to address VAW. The meeting ended with the establishment of a VAW forum. The average size of a forum is 10-15 people. Members are from different professions and are similar to
3
Lowest administrative unit at local government: On an average there are 15-20 villages in one union, 10 unions are under one sub-district, and 7-10 sub-districts are under a district.
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the groups which compose the advocacy meetings. Different classes, religions, ethnic groups and sectors of the village are considered in the selection of forum members. A female Upzila member is designated as the adviser of the forum. The fora meet regularly and have specific terms of reference. Main responsibilities are, to assist in raising awareness, contact the shalish, act as monitor at the shalish to protect womens rights, refer cases to appropriate places for different services, and keep records. Every village has now established a VAW forum as each community has its specific and distinct characteristics, hence the VAM fora varies among different villages. Forum members receive empowerment training to create support networks, build self-esteem, develop skills, and acquire gender awareness. CARE staff also provide on-site technical assistance to keep notes and records of cases. Reinforcing gender and human rights education at the village level; facilitating Reinforcing gender village level; village meetings, folk songs and drama village A coordinated approach, keeping the community at the center, was used to facilitate gender and human rights education. Efforts were made to create mass awareness among male, female, adolescent and community leaders about gender, womens rights, different types of violence (physical, mental, social), social factors associated with VAW (e.g., early marriage, dowry, divorce, power structure), and to explain the consequences to womens lives. Information on family laws and punishment, related legal action for the accused, where to go for different services, including local arbitration, advice/information, legal and health services, and police/ administration were provided. Village meetings, folk songs and drama were used. Female members of the local government, VAW forum members, and NGO representatives facilitate village meetings. They select the village and appropriate loaction, ensure participation of men and women, make preparations, and nominate chairpersons acceptable to both men and women. Village meetings are usually accompanied by folk songs; in some areas only folk songs disseminate the messages.
In response to talk of an early marriage, a VAW forum met. They decided to confront the parents about the potential economic, health and personal harms of an early marriage. The parents agreed and an 11-year old girl was saved from early marriage.
Drama by local youth
Peoples theater/drama is also a strong form of media to enhance womens rights education. The projects strategy was primarily to build the communitys capacity and promote positive behavior in the youth. CARE identified local youth and others having potential and interest in peoples theater, especially in developing scripts, playing roles, and staging drama.
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The dramas focus on culture, gender, womens rights, divorce, early marriage, traditional beliefs, wrong explanations of religion, local arbitration system, and legal procedures. Messages were developed in light of what was culturally acceptable. After each drama, questions were given to the community about solutions, and emotions were raised. As a result, many people cried. People responded positively and agreed that the women in the drama were oppressed and maltreated.
Excerpt from a drama facilitated by village youth

Husband: Wife: Husband: Wife: Husband: Wife: Husband: I shouldnt keep you anymore wife! You only give birth to girl children again and again. Are they only my children? Are we responsible for this? They are due to Allah. Shut up, whore. Has your fat grown through the diet? Dont talk about food. Forty days have not passed since I gave birth. Who takes care of your family like a maid servant? Shut up. I need a boy child. Are girls not human beings? Are they human beings?! I want my daughters to be married. I do not want to pay for their maintenance costs anymore. I shall kick them out of my home and then you. What you are talking about? They are your kids. Besides, from where will you get money for dowry? If required, I shall sell my land. I will not listen to your protests. I just want to marry them off. The government has introduced different incentives and the policies are so good. Their education is free. Girls are now getting scholarships. I want to continue their education. There is no way I shall give them away in marriage at such an early age. Oh, they will be judges and barristers will they? Huh! You didnt continue your schooling after completing the first year at primary school. Were you not grown up or aged when we married? For Gods sake, please dont give our young girls away in marriage. Stop. My word is final at shaongshar (family)! Your word is final? Am I not anyone? Have I come from flooded water? You have four kids, your parents, sisters, brother, poultry, domestic animals, everything. Who takes care of all these? I shall not allow my girls to be married. I will protect this marriage even with my life. Chup thak magi (stop, keep silent, whore). I shall take 10 maid servants from the market. I wouldnt need maid servants if you would only be a good human being.
Wife: Husband: Wife:
Husband:
Wife: Husband: Wife:
Husband: Wife:
A rights perspective using existing conventions has provided the foundation for the awareness raising program. A regular review mechanism is in place to sharpen the approach considering the local context and culture. Formation of different groups During the planning process, it was realized and recommended by the community stakeholders that forming complementary groups of different professions could be
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Appreciating women omens chores Appreciating womens household chores

A singer gives an account of the day he, instead of his wife, did the household chores. O father O father, O Mom O Mom. It is difficult for me to do all the household chores alone. (Quoting his wife) Well, you are back from the field after cultivating the land while you had umbrella on your head. There is a jar on that corner, go and bring water. Well you have brought water, oh, you are my dear. Please quickly begin cooking rice for two of us. Ok, you have cooked rice. Now take the food for yourself, and wash dishes from the last seven days. Mix bamboo leaf, trunk of Indra tree, with water, (herbal treatment) And apply it on my waist for my pain over there. A 2nd singer responds 2nd singer: (to the audience): Respectable audience, I saw this man asking his wife for water. Bhabi (my sister-in-law) said, My hand is engaged with cow dung, please drink water. That was enough to anger him. Then he said, What important work are you doing, that you cant give me water?, He then rushed to beat her but I interfered. Then Bhabi said, Our work is not important and you said its easy, so please do it for one day and see how easy it is. And in doing that the singer became tired. Tell me please, is there any harm to assist women in household chores?
an important step for mobilizing the community and coordinating among different initiatives. In response, inter-village groups were formed based on profession, such as school teacher, religious leader, youth, and shalish. The groups decided upon the specific roles available within their jurisdiction to help stop VAW. School teachers now meet once a month and conduct sessions in school on gender and VAW. Religious leaders discuss VAW issues after Friday prayer, they chair at the folk song session,
Mobilizing the community and inter-village groups
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and join the shalish. Thus, a synergistic effect was created between groups and among VAW forum members in all areas of the communities.
"For health service we go to the health complex, but for legal counseling and services there is no place to go at sub-district level. Could you please establish a place where we can get it?"
Village woman
Enhancing the capacity and governance of local shalish As most survivors never reach the official judicio-legal system, guided by the recommendation from different studies, the initiative planned to enhance the capacity of the shalish and improve governance. Inspite of the limitations of patriarchal influence and traditional power dynamics, the shalish remain an important institution in dealing with marital violence and VAW issues. After identifying all local shalish, trainings were organized on gender, womens rights, mediation from a gender perspective, para-legal issues, and ethics in arbitration. Ain o Shalish Kendro, a national level renowned human rights and legal organization working for 30 years in this area, facilitated this training. One hundred and eighty shalish were trained. After training, the change process had just begun. CARE is making efforts to increase the presence of UP female members and other empowered women in the shalish. The shalish are now giving more importance to VAW cases and continuing efforts until a solution is found. If the issue is not resolved with their efforts, they refer it to UPDRAFT and then to the legal counseling center, if it is not solved at UP. If the case is beyond their jurisdiction, they send it directly to the police. CARE is keeping contacts with them and has plans to document every case of success or failure, so that the project can learn from this.
3 Facilitating coordination among sub-district level systems support

To respond to the empowered and strengthened community, it is equally important to make the duty bearers responsible. An upazila VAW coordination committee
Empowered UP female member speaks
involving the police, administration, women affairs, social welfare, health, NGOs, local government bodies, media and civil society has been established. Their main responsibilities are, to coordinate among different departments, provide support, guidance and leadership in changing social norms and attitudes, implement activities, and address the needs of survivors. This committee meets bi-monthly,
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coordinated by government womens affairs officers and joined by CARE staff. CARE maintains regular contacts and liaison with the committee.
4 Provision of legal counseling and service for victims

CARE made efforts to explore ways of establishing a legal counseling center at the sub-district level. Collaboration has been created between CARE and Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), a human rights organization. BLAST provides legal counseling and services by deploying its staff lawyers. The lawyers provide legal counseling, support to survivors, make efforts to mediate the case, and provide legal services to the victims, including representation in court at no cost to the victims. Every case is recorded and analyzed. Important cases are documented to determine effectiveness and monitor the nature and kinds of violence. Cases are referred for legal services by VAW forum members and the Union Parishad.
5 Advocacy and networking at different levels

Advocacy at the community level is being done with community actors through workshops, meetings and discussions. CARE trained UP female members to advocate the issue of VAW at union parishads and the shalish. UP female members and empowered women are playing an important role. CARE is facilitating advocacy with relevant government duty bearers, including law enforcement agencies, women and social affairs and health departments to realize the rights of women and address the VAW issue. Special efforts were made to establish relationships with the police, women affairs and other important actors through interpersonal communication and meetings. CARE has also facilitated field visits by police and womens affairs officers. Police presence in the fight against VAW is key to creating legitimacy and reassuring communities of support available to victims. Networking with womens and human rights organizations, the media, civil society, and relevant government departments has been an integral part of the initiative. Together, our objective is cultural transformation: to value women, change notions of masculinity, promote zero tolerance for violence and the elimination of gender discrimination. It is important to continue the work of the VAW fora through networking and ongoing advocacy to ensure that resolutions are upheld and
Women are not human beings! Those days have gone away. Lets go from the dark to the light. We have to be educated, we need to learn about the world. We have to plough our own land, are responsible for change. It is already late. This is the truth, which will lead us forward.
- Lyrics from a folk song
Advocacy workshops, meetings and discussions
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progress is sustainable. CARE is contributing to the district level efforts to stop VAW through providing field experience, strength and particular examples or cases.
Results
The monitoring system reports the following results from January December 2003:
areness Awareness raising Awareness

About 67,501 people were reached through village meetings, folk songs and dramas, where 526 forum members and 1,122 local elite co-facilitated village meetings and folk songs.
Establishment of fora
Fora were established in 44 villages.
illage referral Village Village arbitration and referral

During the last year (2003), 130 VAW cases were resolved through the shalish. In addition, 45 cases were followed up, 39 are still pending. Seventeen women subjected to violence were referred to health complexes for health services and 27 cases for legal services.
Conclusion
The multi-layered approach has brought commitment among relevant duty bearers. Local arbitrators have begun to realize the issues of protecting womens rights and dignity. However, it is more important to translate this realization into action, which is the challenge. Violence against women is an extremely complex issue requiring extensive commitment of project time and resources. VAW is caused and perpetuated by different kinds of inequity and discrimination within society. It is therefore essential to understand its whole context, look into the underlying factors that cause or perpetrate it, understand the role of different duty bearers, and identify different strategies to address VAW. It requires an integrated program approach, combining different crossViolence against women, a complicated issue linked projects. Facilitating different types of formal, informal and voluntary partnerships and collaboration with organizations and groups is essential. Addressing VAW requires well coordinated advocacy and networking at different levels. Prevention of violence is a long-term strategy, and in the interim, it is vital to ensure legal counseling and services, psychosocial counseling, and health services for women victims and that providers are sensitized to womens needs. Changing gender ideology, social attitudes and customs are key to success.
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LESSONS LEARNED
Recent review with project staff and stakeholders identified the following lessons:
" Involvement of males, religious leaders and other elite groups is crucial to promote
gender issues successfully. VAW is a social issue. It is a matter of changing attitudes and ideology that stem from the cultural sources of power. In a society where males hold the power, their influence in cultivating and changing social attitude, customs and beliefs are visible. Without the involvement and assistance of males, it is difficult and challenging to make progress in this issue.
" Using a village level VAW forum is a promising strategy to advocate issues at a
local level. This should be complemented with other groups such as teachers, youth, religious leaders, and others who hold cultural power and have roles in changing social attitude, customs and norms. Elected female representatives and other empowered women can play an important role in raising womens voices in the community.
" Facilitation of folk songs and peoples theater by local youth helps the community
to easily accept the message and realize gender and VAW issues. Through the process, the youth are also given the opportunity to demonstrate and challenge expected gender roles, and promote changes for the future generations.
" Improving governance at the local arbitration level, particularly through identifying
and involving elected and otherwise empowered women, involving VAW fora, and enhancing the capacity of local arbitrators, are key to protecting womens rights and dignity and promoting justice at community mediations. There must be female members present at all community mediations and a safe environment where women victims can speak up and present their cases.
" Religious explanations of why VAW is not supported, help people hear and quickly
accept VAW messages. The use of religious leaders is particularly vital in addressing local customs and beliefs from religious perspectives.
" Involvement of government women affairs officers and the police in program
implementation, especially at the field level, contributes to creating trust, reduces tension and fears, and helps the community to demand services. Ongoing advocacy and networking is needed to continue the relationships formed and the work done to sensitize the police and community members.
" Behavior change and communication on VAW needs to be culturally appropriate in

order to be accepted by different sections of society. Without community ownership, it would be difficult to address such social issues.
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P R o F I L E
India
International Center for Research on Women (ICRW)
Authors
Nata Duvvury Anuradha Rajan Nandita Bhatla
Contact
International Center for Research on Women 42, Golf Links, New Delhi 1100 03 India ! 91-11-24654216 / 17 ! 91-11-24654217 " arajan@icrwindia.org www.icrw.org
Mission
ICRW is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of women in poverty, advancing equality and human rights, and contributing to broader economic and social well being. ICRW accomplishes this in partnership with others through research, capacity building and advocacy on issues affecting womens economic health and social status in low and middle income countries.
Women-initiated Community Level Responses to Domestic Violence in India: From Personal Suffering to Public Arbitration
Domestic violence in India
Around the world, one out if every three women report having experienced domestic violence. A study in India1 found that nearly 52% of the women experience psychological and physical violence in their marriage. Nearly 40% reported physical violence, and of these, 50% were physical violence committed to them during pregnancy. Only 30% sought help, and most of them went to family and neighbors. A majority of women did, however, express a desire to end the violence or get justice. For many women experiencing violence within marriage, the formal legal system is neither accessible nor meets their desire to end the violence, though not necessarily the marriage. Community-level2 arbitration is often the most accessible means for poor women to find a resolution to the violence. Such mechanisms, however, are often steeped in patriarchal values leading to an acceptance of domestic violence as normal while blaming the victim. Additionally, the resolutions rarely address the needs of the woman. We shall explore in this case study the innovative practices that womens NGOs have implemented to engender a community arbitration process, using a woman-centered approach.
INDIA SAFE 2000 was a multi-site household study undertaken by ICRW in partnership with the International Network of Clinical Epidemiologists (INCLEN). 2 The term community is not necessarily used here to describe an idealized homogenous setting, but rather to distinguish these efforts from State and national initiatives. This term is also used here to characterize smallerscale social mobilization that is occurring at the village and cross-village level. The fact that women-oriented dispute resolution mechanisms have emerged independently from any wider national strategy or governmentdirective is worthy of close attention.
Women-initiated Community Level Responses to Domestic Violence in India: Personal Suffering to Public Response
Evolution and description of woman-centered community arbitration mechanisms
In India, there have been many domestic violence interventions at the communitylevel. These include public shaming, mock funeral processions, ostracism of families or even whole communities, and others. But most of these interventions resemble campaigns, and hence have not had long-term sustainability. On the other hand, India also has a long history of mediation at the community level, though mostly dominated by men and power elites. Women activists have been struggling to find ways to interact with these existing fora. In this study we highlight several bold attempts by women activists to claim a space for women within this traditional context, while reshaping and revitalizing the existing processes. The responses documented in this study are:
#
# #
Nari Adalat (NA)/Womens Court an informal court held by women in Baroda district, Gujarat, and Saharanpur district, Uttar Pradesh (UP), to address issues of domestic violence. Mahila Panch (MP)/Womens Council an informal council of women in Rajkot district, Gujarat, to arbitrate on cases of domestic violence. Shalishi or community mediation a traditional method of arbitration in West Bengal that has been engendered by a womens collective to address issues of domestic violence.
The main objectives of these women-initiated community-level responses are to:

# # # #
Create a space for womens voice in arbitration processes of violence against women; Involve relevant actors including the community in the formulation of resolutions and in determining mutually acceptable solutions; Ensure broader social responsibility for the implementation of resolutions; and Develop a community discourse on what is perceived as a very private issue of violence within marriage.
All of these interventions predominantly handle cases of domestic violence and inter-spousal abuse. In addition, the NA and the MP also take up cases of sexual harassment and rape of women by men outside of the family.
Mahila Panch and Nari Adalat

genesis The genesis
The Nari Adalat and the Mahila Panch are two distinct groups that evolved organically from the work of Mahila Samakhya (MS), a national-level education and womens empowerment program, launched in the two states of UP and Gujarat in 1986. The core activity of the MS program is the formation of village-level womens collectives (or sanghas) for reflection, learning and collective action. Every cluster of 10 sanghas is supported by a sayahogini, a woman who receives a monthly honorarium to play the role of activist organizer and resource person.
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International Center for Research onWomen | India
In the initial years, sanghas mobilized around issues of concern to the entire village, such as water, health facilities and education. Through mobilization of the community and exerting pressure, government agencies were made accountable towards the village. Success with these issues enhanced the social status of the collectives, solicited support from men and paved the way for the sangha to take up more controversial and complex issues such as violence against women. Domestic violence emerged as a significant issue. It occurs both at the village level and in the personal lives of the functionaries (sahayoginis) of the MS program. The sahayoginis developed a support group to address each others personal problems, while at the same time, discussing a basic strategy to be applied at the village level. This involved talking to the perpetrators, discussing the case within the sangha, or at the broader community level if necessary, and arriving at a mutually acceptable solution. However, the sahayoginis and sangha women found that addressing violence at the sangha level had certain limitations such as kinship ties, the pressure of village-level politics, caste and family dynamics. On the other hand, the formal legal system was found too distant and unresponsive. As the work on domestic violence snowballed with sanghas and sahayoginis taking up more and more cases, the need for a common forum where women from several villages could meet and collectively solve issues of violence was strongly felt and articulated by both sangha women and the sahayoginis.
We felt that such a structure was essential. We discussed logistics like what to do...when should such a group meet, where to sit,etc. It was decided that this group of women will meet on the first Monday of every week because this is the day the district court starts their work. We should sit in front of the district court so that we are visible and accessible. We called ourselves the legal committee. - Sahayogini from Baroda district
The legal committee renamed itself the Nari Adalat and began first in Baroda district, Gujarat, in September, 1995. The Mahila Panch in Rajkot district and the Nari Adalat in Saharanpur district, UP, both became functional in 1998.3
Description of the NA/MP

The Nari Adalat and the Mahila Panch is comprised of representatives from several sanghas, or village collectives, who regularly attended the proceedings. They meet at the block level4 at a fixed place, date and time to regularly hear cases of violence against women. Women accessing these fora are referred by former clients or sangha members, by community elders, police officials or other formal and informal leaders in the community. The Nari Adalat and Mahila Panch are always located within or very close to the premises of government offices such as the panchayat (elected local governing council) office or the district court. This accords them
3
As of 2000, there were five Nari Adalats running Baroda district and three in Saharanpu district. There were six Mahila Pances operating in Rajkot district. 4 A block is an administrative unit comprised of approximately 100 villages. Successful Innovations from Asia and the Pacific
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MAHILA SAMAKHYA (MS)
Womens Collectives / Sanghas
Nari Adalat (NA) / Mahila Panch (MP)
visibility and, in some cases, semi-official status. At every sitting of the MP/NA, there are anywhere from 25-70 women participating in the arbitration and dispute resolution process, including two to three sahayoginis. The women of the Nari Adalat and Mahila Panch pay their own bus fare and are not paid an honorarium nor service fee. However, the applicant is asked to pay a legal fee that is determined based on their capacity to pay.
Choice of name has arisen out of a feminist political perspective

The name Nari Adalat (womens court) was consciously selected to represent an alternative legal structure where women can access justice at their terms, with minimal expense and through an empowering process devoid of shame, guilt or fear. For the MS functionaries of Rajkot, the decision to call themselves a panch (council), rather than an adalat (court) has both political and practical roots. According to one of the sahayoginis, the term adalat (court) is associated with the formal judiciary and hence scares people away, whereas the name Mahila Panch (womens council) has arisen because of the loss of faith in formal courts. In
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Rajkot, caste panches, or caste-based arbitration groups, are dominated by men and command enormous community respect and status. By naming themselves as Mahila Panch, the women have sought to appropriate a space held largely by men to adjudicate on village matters.
Training and capacity building to develop the response building develop response
The first step was to build a feminist perspective among sangha women on genderbased violence and legal responses to the issue. For instance, the sahayoginis and representatives from various collectives underwent a rigorous three-month phased training program which included issues such as a strong feminist critique of the legal system, understanding of womens status in society, laws pertaining to women, the conceptual understanding of violence against women, mediation and arbitration techniques, etc. This perspective has shaped both the way in which these interventions interpret terms such as maintenance, custody, compensation, etc., as well as a non-negotiable women-centered approach.
Shramajeebi Mahila Samiti

genesis The genesis
Shramajeebi Mahila Samiti (SMS), formed in 1990, is a member-based agricultural womens labor organization that grew out of a larger union of agricultural laborers called the Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samity (PBKMS). SMS emerged in response to a strongly articulated need for a separate forum to deal with womens concerns and issues within the agricultural union. SMS continues to work closely with PBKMS and organizes women wage earners on issues such as the right to work, agricultural wages, implementation of basic services for the poor, etc. In the course of their work, domestic violence emerged as a recurring issue both within PBKMS initially, as well as in the communities where they worked.
Before the formation of SMS as a separate womens outfit, male activists of the PBKMS had been holding public mediation, known as shalishis, on cases of domestic violence, with support from the woman activists. The SMS activists reported that they were very dependent at that time on their male comrades in the discussions and decisions of the mediation process (shalishi). However, as more women with complaints of domestic violence began coming to the PBKMS and SMS, women activists found themselves taking-on increasingly independent responsibility for mediation.
Description of the shalishi

Shalishi is a word of Persian origin meaning mediation or arbitration and has long been practiced as a traditional method of dispute settlement in the villages of West Bengal. It is comprised primarily of a sitting where a few respected male community members arbitrate on disputes between two parties. However, shalishis are notorious for being biased and dominated by party politics rather than serving as objective fora for arbitration.
A shalishi in progress
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Figure 1 Common steps and procedures the three community-based in arbitration processes
The history of training and capacity building

In the shalishi as practiced by SMS, the shalishidars, or facilitators, are women who have been trained and sensitized to adopt a women- centered approach. Training to undertake shalishi work has been a continual process of learning and skill development for the activists of SMS.The organizations continual training and debates on the Marxist analysis of gender and class as well as the practice of feminist thought in daily life and their work environment has played a critical role in building internal capacities to translate a feminist discourse into action. SMS and PBKMS activists are often married to each other and live in a commune. The commune setting is conducive for male and female activists to pursue community mobilization in a way that leaves women free of the traditional responsibilities of child care, cooking, etc.
Registration of the case: formal application, running records
Detailed narrative account of the woman
Investigation into the aspects of the case: to build opinion, judge level of support for woman, understand problem
Meeting of the two sides face to face
Public hearing 30-75 participants/ village meeting
According to several SMS activists, the skills associated with dispute Consensus decision is given resolution were learned from formal a formal form training, as well as the hands-on experience of facilitating mediations. A senior activist of SMS notes, all the work of the two mass organizations Follow-up (PBKMS and SMS) is coordinated and directed through meetings of groups and committees. The activists therefore get a lot of exposure to group dynamics as well as experience in getting people to come to collective decisions on both personal and political issues. This experience is also useful for developing their skills of working with groups in the shalishi. It is important to note that the shalishi public hearing is part of a larger process of inquiry and opinion-building on the case. Because of the uniquely politicized atmosphere of West Bengal, the shalishis run by SMS are carefully crafted to contribute to the spread of the organizations membership while avoiding replication of other similar processes that are rife with partisanship and party politics.
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Descriptions of the process features

All three of the interventions involve a common series of steps that are explained in the diagram (Figure 1).
Differences across the three interventions
There are differences in the way that each of these interventions puts community involvement into practice within the dispute resolution process. For example, the inquiry that is conducted as part of the shalishi process is a non-negotiable procedure in each case taken up by SMS. This is not true for the MS initiatives, as they expect the sangha to fulfill this complementary role in each case. The presence of the sangha women is therefore a critical feature in the NA/MP process. Similarly, the follow-up is the responsibility of the sangha as well, and thus, does not require a formalized procedure. In the shalishi process however, this is prescribed as the specific responsibility of certain individuals, such as a follow-up committee. The political and cultural specificity of the region and of the community also play an important role in shaping the unique character and strategy of each program.
Unique features of the responses

Woman-centered approach
The key components of a woman-centered approach include:
# # # # # #
Placing the womans narrative and her desired resolution to the problem at the center of the arbitration process Validating her experience, feelings and rights Supporting her decision to go public Constantly emphasizing that there is no need for shame, guilt or disbelief Enhancing the womans confidence to articulate her trauma through counseling and continuous support Recognizing that changes in her life situation may prompt her to change her decisions
The arbitration process is steered by the activists in such a way that voices and opinions that favor the woman are highlighted, and ones that emphasize traditional roles for the women are deliberately opposed or suppressed. Moreover, a womancentered approach is not defined by these responses as being opposed to men or not listening to their voice. However, a core principle of the woman-centered approach to justice is based on reinstating the rights of the woman rather than punishing the perpetrator alone; it seeks to democratize gender relations within the family rather than disrupt them.
Safe and secure environment

A pivotal concern of these interventions is the creation of a safe and secure environment in which the woman can articulate her experiences free from fear, shame and guilt. Space for her to reassess her options and feel vindicated for having brought her problem into a public forum are also very important components of a safe environment. The village collective often forms the backbone of support
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for the woman, with volunteers from the collective accompanying her to all meetings, reassuring her, discussing options and solutions with her, and ensuring that she is able to withstand any opposition from her family or village.
Arbitration setting: An accessible space that is a middle ground

The forum provides a space that is objective by virtue of the fact that it belongs neither to the accused nor the complainant, either geographically or through personal kinship ties. The activists of MS and SMS refer to this as the middle ground. It is emphasized early on by the arbitrator that those present, including influential leaders, are present because everyone wants to seek the truth and justice, rather than for personal motive. For example, at the start of the arbitration process the activist, typically explains:
Everyone can participate in the discussions, but in a reasonable, cool way as an objective participant, not influenced by kin and relation ties or any other subjective bias. The effort will be to resolve the case through a face to face discussion with the two sides, and both will have an opportunity to tell their experiences. The women present at the forum (the arbitrators) will negotiate this process to arrive at a mutually agreeable solution. - Activist from SMS
The NA/MP/Shalishi also functions as a neutral place for the activists to share their views and hold discussions without the pressures of family and kinship ties. The location chosen is also one that is both central for the community and accessible to all. For example, the shalishi is held at a community space such as the roadside near a major junction or next to a marketplace. Often, passers-by stop to watch and sometimes actively participate in the proceedings. Similarly, the NA/ MP is almost always held within the block panchayat premises, well known and accessible to local people. This public place fulfills another critical function - that of subtle psychological pressure it exerts on the perpetrators. According to sahayoginis running the Nari Adalat, the very fact that the perpetrators have to be publicly present serves as social punishment. Everyone in their village and in neighboring ones get to know that they are going to attend the meeting. They loose face in the community as it becomes an open fact that they have done something wrong. If they have to go repeatedly (as is when a decision is not reached quickly) then it usually adds to the community feeling against them - first they have treated the woman badly, on top of that they are not agreeing to the suggestions given by the women.
Commitment to democratic processes

In the course of the arbitration process, there is a fundamental commitment to reaching a resolution through democratic processes. Typically the procedure followed is that the applicant (usually the woman, but may also be the man), is asked to speak first and narrate whatever they want to say about the problem and the situation, followed by the other persons narration. This is very detailed, and
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activists ensure that it is patiently heard out by everyone present. This narration of the problem among the larger community presence means that the facts of the case are known to all, different versions can be corroborated, and the areas of differences thrashed out. Others present also share what they know and give opinions about what has been said. Usually there is an outpouring of multiple stories as all involved contribute to the discussion. (See the example of the dialogue that ensued during the hearing of the Mahila Panch in Rajkot district of Gujarat below.)
Analysis of the proceedings of the Mahila Panch

Case proceeding
Since the case has been heard earlier, the girl is not asked to narrate her experiences. However, for everyone to get a brief description the arbitrators ask, What happened and what was the problem? Tell us briefly and also tell us what you have thought and what you want. The girl starts narrating I left my in-laws home one day, because my father-in-law caught hold of my arm and tried to hit me. My husband was not present at the time. I went to my parents house and stayed there through the rest of the pregnancy and delivered the baby. No one came to see me during this time. At this point, the father-in-law who has been looking indignant bursts in, My samdhi (the girls uncle) was drunk and he hit my wife; that is why all of this happened. At this, pandemonium erupts. The girl starts addressing the sahayoginis, clarifying what happened. The father-in-law continues his defense, while the mother-in-law turns sideways and appeals to the women sitting around to understand the situation. This continues for a while and no effort is made to stop this simultaneous outpouring of stories.
Analysis
According to the members, there is this phase during the process, which can occur repeatedly, when there is an outpouring of events, experiences, and emotions. This provides an invaluable opportunity for public sharing, validation of experience, and getting information about the facts of the case, the different viewpoints and perspectives of each member. Equally important, there is airing and resolving of mutual misunderstandings, which clears the air and has a cathartic effect. This is one of the most critical and useful features which gives the women of the NA/MP insights into the case and aids the planning of the strategy. As each person talks, the arbitrators get a sense of what the person feels about the case and thus how they have to be dealt with - who is on the side of the woman. We also listen carefully for sentences and things that each person says which we need to pick on and highlight later for our arguments. Usually if this is the first time the case is being heard, collective responses are discouraged and each person is allowed to share their experiences in detail. However, since this is the fourth hearing of the case, and the details are known to all, the outpouring is primarily cathartic.
Community ownership and acceptance of decisions

A unique feature of these community arbitration mechanisms is the emphasis placed on mediating solutions that are accepted by all and owned by the community. It is also important that this type of open forum deflects the responsibility of
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discussions and debates from the arbitrators alone so that the community gets involved in the process of finding a mutually agreeable decision. The open forum style means that the information that comes out of the arbitration is shared knowledge; that it will not lead to deterioration of the situation, but will result in a mutually acceptable solution. Thus, it becomes difficult for the perpetrator to justify wrong or violent behavior publicly. There is a fundamental principle that community ownership is essential for effective monitoring of the final decision.
Public education on norms

These fora resolve cases of violence against women. They also, in the process of discussions and arbitration, build broader community sensitivity to the issue and develop a new sense of justice. With each case, there is a carefully moderated articulation of womens status, gender roles and discrimination. In talking to the perpetrators of violence, the members of the Nari Adalat and Shalishi, reinterpret notions of masculinity, femininity and gender norms. For instance, the positive markers of being masculine, such as being responsible and patient, are upheld as virtues that can help prevent men from resorting to violence. At the same time, the activists also focus on how womens feminine virtues of patience and submissiveness do not work in their favor, as they may give rise to violence and the inability to protest. Popular idioms and proverbs are unpacked in a non-threatening manner to highlight how women are at the receiving end of discriminatory social norms. The advantages of having a violence-free family life and its impact on children are also widely used arguments to dissuade men from engaging in violence. As perpetrators justify the reasons they resort to violence, facilitators or arbitrators engage in a variety of arguments based on logic and emotion to explain why violence is never justified or acceptable in any circumstance. In most places, a few officials from the panchayat office are regular observers of the proceedings of the NA/MP and by default are exposed to alternate discourses on gender equality and violence against women (VAW). A process of reshaping a culture by affirming certain norms and challenging others is thereby begun.
It is significant that NA and MP are increasingly addressing more subtle forms of violence, such as psychological harassment in cases where the husband suspects the wife of extramarital relationships, or in cases where the couple is childless.
Impacts
Across all the interventions, the Nari Adalat in UP handled 53 cases of domestic violence from 1998 to 2000. Records of shalishi proceedings by SMS to resolve cases of domestic violence can be traced back to 1991. Between 1991 and 2000, they have handled approximately 1,600 cases of violence against women using the shalishi mediation process. The caseload handled by the NA and MP has increased over the years in Gujarat, as represented in the next two tables. An impact assessment study across all three responses showed mixed results with regards to the postintervention situations of the women who had accessed these fora to address their problems. For example, cases mediated by SMS showed a clear reduction in obvious forms of violence such as physical abuse or refusing food or shelter. However, it was also evident that there was a shift to subtler forms such as harassment and sexual coercion. For instance, 46% of women in a sample
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Table 1 Cases of VAW handled by the Mahila Panch in Rajkot district (1998-2001)5
Table 2 Cases of VAW handled by the Nari Adalat in Baroda district (1998-2001)6
Nature of complaint Wife beating Harassment Child custody Mental torture Not having a child Suspicion of undesirable behavior or conduct 1998-1999 67 7 10 1999-2000 35 28 8 45 4 2000-2001 48 12 19 27 7 12
Nature of complaint Wife beating Mental torture Not having a child Harassment Child custody
size of 151 said that while physical violence and deprivation of basic needs was no 1998-1999 1999-2000 longer a problem, they were subjected to mental 2000-2001 abuse.
35 33 48 45 50
Change Change in condition 18
A majority of women reported cessation and reduction in violence. He listens to 9 5 9 me now and he understands me better were some of the ways they described 4 9 17 their current position.
4 6
Suspicion of undesirable a follow-up study of cases in 31 35 In Gujarat and UP, a majority of the 52 women behavior or conduct reported a complete cessation of the problem. Large numbers of women also reported Cheating
that they would use the intervention7again if necessary. A definite shift in thinking 10 was observed the women now recognized that it was their right to seek help and that domestic violence was not acceptable.
Increase in self-confidence
The personal gains made by the women were found to be very significant. They reported increased self-confidence irrespective of the outcome of the case. One of the women from Gujarat shared, I now attend meetings whenever I can not only do I feel good I also get a lot of information. I filled my own form for widow pension and another neighbors as well. Another from UP shared , when it became clear that I too have rights and importance, I found the voice to speak.
5 6
ibid. ibid. Successful Innovations from Asia and the Pacific
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Previously women have tolerated physical violencebut now they have the courage to protest. They have now been strengthened morally. - woman from SMSINCLEN
Change perspective Change in perspective on domestic violence

I found the voice to speak. If anything happens, I will not hesitate to speak. After all, its not my own fault. - respondent from UP
Now I feel that it was not my fault. Why should I suffer quietly? If something happens then I talk it out. I dont try and hide it. - respondent from Gujarat
Increased respect and recognition

The women of the village, especially the families of these women, say that if the men say bad things about the activists then it is their thinking which is wrong. - activist from UP
Expanded understanding of domestic violence

I no longer believe that the matrimonial home is my final home. Even in my parents house, I have a right to be treated with respect. - respondent from SMS A most significant change has been the growing referral of cases by police and village leaders. All of the activists are, however, wary and continue pressing for authorities not to shake off their responsibility. In West Bengal, a significant impact has been that the shalishi documents are now being recognized as evidence in court cases.
Building respect and support

We now have support from people such as bank officers, teachers, principals of schools. - activist from Mahila Samakhya Earlier people would say, MS breaks homes, they incite women to protest. The very same people are today saying that their work is very good. Those people who defamed us are now respecting us. - activist from Mahila Samakhya Now men also work with us and allow us to go out which they did not do earlier. - respondents from UP and Gujarat
Recognition of power of the forums

...but for others it is the fear that if they do not listen to the woman, there will be a horde of women descending on them, questioning them. - activists from Gujarat
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Overall, there is a change occurring in the communities where these interventions have been functioning. The greatest progress has been made in terms of the nonacceptability of open forms of violence. The process itself may have an impact on the general acceptability of violence as a conflict resolution mechanism.
Challenges and limitations
The NA/MP/shalishi creatively use traditional Indian notions of community solidarity and shared values to secure justice from a womans perspective. While the community is a source of support, it also paradoxically limits their sphere of influence. For example, the fora are constantly challenged by the need to balance several conflicting demands and pressures. These include pressure from vested political and caste interests, resistance from the perpetrators on how much they are willing to concede and what the woman wants. Overall, these interventions have succeeded in pushing community norms to a point where violence against women is no longer acceptable to the same degree as it used to be. There is greater pressure on the police for quicker action and the community is aware, and at times fearful, of the presence of a strong womens group such as the Nari Adalat or Mahila Panch. However, beyond a point, pushing boundaries is very difficult. For example, according to the activists from UP, severe social censure and shaming, etc. are supported by the community in cases of rape and sexual harassment involving people outside the family. In the case of domestic violence, the shaming can be overt and harsh only when the violence itself has been brutal. Garnering public sympathy for what is perceived as a routine marital quarrel, though it may involve violence, is relatively more difficult. Women activists have had to struggle with community disapproval, family barriers and personal conflicts. Many have talked about the struggle to maintain ones own sense of right and wrong and objectivity in sensitive cases when family members may also put pressure for a specific decision. Activists experience tensions between their perception of the ideal based on a feminist perspective and what is feasible given the communitys level of awareness and current norms. Thus, the intervention depends heavily on the perspective and skill of the facilitator/ arbitrator to ensure justice. In the absence of sufficient reflection and analysis, these fora face the danger of veering away from the women-centered approach they seek to operationalize and losing their radical edge. Another challenge faced by these interventions is the danger of substituting the functions of law enforcement agencies such as the police and panchayats. The increasing referral of cases from these quarters needs to be understood carefully to see if these agencies are deliberately slacking in these areas of their responsibilities or whether the agencies are genuinely incapable of addressing these issues. Building healthy working relations with the police has been an uphill task and has involved a range of strategies, from contesting police reports to collaboration. Both MS and the sangha play an active role in maintaining links with the police through regular contacts.
Working out strategies is like walking razorthin spaces between societal norms and law, both within us and without. Sometimes, to get justice for a woman, we have to align with practices which we do not believe in. We have had to use seemingly patriarchal customs to get our way.
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A final challenge or limitation is the lack of systematic attention to follow-up. While these responses are predicated on the premise that social accountability is more effective than mere legal punishment, inadequate monitoring of the implementation of the decisions can undermine this premise. Activists realize that both members of womens collectives and community members need to be prodded on more regularly to ensure that the responsibility of follow-up and recording of follow-up is recognized as being just as critical as the resolution, if the woman is to get justice.
Conclusion
These NA/MP/Shalishi differ from the traditional system of justice because it incorporates a perspective that is feminist and a process that is truly democratic and does not reflect the interest of any dominant group. In order to resolve domestic disputes effectively, they create a forum where large numbers of stakeholders gather to air private grievances and engage in spirited argument. The process relies on the communitys right to enter the sphere of private family matters in order to restore collective peace and accepts its responsibility in a public shaming of the guilty party. The fora operate under the assumption that community pressure can indeed act as an effective deterrent to further violence if the process strives not only to restore peace, but also to oppose values and customs that harm women. The potential of such fora is demonstrated not only by increasing community participation on an issue such as domestic violence but also in pushing the ideology of human rights, and improving the accountability of existing structures like the police and the local government councils.
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LESSONS LEARNED
The activists involved in the three types of interventions formulated the following lessons learned, ranked in order of importance:
Larg community $ Larger base and support in the community
Sustained and continued mobilization of community-level collectives has been common across the various sites in which the interventions have been active. Additionally, these collectives initially engaged with a number of civic issues (government schemes, educational needs of children, water and electricity facilities, etc.). This built their credibility and paved the way to raise strategic needs such as VAW.
$ A feminist perspective on domestic violence

Training and capacity building to develop a feminist perspective on gender, violence and womens rights has played a key role in the evolution of these interventions. Rigorous training and ongoing debates and discussions on womens status have helped shape the vital woman-centered approach.
Knowledge $ Knowledge of the law

The knowledge of laws and fear of police action act as powerful deterrents and serve to strengthen arguments for compliance by perpetrators. The experience of the Shalishis, for instance, shows that it is easy to mobilize opinion and put pressure on perpetrators when there is an existing law to back-up the decision.
$ Building strategic alliances

The credibility and sustainability of the responses are also dependent on the active involvement of community leaders. The Mahila Panch of Rajkot district, Gujarat, has actively networked with caste and religious leaders to keep them informed about the MP, allay fears of territoriality, and garner their support in the arbitration process when required. Similarly, across the sites, local governing councils have been tapped repeatedly, because they have responsibility for what happens within their specified area, including supervision of the police.
$ Understanding of the social, familial and cultural context of the
region
The activists knowledge of what will work in a given socio-cultural context plays a critical role in the strategies employed to apply pressure and to negotiate with the perpetrator. Often, the activists use their knowledge of kinship ties, family dynamics, community values, cultural beliefs and social norms to influence the community members involved in the arbitration. For instance, the Mahila Panch in one area uses the Holy Book of the Moslems to condemn violence against women.
$ Continuous reflection and adaptation

Assessing the impact of the resolution process, and reflecting on both the process and the outcomes are essential steps to maintain a sharp, radical edge in the arbitration. This is critical since the relevance of these responses are not guided by Successful Innovations womens sense Pacific formal codification, but by a collective understanding of from Asia and theof justice. 155
Transforming Organizations
P R o F I L E
Philippines
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
Authors Contact
Yolanda Benitez-Gomez Llarina S. Mojica
DENR Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City Philippines 1100 ! (632) 929-66-26 to 30 | (632) 929-65-52 " Yolly@denr.gov.ph | yolibee@hotmail.com www.denr.gov.ph
Mission
DENR is the primary agency responsible for the protection of the environment and the conservation, management and proper use of the countrys natural resources
Engendering the Bureaucracy: The Case of DENR in the Philippines

Background
Engendering the bureaucracy means adopting gender mainstreaming to ensure that the government pursues gender equality in all aspects of the development process. Mainstreaming GAD within the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in the Philippines meant addressing the twin concerns of internal and external transformation of a government agency. Internally, this heavily male-dominated agency had to be transformed to a gender friendly organization. At the same time, gender sensitive client-directed interventions had to be introduced into the agencys programs, plans, and projects to ensure sustainable development and proper management of the countrys natural resources.
Mainstreaming gender and development
A Technical Working Committee on Women (TWCW) was created in 1989; its mandate was to ensure that DENRs policies, programs, and projects met the needs of its female employees and beneficiaries. Despite the fact that six DENR bureaus and only four regional offices (out of a total of 14) participated in the TWCW, the committee achieved some measure of success. For instance, it successfully lobbied for the issuance of Department Administrative Order (DAO) No. 4, series of 1991 which granted stewardship rights to both spouces of families occupying forest land to manage and cultivate the land for 25 years, renewable for another 25 years. In 1992, when Republic Act (RA) 7192 calling for the integration of women as full and equal partners with men in development and nation building was enacted, the TWCW was reorganized into the Gender and Development Focal Point (GADFP). This time, all 16 regional offices and six bureaus were represented. The GADFP was responsible for ensuring DENRs compliance with Republic Act 7192. The GADFP became the initiator of GAD-related activities and ensured the inclusion of gender and development
concerns in all major policies, programs and projects of DENR. The GADFP formed committees to handle specific aspects of GAD mainstreaming, namely: training and advocacy, planning and policy, research and data banking information, education and communication campaigns and support systems. From 1992 to 1994, the GADFP was responsible for organizing gender sensitivity trainings (GST) for all middle executives of DENR, project managers, and trainers. It facilitated DENRs participation in a study on Women and Ecology sponsored by the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW). Encouraged by this study, the DENR conducted more studies on womens situations and roles in community forestry, mangrove conservation, and small-scale mining. Though it was responsible for these positive changes, the Focal Point was beset with problems. The most basic was structural: there was no permanent GAD support mechanism within the DENR. The GADFP operated on an ad-hoc basis; it was not prepared for the complex task of integrating GAD into the Departments complex structure. Also, management and other personnel considered GAD duties as an add-on, not as part of the regular work duties of the Department. Therefore, GAD work was not considered to be a priority by most DENR staff. In 1995, DAO No. 7 gave the GAD Focal Point System the mechanisms and the structure it needed. The transformation of individual focal points into a full system gave its members the autonomy to initiate and pursue specific tasks without necessarily being dependent on the central office. As a result, a policy making body and also technical teams were created. The policy making body, known as the National Gender and Development Executive Committee (NGADEC) was chaired by the Secretary of the DENR. Other members of this body include 3 undersecretaries, 2 assistant secretaries and a GAD Focal Point system chairperson. The GAD Focal Point system chairperson, in turn, headed the technical team and saw to the implementation of GAD policies. This entire structure was replicated at the regional, provincial, community level. During the same year, Philippine Congress passed the General Appropriations Act (GAA) with a special provision requiring all departments, bureaus, offices and agencies to set aside 5% of their funding for gender mainstreaming projects. The National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) together with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) monitors compliance to this regulation.
Sustaining GAD in DENR through entry points
Since 1997, the DENR GAD has been working through four major entry points in engendering the environment and natural resources sector: (1) people, (2) policy, (3) enabling mechanisms, and (4) programs and projects.
Entry point 1: People
People refers to the support of GAD mainstreaming given by DENR officials and employees. This entry point includes (1) the expression of support for GAD policies
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by top management, (2) interventions in the building and enhancing of GAD capability, (3) ensuring that both genders have fair access to the package of benefits offered by DENR, (4) consciousness-raising among heads of offices and key personnel, and (5) identification of the practical and strategic needs of women and the expanded area for the participation of women in environment and natural resources (ENR) projects.
DENR GAD Mainstreaming Framework

DENR GAD Vision Partnership of Empowered Men and Women for Sustainable Development Organizational Transformations Client Directed Interventions
1 Process
DENR devised two types of GST trainings: one for the bureaucracys executives, and another for rank-and-file employees. Training for the busy DENR executives, in which the Secretary, Undersecretary, Assistant Secretary, Bureau Directors, Program Directors, and the Division Chiefs took part, was a half-day training. Topics covered included the difference between sex and gender, legal mandates governing GAD, and other gender main-streaming activities of the government. Rank-and-file employees received a oneto-two day training with the same coverage as the program for the executives and additional topics on the situation of women at the local, national, global, and international levels and data gathering methods such as participatory rural appraisals. This is the same module given to DENR program beneficiaries. A more intensive training on gender responsive planning (GRD) was setup for the technical staff, that is, for planners and program and project officers. The technical staff were trained on how to make the development planning process more gender responsive. Training lasted five to seven days, depending upon the budget.
People Policies Enabling mechanism Programs and projects
2 Outcome
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Around 50% of the executives and 65% of rank and file employees of the Department have gone through gender sensitivity orientation and training. After attending the GST, a male participant said Its only now that I realized how much burden my wife carries. After attending GST and GRP seminars, DENRs planners and human resource officers repackaged a training program intended for a set of middle managers. The Community Environment and Natural Resource Officers (CENRO) course, which used to be an all-male attended course, was made gender sensitive when women were explicitly encouraged to apply. A GAD GST module was also included in the training program.
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Entry point 2: Policy

1 Process
Policy refers to the organizational instruments in the form of administrative orders, memo circulars, implementing rules and regulations (IRR) that support GAD.
The members of the Policy Technical Working Group (PTWG), the body that reviews DENR policies, initiated the review of existing and proposed policies.
2 Outcome
A number of gender responsive policies highlighting gender equality and equity were issued, such as:
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Stewardship over specific forest land was granted to both spouses. In the past, such contracts were awarded only to the heads of households, which most often meant males. Inclusion of women in protected areas management boards (PAMBs). The PAMB is a mechanism that entrusts the management of protected areas to local communities. It also had tended to be male-dominated. Including women in such boards meant that female community members found a way to voice their opinions and be active in decision making processes. Inclusion of womens concern in environmental impact assessment statement. In the past, womens concerns were not emphasized in the drafting of environmental impact statements (EIS). The GAD policies required development projects impact on women be highlighted. They also required female representation during public hearings. Women as priority for local and international trainings and other capacity building exercises. As part of promoting gender equity, the DENR formulated a policy giving women high priority for local and international training and other similar capacity building programs of the DENR. Removal of gender bias in the acceptance and processing of homestead patent applications and other public land applications. A new DENR directive has eliminated the need for women to present consent from their husbands when they are applying for homestead patents and other public lands. In the past, such consent was necessary for the processing of applications. Implementing guidelines for RA 7877, also known as The Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995. The DENR issued strict rules and regulations to address acts of sexual harassment such as offensive sexual remarks, posting nude pictures and malicious touching of employees body parts in the workplaces.
Entry point 3: Enabling mechanisms
Enabling mechanisms include structures and mechanisms that facilitated GAD integration. Before the enactment of RA 7192, DENR had no specific support mechanisms that ensured the integration of gender concerns into the policies, plans and programs of the DENR. But a lot has changed since then and various support mechanisms have been effectively put in place.
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1 Process
In the early part of 1990, the DENR conducted a series of workshops with planning officers, program managers, budget and administrative personnel. The workshop aimed to review, evaluate, and assess the DENR as an organization in order to provide answers to the following questions: (1) What structure would best fit the DENR in the context of gender mainstreaming? (2) What structure can best support the GAD activities? (3) What activities should be pursued to operationalize GAD mainstreaming? (4)How much funds do we allocate for GAD activities? (5) What structures or mechanisms must be created to support mainstreaming activities? (6) What needs to be done to ensure GAD mainstreaming efforts are sustained?
2 Outcomes
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Establishment of the GAD focal point system . At DENR, GAD focal point members were expected to catalyze and facilitate the institutionalization of GAD and the empowerment of women. For example, GAD focal point members involved in the preparation of plans and programs made sure that a gender perspective was always included and a corresponding budget was set aside. Formulation of a GAD Vision. DENR formulated a GAD vision: Partnership of Empowered Men and Women for Sustainable Development to guide the overall GAD implementation. All GAD activities are expected to contribute to the attainment of the vision. Formulation of a GAD Plan. The DENR prepares an annual and a six-year GAD Plan indicating various GAD activities. Provision of GAD Budget. Consistent with the national policy of allocating at least 5% of the agencys budget for GAD mainstreaming, the annual planning and programming guidelines of DENR specifically include a budget for the GAD; this budget is monitored by the GAD focal point system.
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Development of a gender specific data/information system. Because the DENR lacked gender disaggregated data, the GADFP helped in gathering the necessary data for monitoring and evaluating gender sensitive projects. DENR daycare centers. To address the practical needs of working women, the DENR GAD focal point facilitated the set up of day care centers.
Entry point 4: Programs and projects

1 Process
Programs and projects, are at the heart of GAD mainstreaming efforts at DENR.
DENR created a review committee to evaluate and assess project proposals. Members of the GAD focal point system prepared GAD project proposals, which were submitted to the programs and projects committee for review and evaluation. After the committee finishes reviewing the proposals, it would pass them on to the chairperson for final evaluation and approval.
2 Outcome
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Implementation of the GAD Service Awards. The first of its kind in a government agency, the GAD Service Award aims to acknowledge the contribution of women in environment and natural resources management and seeks to recognize the importance of gender mainstreaming. The GAD Service Awards has already recognized 11 projects as Most Gender Responsive and 11 women implementers as Most Gender Sensitive Woman Implementers. Conduct of gender-related studies in the field of community-based forestry program, coastal and marine resource management, solid waste management, and small-scale mining. Results of the gender related studies were used in formulating gender sensitive policies, plans, and programs of the Department.
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The agency published and distributed the following gender books to the regional GAD focal points: Handbook of Gender Responsive Participatory Tools for Community-Based Forest Management; and Producing Gender-Sensitive Environmental IEC Materials. An audio video entitled Magkasama Tayo (We are Together), also available in CD format, was produced and distributed to regional focal points for use in their training campaigns. Magkasama Tayo features, among other things, the historical growth of DENR from the time of its establishment to the period when it started mainstreaming gender.
DENR gender-sensitive books
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LESSONS LEARNED
Mainstreaming gender in a government bureaucracy is a tedious and an evolving process. The experience of the DENR showed that:
$ An agency needs to have a system and a support mechanism to facilitate gender
mainstreaming. DENR had a GAD focal point system, a plan for implementing GAD and, the most concrete show of support, financial resources or budget for GAD activities.
$ An agency needs to examine its internal policies and adjust them by developing
mandates and guidelines that transform working systems and processes to ensure womens participation and leadership and promote gender equity in program.
$ Gender disaggregated data are needed to formulate gender-sensitive policies and

projects.
$ GAD activities should not just be add-ons, they should be part of the day-to-day
work programs, to ensure that GAD principles and actions are internalized and institutionalized.
$ Support from the national government and top leadership in agencies facilitates the
implementation of GAD. GAD champions are needed to help push the GAD agenda in an organization.
$ Continuously building the capacity of the agency, its personnel and its stakeholders
is imperative to ensure the GAD programs sustainability.
$ It is necessary to include a cadre of competent technical personnel (from division

chief and other senior staff levels) in the GAD focal point system. This is important in a government agency because political appointees may not stay long, but career service professionals ensured the continuity of the program.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
Gender mainstreaming means instituting changes, and making advancement and progress. It must be emphasized that mainstreaming gender is all about knowing where to integrate gender, be it in policy, plans or programs. Gender and development is not a question of losing power but sharing it. An agency should also be prepared to:
$ Conduct a thorough review of its organizational set up, mandates, policies, and
the programs.
$ Identify GAD champions within the agency who could effectively push the gender
agenda forward.
$ Build the capacity of the institution and individuals by conducting training on

gender sensitivity and other gender related subjects. The same effort must also be directed to the agency stakeholders. Gender mainstreaming should not stop at the organization but should also address stakeholders gender issues.
$ Establish the necessary support system and mechanisms that would ensure success
of the gender mainstreaming process. This means identifying appropriate structures to oversee GAD in the agency, formulating a dynamic GAD Plan with proper funding, setting up a gender disaggregated database, and addressing the practical needs of women and men in the agency.
$ Solicit the support of top management in all GAD-related initiatives. $ Develop strong partnerships and linkages with others who are mainstreaming
GAD such as non-government organizations (NGOs) and academic institutions.
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P R o F I L E
Philippines
Lutheran World Relief (LWR)
Author
Gilda R. Echavez
Contact
Lutheran World Relief (LWR), Philippine Office Orodec Bldg, Tiano-Pacana Sts. Cagayan de Oro City Philippines !! +63 88 856 5474 " lwrphils@philcom.ph www.lwr.org
Mission
Empowered by Gods unconditional love in Jesus Christ, Lutheran World Relief envisions a world in which each person and every generation lives in justice, dignity, and peace. Lutheran World Relief works with partners in 35 countries to help people grow food, improve health, strengthen communities, end conflict, build livelihoods and recover from disasters.
Leading our Lives and Claiming our Destiny: PhilDHRRAs Gender Mainstreaming Experience
Before I attended the gender workshops, I never helped with household chores. I always thought it was a womans job. My mother and my sisters did the work for the men in the house. I did not see anything wrong in that; it was just the order of things. After having been sensitized at the gender project, I realized that there were so many things that I had to change. I started sharing some of the household work.
- NGO Project Staff, January 19991
Introduction
In the early 1990s, when the Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (PhilDHRRA), a national network of 75 NGOs, decided to tackle gender equity issues in its programs, it created a Gender and Development (GAD) Department and the GAD Thematic Committee (GAD-TC). In February 1996, the GAD Thematic Committee developed the Institutionalization of GAD Framework intended to mainstream GAD programs among 19 member NGOs in the region of Mindanao, the second largest island in the Philippines. The framework was developed into a three year project2. It was funded by the Lutheran World Relief (LWR) and had the following objectives:
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develop the distinctive capacities of PhilDHRRA affiliated NGOs in Mindanao by integrating gender equity in all facets of their programs; build and strengthen the capacity of 420 or more staff of the 19 NGOs to promote gender equity in their organizations;
Echavez C. R., 1999. Mainstreaming Gender in Muslim Community in C. Echavez and M. L. Tumang, Changing Views, Changing Roles, Changing Lives: The PhilDHRRA-Mindanao GAD Mainstreaming. Experience. LWR and PhilDHRRA, Cagayan de Oro City: 19-22. 2 The project lasted from 1996-2000, as it was extended for one more year in 1999.
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ensure the implementation of gender equity programs in 38 communitybased organizations in 10 provinces in Mindanao; and, share experiences within the network and with other organizations at the national and international level.
Key processes
The key processes undertaken by the GAD-TC with active involvement of the GAD project staff and GAD point persons were: 1) GAD project development, and 2) formulation of PhilDHRRAs gender mainstreaming framework.
1 Project development
A year before the project started, the GAD Department of PhilDHRRA-Mindanao and Lutheran World Relief, as preparatory activity, evaluated the efforts of about half of the 19 PhilDHRRA-Mindanao members towards implementing GAD-sensitive programs. The results showed some NGOs already had programs aimed at developing the capacities of women, but the programs had varied levels of success. This affirmed the need to design a framework that would enable PhilDHRRA-Mindanao members to respond effectively to gender issues. Thus, the GAD-TC members undertook a project proposal planning workshop.
Gender is said to be one of the great fault lines of societies, or marks of differences among categories of persons that govern allocation of power, authority, and resources
- Papanek 1990 in Illo, 19993
PhilDHRRA gender mainstreaming framework 2 PhilDHRRAs gender mainstreaming framework

The GAD Project developed a gender mainstreaming framework with four major input categories/indicators in order to achieve a gender-responsive organization, namely: organizational mandate or policy, structure, leadership commitment and gender-based capability building activities. mandate. Organizational mandate Since an organization's mandate expresses its commitment to gender-equity and can attract potential staff and donors, an integration of gender equality has to be clearly articulated in the mandate. Developing new gender policies and organizational mandate to ensure institutional commitment is key. Structure Structure . This refers to the translation of the organizations commitment into program structures and mechanisms. In many instances, a formal structure such as a gender department, unit or desk is set up. In some cases, a full time gender person or focal point is hired or an existing staff is delegated to initiate genderbased activities or processes. The structure should have an influential role in the planning and decision-making processes of the organization and not merely a token expression of the organizations commitment to gender equity. Usually, organizations hire consultants on gender and development to help make the organization gender-responsive, but this is for a short period of time. Changes in the existing systems and structures such as the installation of sex-disaggregated data-base and indicator system should be implemented. The organization must also set mechanisms to ensure the equal and meaningful participation of women and men in decision making and planning processes.
3
IIlo, J. F. 1999.. Gender and Markets in J. Illo and P. Ofreneo (eds), Carrying the burden of the world: Women reflecting on the effects of the crisis on women and girls, UP CIDS, UP Printery, UP Campus, Diliman, Quezon City: 1-18.
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Leadership. Leadership Leadership ensures the enforcement, reinforcement and implementation of mandates and policies. NGO leaders play a crucial role in creating an enabling environment that institutionalizes gender equity. They can mobilize both material and human resources to ensure that the organizational mandates are met. They also legitimize the integration process by setting up the necessary structures, support and mechanisms. Gender-based building uilding. Gender-based capacity building Staff and organizational capacity in genderbased planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation must be strengthened. NGO workers must equip themselves with the necessary gender-based knowledge, skills and attitudes to become effective gender advocates in the communities they serve. Regular monitoring and evaluation of projects impact on women, eliciting and resolving issues involving womens participation and access to project resources should also be undertaken. Other activities that should be instituted include gender analysis and planning within the organization or the community, advocacy of gender issues within and outside the organization, and linkaging or networking with other womens or gender groups.
Key network-wide activities
1 Assessment of NGO GAD programs as baseline data for the GAD project
At the beginning of the project, a more comprehensive assessment of NGO GAD programs was initiated among all the 19 NGOs. It examined how gender concerns were implemented at the NGO level in terms of: 1) staff composition and structure, 2) organizational development programs, 3) in-house internalization of genderfair values, and 4) how these are translated at the community level. Results showed NGOs either sent their staff for gender awareness training or conducted the training themselves. There was a network level program where PhilDHRRA members attended gender sensitivity training (GST) activities. However, those NGOs that sent their staff for outside training rarely allowed the sharing of newly acquired knowledge in-house. It was also observed that while on the average the staff was 50% female, the Board of Trustees was predominantly male.
2 GAD point persons

Each of the 19 NGOs appointed a GAD point person as the key personnel in charge of facilitating gender mainstreaming issues within the organization. The GAD point persons were trained and thus were able to serve as advocates, trainers, gender analysts, researchers and organizational and program managers in their respective organizations. NGOs established varied criteria in selecting point persons. Some point persons were well experienced, others were not. This could be attributed to several factors. Some NGOs had already started GAD mainstreaming prior to the project. In others, the trained point person had left, so new appointees were just beginning to feel their way. GAD point persons thus had varying skills in conducting gender training and advocacy within their organizations. This resulted in varied levels of effectiveness.
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Training 3 Training sessions

The preparatory activities for training included training needs analysis for each member-NGO, preparation of training design and program of activities, identification of resource speakers and follow-up on commitment, planning and budgeting for the activity, sending of notice or invitation to NGOs and preparation of training materials and kits. Two training courses were conducted for all GAD point persons: a) the first covered gender sensitivity (sex and gender, personal, social dimensions of gender bias), gender and religion, gender analysis and planning and advocacy; and b) a gender-based planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation seminar. Continuing training for the GAD point persons was encouraged. Throughout the four-year lifetime of the project the point persons continued receiving GAD trainings, sessions that also served as platform for the point persons to exchange ideas on how to better implement the programs. Other NGOs took extra initiatives like, tapping into external linkages and forming new partnerships. Individual staffs of these NGOs benefited from the training and exposure provided by other groups. Realizing that some NGOs have funding constraints, the Lutheran World Relief provided financial support for some GAD trainings, such as on Gender and Reproductive Health, Gender in Local Governance, and Violence Against Women.
4 Gender analysis survey

The gender analysis survey comprised two major parts: a) activity profile, and b) access and control profile. Some community-based organizations (CBOs) included surveys on reproductive health and incidence of violence against women as well as general profiles of respondents. The surveys captured the real situation of women and men in the communities. Survey results are powerful tools for raising consciousness among community residents and helped many affirm the relevance of GAD programs. As a result, the GAD point persons became all the more committed towards promoting gender equality in their respective organizations work.
5 Community-based projects
One important feature of the GAD Project was the emphasis on bringing the impact of GAD to the grassroots level. Each participating NGO identified two CBOs within the orbit of its activities where the GAD projects can be applied. Hence, aside from the 19 NGOs, 38 more CBOs were covered by the GAD Project. The project used the GST as an entry point at the CBO level to raise community awareness on gender issues. Aside from basic GST given at the CBO level, funds were allocated by the GAD Project for a yearly follow-up training for CBOs. The baseline survey led to the identification of gender issues which were the basis for
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formulating concrete programs at the grassroots level through the 38 CBOs. The following activities were conducted: (1) data gathering, (2) project proposal development related to gender equality; (3) exposure trip to gender related projects; (4) small grants (PhP15,000-30,000 per CBO, approximately US$275-545) were allocated for the implementation of gender friendly initiatives such as microenterprises, day care centers, water systems and multi-purpose meeting centers for women. Basic gender sensitivity training was conducted in 38 communities. The module on sex and gender was found to have been most effective in raising awareness about gender roles and issues and the need to address them. Some GAD point persons also conducted sessions on specific topics such as violence against women, reproductive health, cooperative development, etc. Trips to CBOs with advanced programs were effective in challenging representatives with newly established programs in formulating ideas for their own communities. Almost all CBOs have enjoyed the experience of going out of their communities and learning from the experiences of others.
6 Project review and planning workshop (PRPW)

Annual project review and planning workshops (PRPWs) were conducted in which GAD point persons and executive directors from the 19 PhilDHRRA NGOs participated. The PRPWs proved to be excellent venues where gaps and bottlenecks in project implementation as well as external factors such as opportunities and threats affecting the projects were identified. The PRPWs also enhanced the participatory learning, action planning and accountability of project partners with the end view of achieving the desirable effects and impacts.
Networkwide GAD tools

1 GAD resource book
Training and gender analysis and planning tools as well as some concepts and write-ups on GAD issues were compiled into a GAD resource book. Many of the experienced GAD experts among the member NGOs find it useful because of the variety of references it contains. However, some of the tools included await testing by staff members.
2 PhilDHRRA-Mindanao GAD mainstreaming continuum

This PhilDHRRA-Mindanao GAD Mainstreaming Continuum (Annex 1) was developed at a later stage of the project. In the initial stage, a mainstreaming continuum tool developed by the National Council on the Role of Filipino Women was used to gauge the NGOs progress in gender integration. However, the tool proved to be limited in its measurement of the actual accomplishments or initiatives of NGOs. Hence, the GAD Project developed its own tool by holding a workshop with GAD point persons and incorporated indicators in the continuum. The mainstreaming continuum intends to help NGOs identify appropriate interventions based on their present level and the level they want to achieve.
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The PhilDHRRA-Mindanao GAD Mainstreaming Continuum is composed of seven levels or stages, namely: 1) gender blindness, 2) initial awareness, 3) introduction, 4) installation, 5) application, 6) institutionalization, and 7) advocacy. The continuum locates the NGOs' level of achievement in gender mainstreaming and advises NGOs on the actions they need to take to reach the next level of gender mainstreaming. PhilDHRRA-Mindanao NGOs fell in levels ranging from 3 to 6.
3 Planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation (PIME) tools and indicators

This tool uses a checklist for assessing changes in knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of project participants at the individual, household and community levels. It is a comprehensive tool that traces NGOs progress in mainstreaming gender equity in projects, programs and communities.
Network guide outcomes/effects

1 Network level
Through the GAD Project, PhilDHRRA was able to implement its agenda of promoting equal partnership between women and men. Various specific tasks undertaken by the network include: 1) recognition of the socio-economic contributions of both women and men; 2) promotion of women's political rights and building women's leadership capabilities; 3) addressing women's practical needs at home and in the workplace; 4) advocating for non-gender discriminatory laws, norms and values; 5) addressing double burden and promoting shared parenting; and 6) acknowledging the role of women in agriculture and in agrarian reform. The GAD Project is the only network-level project that had the widest reach - 19 member-NGOs and 38 CBOs. GAD remains an agenda for advocacy among NGOs and also a much needed programming component at the CBO level. The exchanges that resulted from the different activities strengthened the relationship of the NGOs, thereby strengthening the PhilDHRRA network in Mindanao.
2 Individual member NGOs

The GAD project facilitated the integration of gender programs in each of the NGOs by providing the mechanisms, framework, guides, venues and tools to do so. It has enabled the NGOs to assess their own commitment to gender mainstreaming and to provide necessary resources to fulfill such a commitment. The GAD project has helped NGOs create a favorable environment for mainstreaming gender and helped in strengthening the capacities and commitment of staff. Many NGOs gained renewed confidence in pursuing gender-based programs, and some were able to obtain new funding. Specific examples of GAD programs that were implemented follow:
#
Two participating NGOs (MASS-SPECC and MOFECO) initiated the mainstreaming process of integrating the gender module in all of its training activities, specifically in the pre-membership seminar of the cooperatives. The NGO staff, including the board of directors and cooperative members
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# #
underwent a GST. MOFECO went a step further by including staff's partners and children in the GST training. In addition, MOFECO revised its lending policies and the required membership oath for its cooperative members and borrowers and replaced them with gender-sensitive ones. Kapwa, an NGO that works with indigenous peoples, undertook a reflection session that has resulted in the integration of gender equity in the following areas: training, participation in project planning and implementation, and leadership. The NGO raised the consciousness of staff on gender sensitivity, institutionalized its own Gender Transformative Framework, and systemized the gathering of sex-disaggregated data. Ten of the 19 NGO partners were successful in reaching out to all of their communities by conducting gender sensitivity training activities. In one municipality with 20 villages, the local government unit funded the conduct of GST and orientation on Violence Against Women as a result of the strong advocacy of IPHC, an NGO partner.
3 NGO staff
At the personal level, NGO staff members who underwent gender sensitivity training seminars felt enlightened and empowered (See Feedback from NGO staff below). They used their newfound knowledge to organize and empower other women. Others have found ways of improving family life with the newfound principles of shared parenting and shared household work. Their organizations have become family-friendly and supportive.
Feedback from NGO staff

Before the introduction of the project, almost all of us were indifferent to GAD because we had a vague understanding of what it was. Culturally, we were also brought up to believe that men were superior to women. Although internalization took sometime, little by little we imbibed the messages received in the training activities we attended as well as in the small group informal/formal sharing we conducted. As soon as gender sensitivity was raised in our consciousness, we were slowly able to translate what we learned into actions. Our GAD point person acted as a role model. He not only shared what he learned in the training courses he attended but showed us that we can translate what we learned into action. He is credible with what he preached because we saw the changes in him at work and at home. He does household work including washing clothes. (Composite case, Muslim NGO staff, January 1999)4 At the beginning of the project, I found it difficult to explain the concept to the community. But I was able to deepen my own understanding as I continued to share what I knew to the target community. Culture is very difficult to change. It took sometime to integrate gender in the way of life of the people in the community. It is difficult but not impossible. (GAD point person, January 1999)5
Lampauog, C.M. and Echavez, C.R., 1999. Evaluation Report: Institutionalization of GAD Framework with the 19 member-NGOs of PhilDHRRA-Mindanao, LWR and PhilDHRRA, Cagayan de Oro City. Successful Innovations from Asia and the Pacific
4& 5
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4 Community-based organizations/pilot communities

The most significant outcome of this project is the raised consciousness among women and men and the transformation of unequal gender relations in their families in the 38 project communities. While women are now encouraged to earn an income, the men on the other hand are more helpful at home and more supportive of their wives socio-economic-political involvement. The NGOs reached no less than 528 women in the communities. These women received additional capital for their micro-credit projects and benefited from additional entrepreneurial skills taught by NGO staff. The water systems partially financed by these NGOs also lessened the burden of fetching water.
Testimonies of female CBO leaders

it has changed me, my family, the organization and the entire community where I belong. ...The transformation was supported by the family members. We prepared a family annual plan. The plan distributed equally the work at home to all family members. Our family budget was also reflected in the plan, the expenses as well as resources. Everyone is conscious of individual responsibilities. The effect was good since each family member was committed to fulfill his/her task. It made our lives easier because of [the] collective sharing of responsibilities...The plan forged [a] harmonious relationship among family members; tasks were accomplished ahead of time. I did not regret initiating these changes for I have seen [the] good results. (CBO Chairperson, 1999).7 My world used to revolve around my husband, my children and nothing more. Ive never perceived any other role than being a wife and a mother. Added to this, I resigned to my fate as a battered wife. One of the many abusive encounters with my husband almost cost me my life. I was hacked by a bolo (knife), and luckily, only the tip hit my eyebrow. My husband is a drunkard. He comes and he leaves when he pleases. He does not bring anything for us. He is irresponsible. Then came the cooperative training on gender. The latter gave me an idea of what an ideal life should be, especially for a woman and a wife like me. For now, I find my life peaceful. My husband comes to visit us more often. The beatings stopped. My two children are sponsored by the cooperative where I work as a credit collector and as a member of the credit committee. I thank God for leading me to this right path, and for the opportunity of learning how to overcome my situation. (Female Cooperative Officer, 1999)8
Echavez, C.R., 1999: From a Farmer to A Politician: A Barangay Chairpersons Journey Towards Political Awakening in C. Echavez and M.L. Tumang, Changing Views, Changing Roles, Changing Lives: The PhilDHRRA Mindanao GAD Mainstreaming Experience, LWR and PhilDHRRA, Cagayan de Oro City: 4-7. 7&8 Gender and Development: Mindanao Conference Proceedings, 15 March 1999.
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The communities had many success stories to share: integration of gender-based development in a Muslim community, developing women leaders in politics, encouraging the participation of women and men in cooperatives. Some women also reported improving their family life by tackling problems such as overcoming domestic violence. ( See Testimonies of Female CBO Leaders)
Challenges
The challenge for NGOs mainstreaming gender is to maintain the programs and processes they have instituted and to devise new ones. Another challenge is for NGOs to establish a common gender-based advocacy platform that can influence government units and other social institutions within their immediate environment.
I have shown my parents that a womans place can indeed go beyond the kitchen. When I was elected as Village Chairperson, I realized that indeed a woman could do what a man can do. I felt empowered. During assemblies, I was addressed as Honorable. - Woman village Chairperson, May 19996
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LESSONS LEARNED
Creation favorable structures gender $ Creation of favorable structures and mechanisms for gender equity Support top management and GAD point persons is one of the most important enabling factors in mainstreaming gender equity at the organizational level. They allow the program to influence their whole organizational systems by initiating the review and revision of organizational mandates and policies and raising the necessary counterpart resources (financial, human, and time) to ensure that the program objectives were met. The GAD point persons contributed much in terms of time and technical work to comply with all the requirements of the program. The gender sensitivity training courses and information sharing among GAD point persons, GAD tools and resource material (although they can still be improved) are also major enabling factors. Without these inputs, it would have been extremely difficult for the GAD point persons to successfully influence gender mainstreaming. At the community level, PO participation and active involvement in various activities such as the training activities, gender analysis survey, etc. contributed to the attainment of the program objectives.
$ NGOs as effective GAD program implementers

Because they measure their impact on how the lives of the people and quality of their relationships have improved, NGOs are very effective in raising awareness of the communities in their own areas of operations. Forming and strengthening equitable and effective CBOs is the continuing work of NGOs. This is undoubtedly the important assets of NGOs, the most significant enabling factor in the attainment of the project objective at the community level. Most of the NGOs have attained a certain degree of credibility by virtue of the work they have done in organizing and servicing the communities.
$ Continuing GAD training, a must

Continuing training on gender is a must to nurture and sustain commitment to GAD. Learning gender is a continuing processbecause there is a need to unlearn gender biases which is pervasive in the Philippine culture and society. Training on gender should not only be a phase we go through. Gender analysis skills is very importantit is the means to finding the relevance of gender programming in day to day realities.
$ Sustaining GAD by networking

Support systems are essential for gender mainstreaming interventions to be effective and the outcomes sustained (the effort of one NGO is not enoughNGOs should group together; one gender point person is not enougha core group of GAD advocates the within organization is essential)it is also important to include social institutions, such as the government, in the process.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
$ Network strengthening and partnership building towards GAD institutionalization
among NGOs and other social institutions should be pursued.
$ Data/banking sex disaggregated information is an important component in GAD

programming. One of the most critical factors that affect gender advocacy is the invisibility of data on women. The lack of gender-specific data and other socioeconomic information on womens and mens actual involvement in development activities needs to be addressed.
$ Gender orientation and awareness as a continuing effort should be pursued by

integrating it in the capability building efforts/programs within the institution and in all its programs and projects.
$ A two-track approach should be adopted in mainstreaming gender equity, namely:

institutionalizing gender within organizations and integrating gender in the programs and projects in the community.
$ Encourage collaborative work not only with NGOs and CBOs but also with local
government units and agencies of government to ensure sustainability even when project ends. NGOs in the Philippines have to maximize and optimize the venues stipulated in the Local Government Code in the promotion of gender equality, as local government units are mandated to allocate 5% of their development fund for GAD initiatives.
$ Allocating revenues for GAD trainings, gender-friendly community-based projects,

and other gender-related needs will facilitate gender equality at the grassroots level.
$ Allocate funds for gathering "lessons learned" and share them with organizations
and people who share similar ideals so that partnerships and networks can be established, and can generate a new breed of GAD advocates.
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2 Introduction 5 Institutionalization 3 Installation 4 Application 6 Advocacy
% Conscious of GAD % Conceptual acceptance of GAD % Generate support from management to mainstream GAD % GAD concepts in VMG % Presence of GAD team or point person % GAD plan of action for the organization % Established resource base for gender mainstreaming plan % Gender disaggregated baseline data % PIME skills % KRA % Programmatic translation in the organization % Introduction of projects responsive to practical needs & strategic interests of men and women % Annual institutional review % PRPW % Strategic planning % Policies % Structures % PIME methods % All projects required to have gender equity perspective % Es ge or % Ha to th % Ha ot ins pu % Review VMG % Organizational diagnosis on policies, structures, system, programs/ projects indicators % Capability building on GAD analysis, PIME % Continuing education % Continuing education % Standardization, systematization of gender mainstreaming methods % Annual OD on GAD integration % Continuing Education % Exposures & reflection % Linkage building % Documentation of the experience, articulation of gender and related policies % Establish menu of quick response to specific gender issues
KRA OD PRPW VAW Key result area Organizational development Project review and planning workshop Violence against women
Table 1 PhilDHRRA GAD Mainstreaming Continuum
Gender Blind 0
Initial 1 Awareness
Indicators

% Su in % Pa go ac m % Fo ge lea % M su pr % Es VA
% Repulsed or apathetic to gender mainstreaming
% Aware of gender equity as a development imperative % Has vague understanding of GAD concept
Network Recommended Interventions
% GST
% %
GST Review of mandatory gender policy Study GAD framework
GST GAD VMG PIME
Gender sensitivity training Gender and development Vision, mission and goal Planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation
P R o F I L E
Nepal
Asian Development Bank
Authors
Tlin Akin Pulley Shireen Lateef Ava Shrestha
Contact
Shireen Lateef, Principal Social Development Specialist (GAD) Asian Development Bank (ADB) 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City P.O. Box 789, 0980 Manila, Philippines
! 63-2-632-4444 ! 63-2-636-2444 " slateef@adb.org
www.adb.org/gender
Mission
ADBs mission is to help its developing member countries (DMCs) reduce poverty and improve their living conditions and quality of life. ADBs strategic agenda focuses on sustainable economic growth, inclusive social development, and good governance, and the cross-cutting themes of private sector development, supporting regional cooperation for development, gender and development, and environmental sustainability. Established in 1966, ADB is owned by 63 members - 45 are from the Asia and Pacific region. ADB has its headquarters in the Philippines, and has over 25 other offices worldwide. Its main instruments in providing help to DMCs are policy dialogues, loans, technical assistance, grants, guarantees, and equity investments.
Disclaimer: The view expressed in the publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of ADB, or its Board of Directors or the governments the Directors represent.
Building Gender Responsive Water User Associations

Background
Agriculture in Nepal is dominated by small subsistence farming, with the majority of households (66%) having on average less than one hectare of land. More than 40% who have less than 0.5 hectares live below the poverty line. Women play a critical role in agriculture and irrigation in Nepal. Hill agriculture has come to be largely dominated by women due to male out-migration. Even in the lowlands (the Terai), women contribute substantially to agriculture both in terms of labor input and decision-making. Women's involvement in irrigation activities is also high, but the nature and extent of their involvement vary across regions. Despite their notable engagement, women's contributions to agricultural activities, including irrigation, are consistently underreported and regarded as economically insignificant. Cultural issues, such as women's lower status and close association with the household as well as women's lack of access to and control over productive resources are major reasons for this misperception. Consequently, women receive far less support services and are often overlooked as direct beneficiaries of agricultural development projects. Furthermore, family laws governing marriage, divorce, property rights and inheritance severely limit women's control of economic resources. This not only makes access to credit difficult but also tends to work against the full recognition of women's participation in projects that affect communal and other forms of property.
Project objectives
In an effort to accelerate agricultural production, the Government of Nepal invested heavily over the years in expanding irrigation facilities. Despite increased investment, government-managed irrigation schemes fell far below targeted expectations. The completed irrigation infrastructure was neither maintained nor operated efficiently. As a result, the schemes performed poorly, heightened inequalities and inefficiencies in the distribution
Building Gender ResponsiveWater User Associations
of irrigation water, and led to disappointing levels of agricultural production. In 1992, the Government introduced a major policy shift that focused on: (a) improving management, (b) farmer participation in all stages of project implementation and operation and maintenance (O&M), and (c) transfer of irrigation management to Water User Associations (WUAs). The intention was to encourage users to take full ownership and responsibility for managing the technical and financial aspects of the lower tiers of the irrigation system. The degree of success however was varied. ADB's Irrigation Management Transfer Project (IMTP) (1995-2002) was designed Irrigation Management Transfer Project to help the government improve the O&M of 11 existing public irrigation schemes on a sustainable basis using a farmers' participatory approach. The project focused on:
# # # # #
One of the key factors behind uneven success rates has been the unequal participation among users, in particular women. Women's roles as irrigators, water users, and farmers have often been overlooked.
establishing sustainable, effective and efficient WUAs in all subprojects; rehabilitating and improving existing irrigation and drainage facilities which would have direct and positive impacts on irrigation performance; increasing agricultural production and farm incomes; generating employment; and reducing poverty.
Gender issues were considered during the IMTP project design with a recommendation for the project to recruit female sociologists and trainers to: (a) strengthen the WUAs and increase women's participation in each sub-component; (b) provide gender training to WUA members; and (c) facilitate an agreement between Department of Irrigation (DOI) and WUA on a quota for women's participation. Initially, no detailed Gender Action Plan (GAP) was prepared for the Project.
Project design and implementation

Given womens central role in agriculture and the maintenance of irrigation systems, the IMTP project design team was aware that failure to include female farmers in WUAs would compromise the projects overall development objectives. Although specific measures were built into IMTP at the design stage to ensure that women farmers would be major beneficiaries of the project, during the mid-term project implementation review mission, the ADB/Nepal Gender Specialist (GS) found that the IMTP project had not paid close attention to the existing gender disparities and their implications for the achievement of projects overall objectives.
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Asian Development Bank | Nepal

#
# #
The majority of project staff and community women and men were not even aware of the 20% government quota for female membership in WUAs. In fact, women's representation in WUAs was below this level in 10 of the 11 sub-projects. Gender training extended to staff was only marginally effective, with no follow-up. There were no female field officers to facilitate women's participation in WUAs. Although the project design had recommended involvement of female field officers, none had, at this time, been recruited. The qualifications criteria had precluded women from applying, resulting in the recruitment of male field officers. Women's access to project benefits such as training was far less than expected. For example, in West Gandak, out of the 2,940 participants trained in water management activities, only 171 (6%) were women. Across all sub-projects, no women irrigators had participated in drafting their WUA's constitution or regulations. Furthermore, some of these included membership criteria which worked to exclude women on the basis of land ownership and literacy. Male farmers strongly resisted women's participation in WUAs, particularly in the well-off Terai region. They strongly believed that WUA positions were stepping stones to increase political power. Thus, they did not want women to occupy these positions and reduce their opportunities.
The project review revealed an inequitable situation where womens participation in WUAs and planning for infrastructure projects was low (less than 20%), but their participation in infrastructure construction activities was high (between 30%60%). To further highlight the gender disparity, women were paid less than men for the same construction work even though women were found to be better managers of labor mobilization and canal operation.
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Mid-course correctional strategies
Based on the project review findings, the ADB/Nepal GS, in consultation with the project management unit, implemented correctional strategies at mid-course of loan implementation to achieve better gender-based results under IMTP. The strategies included gender awareness training for project staff and female farmers, and gender mainstreaming within the Department of Irrigation (DOI).
Gender awareness and training

#
District irrigation office staff were informed of the governments irrigation policy of 20% womens representation in WUAs and were trained on how addressing gender issues could improve irrigation performance. A Gender and Development (GAD) training workshop was held in one project district with district project staff and WUA members. During this workshop, women's low participation in planning was highlighted and compared with their high participation in construction. This information was used to elicit men's cooperation and support for women's participation in the WUA and to ensure equal pay for equal work. The success of this workshop led to the establishment of the village-level GAD Training Unit designed to provide gender sensitization training to women and men farmers, and to encourage more women to participate in the operation and management of WUAs. Women farmers were trained to head WUAs and to gain increased access to agricultural inputs and technology for women members. For example, women farmers in two sub-project areas, Patharaiya and Mohana, were mobilized and women farmers suitable to take up leadership positions in WUAs were subsequently identified and trained.
Gender mainstreaming within the Department of Irrigation

Following technical assistance provided by the ADB/Nepal GS, the DOI strengthened its commitment to gender mainstreaming under IMTP.
# # #
A GAP was developed to address gender issues in day-to-day project activities. A GS was hired to assist the project staff and to ensure the proper implementation of the government's irrigation policy and the GAP. Two female staff members (an agronomist and sociologist) were recruited and made responsible for gender mainstreaming activities within the second phase of the project. A renewed commitment was established regarding the collection of gender disaggregated data, including itemizing the project budget in terms of gender-related activities and a gender disaggregated database for monitoring and evaluation. Assurances were given that WUAs would meet the minimum 20 percent representation of women in the next WUA elections, and that WUAs would contract out the collection of irrigation service fees to womens groups on a fee-for-service basis.
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In addition to these mid-course corrections to IMTP, the Nepal ADB GS also secured funding to undertake a pilot project to demonstrate the potential benefits of gender inclusive irrigation management initiatives in terms of economic efficiency and agricultural development. The following section describes the pilot gender initiative that led to the mainstreaming of gender issues in the project and to the formation of gender responsive WUAs.
Gender responsive WUAs
In support of ADB's IMTP, the Nepal GS initiated a pilot project under the IMTP Panchakanya sub-project. Panchakanya, located in the central region of Nepal, was originally built by a local landowner in the mid-70s. It gets its water from the confluence of five springs, collectively called the Panchanadi.
The government modernized the canal between 1977 and 1979. In the process, infrastructure was rebuilt and absorbed into the domain of the government. The management functions of the indigenous WUA were taken over by the government. Under the IMTP, the irrigation system was rehabilitated and the management of Panchakanya was formally turned over to the WUA in 1998. The pilot project, Building Gender Responsive Water User Associations was Responsive Water developed to:
#
test and document ways in which women could better contribute to irrigation management, cost recovery and improved agricultural production; and identify strategies for incorporating gender concerns in the remaining sub-projects of the IMTP.
Although Panchakanya had been fully turned over to the WUA, it was struggling with a high level of illegal canal cutting and enroachment.
At the start of the pilot project, women composed less than 20 percent of the WUA. Most women were not confident to participate in mixed group meetings with men due to cultural inhibitions and lack of knowledge about the irrigation distribution system. They also felt they had been included as WUA members simply to meet the government's mandated quota for women. The challenge was to mobilize beneficiary willingness and support for more effective involvement of women in WUA decision-making. The pilot project activities were implemented in three phases, as indicated in the box on the following page.
Innovative practices and positive outcomes
1 Institutional structure for women's participation in water governance

The pilot initiative has been instrumental in (a) creating an innovative institutional structurethe WFGas an official arm of the WUAs; (b) amending the WUA Constitution to allow membership of wives and adult male and female children of
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Pilot project phases

Phase I: Formation of Women Facilitator Group (WFG) The first phase included meetings with WUA members, dissemination of pilot project's objectives and solicitation of women's priorities and incentives for participation in WUAs. Needs assessment showed that women were particularly interested in pursuing technical topics such as water management, cropping patterns, and canal protection. Moreover, to increase understanding of how the irrigation distribution system worked, a threedimensional model of the Panchakanya system was developed with the participation of female and male WUA members. The group then created a WFG, comprised of 23 women leaders and two men representing the main, branch, and outlet canals as catalysts for change. The WFG then identified its own training needs, which included: # building its technical capacity for canal O&M, water distribution and management; # increasing gender sensitivity; # strengthening the WFG's organizational development skills; and # observing improved farming practices firsthand by visiting agricultural centers, farms, and research stations. Phase II: WUA capacity building and constitutional amendments Phase II included a six-day capacity-building training. The WFG members then organized themselves into five sub-groups so that each sub-group could train additional WUA members on canal operation and maintenance, water distribution, share membership, office establishment and management and income generation. As a result, a total of 125 WUA members were trained to motivate women and men throughout the command area to work for more equitable distribution of water. The pilot project continued gender sensitization of WUA members so men would understand the benefits and accept the participation of women in irrigation management. The most important achievements in this phase were: # drafting of WFG rules and regulations; and # amending WUA Constitution to: a) incorporate WFG as an official arm of WUA and, b) to allow membership of wives and adult male and female children of landowning households in order to increase female participation. Phase III: Improving agricultural practices and replication Phase III activities included: # a six-day observational tour to agricultural centers, farms and research stations to learn about improved agricultural practices and crop diversification; # assisting WFG members to utilize skills and new knowledge gained from the agricultural tour to switch from mono-cropping to multi-cropping; and # facilitating the WFG and WUA to hold a workshop with the objective of sharing their experiences with government and NGOs and WUA members of other IMTP sub-projects.
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landowning households; and (c) providing incentives for womens participation through training and leadership opportunities. As a result, the project increased women's representation in the WUA from less than the government stipulated 20% to 60% within one year. Moreover, WUA's policy to have at least one woman in the elected committees of all tiers of the WUA system ensured women's participation at all decision-making levels regarding water management.
Improv irrigation management, oved recov ecovery agricultural 2 Improved irrigation management, cost recovery and agricultural production
Since the inception of the pilot project, the WUA, with the support and cooperation of its WFG, improved the physical productivity of the water. It invested significant amounts of money in canal cleaning and increased the water supply. By the end of the pilot project, an additional 500m length of canal was also constructed exceeding the project objective of total irrigated land by 50ha. With increased water supply and higher cropping intensity, paddy production doubled. Also, 90% of households in the project area reported food security, and more girls were enrolled in schools. Incorporating women's full participation in irrigation management led to greater equity in the distribution of irrigation water and reduction in water theft and illegal canal cutting as both men and women exerted social pressure in the communities against these illegal actions.
Women's gr 3 Women's facilitator group - A catalyst for women's empowerment

Forming a WFG supported the participation of women in the IMTP project and the broader goals of increased social and economic empowerment for women. Through their involvement in WFG, women have expanded their network and increased their access to information and services. At the individual level, capacity-building training has enabled women to gain firm understanding of the irrigation system which in turn boosted their confidence to participate in decision-making processes
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and speak up in the WUA meetings. With support from the WUA, the WFG members participated in discharge measurement and integrated pest management training. In addition, women have increased their income and food security as a result of technical training and assistance received on agriculture and crop diversification. As a consequence, women have switched from mono-cropping to multi-cropping and have increased their access to improved livestock feed. Women's economic empowerment is further supported by a group savings account that the WFG has established for both production and consumption purposes. The WFG's increased organizational capacity also enabled it to play an important role in conflict resolution.
Resolution of upstream/downstream conflicts

When the pilot project was midway through implementation, an unforeseen setback occurred. Three influential individuals from outside the command area bought the upstream land where the canal's water sources were located. The WUA at the time of management transfer was unaware that the water sources of Panchakanya were located on private land. A land-use decision by the new owners also resulted in a water decision that affected downstream farmers. The construction of three large fishponds by the new owners caused the water supply of the system to drop from 915 liters/second to 350 liters/second. These developments threatened to destroy the livelihoods of 1,200 households and nullify the efforts of the pilot project. While the WUA vented its frustration by demolishing a part of the embankment, it pumped water from dug wells into the canal to tide the farmers over during the planting season. This action increased beneficiary confidence in the ability of the WUA to serve its members. After protracted discussions, the WFG and WUA successfully negotiated an acceptable solution with the new landowners. The new owners agreed to divert water to the canal once the fishponds reached an agreed water depth. Conflicts arise mainly due to water theft, and use of irrigation water without paying the irrigation service fee (ISF). This is a disincentive to those users who are consciously paying the ISF. WFG monitors who are using water without paying the ISF, confronts the erring users as a group and pressurizes/embarrasses them to pay or go without water.
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4 Policy and institutional level impact

The successful gender integration strategies under the pilot project, Building Gender Responsive WUAs were replicated in the other ten IMTP II subprojects. Likewise, it was replicated in another ADB project, Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Project (STWSSP). The pilot initiative not only improved gender responsiveness of ADB water resources projects, it also led to policy reform. Womens role in irrigation management has been recognized by policymakers and reflected in amendments to irrigation sector policies in Nepal. Now, the requirement for women's participation in WUAs is 33%, as compared to the original 20% quota established in 1997.
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LESSONS LEARNED
The lessons learned under the IMTP pilot project, Building Gender Responsive WUAs, are the following:
$ Irrigation management transfer programs that utilize WUAs expect to improve
irrigation management. Factors hampering improved management include lack of awareness of WUA members on the needs of women irrigators, limited support for womens inclusion in the WUA, and womens lack of access to project information.
$ Even when projects are designed with gender-based interventions, unless strategies
and mechanisms are clearly established (under a GAP) to guide the implementation of these interventions, targets will be hard to achieve and women will usually not directly participate in or benefit from them.
$ The establishment of the WFG as an arm of WUA is a viable option to facilitate

women's participation in strategic planning and decision-making.
$ Technical training for women on irrigation management contributes to building

women's confidence to participate more effectively in the WUA.
$ Increased support by women for canal cleaning results in increased water

productivity and reduced operation and maintenance costs. % $ Women are willing to switch from mono-cropping to multi-cropping given training in new seed varieties and new production methods.
$ Women's increased participation in decision-making levels of WUA promotes

women's voice in water governance and facilitates shifts in gender roles in the communities.
$ WFGs organizational capacity strengthens WUAs role in conflict resolution

among farmers on water distribution issues. More equitable distribution of water leads to increased agricultural production and user willingness to pay irrigation service fees and sustain its benefits.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on experiences under the pilot initiative of the IMTP in Nepal, the following recommendations are provided for development practitioners who wish to improve irrigation management.
$ Ensure that a GAP is prepared to guide the implementation of gender-based
interventions outlined in project design. Gender-based targets and objectives will not be achieved unless project executing agencies are provided technical assistance or training to understand how to implement GAPs.
$ Projects that advocate participatory processes need to plan with women, not around
them. All irrigation projects should ensure women's participation in planning and management of irrigation systems so that womens roles as irrigators, water users and farmers are not overlooked. A WFG within a WUA may provide incentives for women's participation in societies where women are reluctant to join mixed groups.
$ Efforts to improve gender responsiveness in WUAs must be part of an overall

process of social and institutional development so that men will understand and support the changes taking place in community-based organizations and decisionmaking processes.
P R o F I L E
Bangladesh
Asian Development Bank
Authors
Tlin Akin Pulley Shireen Lateef Ferdousi Sultana Begum
Contact
Shireen Lateef, Principal Social Development Specialist (GAD) Asian Development Bank (ADB) 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City P.O. Box 789 0980 Manila, Philippines ! 63-2-632-4444 ! 63-2-636-2444 " slateef@adb.org /www.adb.org/gender
Mission
ADBs mission is to help its developing member countries (DMCs) reduce poverty and improve their living conditions and quality of life. ADBs strategic agenda focuses on sustainable economic growth, inclusive social development, and good governance, and the cross-cutting themes of private sector development, supporting regional cooperation for development, gender and development, and environmental sustainability. Established in 1966, ADB is owned by 63 members - 45 are from the Asia and Pacific region. ADB has its headquarters in the Philippines, and has over 25 other offices worldwide. Its main instruments in providing help to DMCs are policy dialogues, loans, technical assistance, grants, guarantees, and equity investments.
Disclaimer: The view expressed in the publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of ADB, or its Board of Directors or the governments the Directors represent.
Making Infrastructure Work for Women in Bangladesh

Background
Despite the equality of rights provided under the Constitution, a patriarchal social system dominates women's lives in Bangladesh. This system upholds a rigid division of labor that controls women's mobility, roles and responsibilities and sexuality. Thus, Bangladeshi women face a host of inequities, including: (a) low economic and political participation, (b) low literacy (31%), (c) poor health and nutrition (48% of children under five are malnourished), (d) social discrimination, (e) unequal legal provisions, and (f) gender-based violence and trafficking. Poverty is pervasive in Bangladesh with a per capita income of US$370 a year. While 50% of the population lives below the poverty line, landless female headed households face the worst conditions, with a shocking 95% of them living below the poverty line. With poverty very much a rural phenomenon, investment in rural infrastructure is crucial to facilitate economic growth and reduce poverty in Bangladesh. Moreover, new non-farm employment opportunities are urgently needed to cope with surging living costs. Roads and markets can influence poverty reduction by creating new employment opportunities with higher wages in non-farm sectors. Increased participation in non-farm sectors is critical in reducing poverty among women as they have little access to cultivable lands. Although a woman's role is primarily centered around household maintenance, child-bearing, and child-rearing, persistent poverty is increasingly changing the roles, responsibilities and mobility of women.
Project objectives and activities
The Third Rural Infrastructure Development Project (TRIDP:1998-2005) in Bangladesh is funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB)1. Its executing agency is the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED). The objective
of TRIDP is to accelerate economic growth through infrastructure development by creating access to economic activities in rural areas. Key activities under the Project include:
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developing the rural road network and associated bridges and culverts; developing rural growth center markets with separate sections for women to bring them into the mainstream of economic activities; creating employment and income generating opportunities for women in construction and maintenance of roads, drainage facilities, boat landings, Union Council complexes and flood refuge centers; and promoting community participation in infrastructure planning and design and stakeholder consultations throughout project implementation.
Project design and gender action plan
Infrastructure projects are often regarded as gender neutral. However, to ensure equitable benefits for both men and women, three important factors were built into the original design of TRIDP to address gender issues. These factors included: (a) provision of women's market sections (WMS), (b) employment in road maintenance, and (c) creation of income-generating opportunities in the agriculture and non-farm sectors for the rural poor.
Though the project intended to address gender issues, project authorities did not know how to engender the project components. During the implementation of TRIDP, the need for a systematic set of activities for addressing gender concerns became clear. Thus, a gender action plan (GAP) was developed. With the assistance of the ADB/Bangladesh Gender Specialist (GS), TRIDP's components were reviewed and redefined by project authorities. A GAP was developed as a mid-course correction to an on-going loan project which emphasized womens increased participation as users, managers and beneficiaries of the infrastructure. It provided a systematic framework with quantitative and qualitative targets and indicators to guide the interventions under each project component and ensure that gender-related objectives were achieved. The TRIDP GAP focused on: a organizing Labor Contracting Societies (LCS) and motivating contractors to recruit female laborers with equal pay for equal work on construction sites; b providing separate WMS; c designing gender-sensitive infrastructure to meet women's needs for privacy in public buildings and flood refuges; d providing financial services and training in business management for women entrepreneurs; and
TRIDP is also supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and Government of Bangladesh.
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e fostering linkages with Market Management Committees (MMCs) through women's representation in Traders' Associations. To support implementation of the GAP, the ADB GS facilitated continuous gender training for project staff and beneficiaries. Resources were allocated to recruit a GS to join as a member of the project technical assistance team. What has been particularly important for the success of incorporating gender into TRIDP has been the flexible approach adopted by LGED to design, re-organize, add or change activities to achieve its targets. Regular monitoring and an easy flow of communication between the ADB GS, the Project GS and the Project Director have led to timely progress in ensuring that these innovative ideas came to fruition.
Innovative practices
A set of five innovative practices were key to the projects success in integrating gender in infrastructure development. These included the development of womens market sections (WMS); womens participation in road construction, maintenance and tree plantation; gender sensitive infrastructure design; partnerships with local government institutions; and institutionalizing gender in project implementing agencies.
Women's market sections

The WMSs are constructed to promote women's participation in rural markets and are expected to create business opportunities for 4,370 women traders in two phases. There have already been 816 shops constructed in 133 WMSs, and 816 women traders have received lease of shops. Women were involved in planning and site selection, and maintenance of the facilities. Women traders were encouraged to become members of Traders' Associations. Seven hundred thirty-three of them have already been trained with the help of nongovernment organizations (NGOs) on "Shop Management and Trading Skills Development." The training focused on: (a) licensing, (b) business procedures, (c) taxes and tolls, and (d) operation and maintenance of the facilities. TRIDP has also provided the poorest women with the opportunity to sit and sell their homestead produce in the open platforms of the markets as temporary vendors. Women traders have come forward to utilize the opportunity, but the path to their effective participation has not always been smooth. Many of them lack the needed capital or collateral to borrow money. To address this problem, TRIDP has been pro-active in linking women shop owners with microfinance agencies to provide their access to credit. A memorandum of understanding has been signed between the project and Jatiya Mohila Shangstha, an institution which serves women's advancement and provides non-collateral based loans to women.
The business management training has been very useful; we learned how to select a business and calculate profit and losses. We now also know the procedures about taxes and tolls.
- Lima Begum, Bhelabari WMS, Lalmonirhat
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Moreover, motivational campaigns in project communities remain important to reduce socio-cultural barriers to women's participation in WMSs. All components of the project are decided on a participatory manner and through consultations at the local level. Information about project resources and opportunities are disseminated through meetings and miking (rickshaw drivers make announcements on mikes which women can hear from their homes even if they cannot attend the meetings). Also, women and girls are encouraged to shop in the market to ensure women vendors have sufficient customers. Furthermore, motivational campaigns are targeted to men as they often feel jealous when women get possession of nice shops without investing big amounts of money. However, as men begin to benefit from dual incomes in their households and as male shop owners realize that women sellers bring out more women buyers to markets, their desire to support WMSs increases. The increase in female participation in markets, both as consumers and producers, has increased women's demand for more separate market corners; thus, additional shops had to be built by LGED. In other places, women have come forward to sit and sell in the open market sheds by their own initiatives. LGED has become increasingly gender sensitive in the implementation of interventions under the GAP and in responding to women's demands. It is important to note that the project does not promote seclusion for women. Rather, it tries to promote women's participation in the public sphere by creating women's own space to give them confidence as pioneer women marketers. The project expects that over time, when women's participation in the public sphere is more tolerated in the local culture, separate market sections for women will not be required. In fact, there is evidence that social perceptions about women's work are already changing as a result of TRIDP. Traditionally, men in Bangladesh do all purchasing for the household and they have the ultimate decision-making power on how incomes are spent. However, as women begin to increase their control over household incomes, their status in the household rises. Prior to the government's 30% quota for women in Union Councils (UCs), only men participated in community decision-making. Now, new space is gradually being given to women to voice their concerns in community decision-making.
This is a new concept in Bangladesh and it seems to be working to the benefit of numerous women. But getting the market sections off the ground required a far more holistic approach than had been originally envisaged.
- Mohammad Rashid, Abdul Rashid Chairman of the MMC
Women's participation in road construction and tree planting road tree

Infrastructure is considered a man's domain. However, due to poverty in rural Bangladesh, women are gradually participating in construction activities. Women's involvement in the construction and maintenance of roads, as well as in tree planting and stewardship has been promoted through LCS. This was organized to provide fixed-term employment for landless, destitute women.
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As in most parts of the world, construction activities in Bangladesh are implemented by private contractors who typically discriminate against women laborers. Women are often allocated the least skilled tasks and are paid lower daily wages than men for similar tasks. Thus, TRIDP conducted orientation sessions and enforced 604 contractors to provide training to female laborers so they can undertake more skilled tasks and enjoy equal pay for equal work. Training for LCS members included negotiation skills and motivation to bargain more effectively for fair wages. The contractors were also required to ensure safety and provide basic services like water and sanitation facilities to female laborers.
women lives omens Impact on womens lives

Rasheda Begum, a widow and mother of two children, was employed for roadside tree planting and upkeep for a period of two years. Her term ended in June 2002. She was able to save Taka 7,200.00 (US$ 130) in the bank. She has received orientation on income generating activities from TRIDP and has started a business of cold storage for potatoes to sell them at a higher price at a later stage. She is also rearing goats for additional income. Rasheda is now confident and looks forward to a bright future with her children. She wants to educate them through her own income. About 2,200 poor women like Rasheda working on 1,300 km of roads are beginning to feel socially secure and self-reliant.
Reaching wage parity for women in construction work has only been possible under project requirements and close monitoring. At the very least, contractors' perceptions of women's abilities for construction work have increased. In some cases, women have been able to receive equal wages and have gained greater access to higher skilled work.
Gender sensitive infrastructure design

In a country where women and men do not interact freely in the public domain, women's needs for privacy have to be considered in designing infrastructure projects. Under TRIDP, women participated in site selection and design of 14 flood refuge centers and 38 boat landing facilities. They made sure that separate waiting rooms were provided for women as they often travel with children or elderly and they need shade as well as separate toilet and emergency case facilities. Similarly, despite the 30% quota for female UC members, they had difficulties fulfilling their roles prior to the provision of separate office space in Union Council complexes (UCCs). The reservation of a space where women can talk privately with female UC members serves as an innovative way to strengthen their roles. It ensures that the needs and interests of women are brought into community decision-making.
...both women and men are working as laborers in this road protection work. I am getting equal wage as my male coworker. Our contractor knows that we are working equally.
- Female construction laborer of Mymensingh
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"...we are representatives of local people. Our rural women face various forms of violence and discrimination. They need advice and assistance... Many of their problems are private and they want to discuss with us confidentially. The separate sitting arrangement is thus, very important for us to transact business to help our women constituents."
- Female member, Uchakhila Union Council, Mymensingh
Female UC members regularly hold office in 23 Union Council complexes (UCCs). They are also involved in site selection for roads, bridges and culverts, and in the implementation and management committees. Nine hundred thirty-eight UC female members have been trained on financial management, local resource mobilization, and operation and maintenance related to markets and boat landing facilities. Through all these activities and participation in decision-making positions, female UC members have become role models for rural women providing a voice for their needs and priorities.
Partnership with local government institutions

Each local market has a MMC and a Traders' Association. The chairperson of each WMS Management Committee is a member of their respective Traders' Association, which provides a link with the MMC. Under the Union, women's representation in the MMC has been made compulsory through the government's policy guidelines, which was approved by the Ministry of Local Government Rural Development and Cooperatives.
gender project agencies Institutionalizing gender in project implementing agencies

Based on TRIDP experience, the ADB gender specialist in Bangladesh supported several strategic initiatives to institutionalize Gender and Development (GAD) issues within LGED. Training and workshops were conducted on gender, participatory development and womens role in municipal work for all senior management, mid-level officers and ward commissioners to (a) ensure leadership commitment, (b) enhance technical skills, (c) strengthen the capacity of female ward commissioners, and (d) develop a positive attitude among male ward commissioners towards female participation in municipal activities. Training manuals and guidelines were provided for gender mainstreaming in all LGED projects. Projectbased training particularly targeted male project staff to improve their understanding of gender-based issues and their willingness and abilities to implement the GAP. As a result of gender sensitization and training under various projects of LGED, including TRIDP, a five-year Gender Equity Strategy and Action Plan (2002-2007) was developed. It was supported by the Netherlands government and plans were developed for rural, water and urban sectors. All LGED projects are now required to work within the framework of the over-arching institutional Gender Strategy and Action Plan that specifies targets, budget, responsibilities, objectives and indicators for the achievement of gender equity. The LGEDs Gender Forum, made up of 40 senior level representatives, assists in gender mainstreaming. Workshops and seminars on the dissemination of the GAP are conducted for LGED executives. Furthermore, regular training of LGED staff, carried out through a training center, includes a module on GAD.
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The LGED gathers sex-disaggregated data regarding all activities, including training and employment generation. The data and analytical research provide the bases for monitoring and reporting, improving management and services, and designing new projects. Gender-related issues in project implementation are discussed during the three annual performance review meetings with executive engineers and assistant engineers. Feedback is then provided regarding project implementation.
Key results
generation 1 Employment and income generation

Increased economic activities leading to better employment and income generation opportunities for the rural poor are the most important benefits that have resulted from infrastructure development under TRIDP. Construction and maintenance of the infrastructures, tree planting and upkeep, WMS, small and micro-enterprises and their forward and backward linkage industries are direct outcomes of the project where rural women participate actively to increase family income. The project linkages with different credit-providing agencies and training on shop management and trading skills development have also supported women's businesses.
women lives omens Changing womens lives

Ambia Begum from Uttar Bottrish Hazari village of Lalmonirhat district runs a tea stall at Chaparhat Womens Market Section (WMS). She is the principal income earner for her family. Her husband divorced her after she became seriously ill and had to undergo an operation. Before she became ill, she was a member of Grameen Bank and had purchased a piece of cultivable land with her borrowings. The land was sold to manage the cost of her treatment. Ambia felt helpless with three children and had a hard time to make ends meet until she got allotment of a shop at Chaparhat WMS. Many rural poor women like Ambia are now involved in the mainstream of the rural economy and many have been able to improve their conditions by utilizing the opportunities created under the infrastructure development project in their locality.
2 Increased mobility and access to markets and services

The construction of feeder, upazila and submersible roads, bridges and culverts and boat landings (ghats) have increased rural women's mobility and access to markets in all seasons in cost-effective ways for selling their products at fair prices, earning better incomes and upgrading their standards of living. At the same time, they can get access to better health services, educational opportunities and financial services. NGOs can also reach rural communities more easily where they can provide training, motivational campaigns and awareness raising on health, sanitation and hygiene, family planning, usefulness of credit and savings, prevention of dowry, dangers of trafficking of women and children and constraints posed by early marriage.
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Women's growing participation in markets both as buyers and sellers has been a significant indicator of increased empowerment at the household level. With increased participation under WMS, women's socio-economic status within the household and communities has risen significantly and traditional ways have begun to change giving women increased decision-making power on how incomes are earned and spent. In a qualitative assessment conducted by LGED in 2003 on gender-based benefits, women respondents cited several examples of how the standards of living of their families have improved since their participation in WMS. Over 50% improved their houses by changing their roofs and walls from straw to tin, installing sanitary latrines and some were even able to afford radio or TVs. Daily family food intake pre-WMS was 15% (once/day), 31% (twice/day) and 54% (thrice/day). Post WMS, daily intake of one, two and three meals a day are now 2%, 22% and 76% respectively. Regarding schooling of children, 49% of the children went to school at pre-WMS period while 80% are now in school. Women participating in the WMS stated that the attitudes of family members have gradually changed regarding their market activities. Their husbands, mothers-inlaw and other female relatives now support their market activities and willingly offer help in meeting their household responsibilities because they are earning money and maintaining their family livelihoods.
Women's gov overnance 3 Women's participation in local governance

The construction of Union Council complexes (UCCs) with separate entry and sitting arrangements and toilet facilities for female Union Council (UC) representatives facilitated womens participation in local governance (UCs are the lowest levels of government). For a country such as Bangladesh, where it is rare and difficult for women to interact directly with unknown men particularly in rural areas, the reservation of a space where women can talk more privately with other women has been an appropriate way to strengthen the role of the female UC members and to ensure consideration of needs and priorities of women in community decisionmaking. This has increased opportunities for rural women to interact with female UC members who serve as role models and provide support to resolve their family or community problems. The elected female UC members conduct meetings and render services to rural women including conflict resolution related to problems with marriage, dowry, divorce, violence and rape. In addition, women UC members participate in decisions regarding management and operation of the UC and the MMCs. NGOs also use the UCCs as focal point in providing services to the communities. UCCs, therefore, provide an opportunity for building leadership among rural women who are beginning to feel more comfortable to raise their voices in the wider circle of UC representatives, Government of Bangladesh personnel and NGOs.
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gender 4 Sensitization and training on gender equality

Men are targeted for continuous sensitization and training workshops on gender equality. At the institutional level, the project offers regular training sessions and workshops for male executives of LGED on the objectives and implementation of the GAP. At the project level, TRIDP trains contractors (who are mostly men) on meeting the gender awareness requirements in their job descriptions and, more broadly, on gender-sensitive labor practices such as the recruitment of female laborers and provision of equal wages for equal work. At the community level, TRIDP continues with motivational campaigns to ensure that as gender roles shift, men's personal and professional concerns are addressed. Consistent sensitization and training on gender equality primarily targeted to men at multiple levels have increased understanding of gender issues and reduced resistance to women's participation in the project. It is important to note that TRIDP did not have the benefit of a fully developed training plan for gender awareness at the beginning of the project, but because of the extraordinary support and leadership given by the Project Director, this constraint was overcome by including capacity building activities in all project components with gender-based objectives. This cannot be assumed for other projects which illustrates the need to plan gender awareness and capacity building sessions around all project components in a systematic way to achieve optimal results.
5 Strengthening institutional and policy level support

As a result of project partnerships with local government institutions, the chairmen of UC and MMCs provide positive support to the women sellers and buyers. All local markets have MMCs and Traders' Associations. The chairperson of each WMS Management Committee is a member of their respective Traders' Associations. Women's representation in the MMCs is compulsory as it has been incorporated in government policy approved by the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives.
Addressing the software aspects of the project has improved implementation of the hardware components. You can see it from the support we receive from the public for the project in the rural areas.
- Wahidur Rahman, Rahman TRIDP Project Director
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Annex 1: Guidelines for gender action plans (GAP)

GAP development process
Step 1: Focus on all project elements. Step 2: Based on gender analysis, describe gender relevant issues regarding project objectives and expected results. Step 3: Describe any features, mechanisms, strategies, components, targets and resources to facilitate women's active involvement in the project and direct access to project benefits.
Gender action plan

1 Introduction: (Rationale) # Analyze project goal and objectives. # Describe sector-specific gender issues and how gender-based constraints will influence the achievement of project goal and objectives. 2 Activities: (Project outputs/components) # Analyze all project components and activities. # Describe how gender is relevant and will be addressed in each component. # Identify strategies, targets and features that can facilitate and verify that project benefits will accrue to both men and women. 3 Resources: (Technical and financial inputs) # Analyze project implementation/management support to determine if resources are sufficient to appropriately address gender issues. # Identify technical and financial resources necessary to address gender issues. 4 Monitoring and reporting mechanisms: (Data and indicators) # Collect gender disaggregated data using both quantitative and qualitative methods. # Set gender disaggregated indicators to measure achievements showing quantity, quality and time. # Monitor progress against targets set under the GAP to track the extent to which the project is mainstreaming gender. # Report progress on gender-based activities and benchmarks in project performance reports. # Evaluate project impact on both men and women based on gender disaggregated indicators. 5 Risks/Assumptions: (Contextual and external factors) # Based on the socio-economic analysis of the project, identify possible constraints to achieving gender-based objectives during project implementation.
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targ Examples of GAP activities, strategies, targets and specific features

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Set targets such as percent of women to be trained, to receive extension or financial services or to represent decision-making bodies (farmer groups, WUAs, O&M groups, village committees); Select appropriate technologies for women in agriculture and infrastructure; Select activities with high womens concentration (home gardens, livestock); Consult men and women separately; Provide suitable training and credit at convenient times and locations for women; Engage NGOs with GAD experience to facilitate womens participation in community mobilization efforts Engage female extension agents, health workers and loan officers; Build separate facilities for women and girls based on the social constraints they face in public settings (schools, markets, housing, waiting rooms) Establish clear guidelines on equal pay for equal work; Establish gender disaggregated databases and indicators; Identify gender-responsive policy interventions (land tenure, banking policies, municipal codes)
Examples of GAP resource allocation strategies, targ features targets and special features
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Ensure budget allocation for gender capacity-building activities at institutional, community and project levels; Recruit local/international consultants to train project staff on gender issues and provide gender expertise during project implementation; Search for project specialists, NGOs and service providers with gender and development experience; Develop a Gender Implementation Plan with stakeholder participation to ensure community and institutional support and accountability for the implementation of the objectives and activities outlined in the GAP.
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LESSONS LEARNED
The following lessons are provided for development practitioners interested in designing gender sensitive infrastructure projects elsewhere in the world.
$ The ultimate lessons of TRIDP are: infrastructure projects are not gender-neutral;
projects that aim to benefit women will not necessarily do so effectively unless specific interventions are planned, budgeted, implemented and monitored through GAPs.
$ Building gender sensitive infrastructure requires small but crucial adjustments to

project designs, which in turn result in invaluable benefits to women in increasing their mobility, safety, access to markets, economic activities and participation in local governance.
$ Increasing awareness of government officials and communities on the importance

of pro-active interventions and resource allocation to encourage women's participation in infrastructure projects is critical. Build partnerships with local government institutions to strengthen support for gender inclusive development projects.
$ Gender sensitivity of the Project Implementing Agency is a critical factor in achieving

positive outcomes for development projects. Provide training and technical assistance to project implementing agencies in developing and monitoring GAPs.
$ Linking GAP elements to the main structure of the project is necessary for greater
integration of achievements and assurance that gender-based objectives are not marginalized. Carefully consider different aspects of each project component, consult with all project stakeholders and be flexible to revise activities during implementation to ensure achievement of GAP objectives.
$ Community-based motivational campaigns to encourage women to break out of

their traditional roles and to address men's personal and professional concerns are critical to provide a social context that approves the gradual shifts in gender roles. Be prepared to address project induced shifts in gender roles in communities.
$ In infrastructure projects, ensure that physical components of the project go along

with the appropriate social considerations. Gender sensitive infrastructure designs, local institutional partnerships along with training and motivational campaigns on GAD issues open the door for mainstreaming rural women into economic activities and local governance.
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P R o F I L E
Organization Country Authors Contact
International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
China, India, Mongolia, Nepal, Viet Nam and Canada
Ronnie Vernooy Liz Fajber
Ronnie Vernooy 250 Albert Street, PO Box 8500, Ottawa, Canada K1G3H9 ! rvernooy@idrc.org
Liz Fajber IDRC SARO 208 Jor Bagh, New Delhi, 110003, India ! efajber@idrc.org.in
Mission
Empowerment through Knowledge Empowerment through Knowledge The Centre strives to optimize the creation, adaptation, and ownership of the knowledge that people of developing countries judge to be of the greatest relevance to their own prosperity, security and equity.
Making Gender and Social Analysis Work for Natural Resource Management Research: An Umbrella Program For Building Researcher Capacity
Background and context
The complexity of societies in Asia is immense. Notions of class, caste, ethnicity, age and genderthe socially constructed roles and characteristics assigned to men and women in a specific cultureare integral to understanding power relations and decision-making processes concerning the access, use and management of natural resources. A sound understanding of social differences is needed to answer questions of who participates and how, and who benefits and how, from development interventions, projects, programs or policies. Policymakers, activists and researchers recognize the need to integrate social and gender elements in any intervention strategy for the equitable and sustainable use of natural resources. But practical implementation is not that easy, and social analysis and gender analysis (SA/GA) in natural resource management (NRM) is primarily at the conceptual level. There are no existing learning programs that focus on systematic capacity building for gender and social analysis for researchers in this field.
A novel umbrella capacity-building program

To address this gap, two of the International Development Research Centres (IDRC) programs the Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) in Asia and the Sustainable Use of Biodiversity (SUB) developed a novel umbrella capacity-building program for social and gender analysis application in the area of natural resource management. In Asia, the diversity of cultures and languages reinforces the need for locally relevant methodologies and training approaches, recognizing that those methods and concepts grounded in Western thought are not always applicable in other social and cultural contexts. Since 2002,
Making Gender and Social Analysis Work for Natural Resource Management Research
the program, implemented in stages in selected countries of Asia, has worked with research partners to develop and adapt tools and methods to culturally relevant conditions, including language and learning examples. The umbrella approach makes use of the combined learnings, experiences and capabilities gained from separate activities implemented for a common purpose. The IDRC umbrella program pools the accumulated experiences of a series of training and learning activities conducted in different Asian countries on SA/GA integration in NRM, and strengthening linkages and exchange among the people and organizations involved.
Objectives
The program is designed to address the challenges posed by the limited knowledge of NRM researchers in the social sciences, and the non-integration of social and gender components in natural resource researches. More specifically, the objectives of the program are:
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to support the integration and practical application of sa/ga at the field level through training and support programs; to develop culturally appropriate and adequate approaches and tools for SA/GA in NRM research; to support interactive networking and information exchange among researchers interested in integrating SA/GA in NRM research; to build capacity within institutions to mainstream gender in project activities and within the institution itself; and to document the progress and good practices made by researchers in integrating SA/GA in NRM research in Asia.
The learning activities

Three learning projects and one documentation study have been conducted:
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an iterative training project in Viet Nam an iterative training project in the Eastern Himalayan region a learning stories project bringing together experiences from China, India, Mongolia, Nepal, and Viet Nam a documentation study which puts together the learnings from the three projects and the entire umbrella program
These activities, conducted one after the other over a span of more than four years, did not use a single methodology. But each provided researchers with opportunities to: (1) understand better the importance of gender and social relations in natural resource management; (2) learn how social and gender analysis can be integrated into NRM research; (3) become familiar with and be able to use culturally adequate research tools; (4) learn from the experiences of other researchers in the field; and (5) be able to apply these learnings in actual research projects.
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International Development Research Centre | China, India, Mongolia, Nepal, Viet Nam and Canada
Regional networking and institutional strengthening, which are integral to the projects, add to the capabilities that the researchers acquire in the process, and the tools and support they are able to use and access when applying SA/GA in their NRM researches. The main features, the major process steps taken, and the learnings gained in each project are outlined in more detail in this case story.
Viet Nam/Canada iterative training project
This project, a Viet Nam-Canada collaboration, began in 2000 and used an innovative approach called iterative training. This is ongoing learning by doing through a process of training, experimentation and use, reflection and revision. There were 16 participants; during the first phase, in the second phase 12 participants were grouped into three teams. The participants, a mix of males and females, were all Vietnamese and were from various disciplines, some of them natural scientists. Many of them had limited knowledge or training in the social sciences. IDRC worked in partnership with the Laval University and the University of British Columbia which comprised the Canadian resource team, and the Centre for Family and Womens Studies in Hanoi which coordinated the activity together with Laval University.
The training process

The iterative training approach involved several learning processes:
" " " " " " "
Teach/tutor participants about social and gender concepts and analysis methods Conduct workshops for hands-on learning Guide actual design of research proposals to conduct SA/GA research Research field work which include involvement of participants in cultural sensitization and data gathering activities Management of a small research grant and execution of a research project Regular interactions with members via face to face meetings, workshops and email exchanges Report writing and presentation of the research results
Sixteen research studies were conducted and completed in Phase 1. These studies included research on topics such as the roles of women and men in agricultural and forestry production, the impact of shortage of land on gender relations, gender roles in the diversification of livelihood activities, gender as a factor in poverty alleviation, income-generating activities of rural women, effects of rural girls going to work in the city, and other gender-related topics. All these topics were related to ongoing research work done by the organizations to which the researchers belonged.(See Small grant research topics in the Viet Nam/Canada project grant resear esearch Viet project for the complete list of studies.)
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Small grant research topics in the Viet Nam/Canada project

(Principal researcher in parenthesis.)
Phase 1
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Single women in Phu Da commune, Phu Vang district, Thua Thien Hue province: their life and situation (Bui Thi Tan) Documenting the working and living conditions of girls who come from rural areas to Hanoi to work as housemaids (Dang Bich Thuy) Gender roles in agricultural resource management in coastal sandy area of Hue province (Duong Viet Tinh) Situation of labor migration from rural areas to Hanoi from a gender perspective (Ha Thi Thanh Van) The roles of women and men in agricultural and forestry production activities in Huong Binh commune, Thua Thien Hue province (Hoang Thi Sen) The impact of shortage of land on gender relations in poor minority households in Loc Nam (Huynh Thi Minh Phuong) Effect of less agricultural land on the role of gender in upland community Hong Ha, Hue province (Le Van An) Effects of employment on women in frozen processing factories in Ho Chi Minh City (Nguyen Phu Hoa) Study on occupational changes of women in a city ward in the process of urbanization: Case study of Phu Thuong ward, Tay Ho district, Hanoi (Nguyen Phuong Thao) Comparative analysis of living standards of male and female-headed households in Binh Tri Dong commune (Nguyen Thi Hoa) The effect of socio-cultural factors in decision for daughters to enroll in upper secondary school among poor families: A case study in Nghi Phong commune, Nghi Loc district, Nghe An province (Nguyen Thi My Trinh) Gender roles in household income generation at Phuong Ninh Forest State Farm, Can Tho province (Nguyen Thi Nghiem) The assessment of gender roles in the diversification of livelihood activities of local people in Dien Truong village, Thuan An town, Phu Vang district, Thua Thien Hue province (Nguyen Thi Thanh) Role of gender and generation in income-generating activities in Dong Ao village, Dong Lien commune, Phu Binh district, Thai Nguyen province (Pham Thi Ly) Gender roles in households in adapting to the socio-economic transformation in Tan Tao commune, Ho Chi Minh City (Tran Thi Kim Xuyen) Gender, emergence of shrimp production and poverty alleviation in Tan Tap village, Can Giuoc district, Long An province (Tran Thi Ut)
Phase 2
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Study on income generating activities by rural women in the urbanisation process: A case study of Phu Minh town in Phu Xuyen district, Ha Tay province (Hanoi research team: Nguyen Phuong Thao, Pham Thi Ly and Ha Thi Thanh Van, with Dawn Currie) Study on the living of teenage migrants in the context of urbanization inward 3, district 8, Ho Chi Minh City. (Ho Chi Minh City research team: Mrs. Tran Kim Xuyen, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hoa and Mrs. Tran Thi Ut, with Huguette Dagenais) Study on accessibility on the resources of the Cotu women at Hong Ha commune, Thua Thien, Hue province. (Hue research team: Le Van An, Hoang Thi Sen, Bui Thu Tan, and Nguyen Thi My Trinh).
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As they developed new skills, participants became increasingly aware of and able to identify what new skills would be useful for them in their every day professional practice. This led to a second phase of the iterative training program to, in participants words, learn more, better understand, and apply gender analysis. The natural scientists in particular emphatically expressed their desire to know more about social research and qualitative methods. Compared to the first round of small grants, the three research studies conducted in the second phase (See Box 1) reflect a better integration of the social and natural sciences. Working relations between teams and tutors were adapted to each teams composition, team members research and professional experience, specific research topic and research needs. For example, the Hanoi team integrated several minilectures on specific methodological topics and this approach has been most appreciated by the team. The HCMC research team used the life history technique, a new one for all of them. Critical to the success of this program was the development of tools and resources in Vietnamese.
Learnings gained, capabilities built

Researchers who participated in the project identified several results and learnings. The experiences of the first phase of the project served both as a building block and a gauge for the design of the second phase which is still ongoing. Participants in the project felt that they had:
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Developed new knowledge and methodological skills in gender and social research. Were able to prepare a systematic research proposal concerning a socially relevant topic of their choice. Were able to gain hands-on learning and experience in executing a complete research project, including the management of a small research grant. Improved their ability in the use of computers for research purposes and for long-distance communication and information access via e-mail. Improved their English, in the case of several participants.
In a broader perspective, the training also enhanced the participants professional efficiency and networking reach. (See comments from researcher participants involved in the Viet Nam/Canada project.)
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Comments from researcher participants involved in the Viet Nam/Canada project

I would like to continue participating in research and in learning about skills in qualitative and quantitative data analysis. My skills in data analysis are still limited. I would like to continue to be trained more in qualitative analysis methods. I am a natural scientist so I often use quantitative analysis methods in my research. When I joined this project, this was the first time I learned about qualitative analysis methods. However, the project is too short and so my capacity in doing qualitative analysis is still poor. I need to learn more about that. We should have sessions on theories, because in general participants are still weak in this, due to limited reading skills with English-written books. I also would like to have funding for participants to carry out research with a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods through which participants can further enhance their research capacity base. Source: Evaluations of participants, project report November 2001.
Eastern Himalayan iterative training project

This project, begun in 2003, in part built on the lessons of the Viet Nam experience. With the same emphasis on learning by doing, the project allowed for more intensive interaction between the resource persons and the participants, particularly in the field. As most of the training and resources in South Asia focus more on the Indo-Gangetic plains, this project aims to address the sociocultural contexts of the Eastern Himalayan region, developing appropriate and relevant tools and methods. The participatory research and gender analysis (PRGA) system wide initiative of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) is managing and leading the project. The Northeast Network (NEN), based in Northeast India, is providing regional support in networking and exchange. Fifteen eastern researchers participated (many of whom are indigenous peoples from the Himalayan region). They were from universities, government research institutions and non-government organizations (NGOs) working in Bhutan, Eastern Nepal, Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh, Yunnan Province in China, and Northeast India. Each is currently involved in a larger research project where they hope to address social and gender equity issues. Resource persons are from the PRGA, NEN, IDRC and the Gender Development Program of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT).
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The training process

Like the iterative training project in Viet Nam, the Eastern Himalayan project involved several learning processes:
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First, the researchers came together for a preliminary training by the resource team. Then they returned to their home projects and applied these learnings in the field through small research activities that built upon their current project work. After a few months, they came together again as regional subgroups for cluster meetings with resource persons and a second training. This allowed them to fill gaps and share experiences from their own field work. Returning again to the field, they applied their improved understanding of the concepts, tools and methods of gender and social analysis. Through an e-list discussion group, the researchers continued to interact with their resource persons and colleagues while working in their home projects. A resource training kit containing regional case studies, exercises based on the case studies, an annotated list of readings on SA/GA and a list of websites and resources, provided the participants with information support for their training and research work.
Twelve small grant research studies were conducted. These touched on topics such as gender and land tenure, womens roles in community forestry, impact of insurgency on womens access to natural resources, gender roles in vegetable production and marketing, impact of land use change on gender relations, and decision-making role of indigenous women regarding natural resources. All these topics reflect important issues that the researchers and their organizations are trying to address. (See Box 3 for the complete list of studies.)
Accomplishments, capabilities built

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Based on the participants own reports and an assessment of the training project outputs, several benefits have been derived from the project to date: The training contributed to the participants knowledge and skills in stakeholder analysis, conceptual frameworks on gender and access to natural resources, and testing tools and research design.
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grant resear esearch Himalayan project Small grant research topics in the Eastern Himalayan project
(Principal researcher/s in parenthesis)
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Gender and land tenure in Meghalaya (Miatmon Sooting) Womens roles in community forestry management in Tachen, NW Yunnan (Wang Yu) The impact of insurgency on womens access and control to natural resources in Nepal (Rukhmini Karki and Dr. Bisheswar Shah) Gender roles in vegetable production and marketing for improved livelihoods (Nepal) (Smita Kumari) Forest resource use and management in the Chittagong hill tracts: Conflicts, interests and stakes (Biplab Chakma) Impact of land use change and introduction of cash crops on social and gender relations among Jhumias of Meghalaya, India (Prof. BK Tiwari) Gender and small livestock production: A case study on pig rearing in the uplands of North Eastern States, India (Latashori Keithellakpam) Decision-making role of indigenous women in natural resources management: A case study of the Chittagong hill tracts in Bangladesh (Ashok Kumar Chakma & Gitika Tripura) Participation of women and men in agricultural trainings (Bhutan) (Phub Dem) Assessing gender roles in the practice of local health tradition (Meghalaya) (D.R. Michael Buam) Gender and influence in forest management (Nagaland, India) (Chozhule Kikhi) Impact of vegetable marketing on womens status and crop diversity (Sikkim, India) (Nawraj Gurung and Dr. Anjana Thapa)
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Participants acquired an expanded role that moved beyond the traditional role of investigator to one of facilitator of small research projects that used transformative strategies to improve participation, decision-making, and the livelihoods of disadvantaged groups, including women and the landless poor. Through their research studies, participants were able to address issues of participation and governance of natural resources, impacts and opportunities of growing agricultural markets, and gender access to government resources in agriculture and natural resource management. In this region, where issues of conflict and security are prevalent, some participants were able to integrate questions related to conflict, gender and ethnicity into their research design. The experience helped bring out the importance of researcher-community relationships and participatory approaches when conducting NRM research. The training gave the participants skills and access to networking mechanisms, and strengthened interaction among the researchers on community experiences, problems and challenges.
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The project, still ongoing, expects to provide further support to the researchers in documenting their experiences, and to address the institutional challenges of integrating social and gender analysis into programs.
The learning stories project
Initiated in 2000, this project recognizes that researchers are already implementing social and gender analysis research in natural resource management and aims to document learning stories from these experiences. The project brings together six diverse research teams: China (the Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy of the Chinese Academy of Sciences); India (the Nagaland Environment Protection and Economic Development or NEPED project); India-Nepal (the Eastern Himalayan Network), Mongolia (the Ministry of Nature and Environment and the Gender Research Centre for Sustainable Development)l; Nepal (the Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development or LI-BIRD - a non-government organization), and Viet Nam (the Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry). Through cross-regional exchange, this project aims to recognize, support and encourage steps that are made along the learning way. The selected cases illustrate on-the-ground examples, in terms of challenges and opportunities, successes and disappointments, and highlight a number of different methods used and adapted in the very diverse contexts within the Asia region. This project looks at what has been done and is being done in organizations in terms of capacity development, but also at how this has been done/is being done, and what the enabling and constraining factors are impacting on the process of integrating social and gender analysis. In addition, it asks how best to support these capacity development efforts. The project proposes a case study approach with six guiding questions (see below), some guiding conceptual and methodological elements, an action-oriented approach, and a methodological process of workshops, fieldwork, and the production of a number of outputs. The six cases together reflect a diversity of strategies, approaches, and methods. The guiding questions, as agreed upon by the teams, are: 1 What does SA/GA in natural resource management research mean for different stakeholders? 2 What are the key capacities required for different stakeholders to do SA/ GA? 3 How are these capacities developed and strengthened (e.g., through networking, organizational support)? 4 What are the enabling factors? What are the constraining factors? 5 What have been the achievements of the work so far at different stakeholders levels? 6 What more needs to be done to advance equity?
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Finding common ground: First workshop in Beijing in May 2002

In May 2002, participants from the six teams gathered for the first time in Beijing to share previous and ongoing research activities and experiences, to come to a shared understanding of the meaning of social and gender analysis, and to plan concrete actions for strengthening their social and gender analysis efforts. Challenges and entry points for integrating social and gender analysis in projects, programs and organizations were identified. Each of the teams elaborated a plan of action to strengthen research on a particular SA/GA question (in most cases as part of their ongoing research activities that were part of the research agenda of the respective research organization). While recognizing different aspects of social/ gender problems in the specific society under consideration, common understandings were reached on the nature of the social and gender issues in different projects. Main features of the six studies are presented in Table 1.
Analysing and comparing field experiences

The second workshop took place in Mongolia in October 2003. The workshop followed in the footsteps of the Beijing workshop: a participatory approach with space for individual contributions was used in both plenary sessions and in small group work. Facilitation was provided by in-house resource persons. The workshop was divided in four sessions: (1) presentation of case studies and feedback (based on draft fieldwork reports, and with the aid of posters, photo-albums, and a video); (2) the identification of common issues; (3) writing of studies/stories; and (4) planning ahead. Through the process of individual case study reviews, and synthesis of the most striking things and missing or under-lighted elements, nine common SA/GA integration in NRM issues emerged. These elements, which together are providing partial answers to the six guiding questions, are:
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Stakeholder analysis Gender roles: description and explanation Initiating and fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration Diversified empowerment strategies Disempowerment Scaling up and scaling out Impact assessment (appropriate methods and tools) Sustainability (ecological, socio-economic) Systematic documentation
It was recognized that in any given context most if not all of these nine issues are interrelated. For example, the initiation of multi-stakeholder collaboration requires doing a sound stakeholder analysis. Another example, developing an empowerment strategy for poor women requires an understanding of culturally defined gender roles concerning issues such as the division of labor, access to land, water, crops and animals, access to services such as credit, training, and extension, and womens organization. Four of the nine issues were selected as priorities (by means of a simple, individual voting exercise; highlighted in bold above) in terms of requiring more in-depth discussion. This was undertaken through an assessment of what the studies had achieved so far, and if/what kind of additional work would be
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Table 1 Key features of the six studies

China (Yunnan)
# Feminization of agriculture # Formal research system disconnected from rural reality # Participatory plant breeding # Social actor analysis # Womens action groups # Oral histories # Economic change; # Population pressure # Impacts of marketing on social relations # Local politics # Migration # Ethnicity and caste conflicts # Cultural questions # Historical analysis # PRA # Formation of womens groups # Market liberalization and state reform # Cultural questions # New policies and laws # Engendered producer to consumer chain analysis # Analysis of engendered nature of ginger # Analysis of womens needs and interests # Analysis of engendered nature of seeds # PRA # Formation of seed producer groups # Formal research not very responsive to rural realities # New policies # Women in marketing # Mens and womens roles, and the influence of ethnicity on ginger production and disease management # Roles of men and women in grassland and other natural resources management # Womens and mens roles, and the influence of class and caste in seed production and marketing
India (Nagaland)
India (Sikkim)
Mongolia
Nepal
Viet Nam
# Womens roles in rural development
Focus
Methods
# Analysis of womens needs and interests # PRA # Formation of interest groups # Cultural questions # Macroeconomic change
Major issues # The state and the place of ethnic minorities # New policies
# Rapid macroeconomic changes
# The state and place of ethnic minorities # New policies
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required in order to improve quality and rigor. Given its centrality to addressing the six guiding questions, we present a summary of one of these discussions about empowerment (See Empowerment: Discussion highlights from the Mongolia workshop.)
Empowerment: Discussion highlights from the Mongolia workshop

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The key parameters for empowerment are access, control, and a say in decision-making. The cases represent a variety of empowerment strategies: ! organization of womens groups or interest groups ! capacity building: locally, and via networking ! building partnerships with stakeholders at other levels ! linking sustainable livelihoods with NRM, through the strengthening marketing links ! linking to policy-making and policy-makers ! bridging between disciplines Empowerment strategies and research strategies, can vary considerably in terms of the nature of participation: from consultative to collaborative; from researcher-driven to farmer/herder-driven. Empowerment is a work in progress. Questions of whose empowerment? and whose knowledge generation? require further consideration by all cases.
Accomplishments, capabilities built

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Researchers strengthened capacity for integrating SA/GA in action research, and for analysis of key concepts across cases. The livelihoods and social capital of rural and indigenous women involved in the case studies were strengthened. Agreements were reached for continuous sharing of knowledge and experiences in the future. Steps for networking were identified including a potential use of the socalled Virtual Resource Centre (a Web-based information and communication tool set up by the CBNRM program) and possible exchange visits. Insights obtained from the workshop were applied by the participants when they returned to their fieldwork (See Comments from researchers involved in the learning stories project). Documentation and dissemination of the findings and insights of the project, which is still underway, is expected to contribute further to the enhancement of the researchers effectiveness in SA/GA work in the future, and in its application in other areas. The researchers also aim to use the experiences and results to address institutional issues of integrating SA/ GA. Some of them are interested to do a follow-up, action-oriented research project to delve into this topic.
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Comments from researchers involved in the learning stories project

For the Mongolian team the researchers considerably benefited by learning from the experiences of others. Community members and local governors became more gendersensitive and their understanding about womens roles in natural resource management changed. After the SA/GA work, women groups became initiators of CBNRM activities in the communities Womens involvement in the co-management activity increased and they have become creative and initiated income generation and other activities in the pastoral households. Source: Mongolian case study report, April 2004. Some stakeholders were sensitized with the SA/GA approach and voicing out for a negotiating space. Some are mainstreaming SA/GA in the long-term planning process. By carrying out this SA/GA action research, researchers have enhanced their research skills and became more systematic in their approach to the research problems, better understanding the ground realities and becoming more sensitive to the problems of the primary stakeholders, especially the part-time vendors who are vulnerable to exploitation and harassment... Source: NEPED case study report, April 2004.
Documentation of learning
Given that the umbrella program is a new initiative for IDRC and its partners, and in itself an example of practical learning by doing (including for IDRC staff), it is important to systematically document, reflect on, and share insights from the components and associated learning processes. The documentation study started at the end of 2003, focuses explicitly on understanding the challenges and the modalities used in the umbrella program. The study utilized a critical, ethnographically oriented approach of the learning experiences, as opposed to the traditional external assessment of objectives and results. The study aims to look at how methods and activities have facilitated culturally appropriate learning processes, how a better integration of social and natural sciences has been fostered, how differential expertise and experiences have been dealt with, and how networking has contributed to strengthening individual and collective capacities. Still in its early stages, the documentation has been linked primarily to the Eastern Himalayan Capacity-Building Initiatives and the Learning Stories Project. It is anticipated that when completed, reports of this documentation will be discussed with the project participants and resources persons, and then shared more widely by the end of 2004. Initial insights of the documentation study highlight the following:
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The importance of a high level of commitment and desire to enhance learning towards integration of SA/GA particularly among participants coming from natural science backgrounds and technical disciplines.
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The value of rooting SA/GA in participatory methodologies both in terms of an overall approach to research in the field involving work with communities (including associated tools like engendering needs assessment, multilevel stakeholder analyses), and of the training methods used in the capacity-building programs with the participants. The high potential of using peer review to foster creativity and critical thinking among participants while also supporting researchers in recognizing the potentials of research, highlighting challenges with constructive suggestions, and offering a platform for exchange of similar experiences and strategies. The opportunities presented by networking to draw on the wide diversity of the partnership base for peer support, information exchange and sharing of experiences in pursuing a common purpose of integrating social/gender analysis for change into research and development. The need to consider research for whom. It is imperative to consider how stakeholders contribute to the goal, how they gain from the process and from potential impacts of development research activities. The importance of understanding the organizational context in which partners are working, and the need to strengthen institutional support at that level. The next phase of the umbrella program support will focus on this issue more substantially.
Impact of the umbrella program

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The primary beneficiaries of the program are the research partners themselves. They and the organizations they work with are gaining a stronger grounding not only in social and gender theory and concepts, but in experience and expertise in applying these in actual NRM research. The program is also helping partners to make a start with institutionalizing social and gender analysis in their research programs, and build understanding and support at management levels. Now that gender and social aspects have been integrated in them, the specific, field-based research projects are contributing to a better understanding of gender roles and socio-cultural differences in decisionmaking in natural resource management. In some cases, this improved understanding is contributing to better decision making and to improved livelihoods. Ideally, this will be the beginning of more intervention strategies that will eventually lead to greater social and gender equity in Asian communities. Informal peer networks of researchers engaged in social and gender analysis in NRM and biodiversity within the sub-regions (e.g. Vietnam and the Eastern Himalayan) have been developed and are emerging more broadly across the region. Partners have found peer support and exchange useful for cross-learning, sharing of strategies in addressing institutional challenges, and for providing encouragement and assistance.
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LESSONS LEARNED
$ The experiences of the umbrella program demonstrate the importance of learning
by doing implementing and adapting practices in the field with ongoing mentoring and support to address challenges, and with the continuous linking of experiences to conceptual and participatory frameworks.
$ The experiences also suggest that strengthening the processes for peer networking,
review and support sub-regionally and regionally towards the development of a community of practice is a powerful means to build capacities. But both learning by doing and the construction of a community of practice are time and resource demanding.
$ As reported by some of the researchers who participated in the training projects,

integrating gender analysis into NRM research can help change the ways in which women and men interact with each other and with the broader society. Action research can contribute to the creation of fora for analysis, discussion and negotiation where ideas can be exchanged and new initiatives planned. This is why it is important to create new opportunities for meaningful participation among researchers, and between researchers and other people.
$ The documentation of the training processes and applications of social and gender
analysis, which is still ongoing, will soon be disseminated. Wide dissemination can help inform other researchers and trainers working in Asia as well as other regions.
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P R o F I L E
China
WINROCK
INTERNATIONAL
Putting Ideas to Work
Winrock International
Author
Rose Bautista
Contact
Winrock International Kunming Office 638 Roof Garden, 6/F Sakura Hotel Kunming 25 Dong Feng East Road Kunming, Yunnan China 650011 ! 86-871-3165888 ext. 6552 ! 86-871-3137203 " rbautista@winrock.org | winrockyunnan@yahoo.com.cn www.winrock.org
Mission
Putting ideas to work. Winrock International is a non-profit organization that works with people around the world to increase economic opportunity, sustain natural resources, and protect the environment. Winrock matches innovative approaches in agriculture, natural resource management, clean energy, and leadership development with the unique needs of its partners. By linking local individuals and communities with new ideas and technology, Winrock is increasing long-term productivity, equity, and responsible resource management to benefit the poor and disadvantaged of the world.
Helping Women Gain Voice and Visibility: Fostering Gender-Responsible Leadership in China
Beginnings: The need
In the fall of 2000, Winrock International (Winrock) brought a leadership development program to China that was named by local gender specialists as the Women's Capacity Building & Rural Development Program , or CAPACITY. The program began in Southwestern China, specifically, in the provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou, for two reasons. This region represented the poorest provinces in the Chinese Mainland and therefore needed more development support. Winrock aligned with the government's rural economic development program, "Developing the Western Regions," which was created after recognizing the imbalance between the highly developed eastern/coastal regions and the western regions. The second reason why the program was started in the southwest was to build on Winrock's institutional relationships that had been developed through a decade of capacity building work. Eighty-six (86) development practitioners from government, research and educational institutions in Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan had obtained masters degree training in natural resources management and the rural social sciences through Winrock's overseas training programs in support of the Yunnan Upland Management and the Southwest China Participatory Upland Resources Management programs.
Field researcher, knocking at the door of a house in a village: "Is anybody home? Who is there?" Woman, speaking softly behind the closed door: "No one. There is no one here."
Socio-economic background
Yunnan and Guizhou are adjacent provinces in the southwestern region of China, with Yunnan bordering Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. Both are inland, agricultural provinces with a combined land area of 559,800 sq km, 90% of which is taken up by mountains and hillsides. They also represent an important base for forestry and biodiversity for the country. Both are rich in natural resources, but face the challenging problem of poverty,
particularly in the remote mountainous areas where large numbers of ethnic groups live. Twenty-five of the country's 56 nationalities live in these two provinces.
A tradition of feudalism and a patriarchal system
Thousands of years of feudalism and a strong patriarchal system have left a deep impact on China's present social system. According to Professor Du Fangqin, an expert on Chinese women's history, the male-dominant gender system started as early as the Zhou Dynasty, in 1122 B.C. Ideas stressing the superior status of males were passed on and reinforced from generation to generation. The influence of feudalism and patriarchy remains in todays modern culture, embodied in traditional sayings like:
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"The male is superior to the female." "Husband sings and wife accompanies." "Men are mainly responsible for external affairs and women are mainly for internal affairs." For men, the sky is the limit. For women, it is the roof of the house.
From this history of oppression we work to create appreciation and equity for women.
The status of women in China today
After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the central government adopted a policy of gender equality, which was included in the nation's First Constitution. The late Chairman Mao Zedong's widely quoted saying, "Women hold up half the sky," encouraged women to actively participate in the social and economic development of the new China. By 1950, women could be found in almost all occupations and sectors of society. The social status of Chinese women has been greatly enhanced over the past decade. Particularly in urban areas, women in China enjoy an economic and social status seldom seen in other developing countries,1. According to the second issue of the "Report on the Social Status of Women in China" by the All China Women's Federation and State Statistics Bureau published in September 2001, the illiteracy rate among women ages 18-64 decreased from 30% in 1990, to 11% in year 2000. The gap in the average number of years of schooling between rural men and women decreased from 1.7 years to 0.9 year. Rural women today are being given more opportunities for training in practical agriculture technology and for participation in decisions on major household issues such as crop selection (67% are decided by both husband and wife or mainly by the wife). The conflict between women's legal rights and traditional customs is slowly being mitigated, with 26% of Chinese now agreeing that married daughters should have equal rights as their brothers in inheriting family property (7% higher than in 1990).
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Winrock Internationa | China
It is easy to fall back on official government policy and on these statistics and conclude that the goals of gender equality and equity are being met in modern Chinese society. If one takes a closer look, however, the continued existence of gender gaps becomes apparent, particularly in rural areas. The rural female illiteracy rate is 14%, which is 10% higher than the male rate. The reason for this gap is because rural parents still hold different expectations for girls and boys. The average time spent in housework of rural women is more than twice as much as men. The income gap between males and females is increasing, and the income of rural women today is only 60% that of rural men. The reasons lie in the low value of agriculture products and the feminization of agricultural activities. Eighty-two percent (82%) of rural women engage in purely agricultural activities, which is 17% higher than that of rural men. Government agencies need to adjust to this demographic shift. More and more village men are migrating to seek employment in cities, leaving farm work in the hands of the women. Yet female farmers still have little access to agricultural extension services.
Mobilizing professional women and men to address rural women's needs

Recognizing the challenges brought by the changing role of rural women in China, the CAPACITY program was initiated to help these women find a voice to express their emerging needs for access to resources and information, and to create visibility to influence policies that affect them, through the advocacy of women professionals and male supporters in key institutions. This indirect approach poses many challenges, but it has great potential for macro level, long-term social change. Women professionals with power and influence, working with male leverage points in institutions in capital cities and county centers, are mobilized to help rural women of Yunnan and Guizhou raise their voices and be heard. This is done through a unique approach that combines leadership training, action planning, and institutional change strategies.
Program goal and key objectives
The CAPACITY program is based on a one-year leadership training program that links women leaders with male supporters in key institutions and provides institutional seed grants for the integration of gender in policies, programs, and practices that affect rural women in China. Its goal is to foster gender-responsible leadership and integrate gender concepts in agricultural and forestry institutions through three key objectives: 1 Preparing women leaders, 2 Building an enabling professional environment, and 3 Creating sustainable mechanisms. Participants of the leadership training program are mid- to senior-level women professionals from institutions whose work affects rural women. Announcements for the training are advertised through networks and major newspapers in order to
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open access to this opportunity to any qualified female professional prepared to commit a year to undergo the training and conduct an action plan to assist rural women. An initial screening is made based on a well-constructed application form that leads to an interview process. Candidates are screened for their vision, motivation, leadership potential, risk-taking attitude, interest in helping other women advance, and commitment to program goals. For example, a key question asked of a candidate is, "How will you influence 100 women and men after your training?" Applicants are also observed in a group setting to assess group dynamics and teamwork skills. Key to the selection processes is the spark of passion that must be evident; this is the fuel of sustainability. By design, the preference is to select candidates from the agriculture, forestry and environment sectors of the Chinese provincial government and from the Women's Federation. Candidates from research, educational and health institutions working on rural women's issues are also accepted. Finally, recognizing the important role that media plays in gender advocacy, a group of media professionals is included in each training. Institutional partnership grants and institutional seed grants are provided for the implementation of gender mainstreaming activities in key institutions. Proposals are usually initiated by the graduates of Leadership for Impact (LFI) training, or by members of the network of advisors (NOA) who act as gender focal points in their home institutions. Grants are awarded on the basis of the institutional impact expected as a result of the change strategy, and the level and degree of participation by institutional leaders. A corollary program activity is the development of partnerships with local institutions to broaden participation and enhance sustainability. Leadership participants are encouraged and provided with technical and financial support to establish professional associations that are legally registered, to serve as the main vehicle for their continued gender advocacy work beyond the program's life. Another mechanism that serves to enhance local ownership and sustainability is the formation of a NOA in each province. Leaders of influence who have expertise in rural development and gender are invited to join the NOA to provide guidance to program staff, act as mentors for participants, and serve as institutional leverage points.
Unique features
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Four distinctive features make this gender and capacity-building program unique: It builds ownership by local participants, and thus sustainability, by fostering the formation of professional associations of women, men, and networks of advisors. It includes follow-on support and project funding for individual and group action plans (case studies) to enable participants to directly and immediately apply new skills to create an enabling professional environment for their work on behalf of rural women.
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It provides gender training for both women and men so that they are engaged together in bringing about change in key institutions whose work affects rural women. Often, gender training involves women only. Its niche is not at the grassroots level, where many agencies are already involved in community development work, but in working with and through institutions for policy change. The view is held that this strategy can have a greater, long-term impact on the status and roles of rural women, than implementing projects directly with rural communities for a limited project period.
An innovative process: Components, outcomes and impacts

At the heart of the capacity program is an innovative three-step process for leadership development outlined in Figure 1.
Figure 1 Capacity leadership development model
Participatory Monitoring & Evaluation (PME) 3 Participants attend a follow-up workshop after plan implementation to share experiences and synthesize gains, impacts and lessons learned 1 Leadership for Impact Training Program: Groups of 25 women professionals take an intensive two-week workshop. Men participate in the Gender Module.
Goal
To prepare self-confident, risk-taking, pioneering women leaders as individuals and as a group-to bring about gendersensitive policies, programs, and practices that will positively affect the lives of women and men.
PME 2 Participants develop one-year individual and group action plans and receive project funding, guidance & mentoring from members of the Network of Advisors
PME
The process culminates in the formation of a professional association of women and men who advocate for rural women and ensure the sustainability of program goals.
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Each feature of this process is designed to achieve a specific outcome. Three years of program implementation have resulted in the following:
Component 1: Chrysalis training program

Chrysalis is the name by which the Leadership for Impact training program is known. The term invokes the preparatory state leading to the transformation process. As a butterfly emerges from the chrysalis, participants emerge as self-confident, risk-taking women pioneers who are prepared to bring about gender-sensitive policies, programs, and practices that will positively affect the lives of women and men.
LFI is not a management course or a program about traditional leadership stereotypes and styles. It is a program about developing courage, about knowing who you are, about supporting other women to bring about change, and about working with men in partnership towards that goal. Its approach is both inspirational and practical. Many women learn techniques and skills for leadership, but still lack the selfconfidence, the gender awareness, and the courage to take risks. This program aims to fill that void, combining inspiration and practical planning for change in their lives, their institutions, and their society.
from Training topics from LFI

Building a pioneering team
Developing a supportive, inspirational spirit for our journey ahead.
Seeing the challenges ahead

Exploring the rewards and challenges of being a pioneering leader and examining the choices that other leaders have made.
Moving beyond the roadblocks

Assessing the status of women, determining where data is needed, and examining the specific challenges of women advancing in the workplace
Women and men: Traveling the gender road together

Exploring gender issues in a way that involves both men and women from their childhood messages to their professional lives today.
Preparing for the Journey

Developing plans for our own lives, our organizations and societies to help all women advance.
Outcomes
Empowerment: A core of 100 women professionals have increased their confidence, risk-taking ability, gender awareness, and leadership skills to be able to work for change in their lives, communities, organizations and society. They have all formed work groups to develop action plans for a year to address gender issues that affect rural women.
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Testimonial
"Just after we finished schooling and were assigned to work in a remote area, we were like a frog at the bottom of a well who could look up and see a piece of the sky. We felt good about ourselves: we were no worse than anybody else, and were even better off than others in many areas. We were satisfied and stayed as we were, living comfortably. Three years later, we attended the Winrock trainingThat suddenly made us aware of how big this world is, and that there is still so much that we did not know. We realized that men and women should join hands so that we can move ahead and see that the sky outside is much larger. We should open our minds to change and decide what kind of roles we want to play. We should be like a free bird with an independent mind and ideas, and allow ourselves to fly freely in the air. This bird is not alone, since other birds keep it company. Once we get an idea, we should go ahead and do it, and do it without hesitation, instead of being content with what we have now. - Chrysalis participant from local womens federation
Localization: A core of local trainers have been trained to conduct leadership training for communities and institutions, and the training curriculum and materials have been adapted to the Chinese culture and local settings.
Component 2: Individual and group action plans

These plans provide an immediate vehicle for the application of new learning and for advocacy work. As participants carry out action plans over the 11 months following their training, they grow in confidence and skills, strengthen bonds and form new alliances with other women and men, and enhance their visibility and influence.
Outcome
Mobilization: Twenty-three work groups have implemented year-long action plans for advocacy and impact (see illustration of group action plans on next page).
Component 3: Participatory monitoring and evaluation

With guidance from the program's technical resource persons, participants are actively involved in developing both quantitative and qualitative indicators and in assessments in order to evaluate implementation results and identify impact.
Outcome
Impact assessment: A participatory monitoring and evaluation (PME) system has been developed for quantitative and qualitative impact assessment.
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Component 4: Year-long follow-up program Year ear-long pro

Periodic meetings during action plan implementation provide opportunities for the exchange of experiences, for continuing professional development, for mentoring, and for timely interventions to address implementation issues and overcome obstacles. The series of follow-up meetings or reunions culminate in a final workshop to synthesize their entire experience and record achievements, lessons learned, and recommendations for next steps.
Outcome
Advocacy: A male support group was formed by former Winrock scholars in Guizhou who wanted to be involved in the program. After training in gender and gender mainstreaming, they have started to develop individual and group action plans to mainstream gender in their work in institutions and in projects in which they are involved. Another group that has been formed in Guizhou to help create enabling environments for professional women is the Media Gender Support Group. Media members who joined earlier leadership trainings created their own group projects to raise public gender awareness. They have since organized gender awareness and advocacy training for other colleagues in media.
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Component 5: Formation of professional associations

Participants are empowered to take ownership of the program and continue their advocacy for gender equality through the formation of an association or NGO that is legally registered. This ensures the sustainability of program goals, encourages democratic practices, and helps to build civil society in China.
Outcome
Ownership and sustainability. A professional association has been legally registered in Yunnan, and another is in the process in Guizhou, for participants to assume program ownership and work for its goals beyond the project life.
An example of media advocacy

The Miao women, their world and the world in their eyes.
A group of professional women from a leadership training chose as their action plan, a photo exhibition on rural women to awaken and promote gender awareness among the people of Guiyang. As professional photographers and women from the media, their concern was ensuring that photographs were of professional quality. We challenged them to go beyond the technical aspects and see the opportunity for creating a deeper development impact through the active participation of the women in the village they had chosen. The results far exceeded their expectations and ours. All of the photographs on exhibitnot just a chosen few- had been taken by the village women. Each image was as eloquent as any photograph taken through a professional lens. After all, the photos were about these women's lives, their struggles and aspirations. No one could tell their story better than they could. One of the pictures was of a young woman who held her hands on her hips. I assumed it was a picture of confidence until I was informed of the true reason she hid her hands. The pose was to hide blue stained hands she considered ugly. Her hands were stained with the blue dye of the traditional batik cloth, which was her livelihood. Through gender training with Winrock and interaction with the professional women this woman learned not to be ashamed. Also at the photo exhibit was a giant picture of her blue stained hands holding a modern camera. The women participants changed their original plan. Somewhere in the process, something happened to both groups of professional and rural women. It was an inner transformation. Through the many visits they opened up their lives to each other and there was a true exchange. They touched each other and were changed. I heard it in their stories, I felt it as I watched them interact. I found it in the final sentence of their message at the entrance to the exhibit hall: "This is only the beginning." Because of our work and training in the community, the men started helping women carry water, demonstrating changing gender relations and attitudes. A few months after all the attention was brought to the village through the photo exhibition, the government, seeing their need for water, brought water catchments to the community. The new water catchments were more tangible evidence of the changing lives in Guiyang.
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LESSONS LEARNED
$ A more targeted selection process of LFI participants based on pre-identified key
institutions will facilitate follow-on action for institutional impact. The early concern for inclusion blurred the institutional focus.
$ Assisting LFI graduates to initiate change strategies in their home units, instead of
limiting post-training activities to group action plans that sometimes did not involve members' home institutions, will lead to more institutional impacts.
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Concluding Chapter
Gender Mainstreaming in Action: Successful Innovations from Asia and the Pacific
By Patricia T. Morris, Elisa Villarino and Kanchan Lama
Introduction
Across Asia and the Pacific, community-based organizations (CBOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government departments and international development organizations (INGOs) are employing innovative strategies to mainstream gender equality in development. From Bangladesh to China, the Fiji Islands to India, Indonesia to Nepal, the Philippines to Vietnam to Vanuatu, the lives of women and men, girls and boys are being transformed in ways that not only improve their quality of life but also enhance the prevalence of equitable social relations. Innovative practices for gender mainstreaming are not only transforming societies, they are also transforming the organizations that are themselves responsible for promoting effective development. This concluding chapter summarizes some rich lessons practitioners from across the region have learned about how to bring about equitable development. It presents contributors definitions of gender mainstreaming, highlights practical insights and provides a set of recommendations for future work. The definitions presented here come out of the contributors experiences with gender mainstreaming. The lessons learned result from a synthesis of the insights gained in implementing innovative practices chronicled in this volume. The recommendations for future activities reflect the contributors sense of the remaining areas of focus needed to maintain and expand the benefits of gender mainstreaming.
gender mainstreaming Insights into the gender mainstreaming process

It is widely believed that fair and equitable development can be realized through gender mainstreaming; yet very little documentation on what to do and how to do it exists. Thus, those responsible for mainstreaming gender equality in the work of their organizations have few places to turn for guidance. The practitioners who contributed to this volume have taken the time to document their own successes and offer their experience on what gender mainstreaming is and how to make its benefits real for development organizations and the people in the communities they serve. In a visioning exercise that was part of the writeshop process used to compile the case stories in this volume, writeshop participants were divided into four groups and charged with visualizing their concept of gender mainstreaming and preparing an illustration and accompanying definition. The resulting definitions provide insider views on gender mainstreaming processes, and reflect participants hands-on experience. The writeshop definitions of gender mainstreaming, while differing in emphasis, share a number of common elements:
! ! ! !
the process of weaving gender equality into its mandate, leadership, structures and programs (see Figure 1). A second definition highlighting the ongoing evolutionary nature of gender mainstreaming focuses on the centrality of building partnerships at the individual level (see Figure 2). The third definition conceptualizes gender mainstreaming as a process of catalyzing and creating an enabling environment, i.e., building the right kind of space for communities to formulate new traditions based on the equal status and participation of women and men (see Figure 3 ). The fourth definition of gender mainstreaming is one that conceives of a transformation in the recognition and power that women and men are accorded in their communities. The strategies that development organizations employ to sharpen this change is the essence of the gender mainstreaming process (see Figure 4). Writeshop participants also synthesized lessons from the various gender mainstreaming initiatives shared in this volume. In a group exercise, participants deliberated on lessons learned while mainstreaming gender equality at five levels in society: (1) the national government level, (2) the organizational level, (3) the community level, (4) the household level, and (5) the individual level.
The need for an enabling environment; The goal of equality between the sexes; The centrality of partnerships between women and men; The importance of equating equitable development with effective development; The necessity of building just and sustainable community relations in creating a better world; and The need for greater participation of women in decision-making.
Lessons learned
Lessons learned from each of these levels are outlined in the following sections:
National government level
Writeshop participants compiled a set of lessons from gender mainstreaming at the national government level. The lessons learned highlight enabling as well as risk lessons at this level. Enabling lessons include: ! Some government leaders are very supportive of gender mainstreaming initiatives in their departments;
The definitions of gender mainstreaming also differ in areas of emphasis. One definition, which focuses on institutions responsible for bringing about development, highlights organizations and
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WHAT IS GENDER MAINSTREAMING?

Figure 1 Gender maintreaming as a living tree
Gender mainstreaming as a living tree

In Figure 1, gender mainstreaming is illustrated as a living tree. This vision highlights how gender mainstreaming like other organic processes blossoms in a supportive environment. The goal of gender equality is equal opportunities for women and men through the creation of just and sustainable communities and the integration of gender equality at four key organizational processes: (a) mission and mandate, (b) leadership and decision-making, (c) institutional structures and systems, and (d) program and project design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
mainstreaming Gender mainstreaming as a globe of equality

A globe of equality is the illustration selected to symbolize gender mainstreaming in Figure 2. Gender mainstreaming is conceptualized as a global process that cuts across all spheres of life. It is a process that grows, changes and evolves even as the world rotates. The goal of gender mainstreaming is the creation of a better world through male and female partnerships.
Figure 2 Gender mainstreaming as a globe of equality
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WHAT IS GENDER MAINSTREAMING?

Gender mainstreaming as a stream of equality
In Figure 3, gender mainstreaming is illustrated as a stream of equality. It is conceptualized as a flowing crossroad where two separate streams (the male stream and the female stream) connect and transform at the streams baseline. In this conceptualization, the goal of gender mainstreaming is equality between the sexes, achieved by the creation of an enabling environment where womens practical needs and strategic interests are equally addressed.
Figure 3 Gender mainstreaming as a stream of equality
Figure 4 Gender mainstreaming as a rising sun
mainstreaming Gender mainstreaming as a rising sun

A rising sun is used to symbolize gender mainstreaming in Figure 4. It is conceptualized as a process of ensuring equal rights and equal participation for women and men. It is also seen as a process that aids in the social recognition and valuation of the roles, responsibilities and power of men and women in relation to each other and to society. The goal of gender mainstreaming is the emergence of a new era of equality symbolized by the rising sun. This new era of equality is achieved through the melding of the differing perceptions of the stereotypical male and female into a single human body that is appreciated and valued for both of its constituting elements.
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!
There are gender focal persons, gender steering committees and interdepartmental gender committees in many countries; and Most government institutions have gender policies.
differ from organization to organization; thus it is important to tailor these lessons to vagaries in organizational history, processes and culture.
Community level lessons
Risk lessons include: ! Most government institutions have very rigid systems and do not practice participatory processes that promote gender mainstreaming; ! There are too few resources allotted for gender mainstreaming; ! There remains a lack of political will, resistance and discriminatory attitudes and behavior towards women; ! There are too few female staff and even fewer in leadership positions; ! There is little recognition or incentive for good work on gender mainstreaming; and ! In some cases discriminatory laws and policies remain.
Their pioneering work in poor communities guided writeshop participants as they identified a set of lessons for promoting gender equality at the community level. These highlight the importance of sensitizing and generating gender awareness among all community members, female and male. It is also important to involve the community in all kinds of gender related interventions from the very beginning of any program or project so as to instill a sense of ownership. Since gender relations and gender inequality vary in different societies, it is important to understand that there is no single blueprint for gender mainstreaming at the community level. Achieving gender equality at the community level is an evolving process and one must plan accordingly.
Household level
Institutional and organizational level
At the institutional and organizational level, gender mainstreaming lessons also were identified and synthesized by the writeshop participants. These lessons are critical because gender-blind development initiatives can often aggravate situations on the ground and increase rather than reduce poverty. Thus, the participants have learned that organizations should explicitly include gender equality in their mandate and plans. Successful gender mainstreaming at the organizational level also requires leadership and commitment from the top as well as the line staff. When mainstreaming, it is useful to identify champions to work with gender focal persons; the results are invaluable. Establishing a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment is important in harnessing the participation and contributions of female staff. Non-governmental organizations benefit from expanded partnerships with local government agencies (LGAs). The contributors cautioned that the process of gender mainstreaming will
In terms of lessons learned from promoting gender equality at the household level, writeshop participants boiled the lessons learned down to one critical factor the centrality of ensuring recognition and high social valuation for the role and contributions women make within the family. Moreover, gender equality cannot be realized if women themselves do not recognize their worth as individuals and their invaluable contribution in the family. Furthermore, men must acknowledge the reality of womens contributions and value, begin to work in partnership with women, and contribute more to household work.
Individual level
Writeshop participants also identified lessons at the individual level. These lessons provide insights into the process of individual transformation. The first lesson is that change begins with the individual; when there is respect and recognition of ones self-worth, personal commitment grows. This commitment is then demonstrated in model behavior that can influence the community, the society, and at times
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even an entire region or country. Individuals then become models for gender equality. Writeshop participants firmly believe that equitable social change will happen when individuals realize that there is a persistent epidemic of gender inequality and boldly question this reality. Lessons at the individual level essentially point to the centrality of shifting from the head (knowing) to the heart (feeling and doing).
if change is to follow. Gender mainstreaming strategies should be multi-layered, multipronged, integrated and prepared to address unanticipated gender concerns. They should be participatory in nature, sensitive to the social and cultural context, and involve local expertise. A critical part of the process is the purposive involvement of men. Gaining mens support for gender mainstreaming ensures the realization of true partnerships between women and men and joint decision-making. Additionally, gender mainstreaming at the organizational level requires an embracing organizational structure where gender analysis, gender action plans, and gender focal persons are held in warm regard. Continuous training and the upgrading of gender analysis skills will ensure a refinement of approaches and the eventual institutionalization and normalization of gender equality across organizations and within communities. The benefit of paying close attention to the way gender mainstreaming is done is improved development outcomes. Throughout this volume we have seen cases where there is more sharing of household work, and where communities did not previously value womens participation in community affairs do so now. These results are predicated on the increased decision-making power women have been accorded within the family and the community. Resistance from men has been reduced and there is greater sense of ownership in communities and development organizations, leading to the sustainability of gender mainstreaming efforts. As you develop or continue your own gender mainstreaming initiative, you may wish to keep the following issues in mind. Writeshop participants identified them as critical areas for mainstreaming gender equality in development:
! ! !
What to do
Writeshop participants identified remaining challenges for gender mainstreaming at the five levels discussed above and came up with a prescribed set of future activities to address these challenges. Recommendations for what to do at each of the five levels are included in the table on the following page.
Implications
The contributors to the volume want you to know that gender mainstreaming is not an overnight process. It is a gradual process that requires time if it is to be done effectively. Development projects that hope to transform the status of women vis a vis men in the normal two-year project cycle should revise these expectations and devise longer-term transformational development projects. Gender mainstreaming also requires sensitization at all levels of society and across the various organizational levels. It is imperative that governments be involved in the promotion of gender equality in ways that are appropriate to their country-specific role. While the role of government in the promotion of gender mainstreaming in development is critical, government should not replace civil societys role and civil society should not take on government responsibilities. Instead the two should work in partnership to bring about equitable and lasting social change. Specific attention must be paid to the process of gender mainstreaming. How gender mainstreaming is done is as important as the formal commitments that institutions, organizations and communities design to do so. Sensitization must occur at all levels of society
Equate equitable development with effective, holistic development Make gender and development programs culturally specific Design gender sensitization programs for the youth
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RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE GENDER MAINSTREAMING ACTIVITIES

NATIONAL GOVERNMENT LEVEL
What to do
! ! ! ! ! ! !
Ensure that gender sensitization and gender analysis capacity building training are built into ongoing staff training. Mainstream gender equality into the educational curriculum. Introduce rewards and recognition for good gender mainstreaming work. Sensitize policy makers on the importance of gender equality in development planning. Build and strengthen gender-sensitive infrastructure. Make technology, in particular the media and Internet, responsible and gender-sensitive. Institute government policies to foster: 1 Gender integration in systems and processes; 2 Recruitment of female staff at all levels; and 3 Promotion of NGO/GO partnerships for gender equality in development initiatives.
ORGANIZATIONAL LEVEL
What to do
! ! ! ! ! !
Allocate resources (human and financial) for gender mainstreaming. Undertake continuing capacity building on gender and development (GAD). Conduct gender audit or other organizational gender assessment process. Institutionalize sharing, exchange and learning on gender mainstreaming and gender programming. Integrate the application, documentation and dissemination of social and gender analysis into development programming. Network and build linkages with other organizations working to promote gender equality.
COMMUNITY LEVEL
What to do
! ! ! ! !
Build community equality and self-sustainability into all community level development interventions. Build gender-sensitive support systems in the community. Formalize and strengthen the capacity of womens associations and involve men in the process. Sensitize local leaders on the importance of gender equality in community work. Challenge and transform community norms that sustain gender discrimination.
HOUSEHOLD LEVEL
What to do
! ! !
Increase the level of gender awareness of all family members. Encourage the involvement of the entire family in household and productive work. Put special focus on male family members and solicit their support for womens participation in household decision-making and their leadership in community development activities.
INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
What to do
! ! ! ! !
Conduct gender counseling and mentorship for individuals. Hold gender training and capacity building workshops. Facilitate individual participation and creation of social groups among women. Encourage them to stand up against any kind of gender discrimination and to share and learn from experiences. Increase literacy, access to information and socio-economic status.
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! ! ! ! !
Strengthen and nurture existing positive values and beliefs in the community Provide quality gender training programs Share best practices in gender mainstreaming Network, strengthen capacity building initiatives, and involve men at all levels Develop gender-sensitive indicators for the organizations monitoring and evaluation systems Reinforce economic empowerment for women and the reduction of violence against women are crucial for the realization of gender equality
while making development interventions work for a cross-section of stakeholders. As the world community moves towards a common notion of rightsbased development, the cases in this book offer insights into how to program for addressing gender inequality in sectors where a rights-based approach is growing in importance and prevalence. Thus, we have documented innovative practices in the promotion of improved reproductive health for boys and girls, and for achieving reductions in the prevalence and acceptance of violence against women through community arbitration. The contributors to this volume hope that development practitioners will learn from the experiences in these pages and transfer that knowledge into the work their organizations do. We envision a continuing surge in gender mainstreaming activities among development organizations in Asia and the Pacific and around the world sparked in part by the innovative strategies contained within these pages. It is also our hope that creativity in development work is catalyzed further by utilization of this volume. One of the most important lessons we have learned is that gender mainstreaming sparks ground-breaking, pioneering, inventive, novel, ingenious, resourceful, creative and imaginative organizational and social transformation.
Lasting outcomes
Your walk through the preceeding pages has afforded you an insiders view of innovative strategies for gender mainstreaming in Asia and the Pacific. The cases in this volume are filled with important lessons for those who wish to catalyze equitable, effective and sustainable development. These innovative practices provide ample evidence that when the utilization of gender analysis, gender action plans, gender point persons and a concern for the promotion of gender equality are fully integrated into development efforts, the outcomes are better and more enduring than when they are not. The outcomes associated with the gender mainstreaming efforts highlighted here show that gender mainstreaming is more than an ethical or moral imperative (an important social good in itself); it is also a necessary component in the achievement of sustainable development results. The cases in this volume are groundbreaking because they took bold steps to engender mainstream development sectors including national infrastructure, irrigation, forestry and natural resources, the media, Internet technology and connectivity, enterprise development, scientific research and development institutions themselves. These pioneering efforts serve as examples of how to design strategies, programs and interventions to redress gender inequality
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Participant List
Writeshop Participants
Dr. Milan Adhikary Regional Manager for Asia-CIRCLE Project Senior Research Officer Winrock International - Nepal P.O. Box 1312 Kathmandu Nepal !+977 (1) 4467087 / 4476101 !+977 (1) 4476109 " madhikary@winrock.org.np " milanadhikary@hotmail.com Mr. Saif Uddin Ahmed Program Coordinator The Hunger Project Bangladesh Office House 27/1 (new), Road 27 (old), 16 Dhanmondi R.A.Dhaka 1209 Bangladesh !+880 (2) 8112622 / 8127975 !+880 (2) 8116812 "thpb@bangla.net "saifahmed71@yahoo.com Dr. Surya Laxmi Bajracharya Resource Development Officer Heifer Project International - Nepal Arun Tole, Satbobado Lalitpur G.P.O. Box 6043 Nepal !+977 (1) 5532554 / 5544841 !+977 (1) 5542873 "surya@hpinepal.org.np Ms. Rose Bautista Winrock International Kunming Office 638 Roof Garden, 6/F Sakura Hotel 25 Dong Feng East Road Kunming, Yunnan China 650011 !+ 86 (871) 3165888 ext. 6552 !+ 86 (871) 3137203 "rbautista@winrock.org
Ms. Subvina Monir Chithi Assistant Program Officer The Hunger Project Bangladesh Office House 27 (New), Road 27 Old, 16 New Dhanmondi C.A.Dhaka 1209 Bangladesh !+880 (2) 8112622 / 8127975 !+880 (2) 8116812 "thpb@bangla.net "chithy_m@yahoo.com Ms. Gilda R. Echavez Representative Lutheran World Relief OroDec Bldg., Tiano-Pacana Sts. Cagayan de Oro City Philippines !+63 (88) 8565474 !+63 (88) 8565474 "grelwr@philcom.ph Ms. Yolanda Gomez Planning Officer IV Dept of Environment and Natural Resources Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City 1100 Philippines !+63 (2) 9287327 / 9296626 !+63 (2) 9287327 "yolly@denr.gov.ph "yolibee@hotmail.com Ms. Manohara Khadka Member Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management c/o NACRMLP, GPO Box 208, Kathmandu Nepal !+977 (1) 5521501 / 5553014 !+977 (1) 5539379 / 5527224 "khadkam2002@yahoo.com "info@nacfp.wlink.com.np
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Participant List
Ms. Chhaya Kunwar Senior Project Coordinator Himalayan Action Research Centre 744, Indira Nagar, Phase II P.O. New Forest Dehra Dun-248 006, Uttaranchal India !+91 (135) 2760121 !+91 (135) 2760121 "harcddn@sancharnet.in "chhaya_kunwar@yahoo.com Ms. Kanchan Lama Chairperson and Technical adviser, Society for Partner in Development Nepal Desk Representative Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management GPO Box 8975, EPC 5181 Kathmandu Nepal !+977 (1) 5521501 / 5550508 !+977 (1) 5539379 "klama@enet.com.npspd@milarepa.com.np Ms. Jannatul Mawa CARE-Bangladesh Progati RPR Center (8th-13th floor) 20-21 Kawran Bazar Dhaka-1215 Bangladesh !+880 (531) 637302 !+880 (2) 8114183 "caredin1@bttb.net.bd Ms. Angela McClain Program Development Officer PACT 1200 18th Street, NW, Suite 350 Washington, DC 20036 USA !+1 (202) 4665666 !+1 (202) 4665669 "amcclain@pacthq.org
Dr. Arundhati Mishra Senior Advisor - Youth CEDPA C-1, Hauz, Khas New Delhi 110016 India !+91 (11) 5165678186 !+91 (11) 51656710 "a_mishra@vsnl.com Ms. Llarina Mojica Project Development Officer III Dept of Environment and Natural Resources Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City 1100 Philippines !+63 (2) 9287327 / 9296626 !+63 (2) 9287327 "llarinamojica@yahoo.com Ms. Anuradha Rajan Director International Center for Research on Women 42 1st FV Golf Links New Delhi 110003 India !+91 (11) 24654216 !+91 (11) 24654217 "arajan@icrwindia.org Ms. Tina Raui Senior Program Associate CEDPA C-1, Hauz, Khas New Delhi 110016 India !+91 (11) 5165678185 !+91 (11) 51656710 "tina_raui@vsnl.com
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Participant List
Mr. Henry Rigamoto Coordinator/Council member femLINKpacific P.O. Box 2439 Government Buildings P.O. Suva Fiji Island !+679 3316290 / 3308346 !+679 3301925 / 3308356 "femlinkpac@connect.com.fj "interfaithfiji@connect.com.fj Mr. S.M. Muhsin Siddiquey Project Coordinator Partnership for Health Life CARE-Bangladesh Progati RPR Center (8th-13th floor) 20-21 Kawran Bazar Dhaka-1215 Bangladesh !+880 (531) 637302 !+880 (2) 8114183 "caredin1@bttb.net.bd "muhsin@carebangladesh.org Mr. Kuldeep Uniyal Himalayan Action Research Centre 744, Indira Nagar, Phase II P.O. New Forest Dehra Dun-248 006, Uttaranchal India !+91 (135) 2760121 !+91 (135) 2760121 "harcddn@sancharnet.in "uniyal_kuldeep@yahoo.com Ms. Eliza J. Villarino Online Researcher Center for Asian Pacific Women in Politics 4227-4229 Tomas Claudio Street Baclaran, Paranaque City Philippines !+63 (2) 8520279 / 8530226 !+63 (2) 8322263 "eliza.jv@yahoo.com
Production Team
Administrative Coordinators
Ms. Annie Gasic Administrative Assistant International Institute of Rural Reconstruction Regional Center for Asia 4118 Silang, Cavite The Philippines !+63 (46) 4142417 or !+63 (2) 8864385 to 87 local 402 !+63 (917) 2490771 "Annie.Gasic@iirr.org Ms. Dulce Dominguez Administrative Assistant International Institute of Rural Reconstruction Regional Center for Asia 4118 Silang, Cavite The Philippines !+63 (46) 4142417 !+63 (2) 8864385 to 87 local 402 !+63 (917) 2490771 "Dulce.Dominguez@iirr.org
Artists
Mr. Ricardo Cantada Yakal St., Don Gregorio Heights I Dasmarinas, Cavite The Philippines !+63 (46) 9731013 Mr. Ariel Lucerna #259 2nd St., Salinas Bacoor, Cavite The Philippines !+63 (96) 3210324 "ariel_lucerna@yahoo.com
Desktop Publishers
Ms. Hannah K. Castaeda Consultant The Philippines !+63 (46) 4710450 "hannah_kc@yahoo.com
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Participant List
Mr. Ivan Roy Mallari Publication Development Officer International Institute of Rural Reconstruction Regional Center for Asia 4118 Silang, Cavite The Philippines !+63 (46) 4142417 !+63 (2) 8864385 to 87 local 109 !+63 (917) 2490771 "Ivan.mallari@iirr.org "ivandroid@lycos.com Ms. Julie Montgomery Senior Communications Associate InterAction Commission on the Advancement of Women 1717 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Suite 701 Washington, DC 20036 USA !+1 (202) 6678227 !+1 (202) 6678236 "jmontgom@interaction.org Ms. Lilibeth T. Sulit LRC/Bookstore Asistant International Institute of Rural Reconstruction Regional Center for Asia 4118 Silang, Cavite The Philippines !+63 (46) 4142417 !+63 (2) 8864385 to 87 local 110 !+63 (917) 2490771 "Lilibeth.sulit@iirr.org
Ms. Ruthi Hoffman Consultant World Vision International 800 W. Chestnut Ave Monrovia, CA 91016 !+1 (626) 3038811 ext. 6272 "Ruthi_hoffman@wvi.org Ms. Erika Helms Consultant "erika.helms@iirr.org Ms. Joyce Mendez Program Specialist, Development Communication International Institute of Rural Reconstruction Regional Center for Asia 4118 Silang, Cavite The Philippines !+63 (46) 4142417 !+63 (2) 8864385 to 87 local 109 !+63 (917) 2490771 "Joyce.Mendez@iirr.org Ms. Marest Stella S. Oliver Consultant 9597 Diamond St. Umali Subd. Los Baos, Laguna The Philippines !+63 (46) 5367187 "stoliver@yahoo.com
Production Coordinator
Dr. S.S. Tabrez Nasar Program Specialist International Institute of Rural Reconstruction Regional Center for Asia 4118 Silang, Cavite The Philippines !+63 (46) 4142417 !+63 (2) 8864385 to 87 local 402 !+63 (917) 2490771 "Tabrez.Nasar@iirr.org "sstabreznasar@yahoo.com
Editors
Ms. Zembaba Ayalew !+1 (646) 3200164 "ZA2110@columbia.edu Ms. Cynthia A. Diaz Editor/Managing Director Raya Media Services, Inc 88 East Capitol Drive Barangay, Kapitolyo Pasig City The Philippines !+63 (2) 6350247 !+63 (2) 6319765 "Cynth5252@yahoo.com
247
Participant List
Workshop Coordinators
Ms. Dianne D. Arboleda Program Specialist Training and Capacity Development International Institute of Rural Reconstruction Regional Center for Asia 4118 Silang, Cavite The Philippines !+63 (46) 4142417 !+63 (2) 8864385 to 87 local 402 !+63 (917) 2490771 "Dianne.Arboleda@iirr.org Dr. Patricia T. Morris Deputy Director InterAction Commission on the Advancement of Women 1717 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Suite 701 Washington, DC 20036 USA !+1 (202) 6678227 !+1 (202) 6678236 "pmorris@interaction.org
Ms. Sharon Rolls femLINKpacific Mr. Dan Spealman PACT Mr. Ronnie Vernooy International Developoment Research Centre Mr. Peter Walker Wan Smolbag Theatre
Steering Committee
Ms. Dianne D. Arboleda IIRR Ms. Marissa Espineli Deputy Director International Institute of Rural Reconstruction Regional Center for Asia 4118 Silang, Cavite The Philippines !+63 (46) 4142417 !+63 (2) 8864385 to 87 local 511 "Marisse.Espineli@iirr.org Ms. Felicia Khan Director International Institute of Rural Reconstruction 333 East 38th Street, 6th Floor New York, NY 10016 USA !+1 212 880 9147 !+1 212 880 9148 "Felicia.Khan@iirr.org Dr. Scott Killough Director International Institute of Rural Reconstruction Regional Center for Asia 4118 Silang, Cavite The Philippines !+63 (46) 4142417 !+63 (2) 8864385 to 87 local 501 !+63 (917) 2490771 "Scott.Killough@iirr.org
Additional Authors
Ms. Nandita Bhatla International Center for Research on Women Ms. Jose Maria O. Dimaandal Center for Asia Pacific Women in Politics Mr. Jo Dorras Wan Smolbag Theatre Ms. Nata Duvvury International Center for Research on Women Ms. Jeannette D. Gurung Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Reource Management Ms. Liz Fajber International Developoment Research Centre Ms. Tulin Akin Pulley Asian Development Bank
248
Participant List
Dr. Suzanne Kindervatter Director InterAction Commission on the Advancement of Women 1717 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Suite 701 Washington, DC 20036 USA !+1 (202) 6678227 !+1 (202) 6678236 "skindervatter@interaction.org Ms. Joyce Mendez IIRR Ms. Julie Montgomery InterAction Dr. Patricia T. Morris InterAction Dr. S.S. Tabrez Nasar IIRR
Book Design
Ms. Julie Montgomery InterAction
Pagemaker Execution
Mr. Ivan Roy Mallari IIRR
Cover Illustration
Mr. Ariel Lucerna
CD Production
Mr. Ivan Roy Mallari IIRR Mr. Levy Ramos IT Assistant International Institute of Rural Reconstruction Headquarters 4118 Silang, Cavite The Philippines !+63 (46) 4142417 !+63 (2) 8864385 to 87 local 108 !+63 (917) 2490771 "Levy.ramos@iirr.org
Post Production
Review Team
Ms. Dianne D. Arboleda IIRR Ms. Marissa Espineli IIRR Ms. Felicia Khan IIRR Dr. Scott Killough IIRR Dr. Suzanne Kindervatter InterAction Ms. Joyce Mendez IIRR Dr. Patricia T. Morris InterAction
249
Gender Mainstreaming in Action: Successful Innovations from Asia and the Pacific is a collection of 18 case stories highlighting innovative practices promoting gender equity in Asia and the Pacific. Cast in simple language and illustration, this collection of best practices features practical experiences in gender mainstreaming at the grassroots, program, and institutional levels. Each case story provides concise lessons and recommendations.
InterAction is the largest alliance of U.S.-based international development and humanitarian non-governmental organizations. With more than 160 members operating in every developing country, InterAction works to overcome poverty, exclusion and suffering by advancing social justice and basic dignity for all. InterActions Commission on the Advancement of Women (CAW), created in 1992, promotes gender equity in the policy and practice of InterAction members, national, and international development and humanitarian assistance organizations. www.interaction.org The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) is a rural development organization with 80 years experience, working in Africa, Asia and Latin America. IIRR promotes people-centered development through capacity building for poor people and their communities, development organizations and agencies. www.iirr.org GENDER MAINSTREAMING INACTION is a long awaited resource. The book documents the voices and insights of practitioners who are on the frontlines of gender mainstreaming. It gives the reader first hand insights into methods to ensure equity at the community and organizational levels.There is a power in this knowledge that can transform experience.
- Sarah Newhall, CEO, Pact
With gender mainstreaming becoming an endangered approach, many women are wondering,Could it be that it was promoted to actually marginalize us women and our interests? They have a good basis for suspecting so, what with many donors closing down womenspecific programs and using gender mainstreaming as the reason. The danger of its demise is rooted in the lack of clarity of what gender mainstreaming really means and what it entails.This collection of case studies reveals the various concrete ways that women can be brought into the center of the development process and that gender equality is pursued as an explicit goal of development interventions. This publication breathes new life to the gender mainstreaming approach.
- Annie A. Serrano, Coordinator, Asia-Pacific NGO Forum on Beijing + 10

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GENDER MAINTREAMING IN ACTION ! GENDER MAINTREAMING IN ACTION !

GENDER MAINTREAMING IN ACTION

Gender Mainstreaming in Action

& the pacific

Gender Mainstreaming in Action

InterActions Commission on the Advancement of Women International Institute of Rural Reconstruction

Preface Acronyms Introduction Media, the Internet and the Arts

8 femTALK: Putting Media Production into the Hands of Women

18 OnlineWomen: Gateway to Sharing Information on Women in Politics

26 Acting Out Womens Lives: Community Theater on Reproductive Health

48 Mountain Womens Initiative: A Collective Approach to Sustainable Economic Development

62 Passing on the Gifts: A Holistic Approach to Gender and Development

74 Increasing Womens Participation in Public Dialogue: Learning Democracy by Doing

88 Women Animators: The Key to Mobilizing Self-Reliant Development

Natural Resource Management

194 Making Infrastructure Work for Women in Bangladesh

Harnessing Professional Resources

" " " " " "

Mary E. McClymont President InterAction

Pratima Kale President International Institute of Rural Reconstruction

Successful Innovations from Asia and the Pacific

Gender Mainstreaming in Action

Successful Innovations from Asia and the Pacific

Gender Mainstreaming in Action

Media, the Internet and the Arts

Engendering Mainstream Engendering the Mainstream

Resource Management Natural Resource Management

Successful Innovations from Asia and the Pacific

Prev eventing Violence Against Women Preventing Violence Against Women

Org Transforming Organizations

Harnessing Professional Resources

Gender Mainstreaming in Action

Successful Innovations from Asia and the Pacific

Media, the Internet and the Arts

Country Authors Contact

The Republic of the Fiji Islands

Henry Rigamoto Sharon Rolls

fem'TALK: Putting Media Production Into the Hands of Women

Introduction to media initiatives for women

fem'TALK: Putting Media Production Into the Hands of Women

Situational analysis of Fiji: Women and the media

Gender Mainstreaming in Action

femLINKpacific | The Republic of the Fiji Islands

Objectives of femLINKpacific's community media initiatives

The process used by femLINKpacific

fem'TALK: Putting Media Production Into the Hands of Women

Gender Mainstreaming in Action

femLINKpacific | The Republic of the Fiji Islands

Examples of community productions

fem'TALK: Putting Media Production Into the Hands of Women

Women's Civil Society: Balancing the scales

1 Mothers labor: A day at the Nausori Maternity Unit Hospital.

2 Look at my ability: Litia's story

Sumintras Sumintras account

Gender Mainstreaming in Action

femLINKpacific | The Republic of the Fiji Islands

Successful Innovations from Asia and the Pacific

$ Chronicling women's voices and perspectives through media creates a powerful

Center for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics (CAPWIP)

Jose Maria O. Dimaandal Eliza J. Villarino

OnlineWomen: Gateway to Sharing Information on Women in Politics

Gateway to Sharing Information on Women in Politics