Transcript SII Women's Empowerment LACRMU Phase 2 Presentation for

SII for 2006, Latin America and Caribbean Region
Study Objectives


To learn about key factors that contribute to
women’s empowerment, and the extent to which
these factors have been promoted in CARE’s
programs in the LAC region in recent years
To ensure that new project designs are well
positioned to achieve impact on women’s
empowerment.
Study design

Project designs (the “future generation”).
Work on 8 designs, discussing what strategies
the project could include for having an impact
on women’s empowerment at the agency,
relations and structure dimensions.

Project evaluations (the “current generation”).
Analysis of 9 projects, assessing the extent to
which projects had an impact on any of these
levels.
Some important aspects of the study design



It built on work that was planned and resourced
(designs and evaluations), avoiding setting up an
additional effort (allowing us to leverage these activities
for deeper learning).
It set up a new generation of projects that looked
purposefully at women’s empowerment at the design
stage.
It closed a gap between two important moments in our
program cycle: the moment when we assess impact
(evaluations) and when we apply the learning from our
work to new program strategies (designs).
Designs and Evaluations included in the study
Bolivia

Ecuador







El Salvador


Guatemala
Evaluation: Ciudades Fronterizas (economic & municipal strengthening)
Evaluation: PETIM (child labor eradication).
Design: Buen Vivir Imbakucha (natural resources and environment)
Design: Yaku Manta Yachay (natural resources and education)
Design: INTIEDUCA (education and elimination of child labor)
Evaluation: EDUCAVIDA (education)
Evaluation: Manejo de Microcuencas (natural resources and environment)
Evaluation: DYGO (democracy and governance)
Design: Combate a la Violencia y Explotación Sexual (elimination of
violence/sexual exploitation of children/adolescents)
Evaluation: Sistema de alerta temprana (emergency preparedness)

Design: MYAP (food security, Title II)
Evaluation: ADIMH (indigenous women organizing for citizenship rights)
Honduras

Design: Salud y Vida (HIV and AIDS prevention)
Nicaragua

Design: PROFINCA (economic development)
Evaluation: PROSAE (sexual and reproductive health


Peru


Design: Sociedad civil Lucha Contra la Pobreza (democracy and governance)
Evaluation: REDESA (food security)
Methods used for designs with a women’s empowerment perspective



Group discussion with the design team about objectives and strategies for
promoting women’s empowerment (agency, relations and structure levels).
(All countries)
Group discussions with partners and participants about objectives and
strategies for promoting women’s empowerment (agency, relations and
structure levels). (Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru)
Workshops for participatory project design. (Ecuador)
Methods used for evaluations with a women’s empowerment perspective




Including questions on women’s empowerment in evaluation TOR. (All
countries)
Secondary data review (i.e. monitoring information, etc.). (All countries)
Group and/or individual interviews with project staff. (All countries)
Group and/or individual interviews with partners and participants (Bolivia,
Ecuador, El Salvador, Peru)
Main findings from evaluations
Country
Project
Strategy
Impact (positive)

Economic/municipal
strengthening

No

Agency: Yacuiba women’s group obtaining
municipal funding for economic activities.
Structure: Municipalities assigning specific
budgets for women’s economic activities

Child labor

Yes

Agency: Female teachers and mothers have
plans for combating child labor; women’s groups.

Education

Yes


Natural resources

No

Agency: Attitudes and behaviors of teachers.
Girls and boys participating in decisions
Agency: Growth of income for women (through
agro-forest and economic activities).

Democracy &
governance

No

Relations: Citizen audit of implementation of law
for free birth care (especially by women’s
associations).
El Salvador

Emergency
preparedness

No

Guatemala


Yes

Nicaragua

Indigenous women’s
rights
Sexual and
reproductive health

No

Peru


No

Agency: Self-esteem among female leaders that
were part of local emergency committees.
Relations: How women that were part of
emergency committees were viewed.
Agency and relations: Strengthening of women’s
association, action in the policy arena, literacy.
Relations: Open dialogues between adolescents
and their parents about sexuality
(In process)
Bolivia
Ecuador
Food security
Factors conducive to women’s empowerment










Policy environment: laws on citizen participation. (Bolivia)
Formulating strategies based on local knowledge and community initiatives.
(Bolivia)
A period for joining women in their daily struggles (before developing any
strategies). (Bolivia)
Existence of women’s groups (and strengthening them). (Ecuador)
Attitudes and support of some local leaders (even if few leaders, but key).
(Ecuador)
Capacity building (emergency rehearsals). (El Salvador)
Establishing groups of men & groups of men and women (own & shared
space). (El Salvador)
Disseminating women’s successes, making them visible (Stan emergency).
(El Salvador)
Working with women with leadership qualities. (El Salvador)
Capacity building around laws and policies; capacity building for effective
advocacy (Guatemala)
Factors that obstructed women’s empowerment






That the point of departure (for all actions) was a model that did not fit
the context (foreign view about child labor). Prejudice about what women
thought. (Bolivia)
Indifference; no desire to construct a collective process. (Bolivia)
Cultural norms: the belief that men have to be leaders and female
leaders can only fill second-rank positions. (Ecuador)
Losing sight of the “social movement” and focusing on organizational
issues. (Guatemala)
No explicit strategies/skills for women’s empowerment. (El Salvador)
Poor knowledge of women’s conditions and relations. (El Salvador)
Internal supporting factors


Emphasis on women’s empowerment (organization-wide; all divisions – “the
politically correct” thing to do).
Genuine concern and commitment by some staff members.
Internal resisting factors




The time for project designs (i.e. very short periods) allows for only superficial
conversations about power imbalances and inequities. And they therefore
often never happen.
We are comfortable with the solutions and strategies we know and hesitant to
experiment with new approaches.
Establishing a regional learning team (and sticking to commitments) was
extremely complex. The learning was country-based throughout the study.
There is still resistance to include the theme of women’s empowerment in
designs and evaluations (evidenced in four of the seven countries).
Learning from the study: What can we do better?

We have to assume a political posture in a context of gender inequality.
We need to be clear from what our stance will be in the face of power
abuse.

Look at and link different spheres of life (personal and public). Any
development effort needs to promote transformation at the personal,
household, community and national levels.

Concepts: Be clear about the meaning and commitment we assign to
words such as gender equity, women’s empowerment, etc.

Analysis and strategy: Have clarity about the underlying causes of inequity
at the local, regional and national levels, a clear opinion about them, and a
coherent strategy to address them.

It is important to work with women and men – transformation needs to
happen for both (may sound obvious, and yet we often forget). Work with
many actors (female and male); the burden cannot be all on the same
people.
Learning from the study (continued)

We should always ask these questions when we design programs and
projects:
–
–
–
–
How can the thousands of poor and marginalized women that participate in CARE
programs challenge gender inequities, increase their power and advance toward
their emancipation?
How can we at CARE contribute to processes that will allow women to become
political – individually and collectively – for advancing towards equality?
How can women become a strong force by using their capacities and strengths?
How do project objectives relate to larger social change processes? How can
women’s empowerment and the search for equality be included in program
objectives? Identify the changes that we expect from women and men.
Learning from the study (continued)





Recognize that it not always possible to include a strong emphasis on women’s
empowerment at the design stage; look for other opportunities.
Reflective practice: Continuously ask ourselves how our strategies and
interventions impact (or not) on power (im)balance.
Support the strengthening of women’s organizations to increase their influence
at all levels (participation in the public arena, private sector, etc.).
Evaluate both impacts as well as change processes (how participatory they
were, how conducive to women’s empowerment, etc.).
Look internally: Work on some aspects of CARE’s organizational culture that
hinder women’s empowerment. Insist on accountability relating to principles
and policies for promoting gender equity.