Leadership & Collective Action

Reference:
CARE 2019. Tropical Cyclone Gita, Kingdom of Tonga: Women Lead in Emergencies Pilot. Final Report, January 2019. 

 

CARE: Learning for change (East Africa Region)

Learning for Change (L4C) Strengthening Women's Voices in East Africa is a regional program aimed at promoting the meaningful participation of women in decision-making processes at household, community, local, and national levels in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Rwanda. This was done through a regional approach that involved cross-country collaboration between CARE Austria, CARE Ethiopia, CARE Rwanda, and CARE Uganda. L4C worked with civil society organizations (Uganda and Rwanda) and government partners (Ethiopia) to help build their knowledge and organizational and programmatic capacities in gender equality and women's empowerment. L4C's work centered on Learning Packages, which included trainings, manuals, and ongoing technical support to build individual and organizational capacities in women's leadership, engaging men and boys, psychological support, and gender integrated programming. L4C's learning packages allowed participants to understand gender, challenge and reflect on their own knowledge, attitudes, practices, and beliefs, and integrate more effectively into programming. The theory underpinning L4C is that gender competent organizations yield better results for everyone involved and at every level. Internally, the organizational work environment, culture, and processes are more responsive to all staff needs, which contribute to higher productivity and a healthier workforce. Externally, the organization's work is far more inclusive, far-reaching, and sustainable. [1]

What does the evidence indicate?

• Lessons learned from the L4C cross-regional pilot were gathered through a desk review, learning workshops, and key informant interviews. Findings indicate that facilitation of regional collaboration and cross-country exchanges, which leveraged local and regional staff capacities, provided individuals, supportive networks, and organizations with tools and space for learning around gender equality and women's empowerment. L4C deliberately built room for practice within its learning packages, where participants were encouraged to apply new knowledge and skills and share their reflections on practical experience with peers at follow-up training sessions. This approach of having space between training workshops gave L4C local partners an opportunity to link gender to their work, allowing participants to contextualize and practice new knowledge and skills. Participants shared that the learning packages strengthened skills and networks that have been leveraged in their individual lives and through opportunities in the workplace. Cross-learning through joint trainings strengthened organizational ties, cooperation and learning by integrating gender more effectively into programming. Further considerations for sustaining the gains, actions, and outcomes of L4C include a continuity plan to sustain relationships and networks established through L4C, handover to local leaders, aligning the initiative with government structures, and a multiplier approach to train communities on using learnings and resources from L4C. Within partner organizations and CARE Country Offices, knowledge management and learning products have been developed in order to institutionalize the key L4C learnings and ensure sustainability for results in the longer term.

Reference:

CARE 2019. Learning for Change: Strengthening Women's Voices in East Africa: Lessons from Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda. 

CARE: Great Lakes Advocacy Initiative (Multi-country)

CARE implemented the Great Lakes Advocacy Initiative (GLAI) in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC to seek greater protection against gender-based violence (GBV) for women and girls in the Great Lakes region (as set out in UNSCR 1325) by increasing capacity and catalyzing links between grassroots communities, national civil society organisations and policy makers at the national, regional and international levels. GLAI helped to develop grassroots activism and connected grassroots activists with policy audiences. Many activists themselves are survivors of GBV. GLAI also developed systems to collect data on GBV cases for purposes of tracking and advocacy. Men were engaged to lead dialogues on GBV, model gender-equitable behaviors, and support women to promote their empowerment.[1]

What does the evidence indicate?

• Data on GBV cases gathered under the auspices of GLAI, and analyzed at the grassroots level, was used to flag problems and focus attention on issues like the relationship between alcoholism and GBV in Uganda. Data has increased the pressure for policy makers to act; in Rwanda, it has also encouraged women to report cases of GBV. This data has also provided the impetus for national advocacy campaigns. Including the voices of activists who are survivors of GBV has had a powerful impact in national dialogues and in international spaces like the UN Commission on the Status of Women. The engagement of men has begun to transform men’s attitudes in communities. In Uganda, women activists have moved into leadership positions in local government (at sub-county, parish and district levels); women activists have been elected into local office in Rwanda and Burundi as well. GBV-related national legislation moved forward in all four countries.

Reference:

WayFair Associates. (2013, December 16). The Great Lakes Advocacy Initiative: Final Edition.

 

GROOTS Kenya: Women in self-help groups (Kenya)

GROOTS Kenya has facilitated women in self-help groups coming together to share ideas and experiences, network with one another, and find ways to influence local decision making and planning. It also supports women to stand for election to local committees and participate effectively in them, and engages men to be supportive. A taskforce of constituents and leaders was set up to meet regularly and advocate for work related to women’s rights and priorities, and watchdog groups were set up to ensure implementation of agreements made (i.e. on women’s land rights).[1]

What does the evidence indicate?

GROOTS Kenya’s experiences indicate that women involved in self-help groups gained confidence and agency to pursue their rights, and developed the skills they needed to engage in governance dialogues at the community level. Evaluative research found that watchdog groups were effective in securing land rights and resettlement of widows. Provincial officials appreciated the mapping and research conducted by the watchdog groups and their collaborative, reconciliatory approach (over the adversarial legal system). The vigilance of watchdog groups also had a preventive effect against property disinheritance and property grabbing, by encouraging greater community ownership with respect to resolving social issues.[2] A review of GROOTS Kenya also found that, as a network, it helped ‘grassroots’ women to build their own cultural identity, solidarity with one another, and visibility in local to international forums.[3]

References:
 
1. Farnworth, C., Sundell, M. F., Nzioki, A., Shivuste, V., & Davis, M. (2013). Transforming Gender Relations in Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa, p. 70; 2.WayFair Associates. (2013, December 16). The Great Lakes Advocacy Initiative: Final Edition; 3. Okech, A. (2008). GROOT Kenya. In Changing Their World: Concepts and Practices of Women’s Movements (1st ed., pp. 1-17). Toronto: Association of Women's Rights in Development (AWID).

 

National Commission to Stop Violence against Women: The Women-Headed Families Empowerment Program (Indonesia)

The Women-Headed Families Empowerment Program (PEKKA) in Indonesia came out of the National Commission to Stop Violence against Women, which documented the lives of widows in Aceh. Based on this analysis, PEKKA mobilized women household heads into village-level savings groups. These groups are networked at district and national levels to build collective organizing, and meet annually, with group leaders meeting every 3-4 months. In addition to supporting group savings, PEKKA supports women’s popular education to build critical consciousness among women, strengthen participatory management and planning skills, and support positive communication and collective leadership skills. As a group, PEKKA engages local government staff to recognize the problems women household heads face, and also engage in direct actions with the government. Recognizing their own leadership capabilities and seeing the failures in traditional leadership in their villages, a number of members have pursued formal leadership positions within their communities.[1]

What does the evidence indicate?

PEKKA experiences have found growing leadership among women household heads, strong organizing for more transparent leadership, and more responsiveness to women heads of family in villages and nationally. PEKKA members report gaining knowledge, information and networks through their membership. A number of women have run for government positions, and some now hold village-level leadership roles. In addition, Indonesia passed policies that support women heads of families and their rights within the past five years. PEKKA has also seen women heads of family gaining power to access and manage local government funds, promote greater transparency and participation in government processes, and build strong relationships with local government representatives.

Reference:

Wakefield, S. (2017). Transformative and Feminist Leadership for Women's Rights. Research Backgrounder series. Oxfam America.

AHCV/AMAV: Men engaging program (Nicaragua)

The Asociación de Hombres Contra la Violencia (AHCV, or Association of Men Against Violence/AMAV) in Nicaragua evolved from a focus on enabling personal change in men to a more public and political stance on addressing GBV. AHCV’s strategies in this area are evolving, and include strengthening cross-movement alliances with women’s organizations and proactively monitoring legislation and public policy that address and shape GBV outcomes. The movement is also undertaking training with men in political power, including the police and the judiciary. Activists are also participating in government committees on program design and engaging with civil society to design, apply and monitor local development plans.[1]

What does the evidence indicate?

Men’s engagement in AHCV initiatives had a profound effect on their relationships with women. An impact study carried out by CANTERA showed that men who underwent training and awareness raising had adopted gender-sensitive attitudes, and changes in their behavior were evident in the healthier relationships they developed with their wives and children. AHCV has also formalized alliances with women’s movement groups, though stronger political agendas and coalition work are needed for change in structures and institutions remain limited and more work is needed.

Reference:

Welsh, P. (2010). Community development: a gendered activism? The masculinities question. Community Development Journal, 45(3), 297-306. doi:10.1093/cdj/bsq023

 

CARE and Domestic Worker Syndicates (Multi-country)

CARE in Latin America has been working with organizations of domestic workers to promote their right to dignified work since 2010. CARE established partnerships in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Guatemala, and more recently in Mexico, Colombia and Honduras. These partnerships engage in research, exchange of experiences, communications strategies, coalition-building, networking and capacity building with the objective of influencing public policies and improving the lives of more than 10 million domestic workers across the region.[1]</spa

What does the evidence indicate?

Through alliances with women’s associations at the national and regional level and the strengthening of a regional network focused on domestic workers, CARE has pressed for important changes in national legislation and contributed to the ratification of the ILO Convention 189 (protecting the rights of domestic workers) to be ratified in Ecuador and Bolivia. This has been possible through in-depth research on issues affecting domestic workers, information and education campaigns, effective use of the concept of gender-based division of labor, and capacity building of local women’s associations.

• RESOURCE: Read lessons learnt from organizing with domestic worker alliances

Reference:

CARE International - Latin America/Caribbean (2017). Dignified work: by shedding light on women's work, we contribute to their autonomy and empowerment; CARE Latin America and the Caribbean (2018). Multiplying Impact Report: equal value, equal rights program to advance domestic workers' rights. Period: July 2017-June 2018