Project
Improving the Participation of 155 Women’s Groups
- Côte d'Ivoire
- October 2013
The project’s objective was to increase the number of rural women in Côte d’Ivoire participating in the democratic process, specifically in decision-making. In order to do this, the project set out to raise awareness among rural women of their political and civil rights; and increase the number of informed rural women able to participate in electoral processes either as candidates or as voters.
The activities were designed to take into account the post-election crisis in Côte d’Ivoire, taking into account that women make up the largest proportion of the voting population. The decision to intervene in the western part of the country, which was particularly affected by the war and where women became victims of sexual and gender based violence allowed a more targeted response to the specific needs of the beneficiary populations.
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- Women's empowerment
- Côte d'Ivoire
- October 2013
The strategic approach of the project could have been stronger if the awareness-raising initiatives organized had also included men so as to complement those carried out with women. The project could have also distinguished between different age groups, focusing on young people, who are probably more open to adopting new ideas.
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- Women's empowerment
- Côte d'Ivoire
- October 2013
The grantee included traditional leaders as well as the officials from the commune and the prefecture. These authority figures became involved in supporting the participation of women and in constructing a framework to ensure visibility of women’s issues and awareness that women’s rights should be supported.
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- Women's empowerment
- Côte d'Ivoire
- October 2013
The project convinced women that free participation in elections was their right and had advantages. Before, women were obligated to vote for the same candidate as their husbands, whereas now they exercise their right to choose the candidate they want and their husbands are aware of their individual rights.
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- Women's empowerment
- Côte d'Ivoire
- October 2013
The most significant result of the project was the election of a woman to the position of mayor of her village. Another woman was named as second head of her village, which had been completely inconceivable before. It will be important to consolidate and further expand these results, as it can be expected that more women will want to exercise their civil rights and wish to become potential candidates during future elections. However, women are often handicapped by illiteracy and they also need a certain level of financial autonomy in order to stand as candidates in the up-coming elections.
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- Women's empowerment
- Côte d'Ivoire
- October 2013
The field workers played an essential role, as they ensured close monitoring of the beneficiary groups, which clearly contributed to the efficiency of the initiatives. These staff were well integrated into the local population, spoke the local language and served as intermediaries between the rural population, the authorities and the media.