gender

Project: Promotion of Women’s Empowerment and Rights in Somalia
Evaluation Date: June 2016
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The engagement of “community catalysts/mobilizers” included men in leadership positions within the communities. These men were recruited to spread the messages of women’s empowerment in conjunction with the grassroots campaigns. One community catalyst interviewed was a teacher and religious leader who was also consulted on the nature of the messages and said he considered them “excellent”. Another religious leader said his job was to “undo communities’ negative views on women’s rights and empowerment” and to help change people’s perceptions, including those of parents so that they allowed their daughters to explore their potential “even by seeking leadership positions”. The community catalysts also helped smooth the way for CSOs to gain access to regional administrations. Several of those interviewed expressed their satisfaction at having been consulted and then brought into the project.

Theme: Women's empowerment
Somalia   , ,
Project: Engendering democratic governance in South Asia
Evaluation Date: May 2012
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The media training was well received by the participants. Journalists are often limited by the views of their editors, producers and other “gatekeepers”. Bringing together media gatekeepers (editors, sub-editors, executive producers and others in decision-making roles in the media) would further reinforce the mobilization of journalists in the project and increase the likelihood of their developing gender-sensitive coverage and women’s stories. This should not be promoted as training but might perhaps take the form of a modest ”retreat” at which information can be shared and trust built.

Theme: Women's empowerment
Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan   , ,
Project: The Bottom-up Governance and Leadership Programme for Women in the Pacific
Evaluation Date: April 2011
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The concrete outputs of the project – the e-platform and the training modules – may be usable in future but will need to be reviewed and revised in the light of the lessons learned. This requires taking into account a solid cause/effect analysis in the country to be targeted. The materials should also be reviewed by a gender specialist to be made culturally more relevant to the projected participants. In particular, gender-sensitive approaches do not mean automatically excluding men – good gender-sensitive programming will take account of the relative status and roles of men and women, girls and boys, and aim to achieve outcomes for women that allow them to progress within family, social and cultural contexts.

Theme: Women's empowerment
Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga   , ,
Project: Promoting Women's Participation in Local Budgetary Processes
Evaluation Date: March 2016
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

The project in Niger has empowered women through giving them skills to analyse budges based on the issues that affect their daily life. However, gender responsive budget analysis alone does not change budget priorities and the decision-making process in ways that truly promote gender equality. Municipal budgets are still a political product and budgetary commitments are allocated according to political priorities. Relevant decision makers could be addressed through evidence-based round-table discussions and lobbying.

Theme: Women's empowerment
Niger   ,
Project: Deepening Democratization Processes Through Youth Leadership in Myanmar
Evaluation Date: September 2010
Report: [report link]
Lesson Learned:

From the outset, the project design aimed to maintain appropriate gender balance and to ensure that women participated fully in the project. This is especially important in grassroots actions where women as leaders are not the norm in some parts of Myanmar. Of the 130 youth fellows involved in the project, 64 were women. Importantly, images of women leading workshops, taking the microphone in forums and participating equally in the project’s actions were included in newsletters and other publications. One newsletter was formally devoted to discussion of women’s rights.

Theme: Youth engagement
Myanmar   ,