English
Rapid Gender Analysis Sinjar District, Ninewa Governorate, Iraq
CARE International in Iraq (CARE Iraq) with the support of the Crisis Centre of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (CDCS), is providing Livelihood and Protection services in Sinjar District in Ninewa governorate. CARE Iraq is implementing the services through its local partner Dak Organization for Ezidi Women Development (Dak). CARE Iraq undertook a Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA) to understand different gender norms, roles, and power dynamics, in addition to the specific needs of women, girls and vulnerable people in the project locations to ensure safe, equitable and dignified access to the services.
The conflict in Iraq and the protracted humanitarian crisis have had a severe impact on infrastructure and service delivery in general, which, together with the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of the unemployment rate, has led to an increase in existing Gender Based Violence (GBV) and protection risks. The continuance of political and economic instabilities is having a huge effect on the population as a whole; however, conflicts and emergencies impact women and girls differently, and understanding different roles, dynamics and needs will help improve the quality of and access to those services. Sinjar District is the most affected area by the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL); it has suffered a tragic human loss in addition to the loss of infrastructure, livelihoods, and homes. Following the liberation in 2017, IDPs started to move back to Sinjar; however, until this date, the provision and availability of basic services like health, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), and livelihoods, as well as reconstruction of housing and infrastructure, is relatively low. The current situation has a negative impact on the community in terms of safety and security, which is clearly reflected in the lowest IDP return rates (35%) compared to other districts in Iraq in 20211.
There are several concerns around livelihoods and the lack of adequate protection services for the targeted community that need to be addressed to ensure safe and equitable access to all members of the community. Read More...
The conflict in Iraq and the protracted humanitarian crisis have had a severe impact on infrastructure and service delivery in general, which, together with the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of the unemployment rate, has led to an increase in existing Gender Based Violence (GBV) and protection risks. The continuance of political and economic instabilities is having a huge effect on the population as a whole; however, conflicts and emergencies impact women and girls differently, and understanding different roles, dynamics and needs will help improve the quality of and access to those services. Sinjar District is the most affected area by the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL); it has suffered a tragic human loss in addition to the loss of infrastructure, livelihoods, and homes. Following the liberation in 2017, IDPs started to move back to Sinjar; however, until this date, the provision and availability of basic services like health, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), and livelihoods, as well as reconstruction of housing and infrastructure, is relatively low. The current situation has a negative impact on the community in terms of safety and security, which is clearly reflected in the lowest IDP return rates (35%) compared to other districts in Iraq in 20211.
There are several concerns around livelihoods and the lack of adequate protection services for the targeted community that need to be addressed to ensure safe and equitable access to all members of the community. Read More...
Aung Myin Hmu Project (Industry Solutions for Safe Employment)
Despite the benefits of migration for rural households, the process is difficult for migrating family members. One of the main drivers of trafficking is the need for women to travel to look for better employment opportunities, making them vulnerable to unscrupulous brokers. Enhancing job opportunities for women and improving access to educational and vocational facilities are key to combating trafficking and creating a successful migration. The Aung Myin Hmu journey began in 2017 with a recognition that female migrant workers were not receiving the skills necessary to produce quality work and improve their earnings, due to a lack of quality driven training provision for the industry. Once in-factory, reports from CARE International showed that 1 in 2 women workers in garment factories in South-East Asia have experienced some form of sexual harassment.
Aung Myin Hmu (AMH) a project of CARE International in Myanmar, worked in partnership with Legal Clinic Myanmar and Business Kind Myanmar (BKM) and in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population (MoLIP) to improve the quality and safety of employment for urban migrant women. AMH established a Garment Skills Training Centre (TC), supported the establishment of accredited training lines in factories and trained factories in policy for safe and respectful workplaces (prevention of sexual harassment) in garment factories facilitated essential legal and social support to female garment workers. Working with private sector, legal, social and service providers to improve workplace and community protection systems against Gender Based Violence (GBV), AMH ensured that migrant women were able to have easy access to appropriate services.
The project period saw the growth of the industry from around 400,000 workers in 2017 to 700,000 at the start of 2020. COVID 19 had a huge impact on the industry with a 25% of workers losing their jobs or being furloughed, and then in February the military coup impacted the industry further as Brands were uncertain, they would continue working in Myanmar and factories lost orders.
AMH’s two-month courses were designed to train modern sewing methodology on semi-automatic machines, labour law and rights at work though the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Better Rights at Work Programme (BRAW) and basic skills, including communication, problem-solving skills, nutrition and personal finance management. Sexual harassment (SH) and environmental awareness training completed the curriculum. Factories have told us that AMH workers are more systematic, progress faster, can use many machines and change styles more easily.
The project promoted the residence of workers as AMH trainees had a higher rate of productivity and earned higher salaries than informally trained workers, enabling them to support their families and make healthier food choices. Trainees gave feedback that the training enabled them to be more discerning in their choice of factory, choosing those with better working conditions and which product they preferred.
A higher productivity rate also increased the factories’ profits and resilience to shocks though it is noted that those factories who placed value in training, were also likely to be those who placed value in workers and therefore could achieve a higher productivity.
During the project period, 5428 trainees graduated from AMH training centres, AMH supported government venue and factory training line of AMH partner garment factories. More than 1400 garment workers graduated from AMH garment training centre.
AMH continued to advocate for the approval of 11 drafted National Occupational Competency Standards (NOCS). Significant challenges, including political sensitivities among stakeholders about the inclusion of industrial relations content contributed to the delays in approval. However, AMH delivered the highest number of test candidates out of all assessment centres in Myanmar and made a major contribution to the overall testing numbers, convincing factories of the relevance of NOCS for the garment sector.
Read More...
Aung Myin Hmu (AMH) a project of CARE International in Myanmar, worked in partnership with Legal Clinic Myanmar and Business Kind Myanmar (BKM) and in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population (MoLIP) to improve the quality and safety of employment for urban migrant women. AMH established a Garment Skills Training Centre (TC), supported the establishment of accredited training lines in factories and trained factories in policy for safe and respectful workplaces (prevention of sexual harassment) in garment factories facilitated essential legal and social support to female garment workers. Working with private sector, legal, social and service providers to improve workplace and community protection systems against Gender Based Violence (GBV), AMH ensured that migrant women were able to have easy access to appropriate services.
The project period saw the growth of the industry from around 400,000 workers in 2017 to 700,000 at the start of 2020. COVID 19 had a huge impact on the industry with a 25% of workers losing their jobs or being furloughed, and then in February the military coup impacted the industry further as Brands were uncertain, they would continue working in Myanmar and factories lost orders.
AMH’s two-month courses were designed to train modern sewing methodology on semi-automatic machines, labour law and rights at work though the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Better Rights at Work Programme (BRAW) and basic skills, including communication, problem-solving skills, nutrition and personal finance management. Sexual harassment (SH) and environmental awareness training completed the curriculum. Factories have told us that AMH workers are more systematic, progress faster, can use many machines and change styles more easily.
The project promoted the residence of workers as AMH trainees had a higher rate of productivity and earned higher salaries than informally trained workers, enabling them to support their families and make healthier food choices. Trainees gave feedback that the training enabled them to be more discerning in their choice of factory, choosing those with better working conditions and which product they preferred.
A higher productivity rate also increased the factories’ profits and resilience to shocks though it is noted that those factories who placed value in training, were also likely to be those who placed value in workers and therefore could achieve a higher productivity.
During the project period, 5428 trainees graduated from AMH training centres, AMH supported government venue and factory training line of AMH partner garment factories. More than 1400 garment workers graduated from AMH garment training centre.
AMH continued to advocate for the approval of 11 drafted National Occupational Competency Standards (NOCS). Significant challenges, including political sensitivities among stakeholders about the inclusion of industrial relations content contributed to the delays in approval. However, AMH delivered the highest number of test candidates out of all assessment centres in Myanmar and made a major contribution to the overall testing numbers, convincing factories of the relevance of NOCS for the garment sector.
Read More...
Improving lives of Rohingya refugees and host community members in Bangladesh through sexual and reproductive healthcare integrated with gender-based violence prevention, response violence prevention and response
The intended impact of the project is improved living conditions for women and girls in Rohingya refugee camps and host communities in Cox’s Bazar.
Outcome Statement: Improved sexual and reproductive health, GBV survivor support and protection from GBV of Rohingya refugees and host community members in Cox´s Bazar Bangladesh.
Purpose of the Study: This endline study has established endline values for the following project outcome indicators. This assessment has provided a comparison of baseline value and endline value of the indicators. A set of recommendations has been provided through the assessment report on project interventions. Read More...
Outcome Statement: Improved sexual and reproductive health, GBV survivor support and protection from GBV of Rohingya refugees and host community members in Cox´s Bazar Bangladesh.
Purpose of the Study: This endline study has established endline values for the following project outcome indicators. This assessment has provided a comparison of baseline value and endline value of the indicators. A set of recommendations has been provided through the assessment report on project interventions. Read More...
Impact Evaluation of the Strengthen PSNP4 Institutions and Resilience (SPIR) Development Food Security Activity (DFSA)
The Strengthen PSNP4 Institutions and Resilience (SPIR) Development Food Security Activity (DFSA) in Ethiopia is a five-year project (2016-2021) supporting implementation of the fourth phase of the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP4) as well as providing complementary livelihood, nutrition, gender and climate resilience activities to strengthen the program and expand its impacts. The main objectives of SPIR are to enhance livelihoods, increase resilience to shocks, and improve food security and nutrition for rural households vulnerable to food insecurity. Activities under SPIR are organized into four Purposes: 1) livelihoods, 2) nutrition, 3) women’s and youth empowerment, and 4) climate resilience. Across these Purposes, SPIR provides community-level programming, training of government staff involved in public service delivery at the woreda (district) and kebele (subdistrict) level, and targeted livelihood transfers. Read More...
Post Program Sustainability Assessment of Women’s Economic Empowerment in Yemen
Rebuilding livelihoods is of key importance in fragile settings that experienced intense (man-made or natural) shocks causing distribution of household’s capacities to thrive. As CARE has defined its objective to contribute to the reduction of gender inequality and create equal opportunities for both men and women, it is a natural aspect of their work to integrate Women’s Economic Justice (WEJ) also in locations marked by long-term fragility. CARE does not only want to rebuild livelihoods, but it also wants to contribute to building a more inclusive economic system, where both men and women can benefit from and contribute to economic growth. Working in such fragile settings however, dominated by ongoing violence, destruction and the prioritization of humanitarian aid, requires a conscious adjustment of our vision and approach for WEJ. Several teams and programs, among them CARE Yemen and CARE Northeast Syria, have been piloting and learning about supporting WEJ in fragile settings. It is crucial for organizational growth and learning that these pioneering efforts are documented and further analysed. This has been the objective of the forthcoming publication Women Economic Justice Review in Fragile Settings (by the Regional Applied Economic Empowerment Hub). Read More...
Exploring the role of boys and men of SHOUHARDO III in catalyzing Women Empowerment (WE) and reducing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) during the extension phase (2020-2022)
Strengthening Household Ability to Respond to Development Opportunities (SHOUHARDO) III is a Resilience Food Security Activity (RFSA) funded by the United States Government through the United States Agency for International Development/Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA), with complementary funding from the Government of Bangladesh (GoB). SHOUHARDO III works in 947 villages from the Char and Haor regions in northern Bangladesh to improve the lives of 725,611 people from 170,298 households. The program seeks to improve access to public and private services for the rural poor while building their resilience. Read More...
Tipping Point Global Impact Evaluation Summary
This summary presents the major findings from a mixed methods impact evaluation study conducted in Bangladesh (Rangpur district) and Nepal (Rupandehi and Kapilvastu Districts) in 2021. This impact evaluation was coordinated by CARE and led by its research partners, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) in Bangladesh and Emory University & Interdisciplinary Analysts (IDA) in Nepal. Read More...
Reducing Vulnerabilities for refugees and internally displaced persons in Afghanistan – CARE/ABADEI Baseline
Reducing vulnerabilities for returnees and IDPs in 4 provinces of Afghanistan is a Resilience Building Program in Afghanistan, which is implemented by CARE Afghanistan. This project, which is funded by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is targeting 312,800 vulnerable people (153,272 female & 159,528 male). This program is aimed at reducing vulnerabilities for returnees and IDPs through the provision of essential services to local communities and protecting them against natural disasters; source to support rural livelihoods through strengthened social cohesion.
Towards the end of 2021, CARE conducted a multi-sectoral need assessment, which confirmed the lack of access to health & food. The chronic conflict, lack of humanitarian assistance, poor outlook for the population and lack of available basic services, the assessment emphasized a strong need to meet the basic humanitarian needs for local people, IDPs and, returnees. In particular, health response, cash for work, food provision, and economic improvement / livelihoods initiatives were identified as priority assistance areas. Read More...
Towards the end of 2021, CARE conducted a multi-sectoral need assessment, which confirmed the lack of access to health & food. The chronic conflict, lack of humanitarian assistance, poor outlook for the population and lack of available basic services, the assessment emphasized a strong need to meet the basic humanitarian needs for local people, IDPs and, returnees. In particular, health response, cash for work, food provision, and economic improvement / livelihoods initiatives were identified as priority assistance areas. Read More...
The Impact of the Food Crisis on Women and Girls in Afghanistan
CARE conducted a study on how the food crisis in Afghanistan affects women and girls differently to better understand the gendered economic, cultural, and practical barriers to food security. This research highlights key findings on household food security, negative coping strategies women and families adopt, and shortcomings of humanitarian actors in gender-responsive aid delivery. The study is based on a comprehensive desk review of existing data since August 2021, a household survey comprising of 345 women respondents, completed in both urban and rural communities, a series of qualitative interviews with 18 women, 9 focus group discussions (FGDs) with men, and key informant interviews (KIIs) with food security specialists and humanitarian actors. The data was collected in urban and rural districts in 9 provinces in the north, west, south, and center of the country. Read More...
Drought Assessment Report – CARE Morocco
This report will study the overall situation in Morocco and the drought’s negative effects on agriculture, the economy, food security, etc., with gender lenses considering how different gender groups are affected differently on household and community levels. Additionally, the report will provide suggestions and information for the way forward at the local level and per gender group.
Key findings:
• Male community members in the rural areas who used to consider agriculture as their main income source decided to migrate to urban communities seeking temporary or permanent jobs.
• Women are the most affected during the drought season for several reasons:
▪ Women are primarily responsible for fetching water and with the drought, access to water is more challenging.
▪ When the male HHs members migrate to urban areas, female members step forward to take additional responsibilities on top of their existing daily tasks which put them in very overwhelming circumstances.
It is observed that over the past few years, farmers have progressively stopped using local seeds/seedlings/crops aiming for a higher yield using foreign inputs that showed low resilience to Moroccan climate and weather. Similarly, few profitable crops were cultivated in areas that suffer from water scarcity such as watermelon, avocado, and few other crops which led the government to intervene and restrict these crops in certain locations.
• It was reported that veterinary service expenses, which were already high, have increased even more due to inputs and fuel costs which pushed herders to reduce the frequency of veterinary
checks.
• Drought can have a significant impact on the macro economy, but through this study, it was confirmed that the most affected sector was the agricultural production and yields, and thus people’s livelihoods such as small farmers and rural workers with specific challenges women and girls were going through due to water and income shortage.
• water consumption was reduced despite the implications on the amount of yield they will harvest later but considering that irrigation expenses won’t be recovered by selling their crops later considering the high production cost and limited purchasing power. Read More...
Key findings:
• Male community members in the rural areas who used to consider agriculture as their main income source decided to migrate to urban communities seeking temporary or permanent jobs.
• Women are the most affected during the drought season for several reasons:
▪ Women are primarily responsible for fetching water and with the drought, access to water is more challenging.
▪ When the male HHs members migrate to urban areas, female members step forward to take additional responsibilities on top of their existing daily tasks which put them in very overwhelming circumstances.
It is observed that over the past few years, farmers have progressively stopped using local seeds/seedlings/crops aiming for a higher yield using foreign inputs that showed low resilience to Moroccan climate and weather. Similarly, few profitable crops were cultivated in areas that suffer from water scarcity such as watermelon, avocado, and few other crops which led the government to intervene and restrict these crops in certain locations.
• It was reported that veterinary service expenses, which were already high, have increased even more due to inputs and fuel costs which pushed herders to reduce the frequency of veterinary
checks.
• Drought can have a significant impact on the macro economy, but through this study, it was confirmed that the most affected sector was the agricultural production and yields, and thus people’s livelihoods such as small farmers and rural workers with specific challenges women and girls were going through due to water and income shortage.
• water consumption was reduced despite the implications on the amount of yield they will harvest later but considering that irrigation expenses won’t be recovered by selling their crops later considering the high production cost and limited purchasing power. Read More...