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CARE Rapid Gender Analysis on Power and Participation (RGA-P) Kassala Sudan
This Rapid Gender Analysis on Power and Participation (RGA-P) was carried out to understand women’s participation in both formal and informal structures, and the barriers to and opportunities for supporting women’s meaningful participation and leadership during the health and WASH protracted crisis in Kassala State. This RGA P was conducted in Kassala, a state in East Sudan, which borders Ethiopia and Eritrea and has a population of 2,8 million with a population of 1,271,780 below the age of 18. Annually, Kassala state is affected by natural crisis, floods, droughts and subsequent desertification, as well as man-made crisis. Refugees from Tigray and Eritrea settled in Kassala, making the state susceptible to higher rates of trafficking, smuggling and violence. Kassala state is one of the states with the country’s worst social indicators on malnutrition. Women and adolescent girls are exposed to high rates of female genital mutilation (FGM), high risk of kidnapping and high rates of child early marriage; with FGM and gender based violence (including FGM and early child marriange) all normalized within society. The prevalence of FGM in Kassala is at 40 % and children as young as six years are being engaged to be married.
As part of the RGAP, a training was conducted with staff and partner staff on Women Lead in Emergencies (WLiE). The training helped staff to appreciate the approach as well as the methodology. Following the training, a team of sixteen staff members (15 female and 1 male) participated in the primary data collection in three villages. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with groups of women and men. Key informant interviews (KIIs) were held with women leaders, community leaders, government officials as well as one of the agencies that has been implementing in the area. Secondary data collection was also done to triangulate and validate findings.
Women in the three villages visited have limited decision making power and voice, both within the home and in public spaces. Some of the barriers to participation cited by women included lack of education, harmful social norms and practices that limit women and girls’ mobility and participation in public, and limited access and control over resources.
In the three villages where this RGA P focused, Wad Eissa, Shalataib, and Wad Bau villages, findings indicated there are no women participating in the key local level governance structure, referred to as the Popular Committee. Men occupy all the leadership positions and where women’s names were included in the membership list, it was often tokenistic without the women’s own awareness of their role. Apart from the popular committee, there is a community level “father’s group” that supports education in Wad Bau, there were no other visible formal or informal decision-making structures.
Only one active women’s group was identified in Wad Elisa, but no other women’s groups or associations were identified in the rest of the three villages. The group in Wad Eisa had been formed as a result of interventions lead by a German NGO, Welthungerhilfe (WHH), in the area. The other villages had had limited interactions with outside organizations both national, international and even the government.
The entry points to enhancing women’s participation and leadership during the health and WASH protracted crisis in Kassala State can be through the engagement of the traditional and trained midwives, the female teachers, and the mothers’ groups. CARE under the health and nutrition project are looking to form mothers and fathers’ group. This will help bring women together and create safe spaces for women to work together. In the three villages, there are trained midwives, and in Wad Bau there are three female teachers. These women already have the respect and support of the women, and these women can conduct awareness sessions and facilitate discussions with groups of women, regarding their concerns and how they can come together and take the lead in addressing issues that affect them. As teachers are often from outside the village and stay only for a few months at a time, this can be an effective starting point for engaging women but a more sustainable approach will need to be considered as well. Through the father’s groups, men and boys can be engaged, to mitigate GBV risks, that could emerge, due to women’s participation in decision making regarding different community issues. According to one of the male leaders, men have been resistant of women participating in decision making platforms, and social norms are not open to women speaking in front of men.
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As part of the RGAP, a training was conducted with staff and partner staff on Women Lead in Emergencies (WLiE). The training helped staff to appreciate the approach as well as the methodology. Following the training, a team of sixteen staff members (15 female and 1 male) participated in the primary data collection in three villages. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with groups of women and men. Key informant interviews (KIIs) were held with women leaders, community leaders, government officials as well as one of the agencies that has been implementing in the area. Secondary data collection was also done to triangulate and validate findings.
Women in the three villages visited have limited decision making power and voice, both within the home and in public spaces. Some of the barriers to participation cited by women included lack of education, harmful social norms and practices that limit women and girls’ mobility and participation in public, and limited access and control over resources.
In the three villages where this RGA P focused, Wad Eissa, Shalataib, and Wad Bau villages, findings indicated there are no women participating in the key local level governance structure, referred to as the Popular Committee. Men occupy all the leadership positions and where women’s names were included in the membership list, it was often tokenistic without the women’s own awareness of their role. Apart from the popular committee, there is a community level “father’s group” that supports education in Wad Bau, there were no other visible formal or informal decision-making structures.
Only one active women’s group was identified in Wad Elisa, but no other women’s groups or associations were identified in the rest of the three villages. The group in Wad Eisa had been formed as a result of interventions lead by a German NGO, Welthungerhilfe (WHH), in the area. The other villages had had limited interactions with outside organizations both national, international and even the government.
The entry points to enhancing women’s participation and leadership during the health and WASH protracted crisis in Kassala State can be through the engagement of the traditional and trained midwives, the female teachers, and the mothers’ groups. CARE under the health and nutrition project are looking to form mothers and fathers’ group. This will help bring women together and create safe spaces for women to work together. In the three villages, there are trained midwives, and in Wad Bau there are three female teachers. These women already have the respect and support of the women, and these women can conduct awareness sessions and facilitate discussions with groups of women, regarding their concerns and how they can come together and take the lead in addressing issues that affect them. As teachers are often from outside the village and stay only for a few months at a time, this can be an effective starting point for engaging women but a more sustainable approach will need to be considered as well. Through the father’s groups, men and boys can be engaged, to mitigate GBV risks, that could emerge, due to women’s participation in decision making regarding different community issues. According to one of the male leaders, men have been resistant of women participating in decision making platforms, and social norms are not open to women speaking in front of men.
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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.
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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.
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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...