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Rapid Gender Analysis: Gender, Conflict and Internal Displacement in and from South Lebanon

The overarching objective of this Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA) is to highlight the differential impacts of the growing insecurity at Lebanon’s southern border for men, women and other vulnerable populations such as migrant domestic workers, refugees, and those with diverse sexual identities. The specific objectives are to: (1) Unpack potential shifts in attitudes, behaviours, roles and responsibilities among men and women within the household and community that may enable or prevent more equitable participation in humanitarian program planning and response, especially among internally displaced populations; (2) Identify the gender-based constraints (including gender-based violence and mobility restrictions) that hinder equitable participation or access to humanitarian services/resources/programs; (3) Understand the direct and indirect impacts of the conflict on health, livelihood, shelter, safe access to essential services and resources, including solidarity networks; (4) Generate actionable recommendations for CARE and other humanitarian stakeholders to design and implement more inclusive, equitable and targeted program interventions around key priority areas.

Key Findings
• For domestic migrant workers, refugee and IDP and those identifying as LGBTQI+ mutual aid groups and seeking local solidarity networks are essential in securing essential services, creating advocacy channels and build social safety nets.
• Women in urban regions hold more influencing power over household decisions than those in rural areas.
•Female refugees/IDPs, domestic migrant workers and LGBTQI+ individuals reported barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health services as well as other essential health services.
•The psychological toll of the current violence is triggering overwhelming levels of stress, anxiety, and fear across the community, especially affecting children and those with memories of migration and conflict.
• Overcrowded shelters lack gender-sensitive considerations and amplify risks of GBV, particularly exploitation and harassment.
• Economic coping strategies from the long-standing economic crisis is taking a toll on livelihoods and the ability of households to save, leading women and other vulnerable groups to be exposed to disproportionate safety and protection risks. Read More...

Her Voice 2024

About this report
Increases in global conflict, the economic impact of COVID-19, market inflation, and the growing effects of climate change are compounding global crises. Those crises disproportionately affect the most vulnerable communities, especially women and girls. Addressing the unprecedented and overwhelming humanitarian crisis requires response and recovery efforts to listen to and address the needs of those affected the most, especially women and girls.

What are women telling us?
1. Crises are compounding: Women are reporting climate change, food insecurity, and conflict as the top three crises that drive impact on livelihood, food security, and safety.

2. Impact on livelihood and food security continue to be the top two reported impacts: 78% of women and 67% of men reported an impact on their livelihood. 74% of women and 72% of men reported an impact on food security. Women are more likely to eat less and sell their assets than men. Soaring food prices and inflation on essential commodities are significant factors that also affect access and availability of food.

3. Safety has overtaken mental health as one of the biggest impact areas: 47% of women and 62% of men reported an impact on their safety. In 2020 and 2021, mental health was the third prioritized impact area; in 2023, however, more women and men prioritized safety.

In the face of unimaginable and compounded crises and impacts, women still show leadership and take action to support their households and communities – 59% of women and 62% of men are trying to restore their livelihood. Women are also supporting to lead community response and are leading at the grassroots level, however, the space for their participation and leadership is shrinking.

The best way to understand what is happening to crises affected population is to listen to their voices and experiences and understand the support they need. This year, we asked women what we should recommend, and their top four asks are: livelihood recovery; addressing food insecurity; strengthening health services and addressing safety concerns.

This report represents 9,517 respondents (7,208 women) from twelve countries and provides quantitative and qualitative insights from countries that CARE conducted assessments in 2023. Read More...

Informe Final RISE Guatemala

El programa digital de RISE, se centra en contribuir a eliminar las barreras que generan desigualdades de género, promover el empoderamiento y el acceso a la información, formación, principalmente de las mujeres trabajadoras del sector textil/maquilas, así mismo el ejercicio de sus derechos laborales en el lugar de trabajo, el programa aporta en reforzar los conocimientos los trabajadores/as frente a diversas crisis, facilitando el conocimiento, acceso y uso de herramientas digitales.

El desarrollo de la experiencia fue en el marco de la colaboración entre RISE, Nordstrom, Ralph Lauren y Target, como un programa piloto en CA, particularmente en la industria de confección en Guatemala. La implementación de dicha experiencia fue aplicada en las industrias de confección; Daontex S.A, Plaza Trading, Shinwon, por un periodo de sies meses, utilizando la metodología de formador de formadores.

El principal objetivo del proyecto es fortalecer las habilidades y capacidades sobre salud, finanzas, género y derechos laborales de las y los trabajadores de tres industrias de confección (Daontex S.A, Plaza Trading, Shinwon), con énfasis en mujeres trabajadoras. Para lograr estos objetivos del Proyecto, se utilizó la siguiente estrategia:

- Contextualización de los contenidos de los módulos de RISE
- Elaboración y grabación de spots informativos sobre los módulos de RISE.
- Evaluación de Necesidades de las tres maquilas sujetas del proyecto
- Línea de Base inicial y final.
- Proceso de formación mediante la metodología de Formador de Formadores.
- Fortalecimiento de capacidades a 300 trabajadoras/trabajadores y 30 gerentes.
- Capacitaciones de actualización y seguimiento al proceso de formador a formadores
- Planes de seguimiento/sostenibilidad generada por las maquilas
- Reflexión y cierre del proceso en cada maquila que incluyó la presentación de resultados a Marcas y a nivel de las maquilas. Read More...

Strengthening the Economic Leadership of Rural Indigenous Women in Guatemala (Phase II)

One of CARE Guatemala's main objectives is to achieve women’s personal and economic empowerment, promoting gender equality and strengthening their access to new equitable opportunities for personal and comprehensive development through sustainable production systems, markets and inclusive and equitable public policies, which allow their participation and development as well as their families’.

Within the framework of its Food and Economic Justice for Women and Youth Program, CARE Guatemala implemented the "Strengthening the Economic Leadership of Rural Indigenous Women -Phase II" project, with funds from the Peierls Foundation, executing actions in eleven communities from the municipalities of San Lucas Tolimán and San Andrés Semetabaj, department of Sololá.

CARE Guatemala presents results from the January 1 - December 31 2023 period, in which the scope of this intervention is reported, including comprehensive actions promoting access to differentiated conditions in favor of women victims and survivors of gender-based violence and indigenous women with limited economic resources, considering that out of 161 participants, 83% are women who became aware of gender limitation conditions in their environment and later, based on their new conditions, promoted decision-making in the family and community sphere.

The project was executed combining different approaches allowing to improve living conditions of participants and their families, mainly incorporating training topics and work sessions related to i. Personal empowerment (self-esteem, leadership, autonomous decision-making); ii. Economic empowerment (economic initiatives and income generation); iii. Effective influence to comply with policies and programs in favor of women's rights, all of which contributed to improving the participants’ standard of living. The economic empowerment of women has been the main contributing factor for promoting gender equity and equality, allowing access to opportunities for comprehensive development, sustainable production systems, markets, and inclusive public policies which have promoted their participation and obtaining benefits for their economic development.

To contribute to income generation and for women’s economic autonomy, actions were carried out to establish productive units and/or value chains, which strengthened their operations, working logistics, learning digital marketing, the services they promote as a business and strengthening their organizational capabilities for economic activities. Actions implemented promoted through the example of participants, led other participating women from the communities to empower themselves personally, demanding the fulfillment of their rights and opportunities, preventing in this manner, gender-based violence in all its aspects. At the same time, the project worked with the Advocacy School application, which strengthened women's voice and leadership, based on virtual mechanisms adapted to the participants' free time. Read More...

Baseline Assessment KUNGAHARA: Resilient Systems for Food and Nutrition

KUNGAHARA is a collaborative initiative between CARE Austria, CARE International in Rwanda, and DUHARANIRE AMAJYAMBERE Y’ICYARO (DUHAMIC-ADRI). Funded by the European Union and co-funded by the Austrian Development Cooperation, KUNGAHARA will run from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2026. The project aims to strengthen resilient food systems and enhance nutrition security in Rwanda in the target districts of Gicumbi, Rulindo, and Gakenke.
CARE Rwanda commissioned a baseline assessment to provide a benchmark for measuring the project's impact and changes over time. The study utilized a mixed methods approach combining primary and secondary data. Secondary data entailed review of the project proposal, log frame and publications related to food security and nutrition in the target areas. Primary data was collected through quantitative and qualitative methods. A total of 463 respondents were interviewed through a quantitative survey and 9 focus groups conducted across Gakenke, Gicumbi, and Rulindo districts.
Summary of Findings
Key findings from the study are summarized below focusing on the baseline objectives:
Objective 1: This objective aimed to find out the consumption levels of diverse and nutrient rich foods by vulnerable households, in particular women and children, in Gicumbi, Rulindo and Gakenke districts.
To respond to this objective, the baseline assessed the Food Consumption Score (FCS) which considers not only dietary diversity and food frequency but also the relative nutritional importance of different food groups. The average Food Consumption Score across all categories was 15.2 which is below the acceptable score of between 35.5 and 112. The FCS was higher for male headed households (15.7) compared to female headed households (13.9) and the elderly (above 46 years) were found to be vulnerable with a score of 12.7. Gakenke and Rulindo districts recorded higher average scores of 18.1 and 17.8 compared to Gicumbi (9.6). The food consumption scores in the three districts fall below the national scores which show that 25% of Rwanda’s population has poor or borderline dietary diversity (Rockefeller Foundation report 20211) and confirm relevance of the Kungahara project. FCS scores were seen to be influenced by availability of foods, with those that were highly consumed being staples (cereals, grains, roots and tubers) whose main source was own production. Reliance on purchase as a source of food limited consumption of milk and other dairy products. Read More...

Hunga Tonga- Hunga Ha’apai Disaster Response Program End of Program Evaluation Evaluation Report

This Evaluation Report presents the end of program evaluation (the evaluation) of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai Disaster Response Program (the program), implemented in partnership by CARE Australia, MORDI TT and Talitha Project (the partnership). The evaluation was conducted between July- November 2023 by Iris Low and Leaine Robinson (Collaborate Consulting Pte. Ltd (CoLAB)); Katrina Fatiaki (Tapuaki Mei Langi Consultancy) and Dr. Rev. 'Ungatea Kata and Ofa Pakalani (Tupou Tertiary Institute). The evaluation focused on evaluating the merit and worth of the program implemented by the partners by identifying the achievements of the program, strengths of the partnership modality to build on, and lessons to inform and improve future humanitarian programming.

Based on what stakeholders define as high quality humanitarian response, the evaluation finds that majority of communities, staff, and stakeholders interviewed stated that the assistance provided by CARE, MORDI TT and Talitha Project represents a high-quality humanitarian response as it met affected communities immediate needs (water, agriculture, hygiene kits), reached those in the community who needed assistance the most, was led by local organisations who coordinated and worked with existing national processes and systems in Tonga and who will continue to remain engaged in communities post-disaster to support communities to recover.
Impact: What difference did the program make?
The program has made an impact and positive difference to affected communities in helping to address their immediate needs and quality of living and recovery in the aftermath of the volcano and tsunami disaster. The targeted assistance has contributed to communities improved access to clean drinking water and their knowledge and skills on how to maintain Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) infrastructure; enhanced food security in communities through more options for healthy eating from the community gardens, helping communities to recover quickly, and increased livelihoods for women who sell the surplus produce; motivated communities to work together so that they are better prepared for future disasters and supported different groups (women, young people, adolescent girls, elderly and persons with disabilities) in the community. The program reached 20,182 people (5,593 women; 4,524 girls; 5,149 men and 4,916 boys) across the affected areas of Tongatapu, ‘Eua and Ha’apai, with material and technical support to restore community rainwater collection systems, a significant impact in the aftermath of the disaster which left communities without access to clean drinking water. Read More...

Meta-Evaluation report on Social norms, performance and prediction of MMD/VSLA achievements in Niger

Niger has developed a legal and institutional framework to fight against discrimination based on gender, age, ethnic group and other factors by 2027. This strategy was developed in a context where all gender indicators are well below the sub-regional average. This strategy is complemented by the efforts of development partners, including CARE International in Niger. In its vision 2030, CARE International places gender equality at the center of its organizing principle. Promoting gender equality and social justice are political goals, which require speaking the truth to public and private actors and standing in solidarity with those who seek to challenge the status quo and the unjust distribution of rights, power and resources. Thus, since 1991, CARE has initiated in a co-learning approach through the MMD (Mata Masu Dubara) model for women empowerment and poverty reduction. Due to its widespread success, the approach became a gateway for most of CARE's and other development partners' activities and has expanded to other sectors of socio-economic development, politics and women's empowerment in Niger. Many studies and evaluations of the approach have been conducted and the results generated are diverse and rich in lessons learned. This report aims to document the rigorous effects/impacts of the MMD approach on the resilience of individuals, groups and institutions at all scales, while also identifying relevant areas where further field-level research is needed. The methodological approach is based first on a meta-evaluation of relevant documents and a complementary data collection using the outcome harvesting approach. Four major current themes were addressed. They are: women's voice and leadership, men's commitment to reducing gender inequality, climate justice, social and economic justice for women. Read More...

GENRE+ Phase II Project learning brief Strengthening climate resilience, social cohesion & gender equality in Ségou, Mali

The UK FCDO GENRE+ Phase II project is dedicated to promoting the equitable management of natural resources to enhance climate resilience, social cohesion, and peace in the Ségou Region of Mali. Launched in early 2023, the project spans 48 villages, with 24 selected for focused research on community behavior related to natural resource management (NRM) and the factors influencing these behaviors, particularly women’s participation.

In March 2024, over a year into the project, research was initiated to understand the impact of increased women's involvement in NRM decision-making. Key findings reveal improvements in climate adaptation strategies, including initiatives to reduce logging and soil erosion, alongside notable shifts in attitudes toward women’s roles in NRM. While many respondents acknowledge the importance of women’s participation in decision-making, challenges remain, including limited representation and social norms that hinder women's leadership opportunities.

This learning brief compiles the key findings from the research and provides recommendations for project adaptations as it enters its final year.

Page No: 8
Donor: UKaid Read More...

The True Cost of COVID-19 Vaccination Campaigns in South Sudan

By November 2023, South Sudan had received 7,076,570 doses and administered 5,101,991 doses of COVID-19 vaccine through various vaccination strategies to curb the detrimental effects of COVID-19. The country has fully vaccinated 5,033,836 individuals across 80 counties of 10 states and 3 administrative areas .
CARE got funding from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) through Crown Agents (prime recipient of UNICEF). CARE International South Sudan conducted both static and intensified National COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign (NCVC)/Integrated COVID-19 Vaccination and Preventive Therapy (ICVOPT) in 9 counties from 3 states and 2 administrative areas out of 80 counties in South Sudan. CARE implemented the NCVC in Jonglei State (Twic East, Bor South & Duk counties), Western Bahr El Ghazal State (Jur River and Wau counties), Unity State (Rubkona and Mayom counties), Greater Pibor Administrative Area (Pibor County and Boma sub-county), and Ruweng Administrative Area (Pariang county).
Read More...

Breaking the Cycle: Food Insecurity, Protection and Armed Conflict in Colombia

Conflict. Hunger. Protection risks. In Colombia, these three phenomena have been interconnected in a reinforcing cycle for decades. Efforts to address each component of this negative cycle are vital, but approaches are often disconnected, leading to short-term or incomplete solutions. As a result, communities struggle against growing odds to build resilience or stability.

Using participatory methods, a research team led by CARE, the World Food Programme (WFP), and InterAction interviewed 16 focus groups in 2 departments of Colombia to learn directly from diverse perspectives what threats, vulnerabilities, capacities, and risksi affected people faced. Though the negative cycle effect was widespread, differences between and within communities meant that often people experienced armed conflict, hunger, and protection risks in vastly different ways, indicating that one-size-fits-all solutions won’t be enough to bring lasting positive change.

Despite the differences in personal and communal experience of risk, two categories of variables emerged that defined how individuals were affected by conflict, hunger, and protection risks: context-specific conflict dynamics and institutionalized discrimination. Read More...

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