Gender Equality
Rwanda Influencing local government planning process to address GBV
strengthening demand- and supply side local governance processes to ensure that local decision-makers incorporate and implement measures for GBV prevention and response into the district level development planning process, which is known as imihigo in Rwanda. This programming experience has highlighted the importance of strengthening women’s and marginalized groups’ participation in the imihigo process and ensuring that district level performance contracts include budgetary allocations for GBV prevention and response activities.
Influencing the imihigo process must however be understood as a long-term advocacy objective. To date, CARE Rwanda’s programming interventions have contributed to changes in the attitudes of local leaders in terms of their understanding of GBV as a development issue and their responsibility for ensuring downwards accountability to their constituents.
The starting point for this influencing process was the implementation from 2010 to 2013 of the Great Lakes Advocacy Initiative across six districts in southern Rwanda. This project aimed to increase national and local leaders’ accountability for the implementation of national GBV policy, as well as building the capacity of women and men activists to receive cases of GBV and to provide referrals to appropriate services and to advocate for quality, affordable and available services in the community. GLAI and subsequent women’s empowerment programming interventions by CARE Rwanda (GEWEP and Umugore Arumvwa – ‘A Woman is Listened To’) which also focussed on GBV prevention and response, provided the foundation for CARE Rwanda to build an understanding of the socio-political context shaping the implementation of GBV legislation at the national and local level and to develop effective working relationships with key ministries such as MIGEPROF.
Implementation of GLAI also involved Read More...
Influencing the imihigo process must however be understood as a long-term advocacy objective. To date, CARE Rwanda’s programming interventions have contributed to changes in the attitudes of local leaders in terms of their understanding of GBV as a development issue and their responsibility for ensuring downwards accountability to their constituents.
The starting point for this influencing process was the implementation from 2010 to 2013 of the Great Lakes Advocacy Initiative across six districts in southern Rwanda. This project aimed to increase national and local leaders’ accountability for the implementation of national GBV policy, as well as building the capacity of women and men activists to receive cases of GBV and to provide referrals to appropriate services and to advocate for quality, affordable and available services in the community. GLAI and subsequent women’s empowerment programming interventions by CARE Rwanda (GEWEP and Umugore Arumvwa – ‘A Woman is Listened To’) which also focussed on GBV prevention and response, provided the foundation for CARE Rwanda to build an understanding of the socio-political context shaping the implementation of GBV legislation at the national and local level and to develop effective working relationships with key ministries such as MIGEPROF.
Implementation of GLAI also involved Read More...
Making Advocacy Count: GBV Advocacy in Rwanda
Over the past 9 years CARE Rwanda has implemented a series of programming interventions designed to promote women’s empowerment and to address Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Rwanda. Learning from these programmes informed the development of a holistic approach for community based GBV prevention, which is now being scaled up by the Government of Rwanda’s Ministry for Gender Equality and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF) with the intention of reaching national coverage within the next 3-4 years. Read More...
Women’s Economic Empowerment through Gender Transformative Approaches – Evidence from CARE’s Experience in Middle East & North Africa
CARE defines women’s economic empowerment (WEE) as the process by which women increase their right to economic resources and the power to make decisions that benefit themselves, their families and their communities. Our Theory of Change (as discussed in CARE’s WEE Strategy Document) outlines three conditions necessary for genuine and sustainable economic empowerment for women: increased capabilities, decision-making power and an enabling environment. An integrated approach across all three conditions is required to achieve genuine and sustainable change. Increasing individual women’s capabilities can lead to temporary increases in their economic opportunities and income. However, women’s economic empowerment can only be achieved through also transforming unequal power relations and discriminatory structures.
This Learning Brief is created to provide practical learning and present existing tools applied by CARE Country Offices (COs) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to encourage a more gender transformative approach to WEE and livelihood programming. This is highly relevant for practicioners from the whole sector working on economic empowerment and livelihood porgramming in fragile settings anywhere in the world. This document can aid a better understanding of gender transformative concepts by livelihood staff, as well as better understanding of the principles of sound economic empowerment by gender staff. This Learning Brief contains many practical insights and allows practicioners to understand how theory and frameworks can have an impact on the actual programming and results on the ground. The Hub encourages teams and practicioners to use this Brief, and the different overviews and examples provided, to reflect on their own work on gender integration, and take steps to move beyond gender responsive programming towards a truly transformative approach for our impact groups.
Learning insights incorporated in the document are based on the learning accumulated by CARE MENA Country Offices (COs) in the last five years under our women’s economic empowerment/livelihood programming. It focuses on two main components of WEE gender transformative programming: economic advancement and gender equality, along with approaches related to engaging men and boys. The evidence of these lessons learned is based on: 1) revision of documentation of more than 12 long term and short term WEE/livelihood programs implemented by CARE in Jordan, Syria, Egypt, West Bank & Gaza, Caucasus and the Balkans, 2) interviews with key informants including gender champions from these COs along with other global CARE gender experts who collectively searched for answers to questions in the themes of gender transformative approaches in WEE programming. Read More...
This Learning Brief is created to provide practical learning and present existing tools applied by CARE Country Offices (COs) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to encourage a more gender transformative approach to WEE and livelihood programming. This is highly relevant for practicioners from the whole sector working on economic empowerment and livelihood porgramming in fragile settings anywhere in the world. This document can aid a better understanding of gender transformative concepts by livelihood staff, as well as better understanding of the principles of sound economic empowerment by gender staff. This Learning Brief contains many practical insights and allows practicioners to understand how theory and frameworks can have an impact on the actual programming and results on the ground. The Hub encourages teams and practicioners to use this Brief, and the different overviews and examples provided, to reflect on their own work on gender integration, and take steps to move beyond gender responsive programming towards a truly transformative approach for our impact groups.
Learning insights incorporated in the document are based on the learning accumulated by CARE MENA Country Offices (COs) in the last five years under our women’s economic empowerment/livelihood programming. It focuses on two main components of WEE gender transformative programming: economic advancement and gender equality, along with approaches related to engaging men and boys. The evidence of these lessons learned is based on: 1) revision of documentation of more than 12 long term and short term WEE/livelihood programs implemented by CARE in Jordan, Syria, Egypt, West Bank & Gaza, Caucasus and the Balkans, 2) interviews with key informants including gender champions from these COs along with other global CARE gender experts who collectively searched for answers to questions in the themes of gender transformative approaches in WEE programming. Read More...
Enhancing holistic emergency GBV prevention, response and mitigation intervention in conflict affected communities in South Sudan
This report provides an independent evaluation of the project on Enhancing Holistic Emergency GBV Prevention, Response and Mitigation Interventions in Conflict Affected Communities of South Sudan. A UNICEF supported Gender and Protection Project in Twic East and Duk Counties of Jonglie State. The overall objective of the project was to ensure that vulnerable women and girls have increased access to life saving multi-sectoral GBV response and prevention services. The project was implemented by Care in South Sudan with funding from UNICEF. This was an emergency response project with a specific focus on GBV case management and psychosocial support. The project had a survivors’ centered approach as an integral part of the response to GBV incidents. The gender progress assessment focused on the effectiveness including Knowledge Attitudes and Practices (KAP) towards GBV, efficiency, the potential impact and sustainability and lessons learnt from the GBV and protection program in Jonglei.
The evaluation used both quantitative and qualitative methods. The primary data collection methods included: (i) Questionnaire administered to 150 households in Panyogor, Kongor Nyuak, Pakeer in Twic East and Ageer in Duk. (ii) Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with key stakeholders such as: the Department Relief and Rehabilitation commissioner, health, justice, protection, women leaders and Care Staff. (iii) Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted with project beneficiaries (women, men, boys and girls). FGDs with 12 participants each were conducted in each of the five sites - two FGDs for girls, two for women, one for boys and also for men; (iv) relevant documents were reviewed for triangulation purposes. In total, 531 respondents participated in the GBV assessment including 21 key informants, 360 FGD participants and 150 household heads. Read More...
The evaluation used both quantitative and qualitative methods. The primary data collection methods included: (i) Questionnaire administered to 150 households in Panyogor, Kongor Nyuak, Pakeer in Twic East and Ageer in Duk. (ii) Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with key stakeholders such as: the Department Relief and Rehabilitation commissioner, health, justice, protection, women leaders and Care Staff. (iii) Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted with project beneficiaries (women, men, boys and girls). FGDs with 12 participants each were conducted in each of the five sites - two FGDs for girls, two for women, one for boys and also for men; (iv) relevant documents were reviewed for triangulation purposes. In total, 531 respondents participated in the GBV assessment including 21 key informants, 360 FGD participants and 150 household heads. Read More...
Baseline Study of the Title II Development Food Assistance Program in Haiti
In fiscal year 2013, the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Office of Food for Peace (FFP) awarded funding to CARE International and its partners, Action Contre La Faim International (ACF) and the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP), to implement a Title II development food assistance program in Haiti.1 The four-year Kore Lavi Program directly supports the Government of Haiti’s (GOH) social protection efforts. The overall objective of the program is to reduce food insecurity and vulnerability by supporting the GOH in establishing a replicable safety net system and expanding capacities for preventing child undernutrition.
KEY FINDINGS.
The Title II program area residents face challenges in all four pillars of food security: (1) availability of food, (2) access to food, (3) utilization of food and (4) stability.
Survey results indicate that 57.5 percent of households suffer from moderate hunger and 13.5 percent of households suffer from severe hunger.
An HDDS of 6.2 indicates that households in the Kore Lavi Program area typically can access and consume 6 of 12 basic food groups. Qualitative data indicate that food consumption is pragmatic at the household level. Individual families eat what is available, what they can grow or what they can afford to purchase. Despite these challenges, many respondents spoke ardently to beliefs about the cultural significance of certain foods, while also holding strong opinions on imported food in comparison to locally produced food.
The household survey data show that 69 percent of all households have an adequate level of food consumption, 22 percent score at the borderline level, and 9 percent score at the poor level.
Across the Kore Lavi Program area, 43.6 percent of households currently live in extreme poverty (less than the international poverty line of USD$1.25 at 2005 prices), with average daily per capita expenditures of constant USD$ 2.10.
The household survey data show that 40 percent of households use an improved drinking water source and 16 percent of households use a non-shared improved sanitation facility.
As measured by body mass index (BMI), the nutritional status of women 15-49 years of age who are not pregnant or two months post-partum is generally satisfactory despite a lack of dietary diversity.
The survey data reveal that 8 percent of children under five years of age in the Kore Lavi Program area show signs of being moderately or severely underweight, and 19 percent of children under five years of age are stunted.
Across the qualitative data, views about gender equality tended to be polarized, rooted historically and in tradition. Read More...
KEY FINDINGS.
The Title II program area residents face challenges in all four pillars of food security: (1) availability of food, (2) access to food, (3) utilization of food and (4) stability.
Survey results indicate that 57.5 percent of households suffer from moderate hunger and 13.5 percent of households suffer from severe hunger.
An HDDS of 6.2 indicates that households in the Kore Lavi Program area typically can access and consume 6 of 12 basic food groups. Qualitative data indicate that food consumption is pragmatic at the household level. Individual families eat what is available, what they can grow or what they can afford to purchase. Despite these challenges, many respondents spoke ardently to beliefs about the cultural significance of certain foods, while also holding strong opinions on imported food in comparison to locally produced food.
The household survey data show that 69 percent of all households have an adequate level of food consumption, 22 percent score at the borderline level, and 9 percent score at the poor level.
Across the Kore Lavi Program area, 43.6 percent of households currently live in extreme poverty (less than the international poverty line of USD$1.25 at 2005 prices), with average daily per capita expenditures of constant USD$ 2.10.
The household survey data show that 40 percent of households use an improved drinking water source and 16 percent of households use a non-shared improved sanitation facility.
As measured by body mass index (BMI), the nutritional status of women 15-49 years of age who are not pregnant or two months post-partum is generally satisfactory despite a lack of dietary diversity.
The survey data reveal that 8 percent of children under five years of age in the Kore Lavi Program area show signs of being moderately or severely underweight, and 19 percent of children under five years of age are stunted.
Across the qualitative data, views about gender equality tended to be polarized, rooted historically and in tradition. Read More...
Indashyikirwa programme to reduce intimate partner violence in Rwanda: Report of findings from a cluster randomized control trial
Intimate partner violence (IPV), which includes physical and sexual violence, economic abuse and emotional aggression within intimate relationships, is the most common form of violence against women globally. IPV can lead to a wide range of negative health consequences including depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, post-traumatic stress disorder, drug and alcohol abuse, serious injuries, and death. The Indashyikirwa programme in Rwanda sought to reduce experience of IPV among women and perpetration of IPV among men, and also to shift beliefs and social norms that sustain IPV in communities and couples. The programme also strove to support equitable, non-violent relationships, and ensure more supportive and empowering responses to survivors of IPV seeking assistance. The impact evaluation of Indashyikirwa assessed whether and how the programme met these objectives and sought to inform the global best practices in IPV prevention by generating evidence through a rigorous community randomized controlled trial (cRCT).
The quantitative impact evaluation of Indashykirwa took the form of a cRCT with randomization at sector level and two separate evaluation components: (1) a cohort of control and intervention couples interviewed at baseline, 12 months, and 24 months, and (2) a pair of cross-sectional community surveys with control and intervention communities implemented at the beginning of the programme and 24 months later. This quantitative impact evaluation was accompanied by in-depth process evaluation and qualitative research with beneficiaries and programme staff. Read More...
The quantitative impact evaluation of Indashykirwa took the form of a cRCT with randomization at sector level and two separate evaluation components: (1) a cohort of control and intervention couples interviewed at baseline, 12 months, and 24 months, and (2) a pair of cross-sectional community surveys with control and intervention communities implemented at the beginning of the programme and 24 months later. This quantitative impact evaluation was accompanied by in-depth process evaluation and qualitative research with beneficiaries and programme staff. Read More...
WASH Support to IDPs & host communities in Duhlok and Ninawa, Iraq (2017-2019)
CARE’s GAC funded WASH project started in January 2017 providing critical water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services to improve overall WASH services for women, men, boys and girls and reduce tensions between the host community and IDPs in the areas of 4 IDP camps (Mamrashan, Essyan, Sheikhan, and Chamishko), and host community collectives (Ardawan, Ba’adre, Kalakchi, Mahate and Ayas) of Duhok Governorate. The project also had an emergency response component in November 2017 in three neighbourhoods of West Mosul (Al-Mansour, Al-Jawsaq and Wadi Al-Hajar). The project is implemented through two local partners Harikar and REACH. Working through partners is a key modality of CARE’s country strategy to strengthen the capacity of local NGOs. This approach has had a significant impact in achieving the GAC aim of supporting vulnerable and conflict-affected people living in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The ongoing WASH intervention aims to provide 55,572 (27,318 women & 28,434 men)2 IDPs and members of host communities with access to water supply, safe sanitary facilities and increased awareness on safe hygiene practices in a dignified, gender-sensitive and culturally appropriate manner.
The midterm project evaluation aims to assess the relevance, performance, and progress on targets within the project. It looks at signs of potential impact of project activities on men, women, girls and boys identified as vulnerable and the sustainability of results, including the contribution to capacity development. The evaluation also identifies, and documents lessons learnt and makes recommendations for CARE Iraq and project partners to improve the implementation of the final year of the GAC project as well and strengthen the design of future related projects. Read More...
The midterm project evaluation aims to assess the relevance, performance, and progress on targets within the project. It looks at signs of potential impact of project activities on men, women, girls and boys identified as vulnerable and the sustainability of results, including the contribution to capacity development. The evaluation also identifies, and documents lessons learnt and makes recommendations for CARE Iraq and project partners to improve the implementation of the final year of the GAC project as well and strengthen the design of future related projects. Read More...
Are there gendered impacts to multi-purpose cash transfers intended to build resilience?
STARTING IN 2017 CARE YEMEN, in partnership with Action Contre la Faim (ACF), implemented a European Union (EU) consortium-funded resilience program in Abyan and Amran governorates. The project used a “Cash Plus” approach, combining ten monthly multi-purpose cash (MPC) transfers with the rehabilitation of vital community assets and livelihoods skills support. The program focused on previously underserved areas to enhance food and nutrition security, promote livelihood recovery and resilience of vulnerable
households, and stimulate local markets. Both interventions were deliberately integrated to enhance resilience building at the household and community levels.
See full evaluation here: http://careevaluations.org/evaluation/the-gendered-dimension-of-multi-purpose-cash-supporting-disaster-resilience/ Read More...
households, and stimulate local markets. Both interventions were deliberately integrated to enhance resilience building at the household and community levels.
See full evaluation here: http://careevaluations.org/evaluation/the-gendered-dimension-of-multi-purpose-cash-supporting-disaster-resilience/ Read More...