Gender Training Kit in West Africa

Foreword

The “Practical Gender Training Kit for community-based organizations” was prepared by the Regional Support Unit (RSU) of the SFLP with the collaboration of National Coordinating Units (NCUs), NGOs and fishing communities that participated in the 9 case studies in Benin, Ghana, Congo, Gambia and Saõ Tomé and Principe between December 2002 and January 2003.

Men and women are not affected by poverty in the same way in communities involved respectively in: fishing, livestock/agro-farming and livestock rearing, and forestry activities. It is therefore necessary to consider the inequalities between men and women in the implementation of development projects.

This manual provides information on the practical procedure to adopt in interpreting these inequalities between men and women, as well as the “inequalities existing between the different categories of poor”, and proposes concrete action to redress the situation.

The examples provided in this manual were extracted from the case studies conducted in fishing communities, but the procedures and use of the manual and tools are not limited to these communities.

In this kit, you will find:

- The practical training manual which is the main document, with 9 technical leaflets documenting the different stages of the procedure. The practical examples provided in these leaflets make them easy to understand;

- The tool box with 21 different tools to chose from;

- A repertory of tools where we share our experiences on the modalities for implementation as well as the traps to avoid;

- A list of abbreviations used in the text.

The Regional Support unit has fully exploited the experiences gained from the nine (9) case studies (in Benin, Ghana, Congo, Gambia, Niger and Saõ Tomé and Principe) mentioned in this manual, in the form of advise, accounts of real life experiences, and illustrations.

The proposed working tools selected in the manual were tested and chosen from among the gender analysis tools of other agencies. These tools were adopted and documented with examples of real life situations. We also share our observations and advise in the repertory of tools.

Who is this manual meant for?

This practical manual is destined for the staff of National Coordinating Units (NCU’s), NGO’s and Fisheries Department officers who would like to assist the most vulnerable groups in men and women’s organizations in fishing communities.

Introduction

The SFLP project formulation guide had already drawn the attention of the national Coordinating Units (NCU’s) and NGO’s providing support to fishing communities to the “need to take the inequalities existing between men and women into consideration in project implementation and activities”. This guide therefore provides practical details on the procedure to adopt and how to use the tools to interpret this recommendation in concrete terms.

What does the manual contain?

The manual makes a link between the inequalities existing between men and women, and the SFLP’s seven objectives, as well as to the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA). It addresses the different levels at which the livelihoods of men and women in fishing communities are affected: organizational level, community level, local level, regional level, sectoral level, national level and sub-regional level.

The manual presents four levels of analysis. The major level is the organizational level. This level focuses on household analysis, vulnerability context analysis, and finally a PIP impact analysis. The analysis at community organization level combines information at other level to end up with a unique organizational gender profile.

The organizational gender profile highlights the strengths and weaknesses of female, male and mixed organizations. The gender profile at household, vulnerability context and PIP level will thereafter show their respective limitations and opportunities.

The final destination of the analysis at four levels is at organizational level since organizations are the ones who need the gender analysis.

The manual is divided into 9 different stages implemented over and average period of 3 months.

-         Stage 1: Negotiate and define partnership arrangements

-         Stage 2: Collect the data required to conduct the gender profile exercise

-         Stage 3: Analyze and visualize gender inequalities

-         Stage 4: Give a feedback on the profiles and facilitate the analysis of gender inequalities

-         Stage 5: Define the gender strategy that has the best impact on reducing existing gaps.

-         Stage 6: Facilitate the elaboration of the action plan of each community organization

-         Stage 7: Facilitate the elaboration of a consolidated plan to strengthen the organizations

-         Stage 8: Formulate the community project to submit to the SFLP

-         Stage 9: Assess the organizational strengthening project

Request for a gender training kit (by email)

Download the case studies (pdf) :

· Burkina Faso

· Congo

· Mauritania