Gender Mainstreaming
- Gender and Development at the Rural Support Programmes Network
- Training in Gender Mainstreaming
- Gender Training of Trainers
- The Gender Resource Group
- Advocacy with RSPs for Gender Mainstreaming
- Research Study on Gender, Power-relations and Decentralisation in Pakistan
- Training of Trainers in Gender Sensitization: An Internal Evaluation
- Guidelines on Dimensions of Gender Equality in Emergency Settings
Gender and Development at the Rural Support Programmes Network
One of RSPN’s key roles is to promote gender equality in the Rural Support Programmes’ organisations and programmes. This is necessary because in rural Pakistan, more often than not, women’s strategic and practical needs and aspirations are not addressed. Many women are deprived of basic needs and entitlements as a result of patriarchal systems that exclude them from decision-making, asset-ownership and the ability to engage in activities outside their households. This exclusion often results in economic poverty, illiteracy, poverty of opportunity and lack of access to health care. When women are disempowered, their families and communities also suffer. When women are empowered through social mobilisation, awareness-raising, access to health, education, sanitation and livelihood opportunities, their families and communities also benefit. Including women in RSP programmes and projects also contributes to ensuring the success of those endeavours.
The RSPN Gender and Development Section provide expertise to sectors within RSPN and to the Network’s member RSPs. It also adds value to national policies and strategies for gender equity and women’s empowerment. The purpose is to create an enabling environment and to facilitate the RSPs in adopting effective methods of improving women’s livelihoods, empowerment and participation in life in their communities. The programme is structured around three areas: i) Trainings for gender sensitization and gender mainstreaming in programmes and projects ii) Gender-focused analysis of development projects and programmes and iii) The RSPs’ Gender Resource Group and advocacy activities for gender mainstreaming.
Training in Gender Sensitisation and Mainstreaming
Between 2001 and 2008 the number of women’s Community Organisations nearly trebled. The challenges for the RSPs were to ensure that the staff at all levels was able to understand existing gender disparities and to design and implement special programmes to address those constraints. These trainings ensure that the programme design and implementation remain responsive to women’s needs, and staff must be sensitive to see issues in the field through a gender lens.
In 2007 RSPN began to conduct gender mainstreaming workshops for the senior management and professional staff of the RSPs. Ten workshops was conducted, focusing on gender sensitisation and on ways and means of incorporating gender awareness into the RSP programmes. The workshops were facilitated by Ms Shazreh Hussain, a renowned Pakistani gender expert. These trainings were based on the same module.
Looking at the positive results, RSPN decided to expand the training through a Training of Trainers programme that would build a core group of RSP Gender Trainers who would conduct further training programmes in their organisations and act as in-house gender mentors and champions. The comprehensive Gender Trainer of Trainers (ToT) programme was developed by Ms Shazreh Hussain and the RSPN Gender and Development Section in 2008.
Gender Training of Trainers (GToT)
The first Gender ToT began in July 2008 with 14 participants from NRSP, PRSP, RSPN and SRSP and was completed in January 2009. In 2009 July, the second GToT started, with 14 more RSP staff members from AKRSP, NRSP, PRSP, TRDP and SRSO participating. Out of these, 10 trainers graduated and received certified. RSPN has prepared profiles of the ToT Graduates and has shared these with the RSPs in an effort to strengthen the roll-out plans and encourage the RSPs to utilise the skills of the trainers.
As a follow on from the Gender ToT, the RSPs have developed plans to roll out the gender mainstreaming workshops by using the Gender ToT graduates. The first batch of Gender ToT graduates has conducted gender mainstreaming workshops for more than 500 RSP professional staff and for Local Support Organisations’ office bearers by the end of 2009. In 2010, these trainers rolled out training to 500 more staff.
GToT-III (2011)
The RSPs now have a pool of gender trainers (of nearly 26) who can deliver high quality training within the RSPs and potentially in other forums as well. Some of the graduates have been hired by organisations other than the RSPs to conduct gender trainings. A few have joined other high-profile development organisations where their gender training skills will be utilized. These trainers have expertise in gender sensitization, and in gender and Islam. They are also skilled in ensuring gender mainstreaming in programmes, in holding dialogues with senior management and in analyzing planning documents. The training offers a range of benefits, with gender trainers (male and female) acquiring critical capacities, including the delivery of gender sensitization trainings, gender analysis of projects, and effective involvement in gender mainstreaming activities at the field level.
The Gender Training of Trainers (GToT), developed by Ms Shazreh Hussain, is an intensive capacity building programme that has two central objectives:
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Firstly, to provide participants with in-depth knowledge of gender and development, gender and Islam, and the skills required for gender analysis;
- Secondly, to provide participants with the knowledge and skills needed to deliver training programmes themselves.
GToT follows a highly developed written training manual, as well as tools and techniques for delivering and facilitating the entire process. The ToT members are mentored throughout the process and gradually take on full the responsibility of delivering the training. The RSPN Gender and Development Section, along with the Lead Facilitator, mentors the ToT participants throughout the training period. The graduates are enabled to deliver 2-3 day gender mainstreaming workshops to the RSP staff as well as to community members.
After the successful completion of two rounds of GToT, RSPN initiated the third round of Gender ToT. It was started from June to December 2011 with 9 participants. TRDP, SRSO, SRSP, NRSP and IRM participated in the six month long course. These participants will develop and share their rollout plan of gender workshops before certification.
STEPS & CONTENTS
In view of the demanding nature of gender training, GToT will require the participants' engagement in a four-step programme taking place over the period of six months:
Step 1: Capacity Building Workshop – GToT (10 days)
Step 2: Peer Gender Workshops (6 days)
Step 3: Actual Gender Workshop by Participants (2 days)
Step 4: Learning Workshop and Certification (4 days).
The participants who complete the steps and are judged to have met the required standards will then be certified. The main contents of the training are:
1. Basic Concepts of Gender,
2. Understanding Gender in Social and Religious Settings,
3. Gender and Development,
4. Acknowledging Gender Disparities,
5. Gender Mainstreaming in Programmes and Projects, and
6. Gender Analysis Tools
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Development workers, male and female, interested in working on gender issues.
TRAINING VENUE
The training will be held in Islamabad.
ADMISSIONS PROCEDURE
Please send your nominations before 20 June 2011 to Sadaf Dar (sdar@rspn.org.pk) Please fill the attached registration form and submit the training fee in the mentioned account.
The RSP Gender Resource Group (GRG)
In October 2008, RSPN and the RSPs established an RSP Gender Resource Group (GRG), which would serve as a think tank, and coordination and exchange mechanism for gender mainstreaming in the RSPs. GRG has now become an integral part of the ‘gender infrastructure’ at RSPN and the RSPs.
Its members include the RSPs' Gender Programme Managers, Gender Focal Persons, gender advocates and gender trainers. The GRG members have participated in various courses, including the Women's Leadership Programme (WLP) and the Gender Training of Trainers (ToT) Programme, and have evolved into an informed and active group working towards gender equality in the RSPs.
The GRG meets on a quarterly basis to share gender action plans and activities, implementation progress and challenges faced as well as the strategies employed in achieving the objectives.
GRG members are actively involved in the Gender ToTs and have also started to conduct gender analyses of RSPN and the RSP programmes. They are invited to the RSPN Board of Directors (BoD)'s meetings and the RSPs' Annual Strategy Retreats, enabling them to share their findings and experiences. The RSPN BoD is now much more directly informed of the challenges and opportunities for gender mainstreaming in the RSPs.
Click here for an overview of GRG and details of its efforts since 2008
Advocacy with RSPs for Gender Mainstreaming
Recognizing that no changes in programmes would take place without having the senior management on board, RSPN held two gender dialogues with the RSPs’ CEOs in December 2008 and March 2010. The subject was gender issues in Pakistan and more specifically how to mainstream gender in the planning and designing of RSPN and RSP projects and programmes. Both session was facilitated by Ms Shazreh Hussain, RSPN Gender Consultant, and resulted in commitments made and shared updates by the Chief Executives of the RSPs to strengthen gender mainstreaming and gender units at RSPs.
Research Study on Gender, Power-relations and Decentralisation in Pakistan
The RSPN Gender and Development Section implemented the Gender, Power Relations and Decentralisation in Pakistan research project funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) South Asia in 2006. The objective was to analyse the political decentralisation process initiated through the Local Government Ordinance (2001) and to assess its relevance to women councillors’ roles as public representatives.
The research addressed the issue of whether electoral ‘affirmative action’ in Pakistan had granted legitimacy to women as political actors, with voice, agency and the capacity to respond to the expressed needs of their constituents. The study was carried out in partnership with: the Young Sheedi Welfare Organisation (Sindh), the Aurat Foundation(Punjab), the Meirman Women Development Centre (NWFP), the Sardar Bahadur KhanWomen’s University (Balochistan) and the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (Northern Areas).
The research was based on 345 individual interviews, Focus Group Discussions, Council Meeting observations and a number of ‘Political Life Histories’. The findings indicated that in many cases, women councillors were proxies for men (e.g. relatives, spouses, Nazims, landholders and others); many women councillors were unable to function effectively because of the Nazims’ unwillingness to share power. Most respondents held ‘reserved’ seats on the Union Councils and, as such, were marginalised, rendered voiceless and deprived of agency by virtue of their gender and the fact that they held ‘quota’ seats on the least significant Councils. Many Councillors, however, were vibrant, active and politically aware. They are able to function well in meeting the needs of their constituents and building political capital. Notwithstanding the problems, the women Councillors felt that with their involvement a new beginning had been made, and they were determined to build upon the strength of women’ participation in the local government in the future.
The findings were presented at a national dissemination workshop held in July 2008 in Islamabad. Participants included public representatives, policy makers (including a member of the National Reconstruction Bureau), male and female Community Activists, researchers and academics. The sharing of the research findings resulted in useful comments and suggestions for the study’s finalisation and for policy makers.
Training of Trainers in Gender Sensitization: An Internal Evaluation
RSPN ran 2 Training of Trainers in Gender Sensitization (GToTs). The first GToT had 14 participants. These participants came from SRSP, NRSP and PRSP. In the second GToT, there were 14 participants. Out of the total 28 trainers who participated in the two GToTs, 24 completed the course.
An internal evaluation of the ToT in Gender (GToT) was conducted to document the ToT process and assess (i) strengths and weaknesses of the GToT process in building the capacity of the participants to deliver gender training, (ii) the contribution of graduates of GToT towards mainstreaming gender in the RSPs, (iii) the impact of GToT on the personal and professional development of the participants, (iv) the scope of the capacity building undertaken by the participants, (v) the contribution of trainers to mainstreaming gender in their organizations, and (vi) the recommendations for similar programmes in the future. A half-day focus group was conducted with 8 trainers belonging to the first and second batch of the 24 GToT graduates. Individual interviews were conducted with some of the trainers who could not take part in the focus group session due to time or resource constraints. Information on the number of men and women trained by each trainer was collected through questionnaires from 11 trainers.
The key findings of the evaluation were:
- Gender trainers shared that they had not only conducted training with the staff of the RSPs but had also been asked to conduct trainings with other organizations. Trainers were of the view that the content, methodology, conceptual framework, tools and the manual provided for the two-day workshop were excellent. The sequencing of workshop sessions was particularly powerful in building the case for gender justice. Almost all participants agreed that the sessions on Gender and Islam, if competently delivered, was the biggest strength of the workshop.
- The trainers were of the opinion that the follow up, feedback, experience sharing and networking built into the ToT process generated a commitment and a spirit of camaraderie that was quite unlike anything they had experienced in any other trainings. The six month duration of the ToT process was perceived to be a strength, as it provided multiple opportunities for reflecting and learning. Several participants agreed that the ToT process and their work on gender in the RSPs was subsequently greatly facilitated through the other RSPN activities for gender mainstreaming, such as WLP and CEO dialogues on gender.
- Trainers maintained that their conceptual understanding of gender and their confidence in delivering training were greatly enhanced. The skills they acquired were applicable and useful at work and in their personal lives. Trainers shared that the ToT had also led to changes in attitudes: men shared adopting gender-sensitive attitudes, influencing other men to be more gender sensitive and taking progressive actions with regard to women in their personal lives. Women reported more maturity and a shift in perspective from blaming men to understanding issues from men’s perspectives. Most reported a positive impact on their professional development through enhanced knowledge and skills as well as increased stature and recognition in the organization. Most trainers were of the view that they were able to use a "gender lens" in their work and incorporate a gender perspective in project proposals, implementation and evaluations that they were undertaking in the course of their work.
- There was overall consensus that the participants of the GToT enjoyed increased support for their gender training work, and respect in their organizations and among their colleagues as a result of the GToT. However, some participants also felt that some of their colleagues and managers remain dismissive of gender trainings in the rollout workshops.
- Several trainers reported a positive impact on participants in the rollout gender training workshops they conducted and shared anecdotal evidence in support of their claim. For example, workshops with 13 LSO managements ensured women participation in their executive bodies and the invocation of women as joint signatories. Participating LSOs also decided to form Gender Committees to review projects within the LSO.
Guidelines on Dimensions of Gender Equality in Emergency Settings
The goal of gender equality guidelines/framework is to “ensure centrality of gender equality in emergency settings through inclusive practices across policy, institutional and process domains of RSPs.”
The guidelines provide a set of actions from the gender equality perspective, aligned with organizational elements within the policy, institutional and process domains. Organizational elements refer to the overall emergency mission statement, principles, emergency sectors’ objectives, project development (need assessment, objectives, sector specific activities, beneficiaries, and performance assessment), learning and cooperation, women’s leadership and empowerment, awareness raising and planning and accountability. Specific actions are introduced as gender guidelines primarily drawing on the context specific field realities (shared by GRG) and the underlying principles of gender sensitivity in emergency situations. The guidelines do not assert any new principles, policies or actions. The document merely explicates existing gender components of the RSPs.
