| Women Empowerment
Practices
Introduction
Women constitute one half of the world's population and a visible
majority of the poor. Women either solely or largely support an
increasing number of families. Projects aiming to improve the living
conditions of the poor cannot, therefore, be effective unless women
participate in their formulation and implementation, as contributors
as well as beneficiaries.
Although women are the main providers of basic services in poor
settlements, their key role remains largely unrecognised. They are
subject to special constraints in obtaining adequate housing and
in participating in human settlement development efforts at all
levels. Equitable distribution of development benefits is a fundamental
principle, hence the need to remove these constraints.
The following briefs portray the importance of enhancing women's
involvement at all levels of management, including policy-making
and decision-making, focusing mainly on the implementation of the
Habitat Agenda and Agenda 21 since Habitat II, with emphasis being
given to the two main Habitat Agenda themes, "adequate shelter
for all" and "sustainable human settlements development
in an urbanising world".
The following important conclusions are drawn from the briefs:
• To empower women is to increase their control over the decisions
that affect their lives both within and outside the household;
• Women should be encouraged to bring their vision and leadership,
knowledge and skills, views and aspirations into the development
agenda from the grassroots to international levels;
• Women should be assisted in conflict situations and their
participation in peace processes supported;
• Emphasis should be given to advocacy of gender responsive
legislation and constitutional revisions to increase women's opportunities
to influence the direction of society and to remove obstacles to
women's access to power;
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Briefs
Water Provision in Malawi
In Malawi, a national programme to provide piped water to peri-urban
communities was not meeting the needs of most families. The male-dominated
water tap committees (80-90% of members were men) were not performing
satisfactorily, mainly because the majority of the men were absent
from the neighbourhoods during most of the day. Lack of participatory
decision making involving women during the planning phase resulted
in poor location, inconvenient design and subsequent wrong use of
the water points. A training programme for women was introduced
and succeeded in raising the percentage of women in tap committees
from 20% to over 90%. Women gained self-confidence and became effective
managers of the communal water points, including their operation
and the maintenance.
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Union de Vecinos, Los Angeles, USA
When the City of Los Angeles threatened to demolish their homes
in 1996, women from two of the poorest housing estates in Los Angeles
organized Union de Vecinos. Union de Vecinos is both a tool and
a place of transformation. It encourages and supports those women
who are mobilizing their neighbors to take control of their livelihoods,
and it offers them a space to tell their stories. As mothers, wives
and workers, they have created a place where they can educate each
other, build social and economic alternatives, become empowered
to combat threats to their communities.
In its four years of existence, Union de Vecinos has been successful
in expanding its impact to four other housing projects. It has trained
12 residents as community organizers. It is producing a bi-lingual
newsletter for its Black and Latino constituency. It has given a
voice to poor, immigrant women. And, most importantly, it has succeeded
in imposing a moratorium on the demolition of low-income housing
in Los Angeles.
Principal achievements:
- the initiative gave an effective voice to low-income immigrant
women and encouraged them to take control of their own housing and
neighborhoods;
- the initiative promotes social inclusion and the empowerment
of poor women and their families, affording them leadership roles
in a country of adoption;
- an array of local, national and international partnerships have
been established further strengthening the sustainability of the
Union?s activities;
- the initiative provides as well as an instrument for other low-income
neighborhoods in other inner cities and in other countries where
public authorities adopt demolition of housing estates as a quick
and dirty fix to underlying problems of social exclusion and poverty;
- the initiative resulted in a change of policy of the city of
Los Angeles
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Frauen-Werk-Stadt - A Housing Project by and for Women
in Vienna, Austria
In the tradition of European urban development it was almost exclusively
men who designed and constructed cities be they planners, architects,
building owners and contractors. In this way, the everyday experience
of working men was almost invariably the only source of expression
in the design and structure of cities.
Women make up 52% of the Viennese population, yet up to now their
role in everyday life was largely ignored. The housing project "Frauen-Werk-Stadt",
started in 1993, is a first step to implement the everyday experience
and requirements of women in the development of the city. In this
regard a section of the city is being designed exclusively by women
architects and planners as part of the urban expansion programme
in Vienna.
Special attention was given to the flat layouts and space allocation
for individual rooms. The intention is to have a number of even
sized rooms, which do not force tenants to adopt pre-determined
space utilisation. 359 housing units were constructed in in form
of subsidized, multi-storey development. The housing project has
several infrastructural facilitiesincluding a kindergarten and a
day-care nursery, a doctor's office, a communication center, a police
station and 600 sq. m for shops.
An increasing number of female experts are constantly being invited
to attend urban planning evaluations and several have been able
to prove there competencies. Before the inception of the "Frauen-Werk-Stadt",
only a handful women took part in such evaluations.
Contact person: Eva Kail
E-mail: kae-d02@mbd.magwien.gv.at
Fax: +43/1/4000-99-82661
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Mother Centre International Network / AG International,
Germany
The Mother Centres International Network is the result of a grassroots
women's movement that started in Germany as a consequence of a research
project at the German Youth Institute in Munich. Following the economic
transition and war that was occuring in many countries in Central
and Eastern Europe, the role of civil society has been systematically
dismantled and family and neighbourhood networks destroyed. Unemployment,
war trauma and unprecedented poverty often led to disorientation
and retreat into depression and apathy.
Mother centres were created to address the needs of women and children
and recreate family and neighbourhood structures in the community
where modernisation in the West and totalitarian systems and war
in the East have destroyed them. They empower mothers and create
new channels for female participation and leadership in communities
and local governance. They are an innovative model on how to strengthen
civil society and democracy by revitalising neighbourhoods and community
culture. They are melting pots in the community for women of diverse
class and ethnic backgrounds to meet and join forces to deal with
everyday life issues, to create community services and to rechannel
resources to the grassroots level. Mother centres are consulted
regularly by municipal agencies as well as by local, regional and
national governments. They advocate on gender and family issues
and have had impact on national legislation and urban planning .
The first three model Mother Centres were funded by the German
Government Department for Family Affairs. Following the transition
in Central and Eastern Europe Mother Centres were created from the
bottom up as self help initiatives in the Czech and Slovac Republics,
in Bulgaria, Russia, Georgia and Bosnia Herzegovina. There are now
some 700-mother centres world wide, including Africa and North America.
The centres operate as a switchboard for information, skills, support
and resources for every day life and survival issues. Depending
on their size and how long they have been working, mother centres
reach between 50 and 500 families in their neighbourhood and have
proven to be successful with training and job re-entry programmes
as well as creating new businesses and income generating opportunities.
This practice demonstrates the importance of gender issues for
the Habitat Agenda and that gender concerns are conditional elements
in the strengthening of communities and neighbourhoods that in turn
is necessary in improving the quality of the living environment.
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Women's Community Environmental Report Cards, Netherlands
By way of the Women's Community environmental report cards women
are being encouraged to review their living environment and exert
influence in promoting a sustainable development. Based on the international
format of the Environmental Report Cards, a Dutch questionnaire
was developed.
This project makes women more conscious of their role as consumers
and citizens. Women's organizations gain experience in formulating
women's interests and in getting public support for them. Policy-makers
learn to take women's interests into consideration. During the experimental
year 1995 twenty local groups in four Dutch provinces were involved,
supported by local organizations and the National Steering Group.
The number has since grown and environmental report cards currently
serve as a barometer in assessing the effect of various multi-sectoral
management and remedial actions.
Contact: Institute for Public and Politics (IPP)
Tel: 020-4201144
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Social and Financial Empowerment of Poor Women in Chennai,
India
Chennai (formerly Madras) is the capital of the Indian state of
Tamil Nadu. A coastal metropolis, Chennai has a population of 4.2
million people (sex ratio of 951 females to 1,000 males ) and an
area 174 square kilometres. In 1977, floods and other natural disasters
had terrible effects on the poorest of the Chennai, especially women.
The Working Women Forum (WWF) an NGO was founded in 1978 to respond
to needs of heavily indebted women, whose labor was cheap and disposable
as they were not organized. Low cost and accessible credit was identified
for effective relief from poverty, hunger, indebtedness and strengthening
their productive role.
Initially, WWF acted as an intermediary between national banks
and its members to facilitate their access to credit. Frustrated
with the formal banking system which did not address their needs,
2500 members of WWF, with the help of external donors, created the
Working Women?s Cooperative Society (WWCS) in 1981. The most important
challenge was to identify and train a cadre of catalysts within
each neighborhood. It was also difficult to convince men that the
program should focus only on women. By 1982-83, however, group leaders
managed to take control and the program rapidly grew into a mass
socio-economic movement. As it evolved into an emancipation movement
for poor women with various partners joining the initiative including
the Government of India and UNFPA. Out of an initial seed capital
of Rs. 50,000, WWF has grown into the largest credit cooperative
network with a recovery rate of 97% and a cumulative disbursement
of 396 million Rupees. (Equivalent of US$ 8.8 million).
Many members have moved from trading and vending occupations to
skilled and manufacturing business. 76 percent have been relieved
from their indebtedness, 92 per cent are now able to afford two
meals a day while 80 per cent have improved their housing. By raising
awareness on health issues WWF has also created a voice and a demand
for improved delivery of health services. WWF/ICNW (Credit institution
of WWF) is 80% operationally self-sufficient and 75% financially
self-sufficient.
Contact person: Dr. Jaya Arunachalam
Fax: 91-44-4992853
E-mail: wwforum@md2.vsnl.net.in
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Women?s Empowerment Program, Nepal
Seventy percent of Nepali families are below poverty line. Male
dominated cultural traditions discourage female education, restrict
their legal rights and participation in decision-making, and permit
women little control over their lives. Females are often malnourished
or in poor health. Only 20% of them are literate. Women?s Empowerment
Program (WEP) initiated in 1998 was founded on the principle that
dependency is not empowering. It works to empower women through
an innovative program integrating literacy, micro-finance and micro-enterprise
training and an understanding of legal rights and advocacy.
WEP however offers no seed money, matching grants or subsidised
interest rates. Women must own the program by creating their own
group policies, paying fees, buying books, providing facilities
and supplies, and finding literacy volunteers. WEP assumes that
the poor will pay for the services they need. It requires all members
to be literate, understand the banking process and know how to form
and operate a business. As a result, women in-kind contributions
are estimated at $260,000 so far. 240 NGOs work as partners for
implementation. WEP also encourages financial independence and for
every ten WEP group they work with, the NGO receives less than $5
for administration. As a result, in-kind contributions from supporting
NGOs are estimated at $100,000 to date. The program uses an approach
based on Appreciative Planning and Action (APA) that was developed
in Nepal and encourages women to build on their strengths and has
been key to overcoming obstacles. This approach teaches an organization
to learn and implement a major program in a transparent and accountable
manner, to adopt low-cost methods to promote literacy and economic
participation in order to reduce dependence on external funding:
In summary, the program instils a sense of self-reliance.
Overall, the program shows that women can teach themselves the
skills they need to improve their lives, to save money and start
small businesses. Programs based on this model can engage millions
of women everywhere at costs they can afford. The no handout policy
inspires motivation, pride and commitment in a program integrating
literacy, economic and legal components. Simplified books developed
by partner NGOs enable newly literate women to teach each other
basic skills. Within a few months they start putting them to use
in ways to ensure skill retention. The Program reaches 123,000 women
in nearly 7,000 economic groups in Southern Nepal.
Dr. Marcia L. Odell, Pact/Nepal, Country Representative
Tel: 977.1.429483 or 437996
Fax: 977.1.415613
Email: modell@pactnepal.org.np
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Integrating a Gender Perspective into Public Transit, Montreal,
CANADA
The city of Montreal's population is a little above 1 million,
the population of the island of Montreal is about 1.8 million and
the population in the greater Montreal region is around 3.3 million.
Fear of violence reduces night use of public transportation by women.
Yet, a simple change of practice can drastically improve their mobility
- "Between Two Stops" service, which allows women to get
off the bus, at night, at a location closer to their destination.
Since 1992, the Comité d?Action Femmes et Securité
Urbaine (CAFSU) has been actively promoting ways to increase women?s
sense of security in and access to the urban environment. Because
women are the principal users of public transportation, this program
generates an increase in ridership as well as more security for
all other users. Partnership of CAFSU with public authorities was
key to the project?s success. Beyond allowing for increased mobility,
"Between Two Stops" service also confirmed that local
authorities can make concrete contributions to support women toward
autonomy and equality, when they recognize women as the main recipients
of their services. The project stated in 1996 and has since been
replicated in the Montreal, Toronto and Laval municipalities across
Canada.
The programme managed to establish strategic partnerships between
local authorities, women?s organisations and girls and women utilising
public transportation. Success was achieved by recognising the specific
needs of women in the overall allocation of public resources and
creating a low-cost strategic policy that transformed the economic
and social lives of women. The service is also the subject of growing
interest in other Quebec municipalities. The networks of women's
groups involved in local and regional development help to publicise
the service as well. On an international scale, the service is also
being promoted through the "Women in City" programme as
part of its international activities. It also serves as an example
of a successful strategic partnership between women's groups and
local authorities, particularly in the context of the United Nations'
Habitat agenda implementation process.
Anne Michaud
Tel: 514-396-3521
Fax: 514-280-3230
Email: cafsu@qc.aira.com
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Community Recycling of Domestic Waste by Women, Dakar,
Senegal
The Set-Setal settlement in Dakar, Senegal, has a population of
45,000. Before the initiative began, the Municipal services could
only collect 35% of the 263 cubic metres of waste produced per day,
while 51% of households had no toilet facilities and 76% had no
convenient systems to process used waste-water which was consequently
poured onto the streets. Unemployment rate for men was 28.6% and
24.1% for women. The settlement had a prevalence of infectious diseases
such as typhoid and malaria. Women in the community embarked on
a waste management programme.
The results of their efforts include:
- a regular collection of the waste, and eradication of anarchic
dumps thus improving the sanitary and health status of the beneficiaries;
- generation of income from supplementary activities like waste
collection, sale of compost, vegetables and recycled plastic objects;
- covering the recurrent costs with the financial contribution
of the member households. Additional financial sources include a
well managed revolving funds scheme, saving banks and credit totally
managed by women leading to better co-ordination amongst the different
parties and a greater trust in women from the quarters. The projects
translated into municipal savings as the latter did not incur any
expenses related to waste management;
- reinforcement of the managerial capacities and strategic approach
of the women through training and exchange visits that allow them
to manage the initiative at all levels;
- alleviation of the family charges through the employment of jobless
youth mostly from female headed households;
- Transference of the project to other parts of the country and
visits by the Association of elected Women of Burkina Faso (AFEB).
The project was disseminated during the USAID International Seminar
on the Study of Impact on the Environment, etc.
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Women's Contribution in Sustainable Rural Development,
Deir El Ahmar, Lebanon
Lebanon is located in the Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean
Sea, between Israel and Syria covering 10,400 square kilometres.
Deir El Ahmar, with a population of 550,00, is part of the Bekaa
valley. People in this area face myriad economic hardships where
per capita income is US$ 50 per month and the immigration level
is very high. In 1991, a group of women voluntarily got together
to establish an NGO (WADA) aiming at sustainable rural development,
through economic, financial and political empowerment. The objectives
of the NGO included building the capacity of rural women to launch
awareness programmes in environmental management, healthcare and
eco-tourism. The municipality provided them with 1.5 hectares of
fertile land.
WADA has accomplished about 70% of its objectives for the "Rural
Development Center", which includes playgrounds, theatres,
day-care center, capacity training and production center for women,
multi-purpose hall, and a local library. The programmes have gone
a long way in building women's capacity to respond to day-to-day
challenges. Agro-food products were cultivated and handcraft business
started. Their products are sold locally as well as exported (total
sales in 2001 were US$ 50,000). Educational and training programmes
have been conducted for women in the areas of health care, environment
protection and tourism promotion.
WADA collaborated with organizations representing various sectors
of the community to help solve pressing problems. The NGO works
with Creative Associates (USAID), Union Cities, CBOs, school representatives
and the municipality. WADA is also a member of the '' Lebanese Women's
Council'' whose basic principle is to advocate gender equality and
raise legal awareness on women's rights.
This Lebanese initiative is a flagship, where women get together
voluntarily to promote sustainable rural development by focusing
on economic, social and political empowerment. WADA has greatly
and effectively contributed to the "after 20 years of armed
conflict programme" and they have formed partnerships involving
local authorities, civil society, private sector and international
organizations.
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Community-based Women-oriented initiative to fight poverty,
Kerala, India
Kerala is a small state, tucked away in the southwest corner of
India. It represents only 1.18% of the total area of India and has
a population of 31 million. A quarter of the population resides
in urban centres with a 91% overall literacy rate. Initially, manifestations
of poverty were visible in varying intensity in all the 58 urban
local bodies of Kerala, despite implementation of several poverty
reduction programmes by the Government, owing to the 'top-down'
planning approach adopted. The Community Development Societies'
(CDS) structure flourishing in the state of Kerala, India is an
innovative community-based, women-oriented initiative to fight poverty.
All urban-based poverty reduction programmes are now implemented
through a tripartite Community Based Organisations' (CBOs) structure.
This unique and innovative system that evolved as a result of decentralised
planning has already gained international recognition as a highly
effective participatory system to do away with the manifestations
of urban poverty.
The urban CDS system of Kerala offers poor urban women an open
forum to express their anguish, anxieties, aspirations, developmental
needs and priorities. After identifying and prioritizing these developmental
needs, the poor women formulate and implement poverty reduction
action plans. Identification and analysis of poverty instances using
'non-economic risk indices', economic and social empowerment of
poor women and their families through promotion of micro-enterprises,
education and cultural vitality get priority in the CDS structure,
derived from the Kudumbashree Mission (the State Poverty Eradication
Mission).
Within a short span of three years, Kudumbashree Mission has brought
about a sea change in the lives of the urban poor of Kerala by converging
resources, ideas and programmes of various departments through the
CDS system. 169,000 poor urban women of the State have been organized
into 7,848 grassroot level self-help groups. Among other laudable
achievements include mobilization of savings and informal banking
which has resulted in the disbursement of US$ 1.18 million among
members with a 100% repayment rate. The CDS structure has hitherto
given birth to 12,991 vibrant micro enterprises, with 20,000 women
owners. The urban CDSs of Kerala run remedial education centres
to help out poor students in preparation for public examinations.
Remedial Education Centres of the CDS structure act as 'double-edged
swords' to fight poverty as they not only enhance the educational
standard of the students belonging to families but also give gainful
employment to educated poor women. Community Based Organisations
have mobilised their members and partners to construct 21,987 houses
and 20,049 toilets for the urban poor.
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Community Watch Against Domestic and Gender Violence, Cebu
City, Philippines
Cebu City, covering an area of 329 square kilometres, has population
of 610,417. It is the regional capital of Central Visayas and lies
at the heart of the Philippine archipelago, 568 kilometres south
of Manila. The city has a literacy rate of 97 percent, however,
illiteracy rates among females (3.4 percent) are higher compared
to males' (2.8 percent). The Bantay Banay concept or "Family/Community
Watch Group Against Domestic and Gender Violence" was conceived
in January 31, 1992 in Cebu City by participants to a Forum where
it was revealed that 60 % of the women were battered by their spouses.
The initial approach was to involve the community members in order
to respond and reduce cases of domestic violence. The group members,
who include lawyers, regularly met to share experiences and review
their objectives and activities. Victims who later become members
are afforded temporary shelter, food, medical care and legal assistance.
Community members receive training on gender issues, applicable
laws and legal process, crisis intervention and mediation and are
involved in networking and advocacy with government agencies, administration,
sponsors and policy makers has been instrumental in ensuring success
of the programme. A survey on domestic violence was conducted and
results presented to an interagency council for urban basic services
(UNICEF sponsored). Members of the council created a task force
that was later named Bantay Banay. The task force negotiated with
the city hospital for free laboratory services to victims during
medico-legal check up. The group approached the mayor for funds
to train police personnel on gender sensitivity while the City Health
Department was involved in training women on health issues.
Intervention programmes include isolating victims from abusive
environment, affording them medical legal and economic support to
get ban on their feet. The Bantay Banay programme has been replicated
in 60 cities and municipalities throughout the Philippines. Many
of the member groups were financially sponsored to build their capacity
to respond to such cases. Direct response to victims is the responsibility
of these partner agencies. In Cebu city alone, 50 out of 80 barangays
(wards) have their own Bantay Banay volunteers who respond to cases
and refer them to appropriate authorities. The Bantay Banay council
has succeeded in lobbying for retention of the Gender Development
Budget allocation by the municipality. The group has also been instrumental
in lobbying for enactment/revision of the anti-rape law, sexual
harassment law and pro-women laws.
The overall group activities currently involve 1,500 community
volunteers in Cebu City and Bantay Banay. On average 2,000 cases
are handled annually by the groups network. Women's rights as human
rights are recognized and a 'Gender and Development code' has been
passed providing for protection of women victims of violence in
the Philippines. The most important lessons from this program are
that good governance results from the interplay of the many actors.
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Launch and Development of Cordoba, Spain
Prior to 1999, an Equality Plan implemented by the Provincial Women's
Centre in Cordoba was not inclusive in nature and did not have the
intended impact. With the transfer of some of the staff and responsibilities
to the Cordoba's Women's Institute under the auspices of the Andalusian
Regional Government, the remaining duties were taken up by the Department
of Women of the Cordoba Provincial Council.
The Gender Committee developed the first inclusive gender plan
"Equal Opportunities Plan" 2000-2003. The aim of the plan
was to create employment opportunities and mutual support networks
to foster exchange of experiences related to gender mainstreaming
and equal opportunities for women and men. Active lobbying was done
to keep politicians and technical staff of all departments informed
on the development of the action plan and related activities. The
strategy that was applied was to prioritise gender training among
the staff of institutions linked to the Provincial Council. The
Gender Plan was adopted by the provincial administration in Cordoba,
which prevailed on all other departments to make financial contributions
every year and appoint one staff member to sit on the Gender Committee.
In March 2000, a sensitization campaign dubbed "Route for
Equality" was organised to build awareness on the Equal Opportunities
Plan and to provide community members an opportunity to make comments
and as a result 75 specific action plans were drawn up. A training
programme for unemployed women was initiated to enhance their chances
of securing job opportunities. 45 women have so far benefited from
this scheme which came complete with free transportation to attend
training courses and childcare for their children while they were
in class.
This initiative successfully incorporated the gender perspective
into provincial and local Agenda 21 environment programmes in the
province of Cordoba. The Plan has been successful in incorporating
a fixed gender clause when drafting all agreements to be signed
by the Provincial Council with public and private organisations.
A vast number of organisations have been involved in the project
and include 75 municipal councils in the Province of Cordoba, the
Provincial Economic Development Consortium, various women's associations,
financial institutions and the private sector.
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Gender and Citizenship within an Integrated Programme for
Social Inclusion, Santo Andre, Brazil
Santo Andre, a city with a population of 625,654, is part of the
Sao Paulo Metropolitan Area, one of the largest mega-cities of the
Region. Developed as a centre for industrial production some 30
years ago, Santo Andre has been dealing with a large crisis, generated
by the crash and substitution of its original economic model. As
a result, during the last decade, the living conditions for the
majority of the population have deteriorated and a number of favelas,
areas of extreme poverty, have sprung up in the city. The municipality
is promoting an Integrated Programme of Social Inclusion as a strategy
to alleviate poverty. The Integrated Program of Social Inclusion,
which is a pilot program, has as its purpose the establishment of
new ways of managing local public policies addressing social inclusion.
The programme addresses decentralisation and participatory management
and is comprised of projects spearheaded by the Municipal Administration.
Four priority groups were chosen to develop the Integrated Program
(PIIS) as a pilot project. The four-slums are: Sacadura Cabral,
Tamarutaca, Capuava, and Quilombo II. Their resident population
is 16,042 (50.72% male and 49.28% female) with half the population
being unemployed/underemployed. 57.6% of the households are female-headed
many of who earn less than 1/2 the minimum wage.
These areas were characterised by poor infrastructure, lack of
access to basic services, and exposure of children and adolescents
to crime. The objective of the initiative is to integrate community
participation in the local management actions of social policies,
giving the slum population an opportunity to develop social inclusion
strategies through integrated actions. Both the partner organizations
and community agents participate directly in the PIIS management
tiers. In the case of urbanisation, for example, the entire process
is decided step by step, with the residents of these low-income
neighborhoods, collectively determining issues ranging from project
schedules to naming of streets. The emergence and strengthening
of community leaders has been demonstrated by greater participation
by these communities in the city's debate and decision-making forums,
highlighting that the choices made by the community representatives
have taken the gender perspective into account. The project has
seen the improvement of basic services in some of the worst regions
in the area. Micro-credit facilities have been made available to
small-scale entrepreneurs while health care is more accessible from
community health agents appointed to provide medical attention within
neighbourhoods. Recreational facilities have also been made available
while open spaces have been designated as playing grounds. An index
that is used to measure social exclusion/social inclusion has been
elaborated and data collection is done on a regular basis.
The Gender and Citizenship Program proposes to foster male/female
awareness by promoting institutional arrangements that help reduce
conflicts, working simultaneously with the community and program
teams. The Gender and Citizenship Program resulted in strengthening
of women's roles in decision-making processes and family relations
in the community and the city. The Gender and Citizenship Program
is the result of a partnership between the Santo Andre Municipality
and the Center for Health Studies (CES). A total of 112 discussion
groups, gender awareness courses, and campaigns geared towards combating
violence against women have been held, involving approximately six
thousand people. Progress has also been made in other areas including
property rights on the lots and housing units being transferred
to female-headed households, and improved reproductive healthcare.
Community-based agents represent about 50% of all the individuals
involved in implementing the Program. This is a positive strategy,
since in addition to generating employment and income for local
residents, especially women, it provides a close link between the
programs and the communities' real needs. The Integrated Program
for Social Inclusion has directly benefited 3,600 families, improving
their quality of life and access to social policies, work, and income,
especially in achieving their rights as citizens. At the management
level, the Program's greatest triumph has been its intra- and inter-institutional
integration, contributing to the operational consolidation and collaboration
of the respective work teams, thereby expanding each program's efficacy.
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Paper Recycling Project (PRP), Cairo, Egypt
The Association for the Protection of the Environment (A.P.E.)
is an NGO, situated in the Mokattam area of Cairo, Egypt. Its aim
is to protect the environment and improve the livelihood of the
garbage collectors or "Zabbaleen" communities. All workers
are young women from the community. They were illiterate, suffered
from malnutrition, anaemia, skin diseases etc. They rarely left
their homes and hardly ever left the community where they were considered
"second class" citizens.
To empower the young mothers there was a need to implement sustainable
income generating project. The project was inspired by the World
YWCA workshop on "Waste Recycling". The project aims to
improve the standard of living of the female garbage collectors
and their families through a comprehensive educational, economic,
and socio-cultural approach program of activities. The project uses
a step- by- step approach aimed at empowering girls and young women
to become agents of change in their communities in an interactive
process involving the girls, field workers, volunteers and consultants.
The project that begun with virtually no budget and no equipment
is now a viable, financially sustainable project. The project currently
has annual revenues of close to US$ 110,000 per year and is able
to sustain itself indefinitely without the infusion of external
grants. Besides the educational benefits of the project, its economic
benefits include income generation for nearly 90 young women at
levels that are nearly 70 percent higher than what they would earn
in much less desirable employment sorting recyclable materials from
waste. Social gains range from improved networks, health provision
and general empowerment of participating women in community leadership.
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Buses For Women Only In Bangkok
In May 2000, the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA), a state-run
bus operator in the Thai capital, began service for what was dubbed
'The Lady Bus'. The initiative came in response to numerous complaints
by women about safety. Women, reacting to sexual harassment and
crimes while commuting, had been demanding a safer travel option
during rush hours. The Lady Bus accepts only women as passengers,
except for accompanying sons aged less than 15 years. Bus drivers
and fare collectors on the Lady Bus will be male because the BMTA
wants them to protect passengers in case of emergencies.
The Lady Bus runs as every third bus on ten routes on the 30th,
31st and 1st of each month, between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. BMTA chose
the evening and night trips during salary payment dates for introductory
services because these are the riskiest times for women passengers
to become crime victims. The ten introductory routes run past crowded
business centres in the Thai capital, including Victory Monument,
Maboonklong and Siam Centre. The number of routes and frequency
of service will be increased if the BMTA finds that the project
works.
Source: Japan Economic Newswire; Kyodo News Service, 30 May2000.
(Global Report on Human Settlement 2001.)
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Poverty reduction among women through vocational
training and micro- financing programme, Uzbekistan
In Uzbekistan, with a population of 25
million and a GNI per capita of US $310 (World Bank, 2002), 27.5%
of the population lives below the poverty line and 70% of the poor
are in rural areas. Women are concentrated in the lower paying sectors
and earn about 70 % compared to males. The level of female unemployment
is higher than that of the males (62%). The low level of self-employment
is caused by lack of necessary skills and knowledge, limited access
to credit for women and low participation in establishment of new
enterprises.
To improve the situation, the Business Women Association
(BWA) launched an integrated program on poverty reduction among
women, focusing on vocational training and micro finance in rural
areas of Uzbekistan. The purpose of this initiative is to contribute
to the poverty reduction, through empowerment of women and local
economic development, assistance in the improvement of the living
conditions of women, especially of those living in rural areas,
and providing equal access to job and income generation opportunities.
The initiative has contributed positively on the
economic situation of the country and has raised women’s economic
role and status by overcoming gender barriers. It has provided women
with equal access to financial sources through micro credit lending
programmes, small and medium entrepreneurship, job creation, institutionalization,
normalization and registration of businesswomen. It has also given
an opportunity for the capacity building of both BWA employees (thus
contributing to Business Women’s Association of Uzbekistan BWA’s
institutional development) and entrepreneurs through training on
various economic issues.
7,300 unemployed women attended vocational training
courses and this initiative enabled them to acquire the necessary
skills to become financially independent and/or to become businesswomen.
This initiative was also able to advocate for a law that was approved
by the parliament. With the aim of providing favourable legislative
conditions for the activity of micro finance institutions, the BWA
team lobbied for a decree on micro financing "measures on development
of micro financing activity", which was adopted by Cabinet of Ministers
on August, 20, 2002.
BWA constantly maintains business contacts with
other women’s organizations of Central Asia and promotes the exchange
of knowledge and experience. The results of this initiative have
proved to be sustainable, and BWA of Uzbekistan is actively engaged
in replicating similar activities in Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Tajik.
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São Paulo Social Inclusion Strategy,
Brazil
São Paulo is the largest city in South America,
and the third largest in the world. Its population has doubled in
the past 30 years, and has now reached about 18 million people.
Forty percent of Brazil's GDP (US$ 536 billion) is produced by the
city. The dimension of income inequality and social exclusion in
the city of São Paulo reflects the size of this metropolis.
Its urban space, as the generating center of the country’s wealth,
is beginning to show more evidence of the impact of last decades’
stagnation in national economy. This is in addition to the uneven
concentration of growth that characterises the historical evolution
of Brazilian economy.
Overcoming this situation seemed impossible towards
the end of 2000, especially taking
into account the dilapidated state machinery and heavy public debt
inherited by the present municipal administration. Nevertheless,
work that opened new horizons was started. Human, material, and
financial resources were mobilized, revealing a strategy of social
inclusion and a set of basic principles to guide the government
intervention.
A policy to combat urban poverty was formulated
based on a decentralized structure, which targeted areas with high
incidences of social exclusion. Participation of the civil society,
and integration of efforts among the various spheres of public administration
were also key to the policy’s success.
With a policy framework in place, it was possible
to match available resources with empowerment projects. Dignity
and citizenship were the goals of the process. A strategy that gave
priority to the direct transfer of resources (and rights) to the
poor in needy regions of the city was adopted. In addition, a set
of related policies was established – vocational training, participation
in community activities, access to micro-credit, formation of cooperatives
and popular participation, creation of local development forums,
and employment bureau to match supply and demand of job opportunities
– for segments that had been forgotten by the state.
These policies have benefited 320,000 families,
12% of the population in the municipality, in a period of 3 years
after their implementation. Approximately 80 % of the families are
women while 32 % are female-headed household. Other tangible results
include qualification of 110,000 people from the municipality’s
training programme, formation of over 440 enterprises; elaboration
of production activities within the local context, with the participation
of employers representatives, trade unions, and the civil society.
An employment network, involving 54 partner institutions and 15
job placement agencies was established to match newly acquired skills
with appropriate job.
Finally the creation of a database and usage of
computer solutions (Citizen Database - BDC) enabled access to timely
and updated information on the target group and status of current
intervention strategies. This also serves as a monitoring and evaluation
tool to provide feedback about the whole process.
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