---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 22 Apr 2005 17:30:18 -0700
From: The Drum Beat <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: The Drum Beat - 296 - MDG #3 - Promoting Gender Equality & Empowering
Women
The Drum Beat - Issue 296 - MDG #3 - Promoting Gender Equality & Empowering Women
April 25 2005
from The Communication Initiative...global forces...local choices...critical voices...telling stories...
Partners: ANDI, BBC World Service Trust, Bernard van Leer Foundation, Calandria, CFSC Consortium, The CHANGE Project, CIDA, DFID, Exchange, FAO, Ford Foundation, Fundacion Nuevo Periodismo, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs, MISA, OneWorld, The Panos Institute, PCI, The Rockefeller Foundation, SAfAIDS, Soul City, UNAIDS, UNICEF, USAID, WHO.
Chair of the Partners Group: Garth Japhet, Soul City [log in to unmask]
Director: Warren Feek [log in to unmask]
http://www.comminit.com
Subscribe to The Drum Beat: http://www.comminit.com/subscribe_drumbeat.html
Access this issue online at http://www.comminit.com/drum_beat_296.html
***
Millennium Development Goal (MDG) #3 seeks to empower women and promote equality by eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015. This issue of The Drum Beat explores how communication can help meet this goal, as measured through indicators that include the ratio of literate women to men aged 15-24 years, the share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector, and the proportion of seats held by women in national parliament.
Below please find a sampling of the many communication-centred initiatives and resources geared toward meeting MDG #3 in communities around the world. To view additional materials, use our Custom Search tool - http://www.comminit.com/search.html - and select the keyword for this MDG (at bottom of keywords listed). Please also visit our MDG Impact section for more examples of the impact of communication on meeting gender equity goals - see http://www.comminit.com/mdgs/mdgs/mdgs-4.html
For background on MDG #3 and the other goals, see http://www.comminit.com/mdgs/mdgs/mdgs-1.html
Next month we will focus on MDG #4: Reduce Child Mortality. Please send your projects, articles, events, etc. to Deborah Heimann [log in to unmask]
***
CONTEXT
1. In low-income countries, the ratio of girls' enrollments in primary and secondary education as a percent of boys' was 84%, compared to 101% in upper-middle income countries. The literacy rate for 15- to 24-year-olds is projected to be 88% for women versus 90% for men in 2015. Of the 109 countries with data for the late 1990s regarding wage employment in the non-agricultural sector, only 18 had a share of women equal or slightly higher than that of men; in 14 countries that figure is below or well below 30%. In 2003, the proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments stood at 15%, an increase of just 6 percentage points since 1987. Source: World Bank http://www.comminit.com/redirect.cgi?r=http://www.developmentgoals.org/Gender_Equality.htm
2. Reaching Global Goals: Gender
As of 1998, progress had been made globally toward achieving a balance between girls and boys enrolled in schools; in Latin America and the Caribbean there were actually more girls than boys in school. But these trends mask continued disparities between rich and poor children, as well as growth in the number of boys leaving school early.
http://www.comminit.com/baseline/baseline2001/baseline-272.html
3. Progress of the World's Women from the Mid-1980's to the Late-1990's
Among the findings of a 2000 UNIFEM report: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland are the only countries that have simultaneously achieved gender equality in secondary education, at least a 30% share of seats in parliament for women, and 50% of the jobs in industry and services. Iceland, Netherlands, Germany, and South Africa come close.
http://www.comminit.com/baseline/baseline2001/baseline-267.html
4. Too Young to Wed: The Lives, Rights & Health of Young Married Girls
by Sanyukta Mathur, Margaret Greene & Anju Malhotra
"Despite international agreements and national laws to the contrary, the practice of marrying girls below the age of 18 is prevalent in many parts of the world....When married young, girls lose the opportunities for education, employment, or other important experiences for the duration of their lives. The negative developmental consequences that early marriage has in the realms of health, welfare, and economics not only affect girls and their children, but also societies as a whole."
http://www.comminit.com/materials/ma2004/materials-1959.html
5. Beyond Victims & Villains: Addressing Sexual Violence in the Education Sector
by Judith Mirsky
Gender violence often occurs in the very places where girls and women should be safe - in schools and higher education institutes. Harassment and violence often involves peers, but teachers and other staff are also perpetrators. This report features a range of initiatives to address sexual violence in schools around the world.
http://www.comminit.com/materials/ma2004/materials-1426.html
6. Story of Children Living & Working on the Streets of Nairobi: Linking Research to Action & Advocacy
An average of 25% - and in some areas up to 40% - of Nairobi's street children are girls; 45% of those counted below the age of 5 were girls and 37% of the children's caretakers are children themselves, mostly girls.
http://www.comminit.com/materials/ma2004/materials-1978.html
7. Health & Education Not Enough: Indian Women Seek Political Power to Lower Unemployment
India's literacy rate for women is 39%, but 10 years ago Kerala state achieved a 90% rate for women. India's constitution reserves a third of seats in elected local government bodies for women; they are running for these seats in record numbers. Despite this, women make up 54.5% of job seekers yet only 16% are in paid jobs. The reasons for this are unclear; some say primary education has been emphasised over higher education in Kerala, leaving even literate women poorly equipped.
http://www.comminit.com/baseline/baseline2001/baseline-262.html
STRATEGIES FOR EDUCATING & EMPOWERING GIRLS
8. Vanasthali Rural Development Centre (VRDC) - India
"The reason why the dropout rate in rural schools is very high is that there are no facilities for pre-primary education. The child enters primary school totally unprepared and either rebels against the system or loses interest altogether," according to activist Nirmala Purandare, who began and runs VRDC. "So far, we have trained more than 10,000 women who had dropped out of school in the sixth grade. They had never made any use of their elementary education and had confined themselves to living a conventional life of looking after the family and fighting the many odds in most of our villages. These women are now not the same...These teachers are now preparing a whole new generation of students who are quite enthused about completing their basic education."
http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pds52004/experiences-1952.html
Contact [log in to unmask]
9. Aprendiendo Juntos (Learning Together) - Chile
Carried out by the Junta Nacional de Jardines Infantiles, this project sought to improve children's education - especially of girls under the age of 6 - through the implementation and validation of an educational model that strategically uses radio, in-person training, distance education, and educational booklets. To help develop the 20-minute radio programme "Aprendiendo Juntos", adults were trained to recognise the different processes of learning in boys and girls, and to facilitate their learning. Diverse formats including music, interviews, and narrations were used to develop an interesting and flexible programme. The programme was openly broadcast in order to ensure that all social sectors had access; it reached 4,000 families. The television programme "Jardín Infantil a domicilio" reached an additional 2,000 families.
http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pds2005/experiences-3047.html
Contact [log in to unmask]
10. World Schoolhouse Project - Dir, Pakistan
The literacy rate for women in rural Pakistan can be as low as 17%. Most schools available to girls in the mountains of Dir are co-ed, so many parents refuse to enroll their daughters. Under the auspices of NetAid, Developments in Literacy and Khwendo Kor (KK) are building non-formal primary schools just for girls in community-donated spaces, such as a rooftop or front room of the teacher's family home. The project team identified qualified female teachers for further training; these teachers guide the girls in reciting numbers and writing the alphabet. Between June and August 2002, 14 schools were opened in Dir - bringing the total number of schools to 26. The KK field team conducts school visits to gauge the progress of the students; weaknesses are identified and suggestions for further growth advanced.
http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pdskdv112002/experiences-955.html
Contact [log in to unmask]
11. Rusape Girls Empowerment Village - Zimbabwe
This centre for information dissemination, service provision, and relief for disadvantaged girls in Zimbabwe is inspired by the belief that the "rural girl can reach greater heights if she is brought in close contact with technology." Following 3 months of training on the use of email and the Internet, girls produce brochures and referral materials at the village's computer lab. "They have been motivated and greatly inspired by this development and also the latest information on HIV/AIDS has been very helpful. The girls have started the pen pal programme which has linked them with other girls for information exchange." The goal is to give a sense of hope to abused rural girls; organisers believe that the village's activism can contribute to respect for girls' rights on a broader scale.
http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pds22004/experiences-515.html
Contact Betty Makoni [log in to unmask] OR [log in to unmask]
12. Indira Soochna Shakti (ISS) - Chhattisgarh, India
In rural Chhattisgarh, 35% of people are illiterate and boys outnumber girls 2 to 1 at the high school level; some parents feel that women do not go on to earn money, and that their education merely adds to costs. The government, working with a private firm, launched a project to increase access on the part of 250,000 girls in all 1605 state high schools to information technology (IT) education. Suitable instructors were not available locally, so teachers were brought in from cities; the National Centre for Software Technology helped identify a local language solution. Young volunteers, having been empowered with this education, then lead a broader state initiative to bring locally relevant IT to all citizens. In the process, girls emerge as technology resource persons and community leaders. Prior to programme launch, 5% of target schools had access to IT education; in 2001, 46,263 girls in 662 schools (41%) had access (an additional 9,000 paid their own fee).
http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pdskdv62003/experiences-1436.html
Contact [log in to unmask]
13. Meeting the Development & Participation Rights of Adolescent Girls - Malawi
This United Nations effort addresses "the life situation of adolescent girls in a holistic manner with the purpose of creating an enabling environment for adolescent girls' equal participation in leadership and decision-making processes in all spheres of society." Community members identified 5 barriers to girls' obtaining equality and then helped devise interventions: 100 adolescents were trained in agriculture, sewing, and computers; 24 project staff were trained in the development of information, education, and communication materials; 276 peer educators and nearly 2000 teachers were trained on how to reduce drop-out rates among girls and improve their school performance; 641 girls were trained in life skills; and 137 community-based condom distributors were trained.
http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pds62004/experiences-1972.html
Contact Wilfred Lichapa [log in to unmask]
***
PULSE Poll
http://www.comminit.com/pulse.html
The Commission for Africa Report "basically confirms what African NGOs and Governments have been saying all along. Core structural adjustment policy conditionality associated with debt and aid packages for Africa for the last two decades have been destructive to human security and economic growth. With this report, the World Bank and IMF must stop."
- reaction to the report signed by 7 African and regional civil society organisations and networks.
[For context, please see http://www.comminit.com/drum_beat_293.html]
Do you agree?
VOTE and Comment!
http://www.comminit.com/pulse.html
***
COMMUNICATION IMPACTS: WOMEN'S LITERACY, PARTICIPATION & PRODUCTIVITY
14. Women's Rights & Literacy Programme - Pakistan
Implemented by Social Harmony and Development Organization, this programme focused on 3 villages in Sialkot, Pakistan, "where the rights of women are violated at large...the main cause of this is that the women of these rural areas do not even know about their basic rights." Almost 40 women participated in the 3 women's rights awareness programmes and in literacy classes. Some commented that, before attending the training, they were not fully aware of their rights; afterward, they felt much more authoritative. The participants vowed to share rights-related information with other women in their area.
http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pdskdv102002/experiences-861.html
Contact Mr. Nasir Nayyar [log in to unmask] OR [log in to unmask]
15. A Longitudinal Study of the Effect of Integrated Literacy & Basic Education Programs on Women's Participation in Social & Economic Development in Nepal: Girls' & Womens' Education Policy Research Activity
by Shirley Burchfield, Haiyan Hua, Dyuti Baral & Valeria Rocha
A USAID-funded World Education research programme in the Terai region of Nepal indicates that a woman who participates in and completes one of the two integrated literacy programmes assessed gains "13 percentage points more in the index of women's social and economic development than a woman who does not participate. Even a woman who is likely to drop out later is estimated to gain 5.7 percentage points more than a woman who did not participate at all....The net gain...indicates a significant investment return and would translate into other positive effects on children's education, local economy, and social capital for the country."
http://www.comminit.com/evaluations/eval2005/evaluations-58.html
16. Radio Ujjas - Kutch, Gujarat, India
Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan (KMVS) is an independent organisation of more than 10,000 rural women focusing on adolescent girls' education, basic functional literacy with sangathan (women's group) members, and development of context-specific educational curricula for literates and neo-literates. In 1995, the government made a provision that 33% of the members of panchayat bodies should be women. In an effort to meet women's demand for training for that role, and to create a more conducive environment, KMVS and the Drishti Media Collective developed a docu-drama. Broadcast on All India Radio, Kujal Paanje Kutchji focused on the participation of women in village-level panchayats through the character of Rani, the first woman sarpanch of Ujjas. Kujal drew more than 1,400 audience letters. Another Radio Ujjas serial (Kutch Lokji Vaani) drew 1,560 postcards, 16.55% from women. "This large number of postcards, received from women is more encouraging as the literacy levels amongst !
women in Kutch is 26.5 per cent." KMVS comments that "With the empowerment of a network of women's groups at the village level (sangathans), women are articulating the need to equip themselves with more information and skills in order to intervene successfully in the larger social and political process."
http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pds2005/experiences-3015.html
Contact Preeti Soni [log in to unmask] OR Stalin K [log in to unmask]
17. Impact Data - Democracy & Governance Programme - Nigeria
Initiated in 1997 and now in its fourth stage, this USAID-funded programme is geared toward Nigerian women and women's groups. Recent political empowerment activities encompassed a national mass media campaign, media advocacy, capacity building, and non-government organisation (NGO) networking. At follow-up, slightly more respondents (85.9%, as compared to 84.5%) believed that "women should be given the same opportunities as men". Those who believed that "women should be able to compete with men in politics" increased from 79.5% to 86.8%. The index of positive Women's Political Empowerment Attitudes increased from 3.3 to 3.8; the Women's Cultural and Economic Empowerment Attitudinal Index increased from 3.34 to 3.53.
http://www.comminit.com/evaluations/id02-28-99/sld-2445.html
18. Network of Entrepreneurship & Economic Development (NEED) - India
Aiming to generate economic wealth while also mobilising the community to speak out to challenge social ills, NEED works at the grassroots level to help those living in poverty form self help groups (SHGs). Approximately 30,000 micro-groups have been formed through NEED's facilitation. NEED's project "Empowering the Rural Poor, especially Women, through building local 'Women Owned' Organizations, Creation of Network Platforms and Opportunity and Enhancing Human Resource Development in a Sustainable Manner" mobilises women and promotes entrepreneurial activities through SHGs. To address the fact that girls under 10 were doing domestic work rather than attending school, NEED opened remedial centres to equip girls with the skills needed to directly entre the formal primary school system. NEED also provides information to girls and women on child marriage, girls' education, and reproductive health.
http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pdskdv122003/experiences-1134.html
Contact Anil. K. Singh [log in to unmask]
19. eHomemakers Network - Malaysia
eHomemakers is built on the premise that marginalised Malaysian women can use information and communication technologies (ICTs) to generate income from home, supporting their active participation in the information economy. Designed to enable homeworkers and homemakers to teletrade, network, and support each other through creative problem-solving and idea-sharing, an trilingual e-community offers services such as a platform to enable online product marketing. On-the-ground activities geared toward those who do not have easy access to ICTs include training sessions and conferences for lifelong learning and community outreach and contests for home-based business ideas. eHomemakers promotes working from home as a means to balance work and family life and conducts research projects such as "Empowering Homemakers to become Homepreneurs and eHomemakers through a Gender Governance Framework".
http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pds2005/experiences-3070.html
Contact [log in to unmask]
***
Seeking Case Studies Addressing Women's Economic & Social Rights
Do you lobby or advocate for women's rights using the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights? Are you using economic and social rights mechanisms or principles to carry out innovative and effective work for gender equality? Do you have success stories of translating rights promises into concrete changes in people's lives? The Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) - http://www.comminit.com/redirect.cgi?r=http://www.awid.org/ - is gathering examples, case studies, and insights from human rights and gender equality advocates all over the world.
Please share your activities by sending an email with a few lines outlining your experience and your contact details to Alison Symington - [log in to unmask] AWID will then send you a short set of questions.
***
EVALUATING EQUITY: STRATEGIES & SUPPORT
20. Determining Gender Equity Improvement in Education
Oxfam GB and the University of London argue that unreliable data related to girls' access to education is making it difficult to measure progress toward the MDGs. They propose a methodology using a scorecard derived from case studies to rank progress in increasing the number of girls who enrol and stay in school.
http://www.comminit.com/baseline/baseline2005/baseline-431.html
21. A Gendered Analysis of Burden of Care on Home & Volunteer Caregivers in Uganda & South Africa
by Olagoke Akintola
One recommendation of this comparative research of home-based care (HBC) programmes in South Africa and in Uganda is that gender-sensitive assessments must be incorporated into reviews of HBC programmes. The author stresses that the use of girls as primary or secondary caregivers in many communities in South Africa adversely affects their education and may prevent achievement of MDG #3.
http://www.comminit.com/strategicthinking/st2005/thinking-1128.html
22. Muslim Women & Development Action Research Project - North Africa
This project was undertaken to explore the complex links between women's perceptions of Islam and their rights to reproductive health and education. A key goal was to foster culturally-aware and gender-sensitive public policy decisions at the national and international level. The research privileged women's voice as authoritative in describing their own condition and in asserting how this condition can be changed, mapping the social context of women's lives by enabling women to define their own criteria for status and power. The project produced country resource books and a synthesis report; policy guidelines; a video ("We Cannot Dream Alone") featuring women speaking about their lives; and "Islamic Ethics, Gender and Human Rights", by an eminent Islamic scholar, which was expected to make significant contributions at the global level.
http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pds122004/experiences-2843.html
Contact [log in to unmask]
***
This issue was written by Kier Olsen DeVries.
***
The Drum Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by The Partners.
Please send material for The Drum Beat to the Editor - Deborah Heimann [log in to unmask]
To reproduce any portion of The Drum Beat, see http://www.comminit.com/help.html#copyright for our policy.
To subscribe, see http://www.comminit.com/subscribe_drumbeat.html
To unsubscribe, reply to this message with "unsubscribe" as the subject.
|
