What's New

Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator

ggaynair — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:58:17 +0000

Job Location:

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

ICRW seeks a candidate with strong Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) expertise who will be hired locally and based out of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The M&E Specialist will anchor ICRW’s monitoring and evaluation activities for a potential 5-year (2012-17) private sector development project and will be contingent upon ICRW winning the contract. The goal of the project is to improve private sector competitiveness, financial intermediation, trade promotion and capacity of business development support providers. The candidate will work closely with the ICRW project lead and all project partners and staff to develop and implement an M&E plan that is gender responsive and that can ensure project success through outstanding technical contributions.

Primary Duties:

Collaborate with the ICRW evaluation lead to design and implement an M&E plan, including indicators and guidelines, for a large multi-component private sector development project
Develop and manage MIS systems to track program data from the project
In collaboration with ICRW, assist program partners, both local and international, in designing M&E plans for their project components and the necessary forms and MIS systems to track data
Liaise with the ICRW project director and team, all members of the local project team, partner organizations, and clients at all levels
With ICRW, provide technical support to team members to successfully implement the M&E plan including, as needed, training and capacity building in M&E, data management and analysis
Obtain periodic data and manage a large data base
Conduct analysis of data as required for program reporting
Produce project-related technical deliverables, including periodic reports and briefs, power point presentations and tables of results

Required Skills:

Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree (Master’s preferred) in MIS, accounting, computer science or economics or another social science, with a strong quantitative background
Minimum of seven (7) years’ practical hands-on experience in handling MIS for project monitoring, preferably for a large multi-component project
Experience with monitoring of quantitative data and information management for a large program; developing and applying gender-responsive M&E frameworks and data collection tools, and with primary and secondary data analysis
Strong quantitative and qualitative analysis skills and proficiency in Excel, proficiency in STATA or SPSS is preferred
Computer literacy required including proficiency in the MS Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access) and Internet search applications in a Windows XP environment
Sound knowledge understanding of gender and social development issues, women’s economic empowerment and gender-relevant frameworks and indicators
Experience in project design and development and use of log frames strongly preferred
Experience developing and conducting workshops and trainings
Strong written and verbal communication skills required; strong presentation skills essential. Proven ability to work collaboratively with professionals at different levels, including colleagues, partners, and donor organizations; government, business leaders and communities.
Commitment to being a team player on a multi-disciplinary team, and capacity to work comfortably with people at various levels including business leaders, government officials and communities

How To Apply:

Interested candidates should submit by May 18, 2012, a cover letter, resume, (2) writing samples and salary requirements as e-mail attachments to Human Resources at jobs@icrw.org. Candidates who do not submit all of the requested application materials will not be considered. Please indicate "M&E Coordinator--Ethiopia" in the subject line of the email, and in your cover letter please indicate how you heard about this opportunity. Due to the volume of resumes we receive, we are not able to respond to individual inquiries regarding the status of candidacy. Therefore, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Employment is contingent upon receiving contract award. ICRW is an equal opportunity employer, M/F/D/V.

Director, Gender, Population and Development

ggaynair — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:49:48 +0000

Job Location:

Washington, D.C.

ICRW is seeking a full-time director to lead ICRW’s Gender, Population and Development portfolio, which includes projects focusing on the intersection between population, development and women's empowerment. The ideal candidate will be recognized as an expert in the subject matter and have significant professional experience in research and programming on population and reproductive health issues, key issues in international development, and in women's empowerment. More specifically, expertise on the issues of adolescence, transitions to adulthood, maternal health and reproductive behavior is highly desired, particularly as these relate to gender and gender discrimination. The position is based in ICRW's headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Primary Duties:

Develop and execute strategic direction on research and programmatic work in core subject area
Undertake research and technical work on population, gender and reproductive heath issues, prioritizing and focusing on specific issues relevant to ICRW overall program of research
Lead business development activities and develop proposals on topics in core subject area
Collaborate closely with directors and staff of other portfolios across ICRW, including gender-based violence, global health and economic development
Manage project teams and ensure effective work and coordination, ensuring the quality of project deliverables and their timely execution
Manage project budgets, workplans, reporting and relationships with partners and donors
Guide and produce high quality papers, publications and presentations

Required Skills:

The ideal candidate will have the following education and work experience:

Ph.D. in Demography, Sociology, Economics, Public Policy or related field, or a Master's degree with commensurate professional experience
Minimum ten (10) years' experience following completion of Ph.D. with leadership roles on research and programs in population and reproductive health, managing development programs, supervising staff, liaising with key internal and external stakeholders, and monitoring and evaluating projects
Recognized expertise in the intersection of population, reproductive health, gender and development issues
Strong track record in business development with a variety of program concepts and donors
Substantial experience managing the implementation of complex research programs in cross-cultural settings, including the production of high quality deliverables in a timely fashion
Demonstrated strategic skills and ability to translate expertise by leading and facilitating the work of peers, team members, field associates and partners
Ability to package and communicate complex and technical information in accessible forms for lay audiences, especially in a cross-cultural settings — in both written and verbal communication
Versatility, flexibility and adaptability in responding to projects under evolution
Demonstrated people management skills, including experience leading teams of researchers

How To Apply:

Please submit a cover letter, resume, two writing samples and salary requirements as an e-mail attachment to Human Resources at jobs@icrw.org. Please indicate "Director, Gender, Population and Development" in the subject line of email. Due to the large volume of responses we receive, ICRW is not able to provide candidacy status on an individual basis. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. ICRW is an equal opportunity employer, M/F/D/V.

The Girl Effect: What Do Boys Have to Do With It?

swon — Thu, 10 May 2012 21:21:10 +0000

Meeting Report

The unique potential of adolescent girls to contribute to reducing and ending poverty both for themselves and their communities, often referred to as the “Girl Effect,” has been increasingly recognized over the last decade. There is a broad consensus on the desirability of involving boys and men in efforts to change harmful gender norms and create more equitable environments for girls, there is less agreement as to how this is best achieved.

In October 2010, ICRW, with support from the Nike Foundation and in collaboration with Plan International and Save the Children, convened a meeting of researchers, program implementers and donors to explore the question of how to best involve boys in efforts to achieve gender equality. This paper summarizes the meeting, which highlighted progress in conceptualizing programs that involve boys and men in efforts to bring about fundamental changes in the gendered nature of relationships. It also pointed to the significant amount of work that is still to be done before these goals are achieved.

Publication Year:

2002

Author(s):

Jeffrey Edmeades, Robin Hayes, Gwennan Hollingworth, Ann Warner

Author Links:

Ann Warner

Jeffrey Edmeades

Thumbnail:

PDF File Name:

Girl-Effect-What-Do-Boys-Have-to-do-with-it-meeting-report.pdf

Keywords and Metadata:

adolescent girls, men and boys, empowerment

A Poignant Reminder

ggaynair — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:02:04 +0000

A researcher is reminded that in the end, it’s about the people

A guessing game between ICRW researcher Jeffrey Edmeades and young married girls in Ethiopia’s Amhara region highlights how child marriage has narrowed the girls’ life horizons. Read more about Edmeades latest experience in the field and learn about ICRW’s GlobalGiving challenge that aims to tell the stories of young brides around the world – and show what the global community can do to end the practice of child marriage.

Jeffrey Edmeades is an ICRW social demographer and directs the TESFA project in Ethiopia.

As a researcher, it is sometimes very easy to focus on the forest and lose sight of the trees. We become so engrossed in the mechanics of research, worrying about things like sample size, response bias and quality control that at times it is easy to momentarily forget about the actual people our research strives to help.

I was recently reminded of this while in Ethiopia’s Amhara region for an ICRW and CARE-Ethiopia project that aims to improve the lives of girls who became wives and mothers before they ever had a chance to live out their childhoods. I have been working on this project for almost two years, and have had the privilege of talking to lots of child brides. Sadly, their stories are all quite similar.

As a group of girls and I gathered in the shade of a building one day, we talked about everything from whether they had ever spoken to a ferengi – a foreigner (they hadn’t) – to what the process of getting married was like. The girls were particularly interested in what girls their age did in “America” and how that differed from their experiences. So, we started a guessing game. I asked them questions about their lives and then they guessed what the equivalent was for girls their age in the United States – and for me.

“How old were you when you got married?” I asked them. Each quietly said a number – 14, 9, 16.

“And how old was your husband?”

Twenty-two. Eighteen. Thirty.

"Did you know your husband before you met him at the marriage ceremony?”

Most did not, they told me, though some of them did, but usually not well.

“What was the process of marriage like for you?” I asked, knowing that in Amhara marriage is made up of several steps.

Speaking over each other, they filled me in on what’s involved: “Well, first you are promised to marriage by your parents, then you have a ceremony, then you start living with his family part-time, then full-time and then you sleep together…”

“Who decides when it is time to sleep together and how do they know it is time?”

Laughing shyly, the girls told me that for most the decision is made based on physical changes during puberty. None had chosen when to start having sex; their husband or in-laws decided for them.

“How old are girls at that time usually?”

Most answered “14, 15, 16,” but a handful said 10 years old, which is almost certainly before many girls started puberty given their poor diets.

I explained that in the U.S., girls usually live very different lives. Virtually no girls their age would be married already and very, very few would have children. Most girls would be in school and wouldn’t be thinking of marriage until they finished with university.

And then it was my turn.

When I told them that my wife was older than me - by a mere eight months - there was an audible gasp of surprise and then the girls started laughing. In Amhara wives are on average eight years younger than their husbands. Most of the girls guessed that I was ten to 17 years older than my wife.

They were particularly impressed by how long women in the U.S. waited to have children, even after marriage, and that many are able to continue their education until they want to stop - something several girls expressed regret at not being able to do.

More than anything, our conversation highlighted the ways in which the girls’ life horizons had been narrowed by poverty, the rural nature of their setting and early marriage, which robbed them of the opportunity to finish school or have any experiences beyond that of being a mother and wife.

As we talked to each other about our lives, I realized that I had been in the forest too much; at some point I had started to think of these girls as a large, homogenous group rather than the individuals that they clearly were. Chatting with them that day was an important and poignant reminder of the human impact of early marriage, and that each girl has her own strengths, her own dreams.

The purpose of our work, I was reminded, is not so much about the sample size or response bias, as is about helping these young wives and mothers reach their full potential.

Related blogs from Ethiopia:

Quiet Determination

Transformations

Eyes That Haunt

Bridges to Adulthood

swon — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:31:26 +0000

Understanding the Lifelong Influence of Men's Childhood Experiences of Violence

Great numbers of men report experiencing violence as children and these experiences have significant lifelong effects, according to the new analysis of the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES) dataset included in this report. Adult men who were victims or witnesses of domestic violence as children, for instance, likely come to accept violence as a conflict-resolving tactic not only in intimate partnerships but also in their wider lives. Experiences of violence as children can also significantly influence how men relate to their partners and children and whether they show more or less gender-equitable attitudes. Men who experience violence as children are also consistently more likely to report low self-esteem and regular experiences of depression.

Using IMAGES data from six countries (Brazil, Chile, Croatia, India, Mexico, and Rwanda), this report explores the prevalence and nature of violence against children as well as its potential lifelong effects. The report expands understanding of these issues by examining data from low- and middle-income countries, by analyzing men’s reports of experiencing and perpetrating violence, and by examining broad categories of lifelong effects.

Publication Year:

2012

Author(s):

Manuel Contreras, Brian Heilman, Gary Barker, Ajay Singh, Ravi Verma, Joanna Bloomfield

Thumbnail:

PDF File Name:

Bridges-to-Adulthood-Understanding-the-Lifelong-Influence-of-Men's-Childhood-Experiences-Violence.pdf

Keywords and Metadata:

violence against women, engaging men and boys, childhood violence, International Men and Gender Equality Survey

Namibia Becoming a Nation of Drunks

ggaynair — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:02:42 +0000

Thu, 04/19/2012

The Namibian

By Selma Shipanga

A front page story in The Namibian highlights findings from an ICRW report that examines the links between heavy alcohol use and HIV risk in a community in Namibia. The research was conducted in partnership with Namibia-based Society for Family Health.

Women's Demand for Reproductive Control

swon — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 20:59:00 +0000

Understanding and Addressing Gender Barriers

Millions of women each year experience unintended pregnancies, and millions more have unmet need for family planning. One of the persistent gaps in knowledge is the role of gender barriers that women face in defining and achieving their reproductive intentions. This paper provides a gender analysis of women’s demand for reproductive control. This analysis illuminates how the social construction of gender affects fertility preferences, unmet need, and the barriers that women face to using contraception and safe abortion. It also helps to bridge important dichotomies in the population, family planning, and reproductive health fields.

Publication Year:

2012

Author(s):

Jennifer McCleary-Sills, Allison McGonagle, Anju Malhotra

Author Links:

Jennifer McCleary-Sills

Thumbnail:

PDF File Name:

Womens-demand-for-reproductive-control.pdf

Keywords and Metadata:

reproductive health, population, family planning, gender

Take a Tour of Vitu Newala

swon — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:15:35 +0000

ViiV Healthcare Effect spotlights “Vitu Newala” project in Tanzania

Mon, 04/02/2012

ICRW and its Tanzania-based partner, Taasisi ya Maendeleo Shirikishi Arusha (TAMASHA), are profiled on the ViiV Healthcare Effect website for the project “Vitu Newala” or “Newala Youth Can.”

The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) and its Tanzania-based partner, Taasisi ya Maendeleo Shirikishi Arusha (TAMASHA), are profiled on the ViiV Healthcare Effect website for the project “Vitu Newala” or “Newala Youth Can.” The website features a “tour” of the project, which worked with communities in the remote Newala district of Tanzania to understand the needs of adolescent girls and address their vulnerabilities to HIV. The tour includes an in-depth summary of the project as well as video interviews with ICRW’s Jennifer McCleary-Sills and TAMASHA’s Richard Mabala and Annagrace Rwehumbiza.

Vitu Newala was funded by ViiV Healthcare, a pharmaceutical company that focuses solely on HIV. Through its Positive Action program, ViiV Healthcare works with communities most vulnerable to HIV disease with projects ranging from education, prevention, care and treatment.

Q & A with ICRW’s Silvia Paruzzolo

ggaynair — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:57:42 +0000

ICRW expert discusses how to create agriculture programs that reach women

Tue, 03/27/2012

By ICRW Communications Staff

ICRW economist Silvia Paruzzolo discusses what it means to create “gender-responsive” agricultural programs and how ICRW approaches its workshops on the subject.

Agriculture programs risk failure when they don’t consider the social realities of gender – that is, the distinct roles and norms assigned to women and men in a society. However, organizations, foundations and governments increasingly recognize that they must address these realities if they want to help rural women progress economically – as well as help ease hunger across the globe.

For instance, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) this month launched a new gender policy – the first in 30 years – that strives to close the gap in opportunity between women and men worldwide and prioritizes women’s empowerment as a central component of any strategy to end global ills such as hunger. Meanwhile, the coalition Farming First recently produced the Female Face of Farming, an interactive visual that lays out rural women’s role in agriculture, inequities that exist between female and male farmers, such as land ownership, and the impact of such “gender gaps.” And the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation offers up a creative infographic that illustrates how investing in women farmers can benefit entire communities.

While such new endeavors cast an important spotlight on the contributions of rural women a well as the barriers they face, the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) provides strategies for how to empower women farmers to be economically successful. ICRW’s workshops on gender and agriculture are a first step in that process. In these customized trainings, ICRW experts help organizations understand how programming that responds to women farmers’ unique needs can make a difference for entire communities – as well as for implementing organizations. ICRW also provides guidance on how to design, deliver and evaluate effective programs and services related to gender and agriculture.

In the following Q & A, Silvia Paruzzolo, an ICRW economist who leads gender and monitoring and evaluation trainings for economic development programs, discusses what it means to create “gender-responsive” agricultural programs and how ICRW approaches its workshops on the subject.

Q: What are some of the common misperceptions that organizations have about gender?

Paruzzolo: We find that staff at many organizations that work on agricultural development acknowledge the role of gender in agricultural programming. Yet there is some degree of skepticism about the importance of analytically addressing gender in agricultural projects because of beliefs that gender is a “soft” issue, not a science. At ICRW, we believe that this skepticism usually is because of a lack of clarity on the rationale for addressing gender in programming. And, there are differences in understanding around what “gender” and “gender-responsive programming” mean as well as around the use and usefulness of techniques such as gender mainstreaming and analysis. There is also a diffused perception that women’s roles and responsibilities are rooted exclusively in household work. However, growing evidence illustrates how women contribute substantially to agricultural production and related income, which makes them key economic agents in the agricultural economy. They are not only home producers or “assistants” in farm households.

Q: What are the elements needed to ensure a program is “gender-responsive”?

Paruzzolo: Gender-responsive programming requires understanding how gender operates, its centrality to good programming, and the need for appropriate funding and assessment of outcomes.Key to ensuring that a program is gender-responsive is to understand that it cannot be treated as an “add-on.” Instead a successful program addresses how gender influences and will be influenced by the program at every single phase of the project cycle. In agriculture, this requires identifying differences in the needs, roles, statuses, priorities, capacities, constraints and opportunities of women and men farmers, and realizing how these differences affect power relationships within farming households.

Gender-blind programs risk failure. Two ways to avoid this is to recognize that gender issues affect how a program achieves its results; and that gender also plays a role in how people respond to interventions; not everyone is affected in the same way. Essentially, designing and implementing gender-responsive programs truly requires organizations to rethink traditional practice.

Q: What are some of the challenges to implementing gender-responsive programming and how can organizations begin to address some of these challenges?

Paruzzolo: Implementing gender-responsive agricultural programming requires an in-depth understanding of gender and intra-household dynamics relevant to an organization’s specific programs. Developing this understanding and the implications for programming is definitely challenging; it requires the right techniques and skills. For example, quantitative data collection methods may not be able to capture the nuances of changing dynamics in relationships within a farming household.

ICRW’s customized workshops help overcome this challenge by introducing participants to the concepts and techniques of gender analysis, which is defined as a systematic process of using research methods to identify differences in the needs, roles, statuses, priorities, capacities, constraints and opportunities of women and men. We then train participants how to apply this information to the design, implementation and evaluation of research, policy and programs. While available frameworks and tools guide gender analysis in practice, they cannot substitute for organizational commitment to gender-responsive programming. Sound gender analysis requires skilled professionals, appropriate financial support and a commitment to use the results to shape policies, projects and actions.

Q: Explain ICRW’s approach to gender training workshops.

Paruzzolo: Most commonly, the main objectives of a gender training workshop are to illustrate the difference it makes to women, men, families and programs when an intervention is gender-responsive, to demonstrate how critical this is for achieving an organization’s goals, and to facilitate learning and capacity building.

At ICRW, we tailor each workshop to the specific capacity and learning needs of an organization. Our workshops are designed to draw out participants’ current understanding of gender, hear their experiences and ideas, and resolve different concepts of gender in the context of an organization’s strategy. We also engage participants in hands-on activities and focused case studies on how to incorporate gender in agricultural interventions.

To do this, ICRW usually begins with a “needs assessment” to better understand the organization’s staff work, how they currently integrate gender into their programming and their existing capacity, and what concerns they may have about weaving gender into on-going and upcoming projects. The information generated from the needs assessment then feeds directly into how we design the workshop and its materials.

During the workshops, participants are usually guided through a fast-paced series of alternating content presentations, videos, practical, hands-on exercises and games designed to promote experiential and participatory learning. We focus on demonstrating the importance of gender integration for agricultural development by using empirical examples that, wherever possible, are drawn from the organization’s own work. Finally, we dedicate time each workshop day to reflect on and synthesize what was learned.

For more information on how to partner with ICRW, please email WorkWithICRW@icrw.org

Administrative Assistant

smarfil — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:25:17 +0000

Job Location:

New Delhi, India

The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) is a private, nonprofit organization that conducts policy-oriented research, provides technical assistance, and undertakes strategic communications and advocacy activities to improve the economic, health and social status of women in the developing world.

ICRW's Social & Economic Development Unit (SED) seeks an Administrative Assistant to provide administrative support to members of the Group.

Primary Duties:

Support the Group Director SED on group management and business development tasks, schedule meetings and appointments, help in preparation for meetings/events, manage calendar, coordinate travel, correspondence management, expense reports
Coordinate and arrange national and international travel for the SED team, make boarding and lodging arrangements for traveling staff, organize venue for conferences & meetings, local transport, manages logistics for meetings and events; processes reimbursements and other follow up.
Assist in the creation of administrative and management systems like database, filing and tracking systems designed to improve efficiency of the Group.
Draft correspondence; manage mailing lists; file and fax documents as requested. Take notes at meetings, prepare and circulate minutes.
Help to format, edit, revise papers, presentations, proposals and questionnaires etc.
Manage and communicate information on SED team members with respect to travel, meetings, leave etc.

Required Skills:

Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a related field (for e.g like office administration)

Experience: Minimum three (3) years work experience. Experience in providing complex administrative support to multiple professionals within a function desired. Knowledge of gender and development will be a plus.

Skills: Strong Computer skills required to include proficiency in the MS Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access) and Internet search applications in a Windows XP environment.

Strong interpersonal skills in order to interface with all levels of internal staff including senior management, as well as external contacts, possibly from diverse cultures. Excellent organizational skills with the ability to prioritize multiple tasks simultaneously with competing deadlines; Demonstrated resourcefulness and professional maturity to handle sensitive and confidential data and matters with discretion is a must. Must be self-directed and possess the ability to work independently as well as with a team. Strong written and oral communication skills.

How To Apply:

ICRW offers a collegial and stimulating work environment, challenging, innovative and meaningful development projects and the opportunity to work with development professionals who are well-regarded in their fields of expertise. Interested candidates should submit the resume to arohr@icrw.org with subject line “Administrative Assistant SED. The last date for receiving application for the position is April 05, 2011.

Passports to Progress: The Bottom Line: How Big Business Is Empowering Women and Girls

smarfil — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:29:46 +0000

The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) on March 7, 2012 hosted “The Bottom Line: How Big Business Is Empowering Women and Girls,” the fourth in its Passports to Progress discussion series. The conversation was moderated by PBS NewsHour’s Judy Woodruff and included Darlene Daggett, former president of QVC and founder and executive director of Ikatu International; MaryEllen Iskenderian, president and CEO of Women’s World Banking; Charlotte Oades, global director of women's economic empowerment, The Coca-Cola Company; and Jackie VanderBrug, managing director, Criterion Ventures and Women Effect Investments.

Passports to Progress: Vestergaard Frandsen

smarfil — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:28:04 +0000

The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) on March 7, 2012 hosted “The Bottom Line: How Big Business Is Empowering Women and Girls,” the fourth in its Passports to Progress discussion series. This video features a welcome by ICRW President Sarah Degnan Kambou and the event’s presenting sponsor, Vestergaard Frandsen.

Violence Against Women in Melanesia and Timor-Leste

swon — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:02:27 +0000

Progress made since the 2008 Office of Development Effectiveness report

This report builds on an earlier report published in 2008 by the Office of Development Effectiveness (ODE) of AusAID that assessed current approaches to addressing violence against women and girls in five of Australia’s partner countries: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Timor-Leste.

In 2011, AusAID commissioned the International Center for Research on Women to undertake a follow-up study to take stock of what has happened with regard to the three key strategies for advancing the violence against women agenda put forward by the ODE report: (1) increasing access to justice for survivors of violence; (2) improving access and quality of support services for survivors; and (3) promoting violence prevention. The study also investigates a fourth strategy: strengthening the enabling environment for ending violence against women. This report presents research findings on progress made since the ODE report in these four thematic areas in the same five countries.

The study methodology consisted of a desk review, an online questionnaire, and key informant interviews. The resulting data showcase successes and lessons learned as well as gaps and shortcomings that need renewed commitment by a broad range of stakeholders.

Publication Year:

2012

Author(s):

Mary Ellsberg, Brian Heilman, Sophie Namy, Manuel Contreras, Robin Hayes

Author Links:

Mary Ellsberg

Sophie Namy

Thumbnail:

PDF File Name:

Violence-against-women-in-Melanesia-Timor-Leste-AusAID.pdf

Keywords and Metadata:

violence against women, Melanesia, Timor Leste, AusAID, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu

Gap Inc. P.A.C.E.: Advancing Women to Advance the World

smarfil — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:36:42 +0000

Women play a critical role in the apparel industry and a vital role in the future of societies. When we help a woman in a developing country better her life, she's able to make positive changes in the lives of her family and in her community.

In 2007, Gap Inc. launched the P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement & Career Enhancement) program, aimed at training female garment workers in technical and social skills so they can advance in work and life. ICRW collaborated with Gap Inc. to design and evaluate initial efforts in garment factories in India and Cambodia. Today, P.A.C.E. operates in those countries as well as in Vietnam, Bangladesh, China and Sri Lanka – and ICRW continues to evaluate the program's impact globally under the leadership of Priya Nanda, group director of social and economic development at ICRW's Asia Regional Office.

In this video, meet San, a participant in Gap Inc.'s P.A.C.E. program.

USAID Launches First New Gender Policy in 30 Years

ggaynair — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 23:04:13 +0000

USAID administrator unveils policy, speakers praise ICRW research on gender

Fri, 03/02/2012

By Jennifer Abrahamson

A policy unveiling event at the White House on March 1 emphasized the essential role that evidence-based research produced by ICRW has played in helping pave the way forward on gender over the past few decades.

U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah on Thursday unveiled the agency’s first new gender policy in 30 years during a White House event, at which a number of speakers recognized the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) for helping pave the way with evidence on how best to improve the lives of women worldwide.

Titled “Gender Equality and Female Empowerment,” Shah said the policy places significant importance on measuring real outcomes for women and girls, who he views as integral to solving all global development challenges that USAID tackles.

“Women aren’t just beneficiaries,” he said. “We see women and invest in women as change agents.”

The new USAID policy prioritizes women as a “central solution” to ending global ills such as hunger, he said. Shah stressed that helping women live more equitable lives is not only an end in its own right, but also a key tactic in the fight against deepening food shortages and other pervasive symptoms of entrenched poverty in low-income societies. For instance, if women owned more land and assets, Shah estimated that 150 million people worldwide would have more reliable access to food.

The new policy will strive to close gender gaps such as the 300-million strong chasm between men and women who own mobile phones, which help spur business in developing countries as ICRW recently found.

Shah said that USAID is committed to taking concrete, practical steps towards turning its gender policy into action and measuring whether it’s making a difference in women’s lives. Officials will do this by collecting data on things like women’s income, access to credit to start small enterprises, and access to critical resources such as seeds or farming equipment – as compared to their male counterparts.

The administrator was joined by other speakers for the announcement, including Geeta Rao Gupta, deputy director of UNICEF and former ICRW president, Mohamed A. El-Erian, CEO of the investment firm PIMCO, which supports women’s enterprise in the developing world, and Gayle Smith, special assistant to President Obama and his senior director for development.

Smith praised USAID’s new gender policy, saying it had fulfilled President Obama’s hope to create development policy that would be a “game-changer” and more than just a “piece of paper, or checking a box.”

Smith and others echoed Shah's remarks, each stressing the fundamental value of evidence-based gender research produced by ICRW over the years. Such research, they said, arms agencies working on the ground with the knowledge needed to make real change in the lives of women, girls and society at large. They added that it’s nearly impossible to dispute or politicize scientifically collected and evaluated data.

Using such evidence to illustrate how to help women overcome real and invisible barriers to opportunities can have profound implications, Rao Gupta said.

“Nothing succeeds like success,” she said. “If we can demonstrate how success is done ... that’s what sticks and what makes momentum grow.”

Jennifer Abrahamson is ICRW’s senior director of public and media relations.

New Study: Indian Women Still Massive Untapped Market for Mobile Industry, Economic Growth

ggaynair — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 19:51:44 +0000

Fri, 02/24/2012

New Delhi/Mumbai/Bangalore – Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have enormous untapped potential to spur economic growth in low-income societies if they were tailored to meet women's needs, according to a new report released today as the annual GSMA Mobile World Congress was underway in Barcelona.

The study, "Connectivity: How Mobile Phones, Computers and the Internet Can Catalyze Women's Entrepreneurship," examines four innovative ICT projects that target just a few thousand women in several rural areas of India, and shows that mobile phones and applications in particular have the power to catalyze female entrepreneurship. The London-based Cherie Blair Foundation for Women and Washington, D.C.-based think tank, the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), jointly published the report and stressed the urgent need for more investment in such initiatives that put critical communication tools into women's hands.

Cherie Blair said: "There are still huge numbers who have yet to benefit from the mobile phone revolution in a country with half a billion women. There has been some progress but many more Indian women could use mobiles to boost their businesses, become financially independent and have a stronger voice in their societies."

The report shows that the number of men who own mobile phones in India exceeds women by nearly 90 million. Translated into global terms, almost one-third of the 300 million-strong gender gap in mobile phone ownership worldwide can be found in India, one of the world's fastest growing economies. Researchers saw firsthand how ICTs can catalyze women's enterprise far from the hum of the country's technology center in Mumbai, but also noted an enormous opportunity for growth could be missed without more public-private commitment.

A new mobile phone application designed by Sasken Communications Technologies, for example, is helping members of rural women's savings and credit associations ("self help groups") who sell products like honey reach larger and more distant markets than ever before. Mobile phones hold so much potential because they enable women to manage business ventures from their homes while also taking on family responsibilities like childcare.

Sarita, an entrepreneur in Chattisgarh State, said: "Now with all our business converging onto the mobile, and with the mobile making life so simple, I can think of growth without getting stressed. My markets, my vendors … they are all just an SMS away."

After co-authoring a 2010 report on female global mobile phone ownership with the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, GSMA launched its "mWomen" program, which aims to close the gender gap by harnessing the collective power of the private, public and nonprofit sectors to improve women's lives through mobile technology. The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) has in recent years examined a number of ways in which technology and innovation can help economically empower women, and as a result, the societies they live in.

ICRW President Sarah Degnan Kambou said: "Closing the technology gender gap could lead to tremendous economic advancement. Everyone wins when women have access to innovative apps and other tools designed specifically to help them run and grow businesses. Households earn more, parents have more money to spend on their children's education and women lead more empowered lives."

For more information about the report and its findings, or for an interview, please contact:

Sasken Communications Technologies: Setlur Raghavan Raja, in Barcelona attending the GSMA Mobile World Congress, rajaraghavan.setlur@sasken.com, or Syed Mehdi in India, +91 (0) 9880 575 712, pr@sasken.com

Cherie Blair Foundation for Women in London: Jillian Convey, +44 (0) 7818 533 065, jc@cherieblairfoundation.org

InternationalCenter for Research on Women (ICRW) in Washington, D.C.: Jennifer Abrahamson, +1 202 742 1250 or +1 202 290 7975, jabrahamson@icrw.org

Mission Statement:

ICRW's mission is to empower women, advance gender equality and fight poverty in the developing world. To accomplish this, ICRW works with partners to conduct empirical research, build capacity and advocate for evidence-based, practical ways to change policies and programs.

Only an SMS Away

ggaynair — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 19:35:08 +0000

Mobile phones can jump-start Indian women’s entrepreneurial opportunities

Anjala Kanesathasan is a senior public health specialist at ICRW.

“Now with all our business converging onto the mobile, and with the mobile making life so simple, I can think of growth without getting stressed. My markets, my vendors … they are all just an SMS away.” -- Sarita, an entrepreneur in Chattisgarh State

India is a country where the mobile phone is seemingly ubiquitous. The imagery of India in the worldwide media tells a story of economic and technological growth but large numbers of the country’s half billion women are being left out of the equation, as is the case in so many other developing and emerging markets.

We have researched this phenomenon and produced a report “Connectivity: How Mobile Phones, Computers and the Internet Can Catalyze Women’s Entrepreneurship.” Globally, 300 million fewer women than men own mobile phones, and in India alone, 90 million women are without the technology. This gender gap represents a significant, untapped market.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) in particular have enormous potential to spur economic growth in low-income societies if they were tailored to meet women’s needs. Yet a large proportion of women do not have reliable and unhindered access to computers, the internet and mobile phones, let alone applications created to help support rural women’s business ventures. Filling this gender ICT gap could help women grow their businesses, become financially independent and have a stronger voice in their societies. Furthermore, it could lead to tremendous economic advancement.

Our study outlines cases where organizations are working together to bring the benefits of ICT to women in India. For example, Sasken Communications Technologies has a new mobile phone application that helps members of rural women’s groups who sell products like honey reach larger and more distant markets than ever before.

This research forms a part of a larger international effort to raise awareness of the benefits of ICT for women in particular. The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) has in recent years examined a number of ways in which technology and innovation can help economically empower women, and as a result, the societies they live in. The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women and GSMA Development Fund first addressed this topic together with research that quantified the gender gap across regions and launched the GSMA “mWomen” program, which aims to close the gender gap by harnessing the collective power of the private, public and nonprofit sectors to improve women’s lives through mobile technology.

The aim of this research is to inform and encourage policy makers and other key stakeholders to do more to connect women with ICTs in such a way that raises their status. The fact is, when women are empowered, everyone stands to gain from their success. However, it will take partnerships across sectors to accomplish something on a sufficient scale to make a real difference to women’s day to day lives.

Unlocking Rural Women's Potential in Agriculture for Empowerment and Development

ggaynair — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:43:22 +0000

ICRW will co-host a discussion about how to accelerate rural women's economic growth on opening day of the 56th session on the Conference on the Status of Women at the United Nations Headquarters. The discussion also is being organized by the Korean World Development Institute (KWDI) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Speakers:

Sarah Degnan Kambou, President, ICRW
Rekha Mehra, Director of Economic Development, ICRW
Hyekyung Chang, Former Vice President, KWDI
Winnie Byanyima, Director of the Gender Team, UNDP

When:

Mon, 02/27/2012 - 10:10am - 11:40am

Where:

UN Headquarters

760 United Nations Plaza Conference Room A, North Lawn Building

New York

United States

See map: Google Maps

Rebuilding Hope in Rwanda

swon — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:12:14 +0000

Case study: Polyclinic of Hope Care and Treatment

Tue, 02/21/2012

ICRW and AIDSTAR-One explore how HIV programs in Africa are intergrating gender strategies to turn the tide for women and girls. This week's featured case study is from Rwanda, among women trying to rebuild their lives after the genocide.

In 1994, Rwanda experienced a genocide that left 1 million dead and 3 million as refugees. Further, militia youth and military men used mass rape and sexual and gender-based violence (GBV) as weapons of war, leaving tens of thousands of women infected with HIV.

When the genocide ended, many of these women were left with nothing — their husbands and children had been killed, their homes taken or burned, their communities torn apart, and their health compromised. Access to medical care and counseling was nearly non-existent immediately after the war. Some women who had had families, homes and perhaps jobs just months before the war, slept on the street, while others found abandoned housing. These women were left to pick up the pieces, care for surviving children, and cope with the psychological trauma of loss and violence entirely on their own. Their bodies had been violated, and they felt alone in the world, which, they later said, had destroyed their spirits.

Soon after the genocide ended, seven women survivors came together in the capital of Kigali to share their experiences of violence and loss, and to provide each other with the emotional support they so badly needed. This eventually evolved into the Polyclinic of Hope Care and Treatment Project which helps Rwandan women cope with the combined after-effects of the genocide.

Although HIV prevalence in Rwanda is low compared to many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the rate among women is about 30 percent higher than that of men. And even though the genocide ended nearly two decades ago, gender-based violence is still dangerously common, with 31 percent of women reporting having experienced it since the age of 15.

The Polyclinic of Hope umbrella program provides a diversified package for women and their children, from vocational training and shelter in a newly constructed community called the Village of Hope, to post-conflict counseling and a range of HIV and AIDS treatment services. Read the full case study, "Rebuilding Hope: Polyclinic of Hope Care and Treatment Project," to learn more about the program and the women survivors it is helping.

Previous case study: "Women First in Mozambique"

Liquid Gold

swon — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:01:35 +0000

A small investment in women coffee farmers in Tanzania yields unexpected returns

Rekha Mehra directs ICRW research and programs that focus on economic development.

Over the years, I have seen evidence time and again of the impact even small investments – if done right – can make in the lives of rural women.

In December, I was reminded of one of those moments while in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania. I was in the country as part of an ICRW team to set up network of practitioners to share ideas and challenges on how to effectively integrate women farmers into agricultural development projects across the country. The initiative is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

But several years prior and far from the dusty streets and sultry Indian Ocean breezes of Dar, I traveled to a remote corner in the country’s southwest. Its lush, rolling hills are supported by an intricate patchwork of small fields of corn, vegetables, fruits and, importantly, coffee trees.

Like many parts of the world, the women I met – wives, daughters, sisters and mothers, all of them farmers – were charged with the very time-consuming and labor-intensive work of processing crops before they are sold. During harvest season, they spent days washing coffee beans by hand and preparing them for men to take to market where they would sell them to traders. However, the women farmers told me that they often saw little of the money their hard work had helped earn. Sometimes they didn’t even know the price the coffee beans had fetched, leaving them uncertain about their household’s true income.

This changed when a wet mill was introduced into the community. This simple piece of modern equipment drastically slashed the time women dedicated to washing the beans. The mill freed up valuable hours in the day in which women could engage in other income-generating activities, child-rearing duties or household tasks – to the benefit of the whole family.

Using the mill included an option to sell the coffee beans directly to the wet mill operators, ensuring a fairer price than traders often offered. At the mill, the men received a cash receipt showing the value of the coffee and the payment the farmer would receive when the coffee was eventually sold outside the village. When the cash receipts came home, women could see exactly how much the coffee earned.

Just a few numbers on small scraps of paper can go a long way: they empowered women farmers with critical information. Women now knew just how much money was available to invest in things they considered a high priority like their children’s education or a new roof to keep the house dry and the family healthy. The receipts also equipped women with knowledge they could use to have a voice in critical household decisions.

An increased injection of smart investments tailored for women farmers – a village wet mill, portable irrigation pumps or even mobile phone technology that can help them reach their own markets for their farm products – can boost growth in rural areas where the majority of the world’s poor live. The economic and social returns for these women and their communities can be high.

I asked a group of women coffee farmers if they had ever tasted the end product – a cup of coffee – that would eventually be culled from their beans thousands of miles away. “No,” they replied. It was too precious: it brought income and a chance to have a say over how their meager household resources would be managed — powerful options for a poor rural woman.