Ayesha Khan's presentation on "Policies and Affirmative Action for Achieving Gender Equity," at the World Bank workshop Pakistan@100 Initiative at Lahore University of Management Sciences.
Qualitative methods to measure girls empowermentRanjani K.Murthy
This powerpoint, prepared for the organization DASRA, demonstrates qualitative methods for measuring girls’ empowerment and how it is different from measuring other aspects of programs. The slide covers the concept of empowerment and empowerment of adolescent girls, methods to measure adolescent girls empowerment, factors that should be kept in mind while using these methods and specific challenges in adopting these methods with 10-14 year old girls. Feedback welcome!
Ayesha Khan's presentation on "Policies and Affirmative Action for Achieving Gender Equity," at the World Bank workshop Pakistan@100 Initiative at Lahore University of Management Sciences.
Qualitative methods to measure girls empowermentRanjani K.Murthy
This powerpoint, prepared for the organization DASRA, demonstrates qualitative methods for measuring girls’ empowerment and how it is different from measuring other aspects of programs. The slide covers the concept of empowerment and empowerment of adolescent girls, methods to measure adolescent girls empowerment, factors that should be kept in mind while using these methods and specific challenges in adopting these methods with 10-14 year old girls. Feedback welcome!
Since its endorsement in 1995, the level of the adoption of gender mainstreaming in the leadership positions remains an issue among stakeholders. Lack of women representation in leadership positions has been attributed
This power-point analyses the Indian government and Sri Lankan's plans and budgets from a gender and equity lens. It argues that they are not gender and diversity transformative, do not focus on strengthening services for 'care' and engaging with men and boys on masculinities. Neither are budgets responsive to gender and diversity concerns. Finally, the paradigm of development is not consistent with gender and social equity
Getting a seat at the table: Strengthening women’s tenure rights and particip...IFPRI-PIM
This presentation was given by Esther Mwangi (CIFOR), as part of the Annual Scientific Conference hosted by the CGIAR Collaborative Platform for Gender Research. The event took place on 5-6 December 2017 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where the Platform is hosted (by KIT Royal Tropical Institute).
Read more: http://gender.cgiar.org/gender_events/annual-scientific-conference-capacity-development-workshop-cgiar-collaborative-platform-gender-research/), as part of the Annual Scientific Conference hosted by the CGIAR Collaborative Platform for Gender Research. The event took place on 5-6 December 2017 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where the Platform is hosted (by KIT Royal Tropical Institute).
Read more: http://gender.cgiar.org/gender_events/annual-scientific-conference-capacity-development-workshop-cgiar-collaborative-platform-gender-research/
MISSION
To
create an effect
ive
framework to enable
the process of developing policies,
programmes and practices which will ensure equal rig
hts and opportunities for women
in the family, community, workplace and in
governance.
4.
OBJECTIVES
i)
Creating a conducive soci
o- cultural, economic and political
environment to enable
women enjoy
de jure
and
de facto
fundamental rights and realize their
full potential.
ii)
Mainstreaming gender in all
-round development processes/programmes/projects/
actions
.
iii)
A holistic and life
-cycle approach to women’s health for appropriate, aff
ordable and
qual
ity health care.
iv)
Improving and incentivizing access of
women/ girls
to universal and quality education.
v)
Increasing and incentivising work force participation of women in the economy
.
vi)
Equal participation in the social, political and economic spheres includi
ng the
institutions of governance and decision making.
vii)
Transforming discriminatory societal attitudes,
mindsets with community
involvement
and engagement of men
and boys
.
viii)
Developing a gender sensitive legal
-judicial system.
ix)
Elimination of all forms of vio
lence against women through strengthening of policies,
legislations
, programmes,
institutions
and community engagement
.
x)
Development
and empowerment of women
belonging to the vulnerable and
marginalized
groups
.
xi)
Building and strengthening stakeholder partici
pation and partnerships for
women
empower
ment
.
xii)
Strengthen
monitoring,
evaluation, audit and data systems to bridge
gender
gaps.
Co-Creation Workshop with MAF Grantees, Delhi, IndiaM4ID Team
Documentation of the workshop with a host of MAF grantees working with women’s health and rights issues. The objective was to map digital technology and communication needs of these organisations. The day saw professionals from advocacy, communication and research backgrounds from organisations including Breakthrough, CEDPA-India, CHSJ, HAQCRC, ICRW, IPAS, MAF, MAMTA-HIMC, NFI, Population Council, PFI, TARSHI and the YP Foundation.
To paint a clearer picture, here’s a few examples of issues these organisations address: maternal and new born care, family planning, reproductive health and rights for adults and adoloscents, child health and child rights, girl child education, women’s skill development and employment, preventing violence against women, women’s safety etc.
PRIA is an international center for learning and promotion of citizen participation and democratic governance. Since 1982,
It has focused on the empowerment of the poor and excluded by consistently working on issues of citizens’ access to rights
and entitlements through knowledge, capacity building and advocacy. While it has field offices in five states, it works with
around 3,000 partner non-profits in 23 states to deliver its programs on the ground
Understanding How open data could impact resource allocation for poverty era...Open Data Research Network
"A research poster presented as part of the Exploring the Emerging Impacts of Open Data in Developing Countries project at the Research Sharing Event in Berlin, 15th July 2014. For more see http://www.opendataresearch.org/emergingimpacts/"
Since its endorsement in 1995, the level of the adoption of gender mainstreaming in the leadership positions remains an issue among stakeholders. Lack of women representation in leadership positions has been attributed
This power-point analyses the Indian government and Sri Lankan's plans and budgets from a gender and equity lens. It argues that they are not gender and diversity transformative, do not focus on strengthening services for 'care' and engaging with men and boys on masculinities. Neither are budgets responsive to gender and diversity concerns. Finally, the paradigm of development is not consistent with gender and social equity
Getting a seat at the table: Strengthening women’s tenure rights and particip...IFPRI-PIM
This presentation was given by Esther Mwangi (CIFOR), as part of the Annual Scientific Conference hosted by the CGIAR Collaborative Platform for Gender Research. The event took place on 5-6 December 2017 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where the Platform is hosted (by KIT Royal Tropical Institute).
Read more: http://gender.cgiar.org/gender_events/annual-scientific-conference-capacity-development-workshop-cgiar-collaborative-platform-gender-research/), as part of the Annual Scientific Conference hosted by the CGIAR Collaborative Platform for Gender Research. The event took place on 5-6 December 2017 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where the Platform is hosted (by KIT Royal Tropical Institute).
Read more: http://gender.cgiar.org/gender_events/annual-scientific-conference-capacity-development-workshop-cgiar-collaborative-platform-gender-research/
MISSION
To
create an effect
ive
framework to enable
the process of developing policies,
programmes and practices which will ensure equal rig
hts and opportunities for women
in the family, community, workplace and in
governance.
4.
OBJECTIVES
i)
Creating a conducive soci
o- cultural, economic and political
environment to enable
women enjoy
de jure
and
de facto
fundamental rights and realize their
full potential.
ii)
Mainstreaming gender in all
-round development processes/programmes/projects/
actions
.
iii)
A holistic and life
-cycle approach to women’s health for appropriate, aff
ordable and
qual
ity health care.
iv)
Improving and incentivizing access of
women/ girls
to universal and quality education.
v)
Increasing and incentivising work force participation of women in the economy
.
vi)
Equal participation in the social, political and economic spheres includi
ng the
institutions of governance and decision making.
vii)
Transforming discriminatory societal attitudes,
mindsets with community
involvement
and engagement of men
and boys
.
viii)
Developing a gender sensitive legal
-judicial system.
ix)
Elimination of all forms of vio
lence against women through strengthening of policies,
legislations
, programmes,
institutions
and community engagement
.
x)
Development
and empowerment of women
belonging to the vulnerable and
marginalized
groups
.
xi)
Building and strengthening stakeholder partici
pation and partnerships for
women
empower
ment
.
xii)
Strengthen
monitoring,
evaluation, audit and data systems to bridge
gender
gaps.
Co-Creation Workshop with MAF Grantees, Delhi, IndiaM4ID Team
Documentation of the workshop with a host of MAF grantees working with women’s health and rights issues. The objective was to map digital technology and communication needs of these organisations. The day saw professionals from advocacy, communication and research backgrounds from organisations including Breakthrough, CEDPA-India, CHSJ, HAQCRC, ICRW, IPAS, MAF, MAMTA-HIMC, NFI, Population Council, PFI, TARSHI and the YP Foundation.
To paint a clearer picture, here’s a few examples of issues these organisations address: maternal and new born care, family planning, reproductive health and rights for adults and adoloscents, child health and child rights, girl child education, women’s skill development and employment, preventing violence against women, women’s safety etc.
PRIA is an international center for learning and promotion of citizen participation and democratic governance. Since 1982,
It has focused on the empowerment of the poor and excluded by consistently working on issues of citizens’ access to rights
and entitlements through knowledge, capacity building and advocacy. While it has field offices in five states, it works with
around 3,000 partner non-profits in 23 states to deliver its programs on the ground
Understanding How open data could impact resource allocation for poverty era...Open Data Research Network
"A research poster presented as part of the Exploring the Emerging Impacts of Open Data in Developing Countries project at the Research Sharing Event in Berlin, 15th July 2014. For more see http://www.opendataresearch.org/emergingimpacts/"
Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF),a non-government and non-profit organisation works with local organisations to improve the well-being of poor and marginalised communities
Participation and Inclusion in Lifelong LearningRika Yorozu
Presented in the Training Workshop for Directors and Executives of Youth and Adult Education for Women in Saudi Arabia (Hamburg, 29 September – 10 October 2014)
Promoting social participation through Digital Governance: identifying barrie...dgovs_pucrs
This article aims to identify barriers for the adoption of strategic goals related to social participation in the Brazilian Public Administration present in the recently launched Brazilian Digital Governance Policy.
Laadli, A campaign to help save the girl child and prevent gender selection a...Population First - Laadli
Laadli, A girl child campaign is Population First's campaign against sex selection and falling sex ratio.Join us by making your pledge against female feticide
http://laadli.org/
PAC is a leading think tank that promotes good governance through the participation of citizens and civil society, by
designing and implementing social accountability tools such as Citizen Report Cards (CRC). PAC also analyzes public
policy frames and engages with civil society organisations. PAC’s approaches have been applied across the world and used
for focused analysis by several Indian states and administrative bodies
In 2009, the Centre for Social Research along with WomenPowerConnect and supported by the United Nations Democracy Fund, designed and implemented a training program for women leaders across India. In the world's largest democracy, women hold a mere 10% of seats in India's parliament. Women’s slim percentage in Indian Parliament also reflects their lack of participation in decision-making process. The goal of our project, "Enhancing the Role of Women in Strengthening Democracy", was to enhance the capacity of women to contest elections, sensitize state and national political parties in order to remove barriers for women, and strengthen the network of women across India in order to advocate for women's issues. Drawing on expertise from seasoned women politicians, as well as our own in-house gender experts, CSR prepared a substantial and thorough training module which was executed by 108 trainers in 30 trainings across India. The training was comprised of 13 modules covered over three days. In addition to the in-person trainings, the CSR team designed and launched an online certificate course in leadership, which can be found at www.womenleadership.in
The core strategy of the project was “Train, Contest, Win”. Women’s leadership capacities were built in order to reduce the gender deficit by imparting training to create a pipeline of 1,000 women leaders who would be motivated to contest elections for state legislatures & national parliament. Participant women were selected from across India, with proportional regional representation. Special emphasis was placed on building leadership amongst the marginalized women belonging to Scheduled caste/Scheduled tribe and backward classes.
It is only a matter of time before the Women's Reservation Bill is passed, reserving 33% of seats in state and national government for women. When this day comes, the need for programs to build the capacities of women who want to contest will become even more urgent than it is today. We are proud to have helped 1,000 women in their preparations for contesting elections and we will continue to provide support and encouragement for these women leaders as they pursue their careers in the years to come. But the work can't stop there. Our goal is to provide training and support to as many women as possible at local, state, and national levels, across party lines, and regardless of caste or class. If the serious issues facing the women of India are to be confronted, women themselves must take their rightful seat at the table.
During the past 15 years or so, several countries across the world – including India – have introduced and made major changes in the way their economies function. The earlier economic models have given way to market forces and its attendant processes of liberalization, privatization and globalization. Over the years, this process – which continues – has seen a boom in markets, mega-mergers of huge companies, the accumulation of wealth, and the growth of information technology.
HAQ: Center for Child Rights
B1/2, Ground Floor,
Malviya Nagar
New Delhi - 110017
Tel: +91-26677412,26673599
Fax: +91-26674688
Website: www.haqcrc.org
FaceBook Page: https://www.facebook.com/HaqCentreForChildRights
Communication Skill - a Tool for Rural Women's Empowermentinventy
Background: India is rich in women-power resources. The rural female population is as big as 360 millions but only 31% of them are working population. The rural women, particularly poor, are not exposed themselves though they have talent because they have dearth of communicating skills. Today‟s world is a globalized and technologically progressed world. So the communication skills are today‟s need. Method and Materials: The present study was undertaken to assess the communication skills of rural adolescents young women of nine centers across the country: Dharwad, Hisar, Hydrabad, Ludhiana, Palampur, Panthnagar, Parbhani, Udaipur and Jorhat with a sample of 1,183 young women of age group 15-18+ years. Communication skill scale developed by AICRP(CD) Hyderabad centre was used to assess the communication pattern at home, neighborhood and with authority. The tool was translated to regional language and administered to the adolescents young women in the Balika Kendra / Anganwadi. Educational package was used for intervention which consists of exercises and games for providing inter personal communication to facilitate cooperation and collaboration, to build on ideas by accepting other‟s ideas, awareness and assessment of problem issues prevailing in the immediate surrounding, community issues and larger issues in the country. The content of the packages were presented as films, discussions, interactions, exercises. The results of intervention was assessed through skill index. The educational intervention was provided to rural young women for a period of 18 months with three post-testing with an interval of six months between two testings. Findings: Significant difference between two post-tests was observed which revealed that the intervention was effective in enhancing the communication skills of rural women. It was observed that majority (53.6%) were in low, followed by high (25%) and medium (21.2%) category of communication ability. Due to intervention, A least percentage (21.4%) were in low category and highest (43.4%) were in high category of communication skill. Imparting of communication skills through training to the adolescents women would help them to express their views and needs have better access to community resources, banks and be self-reliant.
Loksabha Election 2019: 90 Plus Voting CampaignBanda is a district of 1.8 million people in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Unfortunately, in recent years, Banda has become known for water scarcity, unemployment, farmer distress, underdeveloped agriculture, and corruption. These issues have spurred significant political rivalry; as a result, the Election Commission has identified 195 of the 1,454 polling booths in the Baberu, Banda, Naraini, and Tindwari constituencies as “critical”.
Motivated by these challenges, I set out to increase voter turnout and improve the sense of civic engagement in Banda, and involved the whole district administration towards this goal. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, 53 percent of registered electors in Banda voted. For the 2019 elections, I set an ambitious target of 90 percent turnout. To achieve this, I led my team to devise the “90 Plus” strategy, which leveraged a plethora of initiatives and communication channels from the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme. A total of 825,907 people voted in Banda District in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, out of 1,314,368 registered electors (62.8%). In 2014, the average total turnout was 53.38%. The 10-percentage point increase is remarkable given the ground-level challenges that confronted the ambitious project target. The significance of this scheme was acknowledged by the Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, in a rally that he addressed here in the district.
Agricultural extension and rural advisory services: From research to actionIFPRI-PIM
PIM Webinar, 11 November 2021 // Presentation of innovative interventions that can be applied and adapted to enhance extension performance // Summary of agricultural extension research supported by the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM).
Event page (full recording): https://bit.ly/3jRTRWy
See more on www.pim.cgiar.org
Similar to Carter Center_GWG_Program overview_Dec 2019 (20)
Presentation by Jared Jageler, David Adler, Noelia Duchovny, and Evan Herrnstadt, analysts in CBO’s Microeconomic Studies and Health Analysis Divisions, at the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists Summer Conference.
Understanding the Challenges of Street ChildrenSERUDS INDIA
By raising awareness, providing support, advocating for change, and offering assistance to children in need, individuals can play a crucial role in improving the lives of street children and helping them realize their full potential
Donate Us
https://serudsindia.org/how-individuals-can-support-street-children-in-india/
#donatefororphan, #donateforhomelesschildren, #childeducation, #ngochildeducation, #donateforeducation, #donationforchildeducation, #sponsorforpoorchild, #sponsororphanage #sponsororphanchild, #donation, #education, #charity, #educationforchild, #seruds, #kurnool, #joyhome
This session provides a comprehensive overview of the latest updates to the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (commonly known as the Uniform Guidance) outlined in the 2 CFR 200.
With a focus on the 2024 revisions issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), participants will gain insight into the key changes affecting federal grant recipients. The session will delve into critical regulatory updates, providing attendees with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate and comply with the evolving landscape of federal grant management.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the rationale behind the 2024 updates to the Uniform Guidance outlined in 2 CFR 200, and their implications for federal grant recipients.
- Identify the key changes and revisions introduced by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the 2024 edition of 2 CFR 200.
- Gain proficiency in applying the updated regulations to ensure compliance with federal grant requirements and avoid potential audit findings.
- Develop strategies for effectively implementing the new guidelines within the grant management processes of their respective organizations, fostering efficiency and accountability in federal grant administration.
Jennifer Schaus and Associates hosts a complimentary webinar series on The FAR in 2024. Join the webinars on Wednesdays and Fridays at noon, eastern.
Recordings are on YouTube and the company website.
https://www.youtube.com/@jenniferschaus/videos
Jennifer Schaus and Associates hosts a complimentary webinar series on The FAR in 2024. Join the webinars on Wednesdays and Fridays at noon, eastern.
Recordings are on YouTube and the company website.
https://www.youtube.com/@jenniferschaus/videos
Donate to charity during this holiday seasonSERUDS INDIA
For people who have money and are philanthropic, there are infinite opportunities to gift a needy person or child a Merry Christmas. Even if you are living on a shoestring budget, you will be surprised at how much you can do.
Donate Us
https://serudsindia.org/how-to-donate-to-charity-during-this-holiday-season/
#charityforchildren, #donateforchildren, #donateclothesforchildren, #donatebooksforchildren, #donatetoysforchildren, #sponsorforchildren, #sponsorclothesforchildren, #sponsorbooksforchildren, #sponsortoysforchildren, #seruds, #kurnool
Russian anarchist and anti-war movement in the third year of full-scale warAntti Rautiainen
Anarchist group ANA Regensburg hosted my online-presentation on 16th of May 2024, in which I discussed tactics of anti-war activism in Russia, and reasons why the anti-war movement has not been able to make an impact to change the course of events yet. Cases of anarchists repressed for anti-war activities are presented, as well as strategies of support for political prisoners, and modest successes in supporting their struggles.
Thumbnail picture is by MediaZona, you may read their report on anti-war arson attacks in Russia here: https://en.zona.media/article/2022/10/13/burn-map
Links:
Autonomous Action
http://Avtonom.org
Anarchist Black Cross Moscow
http://Avtonom.org/abc
Solidarity Zone
https://t.me/solidarity_zone
Memorial
https://memopzk.org/, https://t.me/pzk_memorial
OVD-Info
https://en.ovdinfo.org/antiwar-ovd-info-guide
RosUznik
https://rosuznik.org/
Uznik Online
http://uznikonline.tilda.ws/
Russian Reader
https://therussianreader.com/
ABC Irkutsk
https://abc38.noblogs.org/
Send mail to prisoners from abroad:
http://Prisonmail.online
YouTube: https://youtu.be/c5nSOdU48O8
Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/libertarianlifecoach/episodes/Russian-anarchist-and-anti-war-movement-in-the-third-year-of-full-scale-war-e2k8ai4
A process server is a authorized person for delivering legal documents, such as summons, complaints, subpoenas, and other court papers, to peoples involved in legal proceedings.
Jennifer Schaus and Associates hosts a complimentary webinar series on The FAR in 2024. Join the webinars on Wednesdays and Fridays at noon, eastern.
Recordings are on YouTube and the company website.
https://www.youtube.com/@jenniferschaus/videos
ZGB - The Role of Generative AI in Government transformation.pdfSaeed Al Dhaheri
This keynote was presented during the the 7th edition of the UAE Hackathon 2024. It highlights the role of AI and Generative AI in addressing government transformation to achieve zero government bureaucracy
1. Advancing Women’s
Right of Access to
Information in
Bangladesh
Sumana Sultana Mahmud
Chief of Party
The Carter Center,
Bangladesh
2. Project Duration-
August 29, 2016 – September 30, 2019
October 1, 2019 – September 30, 2021
Program Locations:
Dhaka
Khagrachari Old Area
Sylhet
Rajshahi New Area
Satkhira
Rajshahi
Satkhira
Sylhet
Khagrachari
Dhaka
3. Program Locations:
Rajshahi
Satkhira
Justification
• Previously done survey in this areas (Rajshahi and Khulna)
• Minority (Plan land adibashi concentration is high)
• Target population plain land Adibashi and Dalit community (low
preference group)
• We have done assessment before taking the decision. Some
findings-
Low literacy rate, not aware about their rights, land less, no
knowledge or less understanding of the government facilities,
access to government facilities is not significant
• Target to achieve SDG goal (no one left behind)
4. Gender Study
1. Tested the hypothesis that women do not
access information with the same facility as men
2. Identified the cultural, structural and legal
barriers that women face
3. Determined women’s most critical information
needs.
Conducted in 6 districts: Dhaka, Khagrachari,
Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Sylhet
Included interviews with 128 community
leaders, 81 experts, and 264 public officials and
men/women in 49 non-participant observation
agency locations
5. Gender Study
Primary Obstacles
• Illiteracy
• Lack of awareness: do not
know where to go/how to
ask for information
• Cultural constraints
• Time and Mobility
Information Needs
• Education
• Land/Property
• Income Generation
6. Advancing Women’s Right of Access to
Information in Bangladesh (2016-2019)
Government Partners:
• Cabinet Division
• Information Commission
• Various Line Ministries
• Local Governments
Civil Society Partners:
• Manusher Jonno Foundation
• Institute of Development Affairs (IDEA)
• Management and Resources Development
Initiative (MRDI)
• Trinamul Unnayan Sangstha (TUS)
• Institute of Governance and Development, BRAC
University
• Dnet
7. Advancing Women’s Right of Access to
Information in Bangladesh (2019-2021):
Government Partners:
• Cabinet Division
• Information Commission
• Various Line Ministries
• Local Governments
Civil Society Partners:
• Institute of Development Affairs (IDEA)
• Trinamul Unnayan Sangstha (TUS)
• Dnet
• New partners yet to finalize
8. Advancing Women’s Right of Access to
Information in Bangladesh: Objective 1
Right to Information Working Groups
Targeted Awareness Raising Campaigns
Celebration of International Right to Know Day
Policy Recommendations
9. Advancing Women’s Right of Access to
Information in Bangladesh: Objective 2
Gender Sensitization and Awareness
Raising
RTI Intensives and Capacity Development
Creative Mechanisms for Information
Dissemination
10. Advancing Women’s Right of Access to
Information in Bangladesh: Objective 3
Awareness Raising in Local Communities
Capacity Development for CSOs
11. Advancing Women’s Right of Access to
Information in Bangladesh: Objective 3
Tottho Bondhus, Changemakers,
and Support Hotline
Engaging Youth
Online Requests
12. Advancing Women’s Right of Access to
Information in Bangladesh: Preliminary
Endline Survey Analysis•
Increase in respondents in Khagrachari and Sylhet indicating that
women can access information with same facility as men, but
decrease in Dhaka
93% of respondents indicated women are filing more information
requests than they were 3 years ago
Of those respondents who participated in programming, 5% had
filed an information request prior to programming, whereas 22%
indicated they had filed an information request after
programming
Of the 22% who filed information request following programming,
65% said that they shared the information with their families and
communities
13. Advancing Women’s Right of Access to
Information in Bangladesh: Preliminary
Endline Survey Analysis
From baseline, increase in respondents that indicated legal and
social norms promote and protect women’s right of access to
information, but higher increase around legal norms than social
Perception of family member support decreased from baseline
to endline
Yet perception of influential community members support
increased
When asked about RTI capacity of government (primary and
mass education, secondary education and land), increase in
indicators such as procedures for response and understanding
women’s need for information and responding to women’s
requests
14. Advancing Women’s Right of Access to
Information in Bangladesh: Lessons Learned
Identifying and highlighting champions
Clear commitment from government partners
Support for local government
Importance of multiple engagements and
contextualized interventions
Secondary impacts (agency and voice)
Diversity of information interests
Importance of engaging youth
Information is transformative
15. Advancing Women’s Right of Access to Information in Bangladesh:
New activities as following
• RTI Intensive training for the government officials
• Gender training for the government officials
• School awareness program
• Awareness and capacity building of the teachers and local
government officials
• RTI working group meeting at national, district and Upazila
level
• Courtyard meeting
• School Campaign
• Capacity development of CBO and CSO, youth leaders
• Bootcamp
16. Women and the Right of
Access to Information
Awareness Program
17. Women and the Right of
Access to Information
Awareness Program Sylhet
18. Women and the Right of
Access to Information
Thank you
Editor's Notes
RTI Working Groups
Initially, the Center wanted to create a working group to consider issues around women’s ATI.
However, a national RTI working group (RTI WG), led by the Cabinet Division and comprised of a number of government ministries, and district advisory committees already existed, but were not fully functional.
CD invited the Center to put forth its ideas.
In January 2018, and based on the Center’s proposal, the Cabinet Division agreed to restructure the national and district RTI working groups.
in May 2018, the Cabinet Division issued a Government Gazette on the revision of the working groups/committees on the right to information implementation and monitoring, with a special focus “to ensure women’s right to information and activities at the Upazilla, District and Divisional levels.”
The working groups expanded to include female elected members at all levels, as well as selected civil society organizations working on the right to information were invited to participate.
The committees are now meeting more regularly, the Cabinet Division has made its commitment to women’s right of access to information clear to all local government officials, and gender responsive
approaches and capacity building can be furthered.
Targeted Awareness Raising Campaigns
As a means of influencing those persons identified as obstacles, the Center worked with the Information Commission, RTI Working Groups, and school children in Khagrachari and Sylhet to design campaign
In coordination with the Information Commission, Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet, and the RTI WGs of all four administrative levels in Sylhet, the Center held a half-day meeting for the RTI WG members in Sylhet to contribute slogan ideas for the campaign
Additionally, the Center worked with 50 students in Sylhet – from class seven to 10 – to design a visual component.
After receiving an overview of the right to information, students created posters reflecting what they understood it to mean.
Of the 50 pictures submitted, the Center chose three, and paired them with slogans identified either by the students or the RTI WG.
The Center received permission from both the Government of Bangladesh and the Information Commission to include their logos with USAID, The Carter Center and local partners. The Center’s women and access to information program is considered the first in which the Commission and the Cabinet Division/Government have allowed their logos to be used, demonstrating a remarkable commitment to these efforts.
Using these materials, the Center hosted events in Khagrachari and Sylhet.
These events included the use of street drama groups to present skits, encouraging community members to actively participate, and facilitated open discussions around women’s right of access to information.
Celebration of International Right to Know Day
The Center worked closely with the Information Commission and others to use the day to focus more specifically on women’s right of access to information.
In 2017 and 2018, the Center designed posters with the information commissions which spoke to women’s ATI and fit within their theme.
Over both years, 110,000 posters were printed and distributed across all 453 upazilas in Bangladesh.
In 2018, the Center supported the production of a TV spot, which told the story of a young woman using the right to information in her village to ensure that selected female elders were receiving the benefits to which they were entitled.
The Ministry of Information then supported the broadcast of this spot on various channels across the country.
Photos:
Left: Women participate in a exercise during gender sensitization in the Khagrachari RTI Intensive (If I were a man, Because I am a woman…)
Right/Bottom: Members of the Perachara Union Parishad body pose after a capacity development training in Khagrachari
By the Numbers:
1,400 civil servants includes duplicates – so it’s individual training sessions
The 13%, 64% and 33% numbers are district averages from respondents to the RTI Intensive pre and post surveys
Gender Sensitization and Awareness Raising
Across activities, the Center and our partners worked with government officials and key civil servants to raise awareness of women’s right to information in Bangladesh and improve their understanding of the unique obstacles that women face
This work was at both the national and local levels
Working in close coordination with the Cabinet Division, conducted gender sensitization for high level officials of relevant ministries in Dhaka
In Khagrachari and Sylhet, the Center provided similar awareness-raising sessions for members of the RTI working groups, as well as day-long gender sensitization events for key civil servants
TUS and IDEA conducted similar work in the districts
Focusing on the local level in specific upazilas, TUS and IDEA were able to work with an extensive array of local government partners, many of whom participated in multiple events.
These activities included small meetings of various stakeholders at the union parishad and upazila level, where TUS and IDEA raised awareness of women’s right to information and developed a feedback loop, sharing women’s concerns, experiences and information needs directly with key government officials.
Also included information fairs with information officers from the district level and community members
RTI Intensives and Capacity Development
In Dhaka, Khagrachari and Sylhet, the Center conducted a series of two-day RTI Intensive trainings for government officials from relevant line ministries, as well as one-day refresher events
We trained over 115 government officials form relevant ministries on paper and digital records management practices, proactive disclosure requirements and exemptions, the state of women’s access to information in Bangladesh, and ways in which ministries could be more gender sensitive in providing women information.
Approximately 35% of the participants were female.
Events were facilitated by both domestic and international advisers.
At local level, TUS and IDEA conducted capacity development work with members of union parishad bodies, providing an opportunity for individual ministry representatives to understand access to information in its large overarching context.
Creative Mechanisms for Information Dissemination
Sought to identify creative ways to improve women's access to information
In Khagrachari, even when women could get to government offices, they didn’t know who to seek out to request information. TUS worked with local government officials to create and display name tags for designated information officers to make it clear for women entering the offices.
In both Khagrachari and Sylhet, partners worked with local government to design and display 16 information billboards – 10 in Khagrachari and 6 in Sylhet
With IC support/coordination, piloting Dnet RTI Online Tracking System (RTIOTS) – which allows women or others to file an information request online and track it through the process of receipt and response
Photos:
Left/Bottom: A courtyard meeting in Khagrachari
Right/Top: Awareness raising event with district level information officers in Sylhet.
By the Numbers:
95 CSOs/CBOs includes both awareness raising and capacity development activities
Awareness Raising in Local Communities
TUS and IDEA created small groups of community women in their working areas, usually of 10 women. (480 women total)
Over the program period, they held 400 courtyard meetings. Each meeting followed a structure and identified continued information needs from the community that the women could obtain and share back with others.
Through these meetings, women were able to obtain information that directly impacted their lives – allowing them to procure identification cards, access allowances they were entitled to, enroll in vocational training opportunities or enroll their children in schools, request technical assistance, etc.
Together, TCC, MJF, MRDI, TUS and IDEA designed and printed 172,000 printed awareness raising materials (easy to understand guides, stickers, posters, etc.) that were distributed in program areas throughout programming. (these are separate from the IRTK Day materials)
Worked with local government as mentioned above on the billboards, which were viewed by tens of thousands of people, using conservative estimates.
MRDI and IDEA both created radio programs, including drama, interviews, jingles and PSAs that were broadcast on Bangladesh Betar throughout the country, and were interactive with listeners. MRDI had over 4,000 individuals respond to their quizzes in total.
Capacity Development for CSOs
Program partners conducted capacity development trainings which were attended by approximately 75 organizations across the three program districts.
Of those 75, In total, MRDI, TUS and IDEA conducted ongoing capacity development trainings and provided technical assistance and guidance to 15 CSOs in the three districts.
MJF additionally did ToTs ad refreshers in each district.
Photos:
Left/Bottom: A woman in Khagrachari transfers notes from a courtyard meeting to a request for information. The Center’s Tottho Bondhu helped her file this request for information.
Right/Top: Participants of MRDI’s Boot Camp complete a group exercise.
Tottho Bondhus, Changemakers and Support Hotline
Engaging Youth
In 2019, MRDI, TUS and IDEA began activities working directly with youth and school management committees.
TUS and IDEA worked with union parishad chairmen and members to identify young leaders between the ages of 16-30 in their local communities that had achieved at least a secondary education level.
They created upazila level groups of 12-24 youth members who received intensive training on the right of access to information and how it can be used to further informed decision making and transform women’s lives and communities
In Khagrachari, for instance, members of these youth groups filed 65 information requests the same month that they had received training, showing that with sufficient awareness and capacity, there is a genuine interest and need for public information.
In addition to assisting these youth groups, TUS and IDEA worked directly with teachers and members of school management committees to develop their own capacity to use the right to information to help their students and students’ parents, as well as provide guidance on how the right to information can be better taught in schools.
In Dhaka, MRDI held a large, multi-day “residential” RTI Boot Camp for 42 young women participants from Dhaka, Khagrachari and Sylhet
Over the course of three days, the training included 16 sessions of various formats, including games, debates, use of songs and theater, video viewing, group work, participatory discussion and lectures, to learn about, become familiar with, and gain practical experience using the RTI Act
Groups were assigned to enable participants to share comparative experiences from their own lives as well as learn from each other throughout the course of the training.
Toward the end of the training, the groups created workplans for how they will use their right to information moving forward to empower themselves as well as their communities
Finally, MRDI conducted awareness raising sessions in four schools, two each in Dhaka North and South, reaching a total of 465 female students.
Endline Notes (for Laura, not all for speaking out loud) :
147 of the 300 respondents were original baseline survey respondents
Analysis is ongoing, so these results are preliminary.
Endline measurements show increases in responses, fairly consistent responses, and sometimes negative responses. The Center is considering conducting focal groups and key informant interviews based on the findings to understand these changes in greater qualitative detail.