World Food Programme's workshop in Beirut to identify participatory action learning issues to support Syrian refugees.

1. Innovations from the Field
Gender mainstreaming from the ground up
Phase 2
An IDS-WFP action research partnership, 2015-16

2. Aims of Innovations from the Field
A WFP-IDS action learning initiative to
•Understand what already works to mainstream gender
equality in WFP field programmes, and where improvements
are needed
•Share that learning and knowledge effectively within WFP
•Apply lessons to strengthen gender-responsive practice
across WFP
•Inform critical thinking on gender mainstreaming and
contribute to better practice globally

3. Program background
• WFP works on gender mainstreaming
and women’s empowerment.
• Much research has argued that parents
take their girl children out of school
when they are faced with financial
difficulties.
• The boys who are taken out of school
-More mobility
-Earning capacities
• Result: leave boys vulnerable –to
poverty and exploitation including
military recruitment.

4. Zahle sub office
PAL question for Zahle office
•What does WFP do about gender and the protection of
refugee children’s right to education? What –if any-are the
gendered effects of capping on school attendance of refugee
boys and girls?
Data needed
•% of WFP card in total food expenditures
( during the reduction period)
•% of WFP card in total household expenditures ( during the
reduction period)
•School attendance and withdrawal before and after the
introduction of capping quantitative and qualitative
•Importance of education

5. The period of Budget cut
• July, August, September 2015
• Corresponds with school holiday

6. Dimensions of school attendance where WFP can have
direct impact
Multiple impacts on income, health, education,
•Income, e-card is a form of secure income
•Health; primary physical and mental health benefits
•Improved school attendance and performance
•Incentive to attend education via the school feeding program
All these effects are gendered

7. WFP has limited influence on household and food expenses
• Income. WFP card can be central and important, but most
expenses, housing, transport, medication not covered
in Average , during the reduction period,
• WFP card covers 35% of all food expenditures.
• WFP card covers 15% of total household expenditures

8. Present results
Data from PDM
# of
HH
# of
individual
s
# of Male
(5-15)
# of female
(5-15)
# of Male
(16-17)
# of
female
(16-17)
# of children
withdrawn from
school
# of children involved
In the income
Before the the budget
cut (May-June) 160 966 159 153 34 16 26 4
During the budget cut
(July-August) 160 914 163 148 23 14 15 5
After the budget cut (
October- November) 160 979 183 164 18 24 30 14

9. • Sex ratio’s below 16-17 year old are equal but at the age of (16-17)
there are almost half as many girls as boys. Where have they gone?
• Limitations and context
– Cuts are made in same period as school holiday
– PDM does not ask about school attendance
– No questions about age and sex related to school withdrawal
– No questions about age and sex related to income generation
Conclusion
– PDM cannot answer questions on gender and school attendance

10. Lessons learned
PDM cannot answer questions on gender and school
attendance
Solutions
–Refine the PDM questionnaire and Include relevant
questions related to gender, age and school attendance,
clearly related to WFP mandate and responsibility
–Repeat these questions over time
–Enhance authority, capacity and sufficient time of
gender focal points to use and analyse the data to inform
programs

11. Qualitative data collected to complement PDM
Focus groups discussions
•Selection criteria:
1.Affected people who have been in Lebanon before, during and after the
capping and budget cuts
2.Affected people have children and have benefitted from WFP in that
period
•Location: Saadnayel village, Bakaa- in a public school with separate
rooms /familiar to the refugees
2 FGDs with women: One with 11 and one with 12 participants
2 FGDs with men: One with 16 and one with 15 participants
2 FGDs with both men and women One with 14 (8 F 6 M) and one with
12 (6M 6F) participants.
In depth interviews
•Four teachers two male and two female from the same school

12. FGD findings:
• Education highly valued for the growth of the children at intellectual,
social and psychological level.
• Attendance asset to overcome life’s challenges.
• Parents play a major role in raising awareness on school
• Their children want to go to school, have friends, develop themselves
and escape home
• Difficulties adapting to different curriculum, bullying by students and
teachers, lack of space in Lebanese schools, transportation fees
• Majority finds school essential until 9th
grade (15 age)
• At 9th
grade kids receive an official certificate to demonstrate skills

13. • Men say that a certificate helps with
jobs and get better position in the Syrian
army that protects sons and build their
lives
• Women say that girls need to be in
school to prevent early marriage and
just doing unpaid care and other
homework
• Most are in informal schools in the
settlements
• Lebanese schools discriminate, different
curriculums, one child was set back one
grade

14. Gender, school attendance and withdrawal
The reason of withdrawal is related to transportation fees,
extra expenditures, harassment by the teachers, not food.

15. Table gender and education (30 hh-127 Children)
# of children # of girls # of boys attend school under age
rejected from school by
administration
127 73 54 65 40 20

16. Child labour
• Risky jobs: working as a daily
worker/assistant for a carpenter,
barber, blacksmith and working
in agriculture.
• Acceptable for girls to work in
jobs; hairdresser
• Verbal and physical harassment,
violence, exploitation, fatigue,
diseases
• They get paid between 5000-
30000 L.P. per week.

17. Lessons learned
• Cultures and gender roles can change. Women support education of girls
against early marriage
• Gender roles can harm and marginalize boys and girls >education good
example
• Refugee situation can be opportunity for change
• Need to involve men in raising children boys AND girls
• Gender of facilitator and of respondents both affect answers/findings > need to
have mixed gender team
• Allocate time and increase authority for gender focal points especially for
M&E that informs programs and social protection
• Use PAL to systematically mainstream gender in program M&E and design

18. Identify program action
WFP should consider:
•Removing capping, increase amount per person.
•Collaborate with UNICEF and NGO working on education and advocate
for better protection following the life trajectories of girls and boys >16.
•Suggestions made by beneficiaries include:
– Cash for education
– Earmarked cash assistance
– Improving accessibility to formal schools (transport, help with
school items)
– Strengthen referral for social protection (early marriage)
– Support to informal schools

19. Finalize analysis and documentation
• PowerPoint presentation for global learning meeting in
May
• Two pages write up
• Regional conference on e-cards and lessons learned