Delivery of Social Services, Economical and Political Empowerment, and Labor Market Participation

CASE STUDY 1: Rural Extended Services and Care for Ultimate Emergency Relief (RESCUER): For Rural Women in Uganda (Delivery of Social Services)

Project description

The United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), Uganda's Ministry of Health and Population Secretariat, and Iganga district authorities together initiated the Rural Extended Services and Care for Ultimate Emergency Relief (RESCUER) program. RESCUER is part of the Ministry's effort to reduce Uganda's high maternal mortality rate (506 per 100,000) by improving local care and referral systems. About 80 percent of 17 million people in Uganda live in rural areas where the fertility rates are high. Traditional midwives, relatives, and friends handle more than 60 percent of childbirths.

Communications, transport, and quality health services are the three components of this project. The communication system uses VHF radios installed at base stations, health units, referral hospitals, ambulances, and the District Medical Officers' vehicles. Walkie-talkies are used by the birth attendants to get help from more experienced medical staff.

According to Maria Musoke, an information specialist who studied the communications component of the pilot RESCUER project in eastern Uganda's Iganga district, training of the birth attendants was structured according to specific needs of a community that survives with few health-care amenities. It was a refresher course for the midwives as some of them had been out of school for 10 years or more. All health workers were given special training for using the communication equipment.

The authorities started the project by creating health awareness and providing basic training. People also began to see other benefits of the project. Earlier if a refrigerator broke down one had to travel miles for repairs, but now a technician could be sent down to do the job with just a radio call. Communication made a significant contribution to the success of this project. If transport failed, a midwife's presence and the communication system played a vital role in saving lives. The birth attendants consulted health-unit officials who, in turn, consulted colleagues and seniors. The walkie-talkie technology proved to be a great source of empowerment for birth attendants. It not only improved their image, but also built confidence in their clients and helped them attend to more women.

The initial cost of the project was less than US$124,000 (including the cost of the equipment and training for technicians and users). In the later phase, the running costs reduced. The system uses solar energy for electricity. After the initial investment the usual maintenance cost is small and easy to bear, which indicates that even if the donors pull out, the project will survive.

The project has succeeded in reducing the maternal mortality rate by as much as 40 percent over the past 3 years. Another significant development is that now health personnel are able to call and get practical advice even when no vehicle is available. The project has also helped to overcome the major problem of absenteeism among the health workers. Moreover, these calls are heard on the other receivers too, including the one at the Chief Medical Executive's office. The senior officers contact the responsible officer in case a call is not taken care of within about 30 minutes. Because of the positive results, the RESCUER project is already being replicated in three other districts, and there are plans to extend it to thirty more districts in the future.

Inhibiting factors

• There are problems of transport in rural Uganda.
• About 80 percent of 17 million people in Uganda live in rural areas with a high fertility rate.
• The traditional birth attendants are illiterate.
• Some of the midwives have been out of school for 10 years or more.

Facilitating factors

• UNFPA, Uganda's Ministry of Health and Population Secretariat, and Iganga district authorities took the initiative.
• A multidimensional approach that responded to different abilities and needs through intermediate technologies helped a lot.
• After the initial investment the maintenance cost is small and easy to bear.

Lessons learned

• Radio can play a vital role in improving basic health and reducing the rate of maternal deaths.
• Even if the donors pull out, the project can survive due to low maintenance cost.
• By providing convenient and appropriate means of communication, the project has reduced the severity of the problem of absenteeism.
  

CASE STUDY 2: Sustaining Women Farmers with the Help of ICTs in Ukraine (Economic Empowerment of Women)

Project description

After the collapse of the communist regime in Ukraine, there has been a shift from collectively owned land to privatization, which is expected to promote market-oriented agricultural entrepreneurs. Women farmers in particular experience great difficulties, as they have to keep track of resources and information about changing laws and regulations so as to register themselves as farm owners. Although 79 percent of economically mobile women are active in the private subsidiary agricultural sector, only 10 percent of all registered farmers in Ukraine are women. .

Information about frequently changing registration and taxation laws reaches rural areas slowly, and applications submitted by farmers are often rejected by the local officials because by the time they are submitted, more changes have been introduced in the form. Submitting revised application forms does not guarantee their validity. Women farmers' problems are compounded because they have to keep track of these changes besides their other demanding roles as farmers, wives, mothers, and agricultural entrepreneurs.

Occasional bank loans for acquisition of land or farm equipment are important, but banks seem reluctant to advance credit to farmers due to government restrictions on sale of land. Women in general, often experience difficulty in obtaining loans from banks and being a farmer multiplies their hardships in securing loans.

Likewise, for selling farm produce at a good price, it is important for women farmers to have access to the latest information about commodity prices, markets, equipment, and fertilizer. Non-availability of such information results in women selling their crop at very low prices to resellers and not benefiting from other advances in technology, fertilizer, or fuel.

Given the critical importance of legal, market, and technical information to women farmers, a telecentre project titled 'Sustaining Women Farmers in Ukraine' has been started Information Service Centres are set up at various oblasts (regions) that cover the entire country. The Regional Council of Female Farmers in Ukraine manages the whole project and operates these centres. The objective of the project is to apply ICTs to agriculture and farm management to help women farmers overcome their lack of information and networking tools. The project includes a computer-based interactive network of eight telecentres with Internet access and provides training for women farmers in using computers.

The project was initiated by the Gender in Development Programme, the State Committee of Ukraine on the Development of Entrepreneurship, the Centre for Agrarian Reforms, the Council of Women Farmers of Ukraine, and the Japan Women in Development Fund, which began to finance the project in 1999.

Inhibiting factors

• Women farmers in particular experience great difficulty in keeping track of resources and information about changing laws and regulations, which makes it difficult for them to register as farm owners.
• Information about frequently changing registration and taxation laws reaches rural areas slowly, and the applications submitted by farmers are often rejected by the local officials (because of changes that may have been introduced during the application process); moreover, submitting revised application forms does not guarantee their validity.
• Banks are reluctant to advance credit to farmers due to government restrictions on the sale of land.
• Non-availability of market information results in women selling their crop at very low prices to resellers, and not benefiting from other advances in technology, fertilizer, or fuel.

Facilitating factors

• Women farmers were involved and consulted from the project inception stage in assessing needs and identifying appropriate technical arrangements and indicators of success.
• Over a hundred farmers received loans from credit unions and banks for developing their business, 72 new farms headed by women were registered, and 85 women enlarged their land plots.
• As ICTs were the most important component of the project, it was essential to train women farmers on using a personal computer.
• The women farmers attained better access to information through the Internet as the project proceeded, and their contribution to the legislative process was also improved.

Lessons learned

• Women's willingness to participate readily in the project was a facilitating factor.
• Conscious involvement and consultation with women farmers from the beginning was critical. This ensured that the project design would meet the information and networking needs of women farmers and help them obtain the right information at the right time.
• The success of the project shows that it helps to maintain a high client orientation at both the design and implementation stages so that the ICT project addresses the real, salient needs of clients.
• Although the project was initiated for economic empowerment of women through ICTs, it also resulted in their political participation. Therefore when implemented successfully, ICT initiatives for women can yield additional benefits.The project's aim to equip women with technology, tools, and skills to enable them to meet their information and networking needs is an ideal example of women's empowerment through ICTs.
  

CASE STUDY 3: Women's Information and Communication Technology Project - The Story of Women's Empowerment in Urban Kenya (Political Participation by Women))

Project description

The objective of this project in Kenya was to develop a methodology for enabling the poorest members of the community to participate in decision-making at the policy level through the use of the ICTs. The Intermediate Technology Development Group initiated the project on Women's Information and Communication Technology (WICT). The Kenyan initiative was one of three pilot projects; the other two were implemented in Peru and Zimbabwe.

The Kenyan project was undertaken in some of the informal settlements for the poor in Nairobi. Living conditions in these settlements are characterized by overcrowding, poverty, disease, and a lack of access to modern amenities such as electricity and running water. Although women form half the population living in these slums, and, in addition to their maternal responsibilities, many of them are also heads of households, policymakers in the past had completely ignored them. This was despite the fact that in these settlements, women often played a key role in community development activities such as neighborhood improvement, waste management, and self-help groups.

To correct this situation and give women a voice, the WICT pilot project focused on the participation of these women in policymaking with the help of ICTs and used interactive video as a tool for women's empowerment. After careful scrutiny and planning, two settlements were selected for the pilot project, and two women's groups identified. Twenty women received training. Many of them were over 50 years of age; several were illiterate, and the majority were the sole breadwinners in their families. Some were responsible for looking after grandchildren who had lost their parents to AIDS. Some women operated grocery stores, kiosks, and second-hand garment sales.

The women were given extensive training in using a video camera and other related skills such as script preparation. Armed with these skills, the two women's groups made two videos of 15 minutes each that captured the problems and aspirations of women in these settlements. Titled "Telling our story" and made in Swahili, these videos depicted their everyday struggles and challenges. The videos also captured favorable features, such as women's income-generating activities and community service initiatives (including a saving scheme in one of the settlements to acquire land for permanent housing). The videos were shown at an assembly of policymakers and planners, representatives from NGOs, the private sector, and local functionaries.

The experience gave the women a feeling of empowerment. Today, if there is civic unrest, these groups of trained women are often invited to cover the happenings and to offer their suggestions and advice. They have entered into arrangements with a leading Kenyan broadcasting company to supply development videos. They often shoot and supply clippings of newsworthy stories. In addition, they have been documenting activities of several NGOs in these settlements. The women are respected for their objective and authentic coverage and enjoy far greater confidence of the community than many local media agencies. Their productions command high credibility. Their newly acquired skills also bring them an income. At the same time, they provide valuable feedback to policymakers about the problems and improvements taking place in these settlements. The project received an international award in 2001 in recognition of its contribution to social justice through ICTs

Inhibiting factor

• In the past, policymakers ignored the concerns of Kenyan women despite their significant role in family and community development.

Facilitating factors

• The enthusiasm of promoters and the women themselves;
• Getting visibility for early success through a formal launching of their videos.

Lessons learned

• To ensure the usefulness of ICTs, it helps to plan carefully so as to achieve success in the first round. The initial batch of participants should be selected and trained carefully. After a positive experience, the road to self-empowerment becomes easier;
• Access to technology can create new possibilities for women. For example, training in handling video cameras led to powerful new opportunities for these poor, often uneducated women, which included a chance to shape public policy, inform the community about their daily realities, win the confidence of the people, emerge as dependable suppliers of authentic news, and earn an income while rendering these services;
• Women can rise to the challenges and opportunities offered by ICTs. These need to be visualized and planned imaginatively by the project functionaries.
  

CASE STUDY 4: Mongolia Telecom: Employment of Women in Urban Mongolia (Labor-Market Participation)

Project description

Mongolia Telecom started in 1992 as a public sector enterprise, and was privatized in 1995. It offers services such as international telephone calls, telex, leased lines, television and radio broadcasting, the Internet, payphone, cable television, and facsimile services. Of its 4500 employees, 54 percent are women.

In 1996, with the help of the Telenor Consultant Firm, Mongolia Telecom adopted a human resource development plan that reduced the crowding of women at lower levels by equipping them to move to managerial levels. The two-pronged strategy included measures to help women cope better with their dual responsibilities at home and work, and measures to enable professional development and career growth of women. The target was to have women fill at least 20 percent of the managerial positions. A large number of training and management programs were organized and drew extensive participation from women employees. The company understood the work-family conflict experienced by its female workers. To help ease pressure on women employees, a number of measures were taken. These included company assistance for single mothers and financial aid for childbirth and education of children. There is an annual "Best woman achiever" award with a two-week stay in a rest house or health resort at company expense. As a result of these proactive steps women now constitute over 20 percent of senior managers, compared with just 9 percent when the plan was introduced.

Mongolia Telecom avoids gender discrimination and the Mongolian Labor Law, a regulating as well as workers' protection law, has contributed to maintaining gender equality. Human-resource development has been very successful. In 2000, 37 training programs were conducted, and 735 participants attended the courses. More than 65 percent of the participants were women (Purevsuren, 2001).

Inhibiting factors

• Lack of training and opportunities for women
• The work--family conflict that affected women most
• Lack of incentive and appreciation for women

Facilitating factors

• Being a large public sector enterprise to begin with, Mongolian Telecom could continue to be a major employer of women after privatization.
• Enlightened regulations helped maintain gender equality.
• Mongolia Telecom contracted professionals to develop their human resources plan.

Lessons learned

• Proactive and supportive organizational policies can help women acquire relevant competencies and move up the organization ladder;
• Enlightened official regulations and well-conceived organizational interventions can together help women overcome the invisible glass ceiling common to many organizations, specifically in the ICT sector.