eng.asociacion de desarrollo comunal ojo de agua

8/2/2019 Eng.asociacion de Desarrollo Comunal Ojo de Agua

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Strategies for Integrating Gender Equity in

the Management of the Organization

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1. Where does the experience take place?This experience takes place in the village of Ojos de Agua, Santa Cruz Canton,Santiago de la Frontera Municipality, Santa Ana Department, 7 kilometers northeastfrom the center of the Municipality, 32 kilometers away from the municipal town; the

experience is located at 900 m.o.s.l, 90% on steep topography, it has a cool climatedue to natural forest.

The area is completely rural, the main economic activity is agriculture, mainly basicgrains and to a lesser extent vegetables. There are 84 families in the canton,distributed in 4 villages; they have basic services, such as piped water, electric, toiletfacilities, mainly pit toilets.

The main productive resources are: land, an average of 2 manzanas (1 manzana = 0.7ha) per family, generally in the name of the husband; and water from natural sourcesand from the Cusmapa River that supplies the consumption system and, in thesummer, the irrigation system. They work with small credits extended by theassociation Asociacin de Desarrollo Comunal Ojo de AguaADESCOA.

27 persons -17 men and 10 women- participate in this experience, led by a DirectiveBoard composed by 11 members -7 women and 4 men- and 3 support committees:production, commercialization and monitoring.

The experience started in 2006, with the reconstruction program Programa deReconstruccin y Modernizacin RuralPREMODER to support vegetablesproduction.With the support of technical staff from the national center of agricultural technologyCentro Nacional de Tecnologa Agropecuaria(CENTA) and the municipality ofCandelaria de la Frontera; as well as from other institutions, such as the municipalityof Santiago de la Frontera, the Salvadorian Health Association Asociacin SalvadoreaPro Salud Rural(ASAPROSAR), the Health Unit and, recently, the project Productive

Development FOMILENIO.

2. What do we learn from this experience?We will learn the strategies implemented to integrate gender equity in themanagement of the organization and the main lessons learned.

We will analyze enablers and constrains faced to achieve greater integration andparticipation of women in the productive association, identifying tools and actions thathave meaningfully contributed to achieve this objective.

We will identify effects and impacts of the greater participation of women in theassociation and vegetables productive chain, in the members, their families and

territories.

We will identify changes that reduced gender gaps in the organization and the impactof these processes on the members (men and women), their families and communities,and tools implemented by PREMODER that have been efficient to achieve said goals.


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Learning Route:

Tools to mainstream gender equity and womens empowerment

in IFADs projects: the experience of Central America

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3. What are the key moments of this experience?Legal incorporation. The organization was established in 1993, the legal status wasgranted by the Municipality of Santiago de la Frontera, as a social developmentorganization composed by 44 persons 9 of them women. The organization worked

with this scheme until 2006, exclusively on project management and development ofcommunal infrastructure, mainly improving access roads, and participation of womenwent unnoticed.

Project management. Management of vegetable production project with PREMODERand with the support of technical staff from CENTA, Agency of Candelaria de laFrontera, which gave eventual technical assistance to the community and put theassociation in contact with the program for the required negotiations and pre-diagnosisvisits.

Pre-investment studies (December 2006). The following actions were executed:Organizational Diagnosis, Organizational Strengthening Plan and Business Plan, forirrigated vegetables and fruits production, using the programs methodology.

Funds transfer to the organization. In June 2007, the project was approved by theinvestment committee and the 1st disbursement was extended to pay for technicalassistance, and in May 2008, funds for productive investments were transfer.1

Organizational strengthening. In August 2007, the training and technical assistanceprocess started in the areas of business management, associativity, gender andproduction, with the support of a technical team assigned to the organization.

Production and commercialization (May 2008). The following investments weremade: acquisition of drip irrigation system, semi-permanent crops, micro tunnels andworking capital for 22 persons -2 women. The association obtained the irrigation

permit from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. Each family cultivatesapproximately 875 mts2 of onions, sweet chili, jalapeo, tomatoes, pipin (wintersquash), elote, radish, cabbage, broccoli, blackberry, chipiln and fruit trees, such asbananas, citrus and papaya. For these purposes, they have a revolving fund of$6,000.00 that is used to extend credits to members. The production is sold in acollective stall on the road leading to the municipality, and also at the agro market.There are negotiations for a collective delivery to a company called El SalvadorProducefinanced by FOMILENIO.

4. What are the results and achievements?The organization began with a purely social focus, gradually transforming into a socio-economic organization. During this transformation, not only the focus of the work

changed, but also the composition of the organizational structure, the genderparticipation and the results at personal, familiar, organizational and local levels.

1 Productive investment: acquisition of irrigation system, basic equipment and working capital.


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PROGRESSES IN WOMENS PARTICIPATION, EMPOWERMENT AND GENDEREQUITY

At personal level

Groups women are convinced that they are different now than before the vegetables project: they believe that they have learned to lose the fear to express their points ofview, both in their homes, in the organization and in the community. They can addressdelicate issues in their families; they consider themselves better than before. Theythink that the community values them, as they have learned to express themselvesand are more independent without fearing mens criticism.

We, as rural women, were raised to serve others, first the brothersand fathers, later our husbands and children, now I have learned tospeak out without fear, I can address issues that I couldnt in the pastand I value myself, I know that Im also important

Ana Yanira Linares

President of the Directive Board 26-09-11

At familiar level

Communication in the family is one of the changes, communication with the spouseand children. An effort is being made not to repeat the traditional roles thatconstrained womens development and strengthen machismo.2

Economic changes are evident. Before theproject, the main economic activity of thefamilies was the production of basic grains forsubsistence, but didnt generate additional

incomes to improve living conditions. In thespecific case of women, they were not directproducers, some of them contribute in sometasks and their role was to bring the lunch tothe parcel without involvement in theproductive activity. Now, 10 women aredirectly involved in the project; 5 work in theentire production task, including landpreparation, seedbed preparation, use offertilizers, pest and weed control, monitoring, pruning and harvesting with the supportof their relatives. 10 women members and 5 young women take part in thecommercialization process; which includes: prices surveys, negotiations, retail sales,sales at the stall on the road, sales at the agro-market in Santiago de la Frontera and

delivery to some stores in Candelaria de la Frontera, these tasks are performedtogether with men.

This allows them greater economic role, and also access to the benefits. Adding to this,the satisfaction of taking part in decision-making, as they have learned cropsmanagement and they also know how to manage the irrigation system.

2 Traditional roles: domestic work exclusively for women, men depended on women for the preparation offood, productive work exclusive for men, domination of men over women.

Before I didnt go out to sell tomatoes, I didnt image myselfshouting tomatoes. I was ashamed. Now, men and women gotogether to the agro-market in Santiago de la Frontera. We sell

different things with joy. We also help at home, for example, with

the hens, preparing tortilla, cleaning, anything that is required.We dont depend on women to eat, and we are teaching our

children to work together and learn the business

Vctor Manuel AvilsVice-president of the Directive Board


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At local level

ADESCOA 5is located in the best known canton in the municipality and amongneighboring municipalities, due to the production and commercialization of vegetablesand fruits in the area, as production is permanent and supplies vegetables for the area,although there are other organizations in the same business, they products have more

acceptance and recognition.

We are the best known canton, everybody says that we haveimproved the municipality because we work together, men andwomen and youngsters, we have young people that help usselling

Ana Yanira LinaresMember

SUCCESS FACTORS AND CONSTRAINS

The factors that have contributed to achieve the abovementioned results are the

following:

- Families have some productive resources as land and water;- 2 persons in the community were already working with vegetables and they

motivated the group and shared their experiences;- The program PREMODER was open to include Communal Development Associations

into its groups of potential beneficiaries, although in the diagnosis stated that theprogram was for cooperatives, it will have taken a long time to obtain that status.Nevertheless, the group decided to work with its current legal status;

- PREMODERs methodology to transfer funds to the organization for investments anddirect contract of technical staff facilitated the results.

The main constrains are the following:

- Some people in the community complained about the water consumption forirrigation.

- Issues with pests and crops diseases.- At the beginning of the organization, the apathy of men and women to participate

in meetings.- At the beginning, an obstacle for women participation was their fear to be

marginalized due to the traditional education, they didnt accept that they havecapacities;

- On the other hand, husbands jealousy didnt allow them to spend much timeoutside the house, but stay in the houses taking care of the children.

- Domestics tasks were delayed and only the women had responsibility over thesetasks.

- Political and religious differences that stopped the participation of men and women,what is being overcome gradually.

5 ADESCOA: Communal Development Association Ojo de Agua


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Learning Route:



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5. What tools and good practices implemented by PREMODER havecontributed to these achievements?

Gender approach is included in PREMODERs strategy, for this reason ADESCOA workedwith this approach from the beginning:

The following documents were prepared in the initial phase: Diagnosis,Organizational Strengthening Plan and the Business Plan with the participationof men and women; these documents included, gender situation, identifying theparticipation in productive, domestic and organizational activities, participationin decision-making and the main constrains for the insertion of women in theentrepreneurial, productive, social and organizational base. Likewise, in thestrengthening plan a series of action to overcome constrains abovementionedwere included, among them gender awareness, productive training, leadership.The business plan also includes enablers for women to participate in theproduction of vegetables and fruits.

The organizational strengthening process facilitated by a technical team thatsupported productive, entrepreneurial, administrative, and organizational andgender aspects was strategic in mens and womens awareness process.Women went from a traditional domestic role to a productive role.

The use of participative methodologies, with special attention to women,allowed better appropriation of crops management technologies, for example,exchange visits, monthly technical assistance visits to the parcels.

Trainings with testimonials of other producers in topics of production andcommercialization that motivated the groups and, especially the women.

Specific consultancies and constant technical monitoring, we had the support ofdifferent experts once a week, negotiating days and times convenient forwomen, in the abovementioned areas6.

The group took part in different trainings and events promoted by differentinstitutions, for example, CENTROMYPE, FOMILENIO and others that have

emphasized on commercialization, marketing and other aspects.

The gender methodology used to disseminate to other areas the development ofproductive, administrative, organizational and entrepreneurial capacities of women wasthe following:

Development of a training program on gender with emphasis in decision-making,leadership, self-esteem and all the topics abovementioned, through 4 hours sessions,once a week, using various support materials, such as illustrated booklets, boards 7,among others.

Constant promotion of womens inclusion at executive levels, emphasizing therelevance of their representation in decision-making through presentations, personal

dialogue, visits, among others.

Development of Closing Gaps Methodology, by means of 2 initial workshops with groupinterviews to men, women and directors to reflect on the current situation ofinvolvement of men and women in the project, in the organization; actions were

6 AREAS: Production, commercialization, entrepreneurial development, associativity, accounting and gender.7 Vinyl: plastic canvas type material


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defined to overcome identified constrains8 taking note of them in a board, which isconstantly review by the Directive Board in order to control achievements, this is donewith the support of an expert in gender.

The gender training allowed women understanding the importance of theirparticipation, assistance to the meetings improved and they got involved and

contributed with ideas. Decision-making progressively improved, women assumedpositions, 64% of the Directive Board are women, and thus their leadership hasimproved. Their capacity to communicate has also improved, for example, some ofthem conduct trainings on gender in the school or in public events, in accordance withcoordination with the programs technicians.

We have also worked to address some of the needs identified through the Closing Gapsworkshops, such as Medical Squads in coordination with ASAPROSAR and the HealthUnit and literacy circles facilitated by a member.

6. What are the lessons learned?The main lessons of the experience are the following:

The inclusion of gender approach in a productive organization requires anintegral strategy to create awareness in the associated population on theimportance of the participation in different sectors, with special attention towomen and, at the same time, facilitate access to productive resources withtechnical monitoring.

Gender awareness in the technical teams allows identifying womens strengthsand constrains and, as consequence, adopt appropriated methodologies tostrength their economic and social capacities.

Methodologies and tools used by PREMODER to include gender topics aimed atmixed groups has fostered leadership skills in women, to facilitate decision-making, access to productive resources; and greater acceptance of these

capacities for the benefit of their families and the organization. The inclusion of gender is a process

that has to be constantly promotedand, in ADESCOA, the achievementsare gradual. Progressively, we areclosing gender gaps, there aremeaningful achievements,nevertheless, there is still a lot to bedone, and we have to extend thebenefits to other families, strengthenthe work with youngsters, modernizethe production system, and improvecommercialization channels with the

participation of men and women.

8 Some identified constrains: difficulty speaking in public, little leadership, most women didnt take part in the productive chain, illiteracy, health problems and other difficulties related to the operation of theorganization.

I produce chile, broccoli, tomatoes and othervegetables, Im a beneficiary of the project, Ive receivedcredit from ADESCOA, Im a single mother, Ive learned

to work for my children, and they help me in the work.The training has been very important for me, I value mywork, and I teach it to my children I teach them to share

and to work together

Santos Delmy LinaresMember


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Learning Route:



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Lets try to fight for what we want, we all have dreams and we hide them,lets get them out and fight for us and our families. We have learned to makeour own decisions, we are capable. It is worth investing time and effort, atthe end, there are personal and familiar benefits, Ive learned this at gender

trainings, and everything we have learned is useful in this life

Ana Yanira Linares

President of ADESCOA

Here women have taken over, after all the training on gender andvegetables production, women have more skill. Women have shown thatare good at work, that are good administrators and that men have tosupport them

Teodoro del Carmen Linares LinaresAsociado

Here, it has been demonstrated that women have capacities, but need to beawakened. Women at the board make decisions have productive skills, theorganization is more organized, we have updated information, and we aremore enthusiastic. This has been an employment opportunity for me, Im

accountant, I have the opportunity of helping my community

Deymi Aracely Sandoval

Member and local manager

eng.asociacion de desarrollo comunal ojo de agua

Documents