Community-Based Livelihood Development for Women & Children in Swaziland Benjamin Rinehart, Chief of...
-
Upload
susan-jones -
Category
Documents
-
view
218 -
download
0
Transcript of Community-Based Livelihood Development for Women & Children in Swaziland Benjamin Rinehart, Chief of...
Community-Based Livelihood Development for Women & Children in Swaziland
Benjamin Rinehart, Chief of Party, FHI 360
June 16, 2014
Project Overview
PEPFAR/USAID funded from December 1, 2011 - November 30, 2016
Goal: Enhance the social and economic well-being of women in children in the communities where they live
Integrated Multidisciplinary Development: Economic strengthening, legal rights and child protection, SBCC, & community development
Capacity building of community-based institutions and national stakeholders in government, civil society, donor, & private sectors to scale up successful initiatives
The team: FHI 360 (lead), TechnoServe, & Vusumnotfo; about 24 staff and 40 volunteers and enumerators
Geographic Coverage
Six rural communities in
Swaziland
– Herefords, Hhohho (4,500)
– Khuphuka, Lubombo (4,000)
– Mpolonjeni, Lubombo (6,250)
– Ndzingeni, Hhohho (4,250)
– 2 more to be selected in 2014
Project Activities
• Economic Strengthening
• Legal Rights & Access
• Child Protection
• SBCC & Life Skills
• Early Childhood Development & Education
• Community Development
• Capacity Building
• Advocacy & Policy
Gender in Swaziland: Law & Culture
• Customary law: patriarchal, women as minors
• 2005 Constitution promotes greater gender equality but is not known or applied in all areas
• Customary practices and traditions: early & forced marriages for girls, lobola (bride price); mourning periods; women & girls lack inheritance rights; no access to land for women
• High drop out rates for girls in secondary school
Gender in Swaziland: Health & Security• GBV: poor response system &
coordination; no comprehensive legal framework & poor enforcement mechanisms
• SRH services not accessible for young women
• Gender inequality significant factor in high rate of HIV prevalence
• HIV burden highest among women & girls; HIV prevalence rate peaks much earlier for women
How the Project Learned about Gender Issues in Swaziland
• Gender analysis & gender strategy
• Gender advisory panel, gender consortium
• Assessment of women’s rights & women’s access to legal services
• Household baseline survey
• Focus group discussions, beneficiary input
How the Information Influenced Design & Approach• Livelihoods development
is effective when complemented by social & behavior change communication & legal rights education & services
• Men, especially traditional leaders, are suspicious of “gender” programs
• For legal rights & public services, focus on the “demand” and “supply”
Project Impact: Leaders are Listening
• Traditional leaders are openly challenging harmful norms and customs
• Leaders embracing constitutional law - major paradigm shift
• Leaders are granting women more rights and access to nation land.
• Increased community awareness & recognition of women’s rights, including property and inheritance rights
• Increased community awareness of children’s rights
• Vulnerable children identified & systems in place for Increased uptake of referral services
Project Impact: Behaviors are Changing• Children reporting abuse by teachers
• Young women are reporting more independent decision-making and less relationship dependency
• Young men and women are beginning to embrace more equitable gender norms
• Young men are also adopting healthy behaviors, which has a positive health outcome for young women
Measuring Impact
• Surveys: gender norms, stereotypes, and behaviors; knowledge of laws and rights; access to services; and other household economic indicators
• Periodic reporting from community stakeholders
• Focus group discussions with participants
• Most significant change stories