Women Building Community Peace in Eastern Terai

Transcription

1 Women Building Community Peace in Eastern Terai Project Evaluation Report Submitted by: Search for Common Ground Nepal Submitted to: National Endowment for Democracy (NED) Date of submission: 28 June 2012 Effective date and end date of grant: February 1 st, 2011 January 1 st, 2012 Total amount of the grant: $39,940 USD NED Grant No Contact information: Serena RixTripathee, Country Director Search for Common Ground Nepal P.O.Box 24905, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: ( ) stripathee@sfcg.org

2 List of Abbreviations APM CA FGD LDM LPC NED SFCG VDC All Party Mechanism Constitution Assembly Focus Group Discussion Local Decision Maker Local Peace Committee National Endowment for Democracy Search for Common Ground Village Development Committee

3 Table of Contents Executive Summary... 2 I. Introduction and Project Overview... 4 II. Evaluation Objectives... 5 III. Evaluation Scope and Methodology... 6 IV. Major Findings by Activity... 7 A. Peacebuilding Training for Women Leaders/Networks... 7 B. Gender Sensitivity and Peacebuilding Training for Local Decision-makers C. Women-led Community Peacebuilding Initiatives V. Reflecting on Results VI. Challenges VII. Conclusions and Recommendations Annex 3: Women s Groups Formed as a Result of the Project Annex 4: List of Women-led Local Peacebuilding Initiatives (Most of the names of the groups are in Nepali) 21

4 Executive Summary In February 2012, Search for Common Ground (SFCG) concluded a 12-month pilot project entitled, Women Building Community Peace in the Eastern Terai. The project, funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), had the overall objective to strengthen the role of women and girls in the Eastern Terai to be a positive force for peacebuilding at the local level. The project was implemented in partnership with Samagra Jana Utthan Kendra (herein after called Samagra) in four districts including Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha and Mahottari. The project involved three major activity components: (i) Women Leadership and Community Peacebuilding Training for Women Leaders/Networks; (ii) Training to Local Decision Makers on Gender Sensitivity and Peacebuilding; and (iii) Women-led Community Peacebuilding Initiatives. This report presents findings from the final project evaluation that was conducted from January 2 nd 7 th and led by Mr. Shiva K. Dhungana, Program Advisor, with support from Meena Sharma, Senior Program Coordinator and Shradha Rayamajhi, Associate Research & Monitoring Coordinator. The evaluation was carried out in four districts - Dhanusha, Mahottari, Siraha and Saptari- where SFCG has operated since To evaluate the results, various methods were used, including, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), Collection of Case Studies (CCS) and Field Observation (FO). All activities were implemented as planned, including district based research and engagement; leadership and peacebuilding training for women and girls; gender and peacebuilding training for local government officials; and women-led community peacebuilding initiatives. Overall, the evaluation found that the project was largely successful in achieving the desired results. More specifically, the leadership and peacebuilding trainings for women led to a greater understanding of the importance of women s leadership, their potential role in the community, knowledge and skills on conflict transformation and peacebuilding, specifically the basics of conflict analysis and win-win solutions, and the realization that they can be change-makers in society. Furthermore, in reference to their relationship with local decision makers (LDMs) and government agencies, the women participants are more aware of their roles and responsibilities with other community members, and how to engage them in understanding their rights. The joint action plans by LDMs and the women participants not only strengthened their relationship but they are now more receptive to women accessing local government resources and ensuring their participation in decision making mechanisms. Furthermore, the formation of women s groups bringing women from different castes, ethnic groups, religions and political affiliations, led to the creation of joint action plans that were presented to Village Development Committees (VDCs). This empowered women to voice their concerns in an organized and collective way and many of the women are now working with a broad range of actors like the government officials, civil society members, and political party representatives to advocate for women s access to the local decision making mechanisms. It also demonstrates the women s leadership capacities, traditionally considered incapable of leadership roles by many men in leadership positions and in doing so, their leadership capacities are now recognized by male leaders and VDC Secretaries who are inviting them to the local decision making meetings. The seed grant activities of the project have increased mobilization and recognition of women and girls at the community-level. A total of 1,080 women and girls have actively participated in those activities. The women were involved in peacebuilding activities, including peace rallies, art festivals, street dramas and debate competitions, and were able to bring large numbers of people together, including youth, women and government officials. They also generated 2

5 broader awareness among the critical mass about community harmony, empathy, reconciliation and coexistence. Despite the encouraging success, the project was not free from challenges, particularly from the existing social and cultural context in Terai which continues to impede women from stepping out of their household activities. Many women still encounter a lack of trust from their own family and the existing social and cultural boundaries that are hard to break. Furthermore, women are traditionally not allowed to go out of the house without Ghunghat (the use of a portion of Sari to cover their head) to conduct daily activities. More recently, many women can easily step out of their houses without Ghunghat and have been encouraged to join the women s groups by family members, reflecting a significant shift in the social dynamic. Even after providing women with leadership training and sensitizing the local decision making authorities, it was found that some of the VDC Secretaries did not change their behavior and they are still limiting their commitments to lip service only. The male leadership still prefers women s participation in symbolic terms and in many meetings women hardly participate in decision making even if they are allowed to be present. If women are to be empowered in real terms, they need to be supported with long term plans and continuous engagement. In a situation where the women and their families are not economically stable, income automatically becomes the first priority and trainings on other areas like leadership and peacebuilding becomes secondary for them. However, it was found that the participants used the leadership training to take new initiatives in income generation in some VDCs. The project has given new hope to the women participants in the Eastern and Central Terai and has shown them the boundless possibilities they are capable of. In addition to measuring the results of the project, the evaluation has drawn following recommendations based on the lessons learned. First and foremost, it is important that SFCG continues to engage women in democratization and development activities in order to sustain their efforts in building relationships with local leaders and get access to decision making mechanisms. Further intensive training on women leadership, peacebuilding and negotiation skills for larger number of women and local decision makers seems essential. Similarly, sensitizing more decision makers on gender dynamics, peacebuilding and women s role in democracy and development is vital in achieving SFCG goal of bringing women in decision making role. The most important thing that the women require at this stage is exposure. Because women have traditionally been limited in terms of access to the decision making process, they naturally lack much of the requisite knowledge, experience, and confidence for such positions. Therefore, it is unrealistic to expect them to be able to suddenly step in to the unfamiliar roles and territory of the decision-making process and corresponding structures. Therefore, exposure to various issues in the form of trainings, exposure visits and interactions, and issue-based orientations is the crucial need for the short-term. The project should capitalize on the ripple effect that the pilot phase has created and organize more training and related activities for more women in the VDCs. 3

6 I. Introduction and Project Overview Despite a formal end to the Nepalese Civil War with the signing of a peace accord in 2006, remnants of the conflict are still hindering the transition to peace and democracy. The process of writing a constitution continues to be met with delays due to contentious issues, including the issue of federalism and structure of the new government. These issues have polarized the political parties and the citizenry on the basis of identities and, thus, are creating deeper divisions among all stakeholders in the country. In December 2011, the term of the Constitution Assembly (CA) was extended for six months for the third time, which will be the final extension as per the ruling of the Supreme Court of Nepal. Women s participation in decision-making structures and processes remains largely symbolic, especially in the Eastern Terai. An internal assessment carried out by SFCG in 2011 with women leaders in four districts in the Eastern Terai, as part of the NED-funded project entitled, Women Building Community Peace in the Eastern Terai, found that even where women are present in different management committees, their roles are largely those of members with only a few holding decision making positions or being perceived as key decision makers 1. Furthermore, many female respondents stated that they felt their opinions were not heard, and that very few women are treated as equals to their male counterparts 2. A recent SFCG baseline 3 survey revealed that more than half of the respondents (56%) have either not seen women collaborating in decision-making or viewed their participation in decision-making as insignificant and ineffective. Furthermore, only 31% of respondents believed female efforts are having an impact on the peacebuilding processes, and 16% of respondents were completely ignorant about women s possible role in peacebuilding. With support from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), Search for Common Ground (SFCG) implemented a pilot project entitled, "Women Building Community Peace in the Eastern Terai" which aims to facilitate women's participation in community level decision-making, in four districts in the Eastern Terai- Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha and Mahottari. It sought to strengthen the role women and girls play in the democratic process at the local level in partnership with Samagra, a local NGO. It aimed to provide skills and opportunities that empower women to work together from across dividing lines in order to engage with local decision-makers on issues related to the democratization and the peace process. However, due to numerous factors that restrict women s participation outside their home in Eastern Terai, this is a long term step by step process which begins first with female empowerment, breaking down stereotypes regarding women s roles held by family, community, decision makers and women themselves. The overall goal of this initiative is to strengthen the role of women and girls in the Eastern Terai to be a positive force for peacebuilding at the local level. The specific objectives are: To enhance women s participation in community level decision making; and To increase the receptiveness of local government institutions, particularly Village Development Committees, to include women in decision making processes. 1 SFCG Women Building Community Peace in Eastern Terai. An Assessment Report. Search for Common Ground, Nepal. 2 ibid 3 SFCG Baselines Study Report on The Peacebuilding Initiative in Nepal.. Search for Common Ground, Nepal 4

7 Target groups included the following: Women and girls from the communities who are marginalized; Women and girls organized in adolescent groups, women's group, mother's group, selfhelp groups and saving and credit groups; Local decision-makers including the local government officials, VDC secretaries, community leaders and representatives of the political parties. Project activities included the following: 1. District-based conflict assessments; 2. Leadership and peacebuilding trainings for women and girls; 3. Gender and peacebuilding trainings for local government officials; 4. Women-led community peacebuilding initiatives Expected results included the following: Increased capacity of women and girls to analyse local conflict and develop actions plans to address local conflicts; Increased participation of women and girls in community peacebuilding; Increased support from the local decision makers to the role of women in peacebuilding; and Increased cooperation and support among women, youth and local decision makers II. Evaluation Objectives The primary objective of this internal evaluation is to analyze the results of the project funded by National Endowment for Democracy (NED) against the set objectives. Although SFCG has been implementing projects in the Eastern Terai since 2009 with funding from NED, this is the first SFCG project to specifically target women and girls in Nepal. Therefore, it was decided that an internal evaluation would be conducted to measure the progress and to draw lessons for the future. A review of the literature reveals that while overall youth engagement in community activities is now seen in a positive light, women remain disadvantaged due to preconceived notions of accepted gender roles 4. In this context, SFCG intends to document the changes that have occurred, if any, due to SFCG s intervention among women leaders and local decision makers in eastern and central 5 Terai. The secondary goal of this evaluation is to document and outline the successes and challenges in the implementation mechanisms and processes, providing recommendations to the project team for future interventions. The internal evaluation was carried out by SFCG research team: Shiva K Dhungana, Program Advisor; Mina Sharma, Senior Program Coordinator and Shradha Rayamajhi, Associate Research & Monitoring Coordinator with the support from Samagra, its staff and SFCG s local staff in the districts. 4 CARE Nepal, Theories of Change in Peacebuilding: Learning from the Experiences of Peacebuilding Initiatives in Nepal. 5 Despite the project title saying that the project was in Eastern Terai, it was actually implemented in two districts each from Eastern Central Terai and all these four districts are clustered together. 5

8 III. Evaluation Scope and Methodology The scope of the evaluation included three distinct aspects: process/methods of the project implementation; outputs of the project; and result achieved. The evaluation was carried out between January 2 nd - 7 th, 2012 in all four project districts, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Siraha and Saptari. The evaluation team collected data from different sources. To evaluate the results, various methods and tools, namely Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), Collection of Case Studies (CCS) and Field Observation (FO) were used. i) Focus Group Discussions (FGDs): The women who had taken SFCG training as well as other women who had benefited from the training were the participants of the FGDs. Besides the trainees, other women who were members of women s groups and women who had participated in the interaction program that the trained women held also participated in the FGD. In some of the FGDs, not only women but also community men were present. The men who were involved in the women-organized program were also chosen for the FGDs in order to have a balance of perspective between the men and the women so that the FGDs were not skewed in one direction. (For the number of participants per district, see Table 1). Table 1: Women Participants in FGDs Districts Total Participants Dhanusha 12 Mahottari 15 Siraha 21 Saptari 9 Total 57 ii) Collection of Case Studies (CCS): The case studies include successful stories of women who, after taking the training, went back to their communities and did something significant that brought about positive changes in the lives of the women in the community, even to a small extent. This evaluation has been successful in bringing out a few such stories. The evaluators themselves collected the case studies (See Annex 2 for case studies). iii) Field Observation (FO): The evaluators combined the FGDs with field observation as well. The evaluators discussed the quality, achievement and progress of the project with the implementing partners and this was verified with the discussions and interviews with women at the field level. FGDs, CCS and FO were chosen over other tools such as Key Informant Interviews or surveys. Though a very good tool, key informant interview would have given only the perspectives of a few of the key people interviewed, in this case it would have been few trained women. As opposed to this, FGDs provide a wider perspective of trained women as well as women who have benefited by being a part of the women s groups, which include the trained women. A lot of important points come out when women discuss freely in a group and they feel more open and less intimidated than in a one to one interview. Similarly, a CCS is a better tool to get in-depth stories of women who have been significantly affected by the project and its ripple effects as 6

9 opposed to a comparatively superficial survey. Additionally, FOs is a very useful tool especially for triangulation of information received through other methods. IV. Major Findings by Activity Theory of Change: If women s leadership skills are developed, they will start approaching local decision making authorities in order to increase their roles in decision A. making Peacebuilding (establishing Training relationships). for Women Leaders/Networks SFCG carried out four-day trainings on "Women s Leadership for Community Peacebuilding" for women leaders at the community level from 20 VDCs in the four projects districts. A total of 53 women and girls were trained. SFCG ensured inclusiveness by inviting women participants representing diverse sectors and backgrounds, including women s networks, politically active women, civil society leaders and women involved in cooperatives. The participants also represented various ethnic groups, including 26% Janajati; 37% Brahmin and 37%Madhesi. 1. Increased Knowledge and Skills The evaluation interviewed 16 of the 53 women trained on women leadership and peacebuilding and found that all the women were highly impressed with the training content and the new knowledge it has given them. The women referred to the knowledge on leadership skills and knowledge on peacebuilding and conflict transformation as new knowledge as this was the first time they had been exposed to such contents. Woman in Mahuli VDC, Saptari: I had taken other trainings as well but this is the best training that gave me practical skills to enhance my leadership role and also to look at things analytically. I really liked the visuals that were shown. Every individual meeting highlighted the fact that prior to the training; these women groups had no knowledge of the separate budget for women in the VDC. For example, the women of Bateshwor VDC in Dhanusha District mentioned how they were unaware where the CDO and LDO 6 offices were located before the training. The training has made them aware about local government agencies in the districts and the budgetary provisions of government agencies for women. In Bandipur VDC of Siraha district, one of the women said, I had no idea about how to submit proposals to the VDC and in fact had no idea about the functioning of VDC office and the VDC Council. The training helped me to understand VDC s roles and responsibilities in developing our village and its people. There were similar reactions in Bishnupurkatti and Umaprempur where women said they had no idea about having access to the VDC budget before the training. In Mahuli, the women said that they were not interested in attending the VDC Council meetings in the past but that now, they are much more interested in participating and ensuring that their voices are heard. Before the 6 Chief District Officer is the administrative head of the district and Local Development Officer is the head of the local government authority in the district. 7

10 Women Leadership and Community Peacebuilding training 14 women groups knew about the VDC budget allocation for women and other marginalized groups whereas after the training all 20 women groups know about it. Similarly, the training opened the door for increased interaction of women groups with VDC secretaries and other local leaders. The women s groups have organized a total of 7 interaction programs with the VDC secretaries. Since the training, seventeen out of 20 women groups have accessed VDC budget ranging from Rs. 10,000 to 45,000 in the past year. This is a very encouraging trend that points towards the dramatically increased knowledge of women regarding the relevant VDC resources. 2. Increased Self-confidence When the evaluation team interacted with the women participants of the training in all the four districts of Eastern and Central Terai, there was a clear sense of enhanced empowerment and increased confidence among these women. Despite the male dominated Madhesi society, the training clearly provided exposure and opportunity to the women beyond the courtyard of their household. For example, women participants such as Ms. Sangita Thakur and Ms. Sunaina Thakur from Mahottari District already possessed a number of skills. However, they were not able to harness their leadership potential to help and lead women in their community. The training provided them with the confidence and techniques to come out of their houses and lead women in their community. Based on the interviews with the participants, it can be said that the training has, to some extent, made the women more active seekers of their rights rather than passive accepters of their traditional perceived role. Opportunities such as meeting and speaking with the VDC Secretary have meant increased confidence that has manifested in a number of ways. In Bishnupurkatti, the women s group met with the VDC Secretary in the presence of LDO and demanded the women s development budget from the VDC. Summarizing her experience of meeting and talking with VDC secretary for the first time in the leadership training, one of the women said: I had never seen a VDC Secretary before and for the first time I got a chance to meet and talk to him as a result of the training. It was a very good experience. Another women said, We were taught to make an action plan and it was very useful. Now we are aware of our rights and we know how to get it. Even if he does not help us we know how to get help now. Besides that we also came to know that we should register our group to make it legal. The participants of Kushaha VDC particularly mentioned that after the training, they felt that they should become the change makers in their society, which clearly indicates the increased confidence and realization of their potential role in the society. 3. Increased acceptance of changing women s roles in communities and by family members: Based on the interviews with women, it was found that participation in these trainings not only provided the women with some basic leadership qualities, but also acted as a catalyst for conservative families to gradually open up to the idea of women going out of their homes. In Umaprempur of Dhanusha and Bathanaha of Mahottari, it was found that before the training, girls and daughter-in-laws were not allowed to go out of their houses. However, after the training, the girls and daughter-in-laws were able to convince their parents/guardians about how the external 8

11 exposure helps them grow socially. This, in itself, is no small feat given the conservative context of Terai. Participants have mentioned that resistance from parents and guardians to allowing them to go outside for community activities is gradually decreasing. This achievement was also evident from the participation of large number of women in the group meeting organized by the evaluation team. Previously, the participants said that they could not talk to village leaders however now; they feel they have enough confidence and knowledge about the community issues to approach them. All the women interviewed said that they never collaborated or worked alongside with men before the project, but after the training their confidence level to do so has increased. 4. Realization of the power of collectiveness: The women leaders in the community said women learned the power of collectiveness. For example they learned that if they go to the authority in question in a larger group, they are more likely to be listened to and more likely to make progress in promoting their personal liberties. The baseline survey also found that being a part of group/organization is highly beneficial for women to enhance their leadership abilities 7. In the Nepali society and more so in the Terai context, a daughter does not have a status as high as a son and a daughter-in-law even less so. One of the participants of the training said I went to the training as a Daughter-in-law of a Madhesi family and returned from the training as a daughter of the family with a sense of empowerment and confidence. 5. Changing leadership perceptions within women: One of the interesting responses that came out from Bathanaha VDC, Dhanusha was that before the SFCG training, the women thought that leaders were only male and did not know there were also female leaders. Before the training, women believed that their own role was limited to the women s groups, household work, and family but not extended to leadership roles in society. However, the evaluation noticed a major shift in the way of thinking among women about their role in the society. In Bishnupurkatti VDC, Siraha in hearing that people from SFCG visiting the women s group (for this evaluation), another women group from a nearby VDC came to meet the evaluation team. They expressed their interest to be a part of SFCG s trainings and were very motivated. It was wonderful to see how there has been an organic development of the training and women are now seeking such leadership trainings that help in their personal development. Rather than going to women and bringing them trainings, women are now coming forward and asking for such trainings. A woman coming from Bishnupurkatti of Siraha District said Almost all the women who came to the SFCG training introduced themselves as affiliated to different groups but I did not have a group in my community. When we were supported to develop a project worth of Rs. 10,000 for our community I came back from the training and we selected two to three women from each wards of the VDC and conducted women leadership training for the women in the VDC. The training proved to be very successful and a catalyst for women to mobilize in their VDC. After the training women were highly motivated and some even formed groups after they came back to their villages and have been actively involved with conducting trainings and communicating with the VDC with their action plans. 7 SFCG Women Building Community Peace in Eastern Terai. An Assessment Report. Search for Common Ground, Nepal 9

12 6. Realization for the need of exposure and other trainings among women: Exposure was the key word raised by women from all VDCs during the meeting with the evaluation Team: The women members repeatedly said that in order to get ideas they need more exposure. Women in Umaprempur said interactions with other women from other districts would be useful to learn what women in other districts are doing. Women in all of the FGDs in 8 VDCs of the four districts wanted more leadership trainings. The high demand for trainings similar to those provided by SFCG is a visible sign that women found the training very useful and clearly want to expand their depth of knowledge and skills on leadership. Additionally in all the FGDs, women demonstrated an interest in skill-development trainings for the purpose of having increased economic independence. Other participants requested capacity building, political awareness, mediation, proposal writing and personal development trainings as well. Many women during the FGDs said that increased female leadership would be best served by including men and women together in the trainings. B. Gender Sensitivity and Peacebuilding Training for Local Decision-makers Theory of Change: If local decision makers are sensitized about women s role in peacebuilding, then there will be increased receptiveness, cooperation and support for including women in local decision making processes. SFCG carried out a two-day training on Gender Sensitivity and Peacebuilding for 46 local decision makers (LDMs), including government officials (specifically VDC Secretaries), government line agencies and leaders of political parties from 20VDCs in all four project districts. While the participants represented various ethnic backgrounds, it was a significant challenge to create a gender balance simply because most local government positions are filled by men. Therefore, women participants only accounted for 8% of the total participants. This in itself is a clear indicator of the lack of female representation in the local decision making bodies. 1. Shift in Attitudes and Behavior amongst LDMs The participants of the Women Leadership and Community Peacebuilding training reported that 9 out of 20 VDC Secretaries have changed their attitude towards women and 11 out of 20 VDC secretaries have advocated for women s inclusion in decision-making at the local level 8. Earlier, it was unlikely that a male VDC secretary would return the greetings offered by women in the villages. More recently, however, when the women participants see and greet them, the VDC secretaries often come down from their bicycles, return the greetings, and spare few minutes to talk to them. This is a symbol that is important to the women as it represented increased recognition by the LDM towards them. In some cases, the LDMs were found to be very supportive. In Bandipur VDC of Siraha district the women group submitted their action plan to the VDC secretary to make pickles and toys as a means of increasing livelihood of women in the village. According to the women, the VDC Secretary was 8 Though the training was provided to 20 VDC secretaries and 26 other local leaders, the women only mentioned the change in attitude and perception of 20 VDC secretaries. 10

13 very supportive and approved the proposal submitted by women s group. In fact, the VDC has also provided Rs. 60,000 to make office space for the group and has committed to provide Rs. 20,000 for further trainings. In Bateshwor VDC, the Secretary has committed to provide women with the 10 percent budget allotted for them and has asked the women to come collectively in order to access it. According to the women, the relation with VDC Secretary strengthened in the training and it has yielded positive results. The Secretary of Bateshwor VDC said that It is almost impossible to ignore the demand submitted by women these days. They are very much aware then the previous years and come to the VDC in a collective manner and their voices have become stronger. However, not all government officials were as receptive or open to change. According to the women interviewed, some of the VDC secretaries and political leaders are only paying lip service and are not taking demands of the women seriously. However, what little change has been witnessed should be considered a major achievement given the traditional gender roles in these communities. SFCG needs to build up on the foundation they have established in the past year and work further with the LDM to keep the objectives of the program moving in the right direction. 2. Increased Involvement of Women in Decision Making Process The objective of this training was to build the capacity of the local decision makers to effectively engage with women and girls in their communities. The training has largely contributed to making the LDMs receptive to women and their issues but more certainly needs to be done to expand the reach of this success. While the trainings were found to make significant progress in elevating women into higher levels of decision making and community dialogue, however much more work remains to counteract generations of highly conservative, patriarchal mindsets. The women have become more aware about their roles in decision making at the local level, have submitted action plans through their women groups in order to access budget allocated for women, have organized various interaction programs in their VDCs regarding women s issues, and have started going to VDC level meetings. However, women are still not seen as decision makers by their male counterparts. For example, in Bateshwor VDC, Dhanusha, women are informed about the Village Council meeting and they were also allowed to speak, but they were not invited when the actual decision-making took place. Although significant challenges remain, women have not given up and have become increasingly persistent in their dealings with the LDMs. C. Women-led Community Peacebuilding Initiatives Theory of Change: If women are mobilized with resources (seed grants) to work with local decision makers and the community, then their presence and acceptance in the community will increase and their relationship with theldms will be strengthened. As part of the project, all women training participants received seed grants (1 per VDC) that culminated in 20 activities reaching a total of 452 female participants and 102 male participants. The initiatives were designed by the women training participants who were encouraged to 11

14 develop an action plan to carry out local community peace building initiatives. (Note: major initiatives carried out under this activity are presented in Annex 3). 1. Interaction programs leading to increased recognition of women In 20VDCs, the trainees conducted further leadership training for other women. In all VDCs they organized interaction programs between women and the local decision makers that included VDC secretaries, local political party leaders and representatives of government lines agencies. In Bateshwor VDC, they organized two programs with the seed grants. The first was an interaction program on women s participation and roles in local decision making, which brought together 70 participants including leaders from major political parties, civil society, health post in-charge, and school principals. The second event was one-day leadership training for 32 women from the community. Similarly in Umaprempur VDC, the women organized a two-day women s leadership training with 30 women participants and a one- day VDC level interaction program entitled Women s role in local decision making process with local decision makers such as the VDC Secretary, the LPC Secretary and representatives of political parties. The program was attended by 70 participants, a large portion of which were women. Similar trainings and interaction programs were organized in Kushaha VDC and Mahuli VDC of Saptari district. Where women previously did not have a group, they created a women s group in 17 VDCs and conducted village level interaction program such as in Bathanaha VDC of Mahottari. They also conducted 3-days leadership training for women as well as an incense stick making training for 11 women from the village. The participating women were requesting more such trainings as their group got recognized by the traditional male dominated leadership and various government agencies and civil society after the program. 2. Increase awareness of women s role in community by LDMs: According to the women interviewed, one of the effects of the program organized by these women groups is that the local decision makers have become aware of their work and have expressed their interest to support them. The LDMs, civil society and community members have become aware of the women s presence and work in the community. While outwardly appearing to be of modest significance, this kind of moral support and recognition is very encouraging for women and can take them a long way. At this point the foundations have been established, however, more effort is needed to carry things forward and make it a habit among local leadership to recognize women leadership and include them in decision making in the community. V. Reflecting on Results The participants of the district level leadership training and the participants of the trainings organized as part of the seed-grants activities at the community level found the trainings to be very useful and different from other trainings they had attended in the past. The demand for more such trainings during every meeting organized by the evaluation team clearly shows how beneficial the women have found this training. The need to increase the number and variety of trainings is indicative of the success of the first. 12

15 The training has helped the participants in increasing their leadership qualities and their confidence level. The examples of how these women groups organized successful trainings and interaction programs in their respective VDCs and the amount of positive responses they got from other participants is telling of how useful the trainings have been for the women s overall personal development and the increased influence they have in their communities. SFCG strategically chose women with proven abilities to multiply the effects of the trainings beyond the initial stages. As a result, there has been an organic growth of other women s groups who are seeking and demanding similar trainings after being inspired by the original programs. Since the project can directly reach only a small number of participants, it is a key strategy that those selected for the initial trainings have a wider circle of influence in order that more women can be reached by subsequent, indirect effects. Participation in the trainings not only improved women s skills and leadership abilities but has also helped women to come out from their households, a significant achievement in and of itself given the conservative social context. Women are gradually stepping out, talking to village leaders, and working with male members, actions that were almost impossible for them before the project. However, when talking about their biggest remaining problems, women continue to report that that going out and talking with people is still very difficult. The men and elder members of the community are still very negative about women going out to meetings. In addition, while progress has certainly been made in promoting women s rights, women s role in social harmony, conflict transformation, violence against women and issues related to social justice, there is still the clear need for regular discussions and follow-up trainings. The trainings have met the objective of making women aware about the mechanisms that were already in place for them. Women were not aware about the provision of a separate budget for women in the VDC before they participated in the training. Majority of women had never met a VDC Secretary before the training and the training has been successful in making women aware about local government agencies that are operating around them. Women also learned how to work with the VDCs in order to have access to the budget allocated for them. The participation in the training has increased their interest in attending VDC level meetings. As a result of the training and the collaboration with VDC Secretaries in making joint action plans, the relationship between women and the local decision making authorities has strengthened. Prior to the training there was no communication between the LDMs and the women leaders. However, the dynamics have changed after the joint training; the LDMs are now invited to women s programs and the local leaders and VDC secretaries also respect women s invitation, making it a point to attend these programs quite often. According to the baseline survey, women s perception about their own role as leaders included women s groups, household work and family but not societal leadership. However, the capacity building training developed has managed to open women up to the idea of taking a more public participatory role. The participating women leaders are working as change agents in the community and are organizing leadership and peacebuilding trainings for other women, as well as holding interactions with the local leadership. In doing this they are gaining increased recognition that combats the traditional patriarchal leadership stereotypes. The formation of women s groups, the sharing of their learning with their groups, and the submission of joint action plans to VDCs, has all 13

16 managed to empower women to voice their concerns at the VDC level in an organized and collective way. At the same time, economic independence has been increased with greater savings for cooperatives and savings groups. The training has helped women increase cooperation and support not only among other women but also with the youth in the community. For example, when women organized trainings and interaction programs, it was usually with the support from the youth clubs and youth networks. The small amount of seed grant given to each woman s group is bringing greater results than expected in a short period of time. The multiplier effect of the women s work is visible in the VDCs where more and more women are demanding such trainings and forming their own groups. The women leaders have used their own ingenuity in coming up with new types of trainings (such as in Bathanaha VDC). This has not only developed women s personal and leadership abilities but also contributed in income generation through skill development, in turn managing to contribute to raising their status within their own families and communities. VI. Challenges In the course of the evaluation, some challenges were identified that need to be addressed in order to improve the effectiveness of the project in the future and to have a greater impact for the participants. Some of the shortcomings/challenges observed during the evaluation are: Many women still encounter a lack of trust from their own family, community elders, local leaders and government authorities, making it difficult to promote their further participation in programs and activities. The existing social and cultural boundaries which confine women are hard to break. The project stakeholders had to try hard to convince family members to send the women and girls (especially daughter-in-laws) to the trainings. Lack of political will on the part of political parties and the local government continues to hamper the progress around women s leadership. Women are still not well-informed about government policies and provisions on women. Women are still not invited to VDC level meetings and they get to know the decisions only after they are being made. When included, their participation is often only as spectator. Due to lack of knowledge, skills, exposure, and confidence in public speaking, it was hard for women to share their views in public places and influence decisions alongside men. Short-term engagement with women and women s groups to link their efforts to the districtlevel initiatives and beyond are inherently limited in their long-term effectiveness. The one-time training and seed grant activity will have little contribution in making the women internalize what they have learned. In some cases, during the FGDs the women had forgotten many concepts they had learned in the training in the lack of practical application. Given the economic situation of the participants, their priorities were understandably oriented towards a desire for skill-based training in addition to those conducted. Leadership and peacebuilding trainings were often deemed less crucial for the short term. 14

17 It will likely be difficult to maintain the initial success and enthusiasm derived from the seed grants if women are not continuously engaged in such activities. In some cases, there has been little or no perceived change in the behavior of VDC Secretaries and other LDMs even after the training. Following-up with the VDCs after they submitted the action plan was occasionally difficult due to frequent transfers of the VDC Secretaries. In one example, the VDC Secretary had committed to give the allotted 10 percent of the VDC budget to women; however, he was transferred and neglected to release the funding before his departure. VII. Conclusions and Recommendations Despite the challenges, the project was able to achieve the intended results to a large extent and in some cases actually exceeded expectations. It is unrealistic to expect major changes in the women and even the local decision makers in such a short period of time and through a small project. However, the capacity of women and girls at the community-level to address local conflict was strengthened, leading to increased participation of women and girls in democracy building process in their communities. There was a positive shift around local decision-makers supporting the participation of women in democratic decision making, resulting in increased cooperation between women and local decision-makers. When looking at women in remote rural villages of eastern and central Terai, clear changes can be observed in their perceived empowerment and in the mentality of the communities as a whole. VDC Secretaries and other government officials are gradually undergoing transformation from their past prejudices about women and their leadership potential. The foundations for such change is already there, however there is a need to continue to build on the small achievements made through this pilot work so that women s democratic leadership can be ensured in the future federal democratic establishment. The project has also contributed to develop the knowledge base of the women and girls. The project was successful in forming a group of more than 1,080 women with some knowledge of conflict transformation/peacebuilding practices and with some conflict analysis capacity and mediation skills. In addition, the project has equipped women with knowledge on democratic participation, leadership skills and their role in decision making, the importance of UNSCR 1325 and associated National Plan of Action, along with information on VDC decision making process and budget allocation mechanisms. Women have already begun their communication with the VDCs in order to access the budget separated for women and are committed to perseverance until they have access to their rights. Similarly, the LDMs have been sensitized to some extent about the women s role and a good many of them have expressed their commitment and support to the women which is a very positive indicator towards women s empowerment. The additional activities implemented by the women have played a vital role in mobilizing the rest of the women in the community. They have also managed to bring women from different backgrounds; women who previously had no way of participating in such programs to be a part of the activities organized by their groups. It was clear that the project has given a new hope to the women in eastern and central Terai and shown them the boundless possibilities they are capable of. 15

18 The following recommendations are meant to further improve the project achievements in the future. It is important for SFCG to continue engaging women in peacebuilding and development activities in order to sustain their efforts in building relationships with local leaders and staking their claim to decision making mechanisms. Further intensive training on women s leadership, peacebuilding and negotiation skills for a larger number of women and local decision makers is required. Similarly, sensitizing more decision makers on gender sensitivity, peacebuilding and women s role in the community is vital in achieving the SFCG goal of bringing women into decision making roles. Because of the limited exposure of women, it is unrealistic to expect them to be able to suddenly step into decision-making positions. Exposure to various issues, in the form of trainings, visits and interactions, and issues-oriented sessions is crucial. The independent establishment of other women s groups and the requests for further trainings are strong positive signals of women seeking leadership roles in their communities. The project stakeholders should capitalize on the ripple effect that the pilot phase has created and organize more training and activities for women in the VDCs. It was found that the family members who are resistant of women going out of their houses are more supportive of women and girls going out for trainings if it had some aspect of income generation component. SFCG could explore ideas to combine leadership trainings with the economic aspect as well so that more and more women can participate in the project activities. There should be a regular follow-up by the field-based staff after the training and after the seed-grant activities so that vacuum is not created after the trainings and the women are regularly updated on what they have learned from the training and other capacity building activities and their practical application. The linkages of women s groups with the youth clubs and networks needs to be strengthened so that their efforts are more effective. Feedback has shown that retention from the programs has been limited, despite a desire to continue with the activities. SFCG should continuously engage with these women groups through different activities and discussion sessions so that their knowledge and skills continue to grow. In the next phase of the project SFCG should keeps these needs in mind. 16

19 Annex 1: Case Study Sangita Thakur from Bathanaha VDC formed a women s group after returning from the Women Leadership Training in Janakpur. Once the group was formed, they were given NRs 10,000 based on their action plan to implement the community activities in the village. They organized a three-day long women leadership training, an interaction program with local decision makers and five-day long incense stick making training in the village. The money was actually given for organizing the leadership training and interaction only. However, Sangita and other women from the group managed to save some money from the programs and decided to organize the incense stick making training, which Sangita had seen in Janakpur during her earlier visits. She shared this with other women members and they agreed to Sangita s proposal. She went to Janakpur to get the materials for the incense-making training. In Janakpur she went to an incense making factory and secretly watched them make incense. She came back to her village and facilitated a 5-days long incense making training for selected 11 women from the village. After the incense was prepared she even identified shopkeepers to sell the product. The incense sticks became an instant hit in the market and the money earned is distributed among members who make them. All of the 11 members of their group are involved in making incense. Once they started to sell the incense sticks and make money, everyone in the village is talking about the training and many more women are asking Sangita to organize similar trainings.. All the women were very satisfied and happy with the incense making training. Even the male members are supporting the work done by their daughter-in-laws and facilitating the marketing of the product. The women members said From the money that we collect from selling incense, we will organize additional training. Some of the younger girls who are studying said that they can pay for their own studies if they can get the skills of incense making. SFCG s training clearly has had a multiplier effect. After the training they also established a women s cooperative and have started to save money in the group fund. They are using this fund to provide small financial support to the women victims of domestic violence and victims of conflict. This group has a very high potential to grow and multiply this growth to the whole VDC. 17

20 Annex 2: Case Study The significant shift in thinking of women reflected through painting Portrayal of women in traditional role Annex: Often we try to measure our impact with numbers, graphs and big evaluations. This year we found in one village it was art that showed us the difference that our programs can make. In the Eastern part of Nepal, on the Terai plains, there is a painting style called 'Mithila Art' that is usually done by women. The paintings are typically of weddings (see painting above), or women doing household chores such as grinding grain, collecting water, or cooking, or dancing around Lord Krishna. The subjects of the paintings reflect the stereotypes of women, and the restricted roles that they have. Most women in the Eastern Terai, for instance, are restricted from working, participating in community events, and are rarely in decision making or public roles. SFCG and its partner Samagra have been working with village level women in the Eastern Terai on women's leadership and community peacebuilding. One of the participants, Sunaina Thakur of Mahottari district, is a Mithila artist. The picture above shows one of her paintings before participating in SFCGs program, of a bride being carried away from her maternal home, to her wedding. After doing the SFCG/Samagra workshop, Sunaina used her small seed grant money provided by us (thanks to National Endowment for Democracy) to train other women in the village to do Mithila art, and to set up a small cooperative that could sell the paintings. The first paintings to emerge from the group were still of the traditional roles of women, and the women were delighted when the local Government official supported their efforts, and some of their paintings began to sell. In April, we invited Sunaina to attend a gathering in Kathmandu of women leaders. She brought a pile of paintings to show. We noticed a difference - whilst some were still very traditional, some paintings now showed women in leadership roles. Mithila art is popular and widespread, but we had never seen a Mithila 18

21 painting before that showed a woman with a microphone, with village elders, leaders, and people of different religions listening to what she had to say. Sunaina's most recent painting, done after she had participated in two SFCG workshops, is below. The painting not only represents the shift in how Sunaina and the other artists see themselves as women, but also their courage to share that vision with others through their art. Sunaina, and the other women we are working with, are emerging from their cages and beginning to see themselves as leaders, and what's more, to tell the world that this is who they are. Portrayal of woman in a leadership role 19