Public/Private Sector Partnership Projects

The Global Summit of Women

A dvan c i ng Wome n’s a n d Gi rl s’ E conomi c O pp or tunit i e s

©2007 by the Global Summit of Women. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written consent of the Global Summit of Women.

I n q u i r i e s s h o u l d b e a dd r e s s e d t o : Global Summit of Women 666 11th Street, NW; Suite 700 Washington, DC 20001 USA Telephone: 202-835-3713 Fax: 202-466-6195 Email: summit@globewomen.com www.globewomen.org

Table of Contents

Introduction by Irene Natividad, ……………………………………….....1 President, Global Summit of Women Global Summit of Women Award-Winning Public/Private Sector Partnership Projects Advancing Women’s and Girls’ Economic Opportunities Georgia ……………………………………………………………….. 3-5 Deer Leap Project Ministry of Education and Science Presented by Hon. Bela Tsipuria, Deputy Minister of Education and Science South Africa………………………………………………………….....6-8 Medicinal Plant Project: Women in Action Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Presented by Hon. Rejoice Mabudhafasi, Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Tanzania …………………………………………………………. …..9-10 Women Entrepreneurship Support Project Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Presented by Hon. Mary Nagu, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Other Public/Private Sector Partnership Projects Global ……………………………………………………………...13-14 Coalition for Adolescent Girls UN Foundation Presented by Kathy Bushkin-Calvin, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, UN Foundation Afghanistan ………………………………………………………….15-16 Rebuilding Agricultural Markets Ministry of Agriculture Presented by Hon. Hussun Banu Ghazanfar, Minister of Women’s Affairs, Afghanistan Asia: Multiple Locations……………………………………………...17-19 Anti-Trafficking Program Microsoft Corporation Presented by Gerri Elliott, Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Public Sector, Microsoft

Central Europe and Emerging Markets……………………………….20-21 Cisco Gender Initiative and F_email Project: Hungary, Serbia and Turkey Cisco Systems, Inc. Presented by Monique Meche, Director, Global Policy and Government Affairs, Cisco Systems Chile…………………………………………………………………..22-23 Good Labor Practices: Iguala.cl Ministry of Women’s Affairs (SERNAM) Presented by Hon. Laura Albornoz, Minister of Women’s Affairs China ………………………………………………………………...24-25 Spring Bud Project Ministry of Education Presented by Hon. Qidi Wu, Vice Minister, Ministry of Education Egypt…………………………………………………………………26-28 Women Business Development Center National Council of Women Presented by Hon. Farkhonda Hassan, Secretary-General, National Council of Women Guatemala……………………………………………………… 29-30 Educational Scholarships for Peace Ministry of Education Presented by Hon. Miriam Castaneda, Deputy Minister of Education Iraq…………………………………………………………………...31-32 Awareness Campaign in the Use of Safe Fishing Methods in the Iraqi Marshland Ministry of Environment Presented by Hon. Narmin Othman, Minister of the Environment Kenya ………………………………………………………………...33-35 Kengemi Women Garbage Processing Project: Garbage for Life Ministry of Housing Presented by Hon. Betty Tett, Assistant Minister of Housing Laos ………………………………………………………………….36-38 Gender Resource Information and Development Center Project Lao Women’s Union Presented by Hon. Sysay Leudedmounsone, President, Lao Women’s Union Lesotho…………………………………………………………………..39 Katlehong Training Centre Ministry of Gender Presented by Hon. Mathabiso Lepono, Minister of Gender, Youth, Sports and Recreation

Lesotho……………………………………………………………………….40 Women’s Participation in Economic Development Ministry of Local Government and Chieftainship Presented by Hon. Pontso Matumelo, Minister of Local Government and Chieftainship Lithuania…………………………………………………………………..41-42 Support for Initiatives of Rural Women Ministry of Agriculture Presented by Kazimiera Prunskiene, Minister of Agriculture Philippines ………………………………………………………………..43-44 Phineghan: Women-led Joint Business Venture in West Africa Embassy of the Philippines, Germany Presented by Hon. Delia Domingo-Albert, Philippine Ambassador to Germany Philippines………………………………………………………………...45-47 Neighborhood Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Project National Council on the Role of Filipino Women Presented by Myrna Yao, Chairperson, National Council on the Role of Filipino Women South Africa …………………………………………………………… 48-49 Training Women in Technology Department of Trade and Industry Presented by Hon. Elizabeth Thabethe, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry United States…………………………………………………………… 50-51 U.S. – Afghan Women’s Council Department of State Presented by Hon. Paula Dobriansky, Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs Yemen…………………………………………………………………….52-53 Incorporating Women in the Economic and Social Development Project: Loaning and Enterprise Ministry of Human Rights Presented by Hon. Huda Ali. A. Al-Ban, Minister of Human Rights Multiple Countries: Uganda, Rwanda, Cameroon, Philippines …………….54-55 Connecting Rural Communities Through Mobile Communications Nokia Corporation Presented by Kirsi Sormunen, Vice President, Environmental Affairs, Nokia

Introduction

T o accelerate women’s economic opportunities will require the combined efforts of governments,

businesses and civil society groups – the three ‘legs’ of a stool that spells lasting change in creating a level play-ing field for women globally. While all three sectors are hard at work in many regions of the world, partnerships among these sectors allow limited resources to be leveraged to the benefit of women needing a boost to open up their economic horizons. These public/private sector partnerships are the focus of the Ministerial Roundtables, which form part of the annual Global Summit of Women – an international gathering of women leaders from business, government and non govern-mental organizations to exchange best practices in improving women’s economic status worldwide. The Ministers who have participated in the pre-Summit Roundtables hold various portfolios – from foreign affairs to environmental affairs; from defense to education; from ministries for women to ministries of energy. They come together, however, for exchanges in strategies and initiatives that have worked in their respective countries in advanc ing women , i nc lud ing cross-sectoral efforts.

Some of these best practices in public/private sector partnerships are included in the volume that follows. Three were recognized at the 2007 Global Summit of Women held in Berlin, Germany selected by participat-ing ministers as exemplary projects that combined the resources of government agencies with those of corporations and nonprofit organizations. These projects, along with others shared by govern-ment and business leaders at the Berlin Summit, are outlined in the following pages. They provide templates for possible replication in other parts of the world. Contact information of the leaders who shared these projects is included in order to facilitate communication with those interested in knowing more about them. The Global Summit of Women extends its appreciation to the United Nations Foundation for making this publication possible.

Irene Natividad, President Global Summit of Women

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Public/Private Sector Partnership Projects

The Global Summit of Women Award Winning

A dvan c i ng Wome n’s a n d Gi rl s’ E conomi c O pp or tunit i e s

Project Description: The Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia launched a school computeri-zation program named Deer Leap in 2005. The program is considered a challenging modernization initiative aimed at the educational, economic and social rejuvenation of Georgia. To manage the program, a public law entity, the Deer Leap Foundation was established by the Ministry of Education and Science. To accomplish the strategic objective of Information and Communication Tech-nology (ICT) integration in the learning process, the Deer Leap Foundation launched the project entitled the General Education Information Communication Network in January 2007. The project aims to pro-vide access to educational resources and Internet for all public schools in Georgia. Internet connectivity and complementary extensive training empower teachers – the vast majority of whom are tradition-ally female – not only to re-deliver ICT skills but to participate in creating and sharing new learning aids to contribute to the modernization of the Georgian public education system.

Georgia

Government Partners: Ministry of Education and Science Private Sector Partners: Georgian Railway Telecom,

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Project Goals: Deer Leap is a four-year program with three main objectives: • To make the Internet available for all educational institutions of Georgia, beginning with the public schools in the first phase;

• To provide access to educational networking sys-tems for public schools; and

•To provide stable, high quality, network resources for Georgian public schools with web and File Transfer Protocol (FTP) space, e-mail service, Internet Protocol (IP) phones and video conferencing services, among other technologies.

Project Implementation: Four large communication companies in Georgia were selected through an open tender for creation and administration of the General Educational Information Communi-cation Network (GEICN). These include the Georgian Railway Telecom, a fiber-optic backbone operator; Caucasus On-Line Ltd., which is the largest DSL operator in Georgia; Telenet Ltd., the largest wireless operator in Georgia, which has connected schools located in remote Villages and cites; and the Georgian Research and Educational Networking Association (GRENA), responsible for the orga-

Deer Leap

Caucasus On-Line Ltd., Telenet Ltd.

Networking Association “GRENA” NGO Partner: Georgian Research and Educational

Duration of Program: 2005-2008

Project Outcomes: Through the Deer Leap program, optimization of communication technology resources in the educational sphere is possible. So is the increased motivat ion of communicat ion companies to provide services in remote regions. The program has also allowed for the monitoring and service sustainability of provider companies, and the opportunity to integrate into European educational networks. The project significantly raises equity in the use of technologies in education and gender equity, expanding to rural and mountainous areas suffering previously from an “information vacuum.” It engages remote communities to modern educational activities and enables schools to serve as community centers. Within one year, all of Georgia will be connected to the Internet through different technologies, such as cable and wi-fi. This will give girls and boys in remote areas equal access to education, as well as support the development of local businesses.

n i z a t i o n a l a n d t e c h n i c a l management and support of the Educational Network. The project has transformed into a clear public/private sector partnership. The winning companies declared commitment to co-invest significant resources to the project relying on sustainability of the government support. Specifically, Georgian Railway Telecom provides service free of charge, Telenet Ltd. invests $15 million USD to wireless network development, while Caucasus On-Line spends $1 million USD for expanding services. Internet connectivity is one of the preconditions for ICT development, but initially it was not Deer Leap’s goal to develop internet services. However, a decision was made to invest public money in this field. The Ministry of Education and Science designed a lender project and motivated companies to extend their services. The Ministry would pay 5 million GEL (approximately $3 million USD), while the companies are investing three times more up to 15 million GEL (approximately $45 million).

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Within one year, all of Georgia will be connected to the Internet through different technologies, such as cable and wi-fi, giving girls and boys in remote areas equal access to education, as well as supporting the development of local businesses.

The project’s active phase began in June 2007 and, as of early August, 15% of Georgian public schools have been connected to the network. The project is scheduled to finish the creation of the Network by the end of 2007 and add IP telephone and video conferencing services to the Educational network in 2008-2009.

Project Challenges: Since Georgia is a mountainous country, Georgian Internet providers did not have plans nor the motivation to extend their services. Even with the Ministry of Educa-tion and Science's support , there is a risk that companies will not achieve their goals due to technological or financial problems.

Contact: Ministry of Education and Science Deputy Minister Bela Tsipuria 5 Shevchenko Street 52 Uznadze Street, Tbilisi, 0102 Georgia Tel: 995-329-82520 Fax: 995-329-86397

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<< Members of the Deep Leap Project recently received training from Kennesaw State’s Educational Technology Training Center

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Project Description: In response to a problem of traditional healers being arrested for harvesting rare plants for use in traditional medicine, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism of South Africa developed and funded a program to assist the traditional healers in acquiring medicinal plants while promoting the principles of sustainable development. The program focuses not only on developing commercial facilities for the cultivation of indigenous medicinal plants, but also on training women in propagation and life skills as well as in small business development and marketing. The intended result of the training is that women will manage and operate the project. The project was started in the district municipality of Umjindi in Mpumalanga, South Africa, which had shown an increase in illegal harvesting of medicinal plants on both state and privately-owned land. Barberton, the biggest town in the Umjindi, is home to

many traditional healers whose livelihoods are dependant on the cultivation of medicinal plants used for m u t i ( t r a d i t i o n a l m e d i c i n e ) . The problem had escalated to the point where traditional healers were arrested for illegal harvesting. After consultation with the community, the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency was approached to assist in the establishment of a project that would address the concerns of traditional healers in terms of acquiring medicinal plants and, at the same time, also increase the community’s awareness of and concern for environmental issues. Following the consultation, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism allocated R1.89 million (approximately US $280,000) toward the development of the project.

Government Partner: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Department of Agriculture and Land Administration, local municipalities and tourism and parks agencies Private Sector Partner: South African Essential Oils Producers Association, GTZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit), Mthemba College, Traditional Healers NGO Partner: South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Siyaphanbili Development Trust

Duration of Program: 2004 to Present

South Africa Medicinal Plant Project: Women in Action

Project Goals: The Medicinal Plant Project was estab-lished with the following goals: • To alleviate environmental pressures caused

by over-harvesting of indigenous medicinal plants in the wild in the local environment; •

• To assist in structuring the commercial segment of the medicinal plant trade for general socio-economic benefits to all traditional healers;

• To transfer skills in plant propagation techniques to the women who will manage and run the project;

• To assist the beneficiaries with and supplement primary health care through diet;

• To develop sustainable methods for harvesting of medicinal plants for the benefit of the local communities; and

• To promote partnerships involving govern-ment, communities, civil society, general public and private sector.

Participants in the Medicinal Plant program will subsequently develop an array of skills, including propagation, life skills, and small business management and marketing.

Project Implementation: Twelve community-selected members from the 200 participants received intensive formal training in propagation and cultivation skills. The training included the manufacturing of products made from plants propagated on the project site. The trainers, in turn, passed on their skills by assisting the lecturers on-site in training the rest of the participants. On-site training occurs on a weekly basis. The funding from the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism was used for infrastructure and training. Among the items funded were an irrigation system, a graded service road, fencing, nurseries for seedlings, medicinal plants cultivated on two hectares, cash crops planted on ten hectares, oil plants cultivated on 18 hectares, 200 home food gardens, and a processing and retail facility. Ten permanent staff members manage the production of the seedlings. The project also oversees the initial contractual implements for the tillage and preparation of 20 hectare fields (Note: 1 hectare equals 200,000 square meters). These fields are also fenced off, and small farming tools are brought in for the maintenance of the fields. The usage of twenty hectares of agricultural land has

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already been approved by the municipal-ity. A third component is the establish-ment of home gardens, where the ministry will provide the gardening hand tools and plant material. The project, in its entirety, stretches out over several business sectors. It incorporates the retail/commerce sectors in the selling of the processed products. The agricultural sector is incorporated through the commercial cultivation of classical and new crops, as well as the establishment of the household vegetable gardens. The processing and packaging of the classical and new crops also engages the manufacturing sector.

Project Outcomes: The Medicinal Plant Project is starting to bear fruit and is assisting women and mothers with a sustainable income and a way to feed and clothe their families in an area where jobs are getting scarcer for their husbands. The Medicinal Plant project has, to date, established two small commercial seed-ling nurseries for the propagation of 200,000 seedlings per season. Women-owned micro-enterprises have also been established, empowering women both through training and em-ployment. Of the 240 permanent jobs created by the project, 222 are held by women. Thirty hectares of developed land has also been set aside for the cultivation of pre-selected, commercially viable medicinal plants and vegetables. The income brought in from their sale sustains the project beneficiaries while the medicinal plants are propagated.

Two hundred food gardens have also been created, each with its own drip irri-gation unit. Two hundred participants, the vast majority of whom are women, have also been trained in propagation, cultivation, and small business manage-ment skills. A facility has also been estab-lished to serve as a retail shop, a process-ing hub, and store room.

Project Challenges: A current challenge the Medicinal Plant Project faces is the establishment of a new Community Development Trust which can represent the people actively involved in the project. Another challenge involves creating a partnership between the Trust and the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), supported by the Department of Science and Technology, in order to access scientific knowledge, ongoing research, access to markets and market-ing, and management expertise.

Contact: Department of Environmental Affairs & T ourism Deputy Minister Rejoice Mabudhafhasi Private Bag 447 Pretoria 0001 South Africa Tel: 271-231-0390-0 Fax: 271-232-0194-9

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Project Description: The Women Entrepreneurship Support project aims to improve social support for women and girls by mobilizing them in economic development activities. The project is a result of a partnership among the Hanang Education and Economic Empowerment Trust Fund (HEEETF), an NGO dedicated to the economic empowerment of the rural women and girls in Hanang district in the Manyara Region; the district government; and three private sector partners including Barick Gold Mine Limited, the National Microfinance Bank Limited and the Export-Import Bank Tanzania Limited.

Project Goals: The project and the partnership strive to accomplish the following: • Provide financing for women-owned business activities;

• Train women entrepreneurs in business skills and management;

• Promote and market women entrepreneurs’ products;

•Engage women and girls actively in decision making and participation in other related development processes in the community; and

Tanzania

Government Partner: Ministry of Justice and

Private Sector Partner: Barick Gold Mine Ltd, Exim Bank Tanzania, National Microfinance Bank

NGO Partner: Hanang Education and Economic Empowerment Trust Fund

Duration of Program: 2007-2012

•Help women to accumulate savings to access social services and to address other critical needs in support of women, girls and community development.

Project Implementation: In order to support the economic development of women and girls in the r e g i o n , H E E E T F p r o v i d e d organizational and administrative support for women and girls to engage in income-generating activities. Further-more, HEEETF provided education, knowledge and skills to set up the economic groups, and initial start-up capi-tal and materials for the income generating activities. The organization further provided linkages and coordina-tion with the private sector partners – the National Microfinance Bank, Barick Gold Mine Limited, and Export-Import Tanza-nia Limited – all of which provided finan-cial support through seed money to sup-plement the initiatives. The process began with identifying socio-economic problems affecting women’s and girls’ empowerment and development in the district. HEEETF then teamed up with the district and the lower levels governments to form income-generating activities groups. Under these groups, women and girls are

Women Entrepreneurship Support/

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Community Economic Group Unit

Constitutional Affairs

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united by their traditional- mutual relationships with the objective of improving their economic status. The local government also engaged in fighting against harmful and gender-biased traditional practices. Through that partnership, the HEEETF became a central link and a coordinator among women’s groups, the community, local governments and the private sector partners. The organization also worked as an axis for the growing groups by monitoring and advising the local government in the process of empow-ering women and girls. Project Outcomes: The project has to a great extent achieved its overall objectives despite persistent challenges. One of the major observable outcomes is a significant transformation in the economic, social, political and cultural life in which some members of the groups are emerging as independent producers with determina-tion and self esteem, which have decreased their marginalization and vulnerability. In addition, the project has achieved the following: • Food production has increased because members can now produce through their small income generating activities and other production trainings such as cultivation provided within the groups;

• Economically, members have reduced the degree of dependence on their husbands or male relatives. In some cases, women are becoming co-bread winners in households and sometimes share activities with their husbands or relatives for more productivity;

• Household conflicts have declined due to

• Members’ participation in decision-making at household levels is now prominently improved;

• Establishment of groups and involvement in economic activities has significantly reduced the prevalence of unsafe sexual practices; and

• Literacy and school enrollment rate has increased particularly among children of the group members and the young members who have joined the Complementary Basic Education in Tanzania.

Project Challenges: One of major constraints facing the partnership is limited financial and material support commited to the projects compared to the rising number of groups, and the actual needs of women and girls in the district. Other challenges include: • Need to enhance capacities to produce enough quality products for the market;

• Lack of profitable market for products; • Continuing unfair traditional practices that discriminate against women and girls;

• Negative attitudes towards women’s and girls’ participation in social –economic activities;

• Lack of access and decision-making on key resources utilization in the household;

• Inadequate and unequal access to social services such as maternal health care, education and others;

• Lack of women’s access to credit; • Low participation of women in politics and decision making; and

• Illiteracy among women, men and youths.

Contact: Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Tanzania Minister Mary Nagu Tel: 255-784-773636 Fax: 255-222-113236

Other Public/Private Sector Projects

A dvan c i ng Wome n’s a n d Gi rl s’ E conomi c O pp or tunit i e s

The Global Summit of Women

Global

NGO Partner: UN Foundation and 30 different NGOs Private Sector Partner: Nike Foundation International Agency Partners: United Nations Children’s

Duration of Program: 2007 - present

Coalition for Adolescent Girls

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Introduction: The UN Foundation believes in the value and impact of public-private partnerships and has seen the ways in which these partnerships affect positive change world-wide. In the last decade, the UN Founda-tion has partnered with a wide variety of public and private institutions to engage people in working with the UN system. The Foundation has joined with the private sector across many industries – ranging from Vodafone to The Times of India, from Coca Cola to Cargill – to help support UN priorities. In doing so, it has become a gateway for the increasing numbers of people in the private sector who want to engage with the UN and who want to be involved in public-private partnerships grounded in compelling advocacy and programming. The Foun-dation has also partnered with the public sector who have been the true “stars” on the tougher development issues around the globe. The Foundation is on track to continue the integrated work of advocacy, partnership development and grant mak-ing in support of the UN in three primary areas—supporting children’s health systems and delivery; universal access to reproductive health services for women

and girls; and building UN leadership on energy and climate change. In addition, the fourth major focus area is the advocacy the UN Foundation and our Better World Campaign undertake to strengthen the U.S.-UN relationship and to encourage the U.S. to meet its obliga-tions to the UN budget, peacekeeping and other programs that support humani-tarian relief. In all this work, the Foundation’s hallmark work has been advocacy, brokering partnerships, and as a catalyst for change and engagement.

Project Goal: The UN Foundation has always had a special focus on adolescent girls. Working with the UN Fund for Interna-tional Partnerships (UNFIP), the Foundation has invested more than $42.5 million in programs aimed at advancing the health and opportunities available to adolescent girls. In other words, these opportunities not only improve an adolescent girl’s life, but they can also create a positive ripple effect – putting her brothers, her sisters, her children and grandchildren on a path towards progress.

Fund (UNICEF), UN Commission on the Status of Women, United National Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), World Health Organization (WHO)

Investments in adolescent girls can help create healthy, educated, and economically stable communities and nations. The proof is not found merely in the data. To find the benefits of investment in adolescent girls, one need only to hear the stories of the girls themselves. The 14 year-old girl in Liberia, separated from her family in the midst of a civil war and forced into an abusive relationship with an older man, who was able to enroll in a UNFPA-supported vocational training program. She is now not only graduating from high school but she is planning to attend university. Or the 17 year-old girl in Bangladesh whose parents have been able to refuse multiple marriage offers simply because the government offers secondary school scholarships for girls. The evidence speaks loudly and clearly about the impact that even simple solu-tions can have. The legal instruments to protect the rights of girls – the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women – have been ratified by countless governments. Many countries have taken the lead in working to ensure that girls are a priority, and the UN Foundation hopes that all sectors can join together to be champions for these girls and to encour-age all countries around the world to think about adolescent girls as a separate constituency in developing policy.

Project Outcomes:

UN Foundation support for adolescent girls has achieved the following: • It has helped to refocus UNICEF, UNFPA and WHO, institutions that now prioritize adolescents, particularly girls, and the aspects of their lives closely related to sexual and reproductive health.

• UN agencies have now transformed their direction, messaging, and resource allocations to include adolescents.

• In addition, UN agency collaboration is now measurable, with UNFPA, UNICEF and WHO adopting new working models at the global, regional and field-levels to coordinate efforts to improve the lives of adolescent girls.

• The formation of the UN Interagency Work-ing Group on Adolescent Girls, which has been convened by UNFPA and UNICEF, has made substantial progress in strengthening program approaches at the country level.

•The UN Commission on the Status of Women called on governments around the world to fight all forms of discrimination, ex-ploitation and violence against girls, and called on all UN Member States to fund programs for adolescent girls.

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Contact: Kathy Bushkin-Calvin Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer UN Foundation 1800 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Suite 400 Washington, DC 20036 USA Tel: 202-887-9040 Fax: 202-887-9021

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Project Goals: The goals of the “Rebuilding Agricultural Markets” project include d eve lop ing a d emand -d r i v en , competitive, sustainable and profitable agri-business; building Afghan technical and managerial capacity in agri-business; and providing women and farmers with a long-term stable income.

Project Implementation: As part of USAID’s Rebuilding Agricul-tural Markets Program (RAMP) in Afghanistan, fruit and vegetable drying was identified as an industry with high potential for agri-business investment. The expanded, international market opportunities for dehydrated vegetables and the development needs in Afghani-stan attracted Development Works Canada (DWC) to pursue USAID funding through RAMP (implemented by Chemonics International Inc.) to complement its own proposed investment in a vegetable dehydration factory in Parwan province, located adjacent to Kabul. The factory is owned by the Parwan Dehydrated Company, which is 60% owned by Development Works Canada, and 40% will be owned by the Grower’s

Afghanistan

Government Partner: Ministry of Agriculture Private Sector Partner: Development Works Canada,

Chemonics International, Parwan Dehydrates Company Duration of Program: 3 Years

Rebuilding Agricultural Markets Program

Association. The government of Afghanistan also contributed to the start-up of this project by donating the land. Over 1,200 Afghan farmers, many of whom are women involved in sun-drying vegetables, were contracted to produce and supply selected types of vegetables required by the vegetable dehydration and processing factory in Afghanistan to meet the dried vegetable demand of European buyers. The project provided improved seeds, fertilizer, tools, and crates for transporting the vegetables to the factory. Two research farms were established to run trials and demonstrate new vegetables and a variety of cultivation and irrigation techniques. A complementary sun-dried tomato project involved over 450 women to sun dry tomatoes in their homes after receiving train-ing in appropriate methods for the European market. The women were also provided drying trays, salt, knives, soap and plastic bags for storage. Development Works Canada was initially responsible for marketing and establishing contracts with European buyers and handling transport and logistical arrangements. These activities

The factory has created sustainable employment for over 3,500 farmers and has totally

integrated women in all aspects of production.

will be eventually transferred to the Parwan Dehydrates Company. Procurement of the vegetables, and processing and marketing of the dried vegetables have reached about 15 metric tons of dried products per month. An average of 25 metric tons of vegetables are planned to be exported to Europe per month over the next twelve months. This dehydration business is expected to expand and give women and farmers new sources of income in the long term.

Project Outcomes: This unique factory in Afghanistan has created sustainable employment for over 3,500 farmers, produced real opportunity for women and established a foot-hold in international markets for the country. The factory has completely integrated women in all aspects of production, from janitorial tasks to management, to agricul-ture extension. In fact, they account for almost 60% of the workforce. Some women work night-shifts, and a few are being groomed for management positions, with the best being considered for foreign training programs. Whether factory-based or home-based, most of these women are single heads of household.

Project Challenges: Farmers were resistant to change, and did not want to embrace anything new or different unless well proven, widely demonstrated and endorsed by colleagues. Most important, farmers and women suppliers were not accustomed to contractual obligations and, after receiving subsidized seeds and fertilizers, defaulted on their contract to supply vegetables to the factory. To get farmers to understand the binding nature of the agreement they have signed and to follow through on their contractual agreements will require more training with the farmers and joint discussions with the governor and the provincial Ministry of Agriculture. It had also been planned that the grower’s association after three years of participa-tion would be able to assume the 40 percent equity stake. Unfortunately, program delays caused by long winters, poor seeds, and farmer defaults did not provide enough time to firm up a depend-able base of participating farmers. The Ministry of Agriculture shall continue to hold the 40 percent equity entitlement on behalf of the Grower’s Association until the Memorandum of Understanding conditions have been met.

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Contact: Ministry of Agriculture Minister Hassun Banu Ghazanfar Jamal Mena Kart-e Sakhi Kabul, Afghanistan Tel: 932-025-003-15 E-mail: infor@agriculture.gov.af

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ASIA:

Government Partners: US Department of Justice, Australian Federal Police, Interpol,

Private Sector Partner: Microsoft

NGO Partners: International Center for Missing and Exploited Children, International

Anti-Trafficking Program Multiple Locations

Project Description: The era of globalization and the advent of the Internet have opened up many new avenues for people globally. However, with the benefits are downsides, including the trafficking and exploitation of women and children. According to the United Nations, 12.3 million adults and children are subjected to involuntary servitude, many of these in the sex trade. Aware of the statistics and having many employees live and work in the communities most afflicted by trafficking, Microsoft has made a special effort to address this issue in South and Southeast Asia – regions particularly hard hit by trafficking. Building on its relationship with law enforcement agencies and working within its core competencies in software and technology, Microsoft has initiated a number of projects to combat human trafficking.

In conjunction with national and local law enforcement agencies and NGO partners, Microsoft: • Engages in law enforcement training on human trafficking through the Internet; develops infor-mation on the role of Internet cafes in traffick-ing of youth;

• Issues a tool to help law enforcement officials analyze and share data on pedophiles who use the Internet; and

• Operates programs which address poverty – one of the root causes of trafficking – to increase the skills of underserved people so they can earn higher incomes.

Project Goals: The goal of Microsoft’s efforts is to do as much as possible to combat the problem of trafficking primarily within the most affected parts of Asia. To make progress toward this goal, the project focuses on targeting efforts specifically on victims and at-risk populations for trafficking. Microsoft has matched its expertise with local NGO partners involved in combating trafficking and its causes. The project also

other local and national law enforcement agencies

Law Enforcement Academy, CAP Foundation, Visayan Forum Foundation (Philippines) Duration of Program: 2003 - present

focuses not only on prevention and reinte-gration but also on awareness and protec-tion, including prosecution. Project Implementation:

Since Microsoft has had an existing relationship with law enforcement agencies through its provision of training on cyber-crime issues around the world, it was able to add the issue of trafficking of women and children through the Internet to the training programs without difficulty. These law enforcement training programs are conducted in partnership with a variety of NGOs and agencies, including the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC), Interna-tional Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA), the UK Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, the Australian Federal Police, and the US Department of Justice. In addition, Microsoft has investigators who primarily focus on trafficking of pi-rated goods, though they are able to use those same investigative skills on the issue of trafficking. Further collaboration with law enforcement is done to research issues and trends in trafficking and to amass in-formation on such topics as the role of Internet cafes in trafficking of youth in key hotspot and border areas. Combining these programs with its core competency in software, Microsoft launched a tool called the Child Exploita-tion Tracking System (CETS) that enables law enforcement officers from different departments in different countries to coll-

aborate in the pursuit of pedophiles, and the rescue and repatriation of abused children. Microsoft has pro-vided over $9 million in funding on behalf of this program. Beyond the law enforcement programs, Microsoft, in partnership with NGOs, operates programs which address poverty by increasing the skills of underserved people so they can earn new or higher incomes. One such program is the Unlimited Potential Community Technology Skills project, which provides grants to NGOs to bring the benefits of technology to underserved populations. Many of the participants are women and the programs target, for example, women who are victims of domestic violence or overseas workers, those who may be at-risk of being trafficked. Within Asia, Microsoft has donated over $1 million to NGOs working with those vulnerable to or already victim-ized by human trafficking. In this program, the benefits derived from IT training are combined with the coun-seling, protection and rehabilitation expertise of the NGOs to confront the issue of trafficking in the region.

www.globewomen.org -18– ASIA

According to theUnited Nations, 12.3 million adults and children are subjected to involuntary servitude, many of these

in the sex trade.

Contact: Gerri Elliott Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Public Sector Microsoft Corporation One Microsoft Way Redmond, WA 98052 Tel: 425-707-2042 Fax: 425-706-4114 Email: gerri.elliott@microsoft.com Lori Forman Asia Regional Director, Community Affairs 22-1 One Marina Boulevard Singapore Tel: 656-882-8614 Fax: 656-882-8293 Email: lorif@microsoft.com

19– ASIA www.globewomen.org

Project Outcomes: Some of the outcomes of the anti-trafficking programs include: •2,231 law enforcement officers from 105 countries have been trained on computer-facilitated crimes against children in conjunc-tion with the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children;

•The Child Exploitation Tracking System is already deployed in Chile, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Italy, England, and Spain, and seven more countries are actively evaluating the program; and

•The Unlimited Potential Community Technology Skills project is operating in more than 100 countries, supporting programs in over 29,000 community training centers, and reaching more than 48 million people over the past four years.

Project Challenges: One of the biggest challenges in these efforts to combat human trafficking is ensuring that human trafficking is high on governments’ agendas. Given that this is an issue which requires tri-partite govern-ment-NGO-corporate attention, it is vital for governments to be committed to addressing this issue.

www.globewomen.org -20– CENTRAL EUROPE

Central Europe & Emerging Markets Cisco Gender Initiative and F_email Project:

Government Partners: Ministries of Science and Technology in Hungary, Serbia, and Turkey; local , Turkey

Private Sector Partners: Cisco Systems, Inc., University of Belgrade, Technical University of Istanbul

NGO Partner: HTTP Foundation

International Agency Partner: United Nations Development Fund for Women, USAID

Duration of Program: 2000 to Present

Project Description: Started ten years ago, the Cisco Networking Academy program is one of the largest examples of an industry-led Information and Communications Technology training and certification program operating in a public-private partnership. Now in 165 countries, the Cisco Networking Academy Program brings together education and the Internet to increase access to the knowledge economy. The program combines e-learning and hands-on laboratories to empower indi-viduals and underserved communities with greater opportunities for education and career advancement. Starting in 1997, Cisco developed a curricu-lum to train teachers, staff and students to wire and maintain computer networks in their schools. The program expanded to become an IT career development program. Academies spread to schools, colleges, universities, and other not-for-profit educational institutions around the world. Currently, there are over 450,000 students being taught in 11,000 net-networking academies across the globe. Around 3.5 million courses have been completed within the program. To add a gender component to the Academy program, Cisco established a Gender Initiative in 2000 to impact the career lifecycle of women and girls through each of the four main areas below:

• Access to Technology and the Internet: Programs for Internet access and donation of equipment into sustainable programs and NGOs globally;

• Connecting to the Pipeline: Programs that con-nect Cisco volunteers and partners with commu-nity organizations to mentor and coach girls and women about technology careers;

• Education & Skills through Technology: Cisco Networking Academy Program is the strongest global example of how to build skills needed in the economy through technology;

• Career Development: Supporting and advising programs that help retain and sustain women in technology careers.

To align with the ten-year anniversary of the Network Academy program, Cisco recently began to sponsor ten Gender Initiative Focus Projects in the European and Emerging Markets as part of its F_email Project. F_email is operating in Hungary, Serbia, and Turkey.

Project Goals: The Cisco Gender Initiative has the following goals: • Increase the number of females pursuing academic and career opportunities in IT worldwide and in Cisco’s Networking Academies (current world-wide participation rate is approximately 20% women in Cisco’s Networking Academies);

Hungary, Serbia & Turkey governments in Hungary, Serbia, Turkey

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• Increase females’ access to IT training and career opportunities;

• Utilize Academy program as a model/gender laboratory;

• Collect and share information on best practices in recruitment and retention strategies;

• Develop tools and resources to attract and retain more females to IT.

The Cisco Academy program encourages women to develop IT skills and to earn industry-standard certifications to help narrow the gender gap in technology careers and to encourage greater female participation in the global economy. The F_email program has the additional goal of setting up an international commu-nity of women involved in IT activities in the targeted countries of Hungary, Serbia, and Turkey.

Project Implementation: Recruitment for the F_email project was done largely through announcements on the local Cisco websites and labor centers in these three countries. The applicants tended to be university students or recent unemployed graduates between the ages of 25 and 35 with some basic IT skills. The chosen applicants then began Cisco Certified Network Associate Training. Following the training, the women are supported to find jobs in the technology sector. Throughout the program, NGOs, government organizations, and the local Cisco office work to support the partici-pants in different ways. This Gender Initiative has been expanded so that USAID and Cisco Systems have partnered to provide $300,000 in scholarships for women in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mongolia, and Sri Lanka to attend Cisco Academies in their respective countries. Over 500 scholarships were awarded to

these applicants in Asia and North Africa. Other Networking Academy scholarship programs are being developed to increase the participant pool. Cisco also collaborated with USAID and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) to implement other gender programs in the Middle East. Together they established ten Networking Academies in Jordan and 50% of the 2500 students are women. To date, Cisco has worked with partner organizations to provide technical training through the Networking Academy sites in 51 developing countries. Training is focused on gender opportunity, workforce develop-ment, and financial sustainability. The goal is to accelerate progress toward full integration of these countries into the world economy.

Program Challenges: The primary challenge in implementing the Gender Initiative programs is reaching a wide range of women of all ages. The F_email Project aimed to target women between the ages of 25 and 50. However, the majority of participants were between the ages of 25 and 35 and tended to be recent graduates rather than women with working experience needing to transition to a new career. Contact: Monique Meche Director, Global Policy and Government Affairs, Cisco Systems Block P6, Eastpoint Business Park Dublin, Leinster 3 Ireland Tel: 322-704-5018 Email: mmeche@cisco.com .

www.globewomen. -22– CHILE

Chile

Government Partners: Ministry of Women’s Affairs (SERNAM),

Banco Estado, Codelco Private Sector Partner: Masisa, Huachipato, Multiexport Pesquera Duration of Program: 3 years

Good Labor Practices: IGUALA.CL

Project Description: The “Good Labor Pract ices: IGUALA.CL” project aims to improve the participation and the position of women in the labor market. "IGUALA.CL" seeks to contribute to the necessary cultural change of social relations between men and women, particularly those changes that will allow real advances in women’s equal participation in the labor force.

Project Goals: The project aims to develop and validate methodologies and tools that will work in a conceptual and practical context. The purpose is to eliminate gender discriminatory practices in both the public and private sectors. First, the program will generate a set of political measures or initiatives, extending beyond labor regula-tion, which companies may incorporate voluntarily to promote equal opportunities between workers and to eliminate the gender gap in employment. Second, the project will develop for women – specifically professional and college graduates – a set of interactive services of information, orientation and labor intermediation that will improve their employability.

This will assist women in their job searches and recruitment. Thirdly, methodologies and conceptual tools will be designed for the implementation of the Code of Good Labor Practices and Anti-Discrimination for the Central Administration.

Project Implementation: 1. Gender Equity in Private Sector Employment.

The project seeks to generate in a group of large public and private companies models of best practices of gender equity in employment. Such practices include equitable career development and access to training; balanced representation between men and women in senior positions within the companies; protection of maternity rights and responsibilities; conciliation of work and family obligations; and prevention of sexual harassment in the work place. The process begins with a written evaluation sent to the owner of the company which details the initial condition of the workplace in regard to controlling against discrimination. From this evaluation and its analysis, a detailed work plan is created, based

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on the IGUALA.CL guidelines. Those companies who incorporate the approved plan will obtain governmental recognition both for participation in the project and its implementation through public certification.

1. Labor Intermediation. The portal, www.iguala.cl, was established to develop a set of interactive services that provide information, orientation and labor intermediation that will support women in the job search process. This aim is fulfilled across two important sections of the Portal: the first one provides assistance for the job seeker by providing practical informa-tion on how best to market one’s skills, how to interview, how to develop a resume, etc. The second one, “Bolsa empleo,” is a job exchange market which lists job openings. Offers of employment in areas that traditionally have been occupied by men will be specifically targeted.

2. Support to Good Practices on the Public sector. The Government of Chile has negotiated the development of a set of changes in the public employment arena directed to guaranteeing equality and anti-discrimination. The Civil Service is in charge of tracking the implementation of this Code across all public centralized ser-vices. SERNAM is responsible for the fulfillment of policies in terms of equal

opportunities for men and women. It will support the dissemination, training and elaboration of methodologies for monitor-ing this Code in the services of the Central Administration.

Project Outcomes: Since the program is 10 months old, it is difficult to measure the impact that it has had in women’s lives. IGUALA.CL is in the first stage of implementation -- gener-ating conceptual and practical tools that allow women professionals to have more, and better, employment opportunities.

Project Challenges: SERNAM has established that the second stage of the IGUALA.CL program must be the installation of a quality certification from the state that recognizes the fulfillment of the Program of Good Labor Practices with equity of gender in companies. Moreover, such certification should meet international standards.

Contact: Ministry of Women’s Affairs Minister Laura Albornoz Agustinas 1389 Santiago, Chile Tel: 562-549-6236 Fax: 562-549-6249

www.globewomen.org -24– CHIINA

China

Government Partners: Ministry of Education

Private Sector Partners: Lenovo China, Sinopec,

Non Governmental Organizations: China Children and

Duration of Program: Began in 1989, and Ongoing

Spring Bud Project

“A Chance in Their Lives:” A Brief Background of the

Spring Bud Program Due to the imbalanced economic, social, and cultural development in different regions of China, and particularly due to the influence of traditional ideas which place greater value on males than females, a large number of young girls still cannot complete compulsory education. Under such a context, in 1989, China Children and Teenager’s Fund estab-lished a special fund entitled “Girls Returning to School Scholarship” to assist the dropout girls in the impover-ished areas to return to the school. The Fund was officially re-named “The Spring Bud Project” in 1992. Many “graduates” of the Spring Bud Program have gone on to say that the Project has given them a chance in their lives.

Project Goals: Launched in 1989, the Spring Bud project targets girls from poor families who tend to drop out due to economic difficulties, with the goal of providing basic education and skills-training for them. The project enables female dropouts to finish their primary education, thus completing the nine years of compulsory education in China.

Project Implementation: The China Children and Teenagers’ Fund (CCTF) is responsible for raising funds from a variety of sources, including many women entrepreneurs. The All China Women’s Federation assists in targeting the girls that will most benefit from the program. Government education authori-ties are then responsible for providing financial support for teachers and schools involved in the project. Spring Bud Scholarships are given to girls so that they may continue their education, whereas Spring Bud Classes and Spring Bud Schools are set up to provide both basic education and practical skills training to poor girls.

Hengquanxiang (Group) Co. Ltd., and others

Teenagers’ Fund (CCTF), All China Women’s Federation (ACWF)

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The Spring Bud program currently covers over 30 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China. Women’s organizations and the education departments at the national, provincial, prefecture and county levels have all established task forces to implement the Spring Bud Project.

Project Outcomes: After 17 years of practice, over 600 million RMB (about $80 million USD) has been raised through the project. By the end of 2006, 410 Spring Bud Schools were built and 1.7 million female drop-outs were sponsored all over China. The Ministry of Education reports that many Spring Bud girls have graduated from schools, become teachers, doctors, and models of rising above poverty through the knowledge that they have acquired in school. Some Spring Bud girls have also gone on to higher educational institutions.

Project Challenges: Considering the number of girls in need of help, the coverage of the project, while large, is still far from sufficient, and raising more funds has proven to be a huge task. More importantly, awareness of the importance of education for girls still needs to be raised, especially in China’s rural areas. Contact: Ministry of Education No. 4 Fuxing Road, Haidian District Beijing, China 100038 tel: 8610-8390-7276 Fax: 8610-8390-7279 Email: maning70s@sina.com

The project’s direct impact is to redress the traditional male preference ideas in rural areas, where 70% of the school drop-outs are girls.

- www.globewomen.org 26– EGYPT

Egypt

Government Partners: The National Council for Women, Egypt,

Women Business Development Center

Project Goals: The National Council for Women (NCW) has established the Women’s Business Center for the purpose of empowering women economically, socially and politically. The Women’s Business Development Center aims at providing fresh graduates with skills that will expand their opportunities in a com-petitive labor market. The program also offers women the opportunity to consider entrepreneurship-—establishing, operating and expanding a private busi-ness by providing advice on market re-quirements, taxation and export laws, and regulations. Through this program, the trainees are also offered the possibility of on-line marketing and sales.

Project Implementation: The Women’s Business Center’s main components are advice and consulta-tion, training, increasing opportunities for women, and increasing visibility of women’s entrepreneurship and its contributions to the Egyptian economy: Advice is provided on opportunities, market studies, and feasibility studies by the Women’s Business Development Center. Expertise is brought in to the customers of the center as required. WBDC has been supported by donors, mainly USAID. Multi-disciplinary training in all aspects of business, financial and import/export regulations, ICT, taxation, procedures,

Of the 1,000 girls who were trained in IT by WBDC’s partnership with Microsoft, 60% are now

employed in Egyptian companies.

American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, The Egyptian Chamber of Commerce

Ministry of Communication, Information and Technology, the Egyptian Postal Authority

Private Sector Partners: IBM, Microsoft Egypt, Shell Egypt,

Non Governmental Organizations: Society for the Advancement Egyptian Women (SAEW), Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, and the Ford Foundation Duration of Program: ongoing

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etc. is on-going. For this purpose, private training or consulting firms are hired. Training abroad has been provided to the key staff of the center. In these two areas, WBDC has partnered with the Ministry of Commu-nication and Information Technology (MCIT), private training firms, multinational firms, national firms, and international NGOs (Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and the Ford Foundation). An example of public/private sector partnerships which enabled WBDC to provide its services is the Center’s partnership with Microsoft, where an agreement was reached to train 150 women graduates every year. It was noted that the use of ICT in small and medium enterprises is still very limited, therefore the agreement stipulated that 100 women entrepreneurs would be trained every year to promote e-business and e-commerce. Microsoft provided a grant of $60,000, which covered software, training materials, and the trainers. WBDC has responsibility for all logistics of the training program starting from advertis-ing, selection of trainees, monitoring and evaluation. As a result of the WBDC partnership with Microsoft, to date, 50 fresh graduates and 60 entrepreneurs completed their IT basic training, and 15 completed web design training. Of the 1000 girls who were training in IT, 60% are now employed by reputable firms in Egypt.

Another example is the partnership between WBDC and the Ford Founda-tion through which 300 girls from southern Egypt were able to receive training in communication skills, scientific thinking, and planning. WBDC arranged the training programs in the branches of the National Council for Women. The training aimed at providing the young girls with soft skills before their graduation to enhance their careers, whether they planned on immediately seeking employment or pursuing higher education. A grant from Konrad Adenauer Stiftung during 2004-2006 enabled WBDC to organize a series of workshops to discuss with women entrepreneurs new legislation and business environments that affect small and medium enterprises. The topics covered included taxation, customs, new SME laws, branding, e-marketing and e-commerce. In 2006, in preparation for the Global Summit of Women that was held in Cairo, three workshops were devoted to discussing all issues related to the Summit and to exhibit success stories of women entrepreneurs. Similar activities were carried out in collaboration with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. In cooperation with IBM, a computer lab was established for intensive IT training to young women. Also under the umbrella of this cooperation, a portal providing information and resources for women is being developed.

www.globewomen.org -28– EGYPT

WBDC and Shell Oil company worked together to deliver three training programs for young women to become entrepreneurs. They both cooperated in preparing the training material, as well as the training. The training was delivered in WBDC premises in Cairo, with Shell instructing the trainees on how to start up a business using loans. The program was so successful that they are now in the process of replicat-ing it other areas of the country.

Finally, a website, “cleostore,” exhibits on-line the products of 250 women entrepreneurs, some of whom export to Sudan, Pakistan, Dubai and Germany. A number of these women were pro-vided the chance to participate in the 2006 Global Summit of Women held in Cairo. A protocol of agreement with the Egyptian Postal Authority assists entre-preneurs in the delivery of their products and the collection of the cost of their goods.

Another website, “Akfar Guadida,” provides on-line information on busi-ness related issues and is also an on-line learning resource. In these two activities, WBDC has collaborated with the Scientific Association of Egyptian Women (SAEW), an Egyptian NGO.

Project Challenges: The major challenge is that WBDC is a still very young institution, though rapidly expanding. The flow of funds needed to sustain and successfully expand its outreach efforts to other parts of the country is not yet regular. Contact: National Council of Women Egypt Hon. Farkhonda Hassan Secretary-General 1113 Corniche el Nil PO Box 11625 Tahrir, Cairo, Egypt Tel: 202-574-55 16 Email: ncw@ncwegypt.com

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Project Goals:

The goals are specific to the different regions and their respective problems. In San Marcos, the Aim of the ILO/IPEC/MINED Scholarships for Peace is to retain children in school who would otherwise leave with their fami-lies to work on the coffee harvest in Guatemala or Mexico. In San Juan and San Raymundo, as well, the aim is to prevent children from working in the fireworks factories, and in Baja Verapaz, the scholarships are intended to prevent children from working in the broccoli industry so they may stay in school.

Guatemala

Government Partners: Ministry of Education Private Sector Partner: Rural Development Foundation

(FUNRURAL-FUNCAFÉ) NGO Partners: International Program for the Eradication of

Child Labor (IPEC), Integrated Solidarity Association (ASI), Ecumenical Center for Pastoral Integration (CEIPA), International Labor

Organization (ILO/IPEC) Duration of Program: October 26, 2001 – December 2009

Educational Scholarships for Peace

Project Description: The Educational Scholarships for Peace project is a joint effort between the Guatemalan Ministry of Education, and the International Labor Organization (ILO/IPEC) to enable the education of rural Guatemalan children and to diminish the problem of child labor. The Min i s t r y o f Educa t i on ’ s (MINEDUC) commitments include: offering scholarships to nominated schools, distributing funds from the Scholarships for Peace Program (Programa Becas de la Paz), supporting the program through the various educational departments, overseeing the administration of funds by the school councils (Juntas Escolares), and offering services (not monetary) to the children who will benefit from the program. The International Labor Organization, for their part, has committed to train the School Councils, teachers, directors, and parents; design explanatory guides for those involved in the process; sub-contract organizations that will support the program; and monitor the program’s development and measure its impact.

The project is a joint effort to enable the education of rural Guatemalan children and to deter them from child labor. Of the students who received the Peace Scholarships, 83%

stayed in school.

www.globewomen.org -30– GUATEMALA

Different private sector organizations also participate in this project as administrators. In San Marcos, the Na t ion a l C of f ee As so c i a t i on (ANACAFÉ) helps to administer the project. In San Juan Sacatepéquez and San Raymundo, administration is provided by the Asociación de Apoyo Integral (ASI). Baja Verapaz, on the other hand, has several different organizations administering different aspects of the project.

Project Implementation: The strategies also vary by the different regions. In San Marcos, the plan is to offer scholarships partly in kind and partly in cash. Only children who went to harvest coffee or other produce, as of August of each year, are eligible for the scholarship. Also, support is given to the School Councils through technical support, and training. In San Juan and San Raymundo, scholarships are offered to schools to benefit all the children enrolled during the year. Through an interactive curriculum, the quality of the teaching itself is improved. Community partici-pation will also be promoted through School Councils and parent assemblies. Likewise, in Baja Verapaz, scholarships are offered to schools to benefit all enrolled children, and community participation is promoted through the School Councils. The Scholarships for Peace in San Marcos include appropriate girls’ and boys’ school clothing, as well as soap and various foods. In San Juan and San Raymundo, vacation school has been offered in November of every year.

Sessions include arts, crafts, recreational activities, and meals are also provided to ensure continued attendance. To assess the impact and effectiveness of the program, evaluations and interviews are conducted among the following: scholarship recipients: parents, school councils, school principals and teachers, NGO workers from community service offices, education county offices, and district supervisors.

Project Outcomes: As a result of the scholarships, from August to November of 2006, it was assessed that 47% of the children who received scholarships left their jobs or stopped leaving school intermittently. Thirty-six percent stayed in school without maintaining full time jobs, and 17% left school because of work.

Project Challenges: The project already seeks to establish a relation between the scholarship program and children’s retention in school with special attention to the needs of g ir ls . Assur ing this connection, though, depends on the on-going commitment of school teachers, directors and parents.

C o n t a c t : Ministry of Education Hon. Miriam Castenada Assistant Minister of Education 6 Calle 1-87 Bonazo Guatemala Tel: 502-236-070-874

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Government Partners: Ministry of Environment, Governor’s Councils, Arab Marshes Councils, Local Marsh’s Councils Duration of Program: 6 months

Project Descr ipt ion : The Iraqi Marshlands are one of the largest wetlands bodies in the world, with an area of roughly 15,000 sq. km, and have specific physical and chemical characteristics unique among other aquatic environments. The government under Saddam Hussein was responsible for the deterioration of these marshes when it gave the order to dry up the southern Iraqi marshes, which led to the total destruction of the area. Since reviving the area in 2003 via re-flooding, new problems have arisen with the usage of illegal methods of fishing, including bombs, toxic materi-als, and electricity. As the inhabitants of these marshes do not have a sufficient understanding of the risks of using illegal methods of fishing or of fishing during the breeding season, the Ministry of Environment aims to increase awareness of these issues. The Ministry also hopes to spread awareness of the historical importance of the area and the role it plays in the country’s economy. While this project does not target women specifically, its success impacts on all the marshland inhabitants – women and men.

Awareness Campaign on the Use of

Project Goals: The government’s campaign will touch on social, health, and cultural impact of the proper methods of fishing and the historical significance of the Iraqi marshlands. In regard to health, the campaign will focus on showing the effect of using toxic materials in fishing. The negative impacts of using pesticides on other living organisms, as a whole, will also be addressed. Finally, the campaign will encourage marshland inhabitants to suspend their fishing activities during the breeding seasons, taking up other jobs during this period in order to preserve the species in this ecosystem. The project focuses on the central marshes: Hor Alhuwaiza, Hor Alhamar, and Hor Alchibayish, located in the Basra , Th iq-Qar , and Maysan governates.

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The campaign aims to spread awareness among the indigenous

people of the marshes about their home territory and its economic and environmental

value in preserving biodiversity.

Safe Fishing Methods in the Iraqi Marshlands

Iraq

www.globewomen.org -32– IRAQ

Project Outcomes: As the project is still new, it is difficult to determine its outcomes. However, if successful, the Ministry of Environ-ment hopes to extend this program into other marshlands.

Project Implementation: Through coordination between Iraqi government groups, location of the awareness courses will be prepared, as well as all relevant materials and resources. These include any appropriate scientific documents, staff and presentation tools. In regard to promotional materials, posters will be printed to illustrate the importance, and the aims of holding these sessions. Campaign logos are also printed on children’s T-shirts which represent the wrong methods of fishing. Baseball caps are also printed that bear the pro-ject title. After the preparation and promotional steps are taken, the Ministry plans to rent boats that will carry signboards advocating the prevention of using pesticides, firecrackers and electrical methods in fishing. A competition will be held for those who use the correct methods of fishing (fala and nets), and rewarding the “winners.” Some additional projected materials include a digital camera to record the sessions, a rented guesthouse in the marsh area for the trainers, transportation from the nearby three governorates to the marsh areas, and gifts for the trainees.

33– KENYA www.globewomen.org

Kenya

Government Partners: Ministry of Housing Private Sector Partner: Andrew Crawford Products NGO Partner: Kenafric Charitable Organization Duration of Program: 5 years

Kengemi Women Garbage Processing Project:

Project Description: Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi boasts a population of over 3,000,000 people, according to the last census. Unfortu-nate ly , due to infrastructura l inadequacies, more than 60% of this population lives in semi-formal settlements, otherwise known as slums. In fact, Nairobi is home to Africa’s largest slum – and the world’s second largest – with an estimated population of 1 million residents in Kibera. To the west of Kibera lies Kangemi, a similar semi-formal settlement with minimal infrastructure and services. The character of housing in Kangemi is typically tin-roofs and walls, and a single room house of 10 x 10 feet is inhabited by an average of six people. There are no public health facilities in the area, but there are a number of private clinics. Considering that there are not many options for employment for many of the women who live in this area, many women engage in illegal drug and alcohol consumption. The Kenafric

Charitable Organization, which works with these women in an effort to rehabilitate them, decided to organize a project that would economically empower them so that they can take care of their young families (as many of them are single mothers), as well as themselves.

Project Goals: The Garbage Processing Project provides an avenue whereby women do not have to resort to illegal means of generating income, or otherwise indulge in self-destructive behavior. By curbing such activities as prostitution and heroin use, the HIV/AIDS rate may also decline. The project was developed not only to empower women economically, but also to aid in c leaning up the surrounding environment.

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Garbage for Life

Project Implementation: The women walk around the houses collecting garbage in polythene bags, then cart it to a central site which is privately-owned. Once the garbage is carried into the site, the first activity is to sort it out into four major categories: a) metal, b) plastics, c) papers, and d) food waste. The most useful is metal, as this is sold right away to the many ironmongers in the vicinity. The plastics are accumulated for transportation to recycling plants, while the food waste is compounded to make fertilizer. The area has been divided into zones where every member will collect and help in community cleaning. The garbage is carried either on their backs, via rickshaws popularly known as mikokoteni , donkey carts, and, occasionally, hired trucks – depending on the amount and distance. Each home that is serviced is charged a small fee. The fees are one shilling per day, per room (approximately $.014). The women themselves are tasked with the duty of collecting the payment for the homes that they service.

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Once the cash is collected, expenses are deducted on a weekly basis. These expenses include transport, commission (for every customer a woman recruits, she is paid 15% of the gross fee by the customers as commission), salary (divided equally amongst all members of the group according to the days one has worked), and office expenses. The Kenafric Charitable Organization has also been offering counseling services to the women on a regular basis which is funded by well wishers. There are also other volunteer counsel-ors from the Ministry of Health, and occasionally, from other government-supported organizations like the University of Nairobi. The counseling covers a myriad of issues. Most of the members’ problems stem from their deprivation and squalid living conditions. Hygiene standards are not very high, either, so when resources are provided to improve this aspect, it goes a long way in improving morale among the project’s members.

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Project Outcomes: Despite the women’s meager earnings and difficult working conditions, the program has succeeded in deterring some participants from illegal means of generating income, such as prostitution and drugs, which contribute to the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS.

Project Challenges: There currently are no formal working arrangements for members. Future needs would include organizing the membership into some kind of associa-tion so that they can access services as a group, including credit to grow other side businesses. The work is also considered to be voluntary since the salary given to the members is so minimal, thus there are no rights of workers to be observed. Generally, there is no formal or informal training given to members, and no hygiene protocols are observed. Moreover, training needs to be structured in order to enable growth for the benefit of the memberships. Resources such as gloves, wheel barrows, protective clothes and first aids kits are also very limited.

Contact: Ministry of Housing Assistant Minister Betty Tett Nairobi, Kenya Tel: 254-271-8050

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The Garbage Collection Project not only benefits women’s economic status, it

offers an alternative to destructive behaviors

common in the slums, it improves the condition of the slums and the environment at large.

www.globewomen.org -36– LAOS

Laos

Government Partners: Lao Women’s Union Private Sector Partner: UNDP, Norwegian Aid Agency Duration of Program: 1997-2005

Project Description: The Gender Resource Information and Development Center (GRID) was established at the end of 1997 under the cooperation agreement between the Lao Government, the Norwegian Aid Agency, and UNDP. The Lao Women’s Union is responsible for the implementation of the GRID project, which targets women and men working at government offices in all sectors from the ministerial to district level. Female village leaders are also a targeted group. Lao consultants/advisors develop and facilitate gender and development training courses, while the Lao Women’s Union is responsible for supervising the GRID centers.

Project Goals: The long-term development objective of the GRID project is to build the government’s capacity to effectively mainstream gender perspectives into all aspects of the development planning process. This includes promoting, increasing, and disseminat-ing information on gender and development in Lao P.D.R; incorpo-rating gender issues into the planning process at all levels; strengthening and promoting women’s participation in the development process and decision making; and upgrading gender knowl--

edge and ability of government officials in different levels.

Project Implementation: The GRID project’s main activities involve setting up GRID centers and libraries; organizing the training of the trainers; conducting research on important issues related to the situation of women in the socio-economic development and politics of Lao P.D.R.; developing and disseminating communication tools related to gender and development; and cooperation with other agencies in order to inte-grate gender into development plan-ning, programs, and projects. Each GRID center has its own library. GRID has set up special shelves at the National Library and at the Library of the University of Laos, which provides information to the public regarding Gender and Development, Women’s Participation in Politics, and Training. Gender training, however, remains the main activity of the GRID center, with the objective of raising awareness and understanding of gender issues. There is also a focus on capacity building and gender analysis and its application in the planning process. The contents of this training include global, regional, and national situations of women and gender issues, such as law and policy stipulating equality between men and

Development Center Project

Gender Resource Information and •

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women. The training also focuses on gender and social factors as they affect w o m e n ; g e n d e r a n a l y s i s , sex-disaggregated statistics; rationale for gender approach; and gender sensitive development planning. The GRID Center believes in strong and effective cooperation with the National Statistic Center (NSC) and the Planning Department of the Com-mittee for Planning and Investment (CPI), among other agencies at the national and international levels. The NSC collaboration focuses on gather-ing and analyzing data on the status of Lao Women and organizing consulta-tive meetings with the planners and statisticians in different sectors around the country to explain the importance of sex-disaggregated statistics and to find ways of implementation. CPI, meanwhile, acts as a strategic partner in mainstreaming gender issues in the planning system at all levels, and in par t icu lar , the col lec t ion of sex-disaggregated data, planning from the grass-roots level, including village and family levels in order to reduce poverty.

Project Outcomes: The GRID Project has established five centers and libraries in five locations. GRID currently has 96 trainers, of whom 60 are women, at the provincial and district levels. It has also organized gender training for the management in the ministerial, provincial, district, and village level, and among various devel-opment agencies. A total of 3,263 people were trained between 2001 and 2005. The GRID research team has conducted eight research activities, which includes their study, “Socio-economic survey on the situation of Lao Women” in 1998, and its most re-cent study, entitled “Women and Cross Border Trade” in 2006. The GRID centers have also produced newsletters, gender information on notice boards, posters, brochures on sex-disaggregated statistics, and a diverse set of publications and films. Radio broadcasting programs are also utilized

www.globewomen.org -38– LAOS

The GRID project’s purpose is to build the government’s capacity to effectively mainstream

gender into all aspects of the development planning process.

Lao Women’s Union Hon. Sysay Leudedmounsone President, Lao Women’s Union PO Box 59, Vientiane Tel: 856- 212-14 306 Email: gridvte@yahoo.com

to disseminate gender information Technical teams have been set up for curriculum development on gender sensitive development planning. Meetings have also been held on how to mainstream gender into the CPI’s handbook for district officials.

Project Challenges: The process of gender mainstreaming requires working partnerships among various actors and the need for concrete follow-up actions. Moreover, most government agencies have stated a commitment to gender strategies/policy, but putting this commitment into practice has proved difficult. Many of these agencies do not have adequate gender mainstreaming skills and capacity.

39– LESOTHO www.globewomen.org

Government Partners: Department of Gender Private Sector Partner: Women Dressmakers Duration of Program: 20 weeks

Katlehong Training Center Lesotho

Project Description: The project focuses on equipping females with skills in sewing so they can establish their own businesses.

Project Goals: The Katlehong Training Center aims to teach youth, both boys and girls, to sew. The training center produces four different types of products: school uniforms, fashion wear, wind breakers, and bed linen. The Center also offers basic managerial skills so the businesses can be sustainable.

Project Outcomes: The participants were economically empowered through the sewing skills they acquired. Some women established small businesses while others were able to compete on the labor market for jobs, or subsequently joining existing companies.

Project Challenges: Most of the targeted women and girls were economically challenged and could not afford the tuition fee, which was highly compensated by the government. The government was then forced to

Contact: Ministry of Gender, Youth, Sport and Recreation Hon. Mathabiso Lepono Minister Tel: 266-223-14763 Fax: 266-223-10506

offer the program for free, which reduced the number of times the course could be offered to different groups in a year. The plan was to offer at least five different training groups, but thus far, only one group was trained. Plans are under way to enroll the second group.

www.globewomen.org -40– LESOTHO

Project Goals: The goal of the project is to generate income for women infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. A second goal is to enhance home-based care for those suffering with HIV and AIDS.

Project Implementation: The project supported the production of cosmetics and medicine from aloe as well as the production of dried vegetables and fruits. The project participants were also able to generate income through poultry, pig, and goat farming.

Project Outcomes: The project is ongoing. A market has been established for aloe products and medicines. Also the lives of those infected and affected are being sustained through good nutrition and the use of the aloe medicines. The project empowers caregivers and affected families financially through the sale of the products.

Project Challenges: The biggest challenge is the insuffi-cient capacity for monitoring and supervisory skills to ensure sustainabil-ity of the project.

Lesotho

Contact: Ministry of Local Government and Chieftainship Hon. Pontso Matumela Sekatle Minister Tel: 266-223-25331 Fax: 266-223-11124

the program for free, which reduced the number of times the course could be offered to different groups in a year. The plan was to offer at least five different training groups, but thus far, only one group was trained. Plans are under way to enroll the second group.

Government Partner: Ministry of Local Government and Chieftainship Private Sector Partner: UNDP, World Health Organization and UNICEF

Women’s Participation in Economic Development

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Lithuania

Government Partners: Ministry of Agriculture Private Sector Partner: Rural Businesswomen, Members of

Lithuanian Farmer's Union and Lithuanian Rural Communities Union NGO: Lithuanian Rural Communities Union, Lithuanian Farmer's

Union Duration of Program: 2000-2007

Project Description: The program "Support for Initiatives of Rural Women" is a continuing partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture and the main institutes upholding the initiatives for rural women and girls, i.e. Lithuanian Farmer's (women) Union (LFU), and the Lithuanian Rural Communities Union (LRCU). This model of long-term partnership enables the implementation of projects affecting rural women and girls by providing a methodical framework and financial support.

Program Goals: Very simply, the "Support for Initiatives of Rural Women" project aims to improve overall the condition of rural women and girls while preserving national traditions and rural heritage. The program is designed to strengthen the self-esteem of rural women and girls; to develop their skills; to provide information, especially in the fields of alternative business; to increase employment in rural areas; to support educational events, such as seminars, conferences, and trainings for rural women; and to have the women

participate in exhibitions, fairs, and festivals where crafts, culinary prod-ucts, and folklore of rural women are being demonstrated.

Project Implementation: As a result of the project "Restoration of Lithuanian Rural Communities" in 2000 initiated by the Lithuanian Farmer’s Union and financed by the Ministry of Agriculture, the model rural community was developed, form-ing the basis for the establishment of 1,200 rural communities with a bigger role in local management. The rural women very actively participated in the processes of rural development. Two-thirds of the Chairmen of rural communities are women. Within this framework, the “Support for Initiatives for Rural Women” program instituted seminar cycles, which contained practical sessions for rural women focusing on such topics as improvement of life quality in rural areas, development of business skills of women, possibilities and develop-ment of alternative business activity in rura l a rea s , c ra f t s , and the strengthening of the role of women in rural communities.

Support for Initiatives of Rural Women

www.globewomen.org 42– LITHUANIA

The strengthening of the skills of rural women and girls to integrate

them into the social, economic, and cul-tural life of the rural community is the

primary goal of the Ministry of Agriculture's initiative.

Fairs and exhibitions designated for the celebration of national traditions, crafts, rural heritage, and folklore that contain crafts and culinary products made by rural women are specially featured. This includes the annual Christmas fair exhibition at the Minis-try of Agriculture and the exhibition of products of rural women at the Seimas in 2004. Other annual exhibitions which support the participation of rural women in agricultural and rural development are "Agropanorama," "Ka Pasesi ," and the annual international exhibition "AgroBalt." Methodical material is collected for the development of alternative activity of rural women/girls (e.g. decorative crafts), and technologies of traditional products were implemented beginning in 2006.

Project Outcomes: The program’s immediate impact is the reduction of unemployment of rural women from 10.8% in 2004 to 5.5% in 2006. There is also a reported increase of knowledge and competencies among rural women, as reflected in the increase in the number of women preparing projects and applying for financial support for the start-up of those projects. The number of women-initiated projects increased from 16.7% to 20.4% in 2004-2006. Similarly, the number of events and conferences designed for women increased yearly as interest in the programs increased. Since 2000, every year a "Women's Day" has been organized.

In the draft of the Lithuanian Rural Development Program for 2007-2013, rural women are encouraged to engage in non-agricultural business in particular, given the success of the initiatives for rural women.

Project Challenges: Depopulation and migration in rural areas affected the project, as did a lack of experience and focused initiative of rural women. Insufficient infrastruc-ture, such as transport and Internet in rural areas also hindered progress, along with a lack of positive attitude towards the initiatives implemented by women at the local level and a lack of monetary resources in rural areas. Fi-nally, there was a failure to ensure con-tinuation of successful activities and specific projects due to the shortage of financial sources. Contact: Ministry of Agriculture Hon. Kazimiera Prunskiene, Minister Gedimino Av. 19 Vilnius, Lithuania Tel: 370-523-91110 Fax: 003-705-239-1212 Email: goda@zum.lt

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Philippines

Government Partners: Embassy of the Philippines, Germany Private Sector Partner: Stoneworks International (Philippines),

Rainfish BV (Netherlands), Inter-Island Fisheries Ltd. (Ghana), Day Sea Day (Netherlands)

NGO: Gratis (Ghana), SARFABLES (Philippines) Duration of Program: 2004-2010

Project Description: Phineghan addresses poverty through job creation, upgrading of production practices, gaining access to new markets, and contributing to efforts to conserve and protect the environment. Phineghan engages in training Ghanaians in building fiberglass-hulled boats, managing a commercial fishing operation and setting up a processing facility in Ghana. The Philippines-Netherlands-Ghana business venture i n i n t e g r a t e d f i s h i n d u s t r y development is backed by the Govern-ment of Ghana and supported by the Dutch Government with private sector investors.

Project Goals: The primary goal of Phineghan is to upgrade and modernize the fishing industry in Ghana by transferring advanced technology/experience in fiberglass boat making, fish processing and the exportation of tuna fish products. Secondly, it aims to replace 9,000 wooden boats with 1,500 fiber-glass boats per year to save forests and to provide skills to Ghanaians in commercial fishing and fish processing.

Project Implementation: Phineghan is the first ever Asia-to-Africa business-cum-technology trans-fer cooperation, with multi-party pri-vate sector initiative packaged by the Rainbow Fish Consultants of the Philippine Governments Foreign Af-fairs Office for International Economic Relations. It involves training Ghana-ians in fiberglass boat building, com-mercial fishing and processing of fish catch for export. The Dutch, Philippine and Ghanaian partners are stake-holders in the joint venture company, along with NGO partners that provide the new company manpower from the communities.

The tripartite international cooperation agreement stipulates that the Philip-pines provides the technology, Ghana chooses the target beneficiaries who will be trained on tuna fishing, and the Netherlands donates the logistics.

Fifteen trainers from the Philippines are working in Ghana for four months to train Ghanaians on the techniques in long-line fishing of tuna.

Phineghan: Women-led Join Business Venture in West Africa

www.globewomen.org -44– PHILLIPINES

After the conclusion of this training, five Africans from Ghana will arrive in the Philippines for a one-month training on long-line fishing of tuna in the Pacific Ocean.

Project Outcomes: The preparation of the trainers in boat building has started in the Philippine partner’s shipyard in General Santos City in Mindanao. In the succeeding stages of implementation, this will engage the participation of Ghanian women in starting livelihood enterprises in the fishing and agro-industry sectors. Jobs to be created will impact the lives of families, and improve the role of women in economic activities resulting from the Phineghan venture. This first ever public/private sector venture is led by a woman CEO: the owner of Stone-works International in the Philippines. The woman minister of fisheries in Ghana, Minister Gladys Asmah, fully endorsed this venture with view to improving the economic security of Ghanaian women.

Project Challenges: Initially, distance (during the primary stages of implementation) is perceived as a major challenge in terms of time and cost, but may be overcome once the on-site Ghanaian fabrication facility is fully operational.

C Contact: Embassy of the Philippines, Berlin Hon. Delia Domingo-Albert Ambassador to Germany Uhlandstrasse 97 Berlin 10715 Germany Tel: 493-086-495-00 Fax: 493-087-325-51 Email: info@philippine-embassy.de

Jobs to be created will impact the lives of

families, and improve the role of women in economic activities resulting from the

Phineghan venture.

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Project Description: The Neighborhood Entrepreneurship/Livelihood Project, also known as the Tindakabahay Project, is an economic empowerment program which provides women with gainful employ-ment by selling basic products needed in every household. Women are engaged in this undertaking either stationed at home or by selling within the neighborhood. This enables women to receive additional income as well as the chance to be equipped with business skills, such as sales and inven-tory management. The National Council on the Role of Filipino Women, working in conjunction with the Philippine Federation of Local Councils of Women (PFLCW), Inc. believes that poverty has been a major problem affecting the majority of Filipinos, especially women. Therefore, this project undertook a strategic approach by engaging these women in a profitable undertaking. The Neighborhood Entrepreneurship/Livelihood Project is a partnership pro-ject of the PFLCW as an NGO, Unilever Philippines as the private sector entity and the TSPI Develop-ment Corporation as the Micro-Finance Institution (MFI).

Neighborhood Entrepreneurship /Livelihood Project/ TINDAKABAHAY Project

Project Goals: As an economic empowerment program, the Neighborhood Entrepre-neurship/Livelihood Project seeks to engage women in entrepreneurship while enhancing their access to microcredit. As an entrepreneurial undertaking, the project hopes to elevate women’s livelihood activities, resulting in micro-enterprises at higher levels of business undertakings, thereby enabling the full integration of the business activities into the market economy. The project is also intended to make available more basic products to those in the community at an affordable price.

Philippines Government Partner: National Council on the Role of Filipino Women Private Sector Partner: Unilever Philippines, Inc. NGO Partner: Philippine Federation of Local Councils of Women, TSPI Development Corporation

Duration of Program: 2006 to present

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Project Implementation: The Neighborhood Entrepreneurship/Livelihood Program is a public/private sector partnership involving the following: Philippine Federation of Local Councils of Women (PFLCW), Inc., Unilever Philippines and the TSPI Development Corporation. The PFLCW anchors the coordination, supervision and monitoring of the program with the different partners. The Local Councils of Women in each locality provides the manpower by recommending the qualified women entrepreneurs to the PFLCW. Unilever Philippines, Inc., as the private sector partner, is in charge of the products, the distribution channel and logistics as well as the monitoring of the sales performance of the women entrepre-neurs. The TSPI Development Corporation provides the capital needed by the women entrepreneurs to start with the entrepreneurial undertaking as well as in monitoring the collection and payments of the loan/capital assistance extended to these women entrepreneurs. Implemented in each barangay of the municipal i t ies , each group is comprised of a minimum of twenty women. The women are placed into groups not only to facilitate the operation processes, but also to instill a sense of mutual collective responsibility. The Local Council of Women identi-fies, initially screens and recommends the qualified women based on the guidelines set by the PFLCW. A center Chief is selected from among the se-lected women. The PFLCW works to assess and evaluate the program in

consultation with the center Chief and the Local Council of Women. With different Unilever distributors in every municipality, the products are delivered in the locality itself, and are therefore easily accessible to the women. Through this delivery/distribution channel, the logistics support, market strategies and sales performance are monitored effectively. Through the set-up of grouping women into a center, operation processes such as purchase orders, product withdrawal and inventory, recording of all transactions, loan collection and disbursements, approval of loan requests are facilitated. Like-wise, the practice and implementation of solidarity responsibility is being instilled in them. In this principle, each of the women agrees that in order for them to succeed, their group as a center is also responsible if any of their co-members fail to fulfill her obligations. A three-day training is held to give them the social preparation needed and to determine their readiness of assuming the responsibili-ties of managing the capital assistance and in handling the entrepreneurial undertaking itself. Initial funding and operational costs of the PFLCW comes from i ts member sh ip f e e s and o the r fund-raising initiatives. Capital assis-tance to women is provided either by the local government unit or the TSPI Development Corporation. The tapping of the micro-finance was also a result of the need to access more capital and to be able to accommodate more women.

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Project Outcomes: The initiative was able to get the interests of the women due to the following reasons: • Women are being trained on additional

skills of sales and inventory management; • The undertaking is a simple way of getting

additional income; • Products are basic ones needed by every

household and are sold at an affordable price;

• Products are easy to manage and sell; and • Women are given the needed materials and

paraphernalia such as bags, T-shirt and caps which give them the confidence and trust to do the business.

The program has brought positive results to the women entrepreneurs in terms of the following: • Confidence and self-trust was developed; • It became an avenue of developing their

entrepreneurial abilities; • The project gave women increased power in

terms of family decision-making which resulted in decreasing the economic, physical, mental and emotional abuse to which they are subjected;

• Women were able to establish good social and community relationship; and

• They were able to create the feeling of com-mitment not only to their families, but also to their neighborhood and community as well.

There is now a total of eight sites with 200 women wage-earners. There is improved women's status because of women's increased income - at an average daily earnings ranging from

P190 to P300 (approximately $4.50 - $7.00). Also part of future plans of the PFLCW, Inc. is to expand products sold by the women in the program to include other basic products such as r i c e , nood l e s , s uga r , co f f ee , cooking oil and other necessary items.

Project Challenges Over the next three years, the project intends to get funding to sustain PFLCW’s involvement in the project. Scaling up the project would require hiring more personnel to be deployed in other areas of the country, increased budget for transportation, meals and other living expenses of the personnel, additional office equipment and other operating costs. Accessing more capital would give women opportunity to avail more capital assistance and would therefore allow the women an opportunity of increasing their income.

Contact: Myrna Yao Chairperson National Committee on the Role of Filipino Women 1145 J.P. Laurel St., San Miguel Manila 10005 Philippines Tel: 632-735-1864 Fax: 632-736-4449 Email: board@ncrfw.gov.ph

www.globewomen.org -48– SOUTH AFRICA

Project Description: The South African Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) program “Training Women in Technology” is a part of DTI’s successful Technology for Women in Business program. The Technology for Women in Business program is an initiative aimed at enhancing the accessibility of science and technology to women in business and in particular in small, medium and macro enterprises (SMMEs). The “Training Women in Technology” project specifically targets women in rural communities and focuses on providing basic technology training while focusing on the use of the cellphone for business use.

Project Goals: The program was started to empower and train women in business, inspiring potent i a l sma l l and med ium enterprises to use the cellphone to run their business and be trained on computers, internet, e-mail, and other basic technologies.

South Africa Training Women in Technology

Government Partners: Department of Trade and Industry Private Sector Partner: MTN cellphone company NGO Partner: South African Women in Communications Technology Industry Duration of Program: Approximately one year, starting in 2006 and currently ongoing

Project Implementation: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) partnered with MTN, the South African Women in Communications Technology Industry (SAWCTI), and women in rural communities within the wine producing provinces to imple-ment IT training. This includes basic computer skills, as well as the usage of cell phones, to understand how to expand business opportunities. For example: the ability to check markets, utilize databases, and evaluate prices. An initiative of the DTI, South African Women Entrepreneurial Network (SAWEN) provides additional support to the businesswomen through the use of simple technology. MTN, a leading South African cellphone provider, established business centers in numerous rural communities to empower women in business through workshops and seminars. MTN was also able to provide internships for over 50 women in the project.

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Project Outcomes: Over 3,000 women in different wine provinces and rural areas were trained to be computer literate and to maximize the usage of cell phones to assist in the growth of their businesses. The number of employed women has risen considerably as a result of the project. Furthermore, some women, as a result of their economic independence, were able to leave abusive marriages.

Project Challenges: The budget for this project from the DTI’s Gender and Women’s Empower-ment unit was not enough. Women themselves were afraid to go through this training but, after some persuading, they agreed. Most of them have emerged from the program as much more confident women, and their businesses have since grown.

Contact: Department of Trade and Industry Hon. Elizabeth Thabethe, Deputy Minister Private Bag 84 Pretoria, 0001 South Africa Tel: 271-239-4950-1 Email: khendricks@thedti.gov.za

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U.S. –Afghan Women’s Council

Project Implementation: The U.S. – Afghan Women Council is managed by three co-chairs: the U.S. is represented by the State Department’s Undersecretary for Democracy and Global Affairs, Paula Dobriansky; and Afghanistan by its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta; and its Minister of Women Affairs, Dr. Hussn Banu Ghazanfar. Afghan and U.S. members of the Council represent a wide range of government, business and other leaders providing critical guidance and knowledge in its deliberations. The Council alternates its bi-annual meetings between Kabul and Washington, D.C. These meetings serve to identify priorities, review projects and evaluate progress. In order to address pressing needs quickly and effectively, projects range in size and scope from $10,000 to $1 million. Projects are carried out by international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) , Afghan NGOs, US. government agencies as well as Afghan counterparts. In December 2006, First Lady Laura Bush, an honorary member, announced that the Council is to establish a

Project Description: The U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council (USAWC), launched in 2002 by Presidents Bush and Karzai, was among the earliest State Department partner-ships. Education, political leadership/legal awareness, economic empower-ment, and health care of Afghan women are the Council’s four areas of focus. American participants in Council projects note that the eager women it reaches out to are destined to become some of Afghanistan’s future leaders. Among its many projects, the Council has helped provide for basic needs of Afghan women and trained them in areas ranging from skills to improve their daily lives to specialized business skills for budding entrepreneurs.

Project Goals: The Council seeks to mobilize private sector resources to assist Afghan women attain the skills and education denied to them under the Taliban. In particular, the Council seeks concrete actions that can bring real and practical benefits to Afghan women so that they can assume political and economic leadership roles.

United States

Government Partners: U.S. Department of State, Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Afghan Ministry of Women’s Affairs

Private Sector Partners: Georgetown University Public Sector Partner: USAID Duration of Program: 2002 - present

The council has helped 80 Afghan women judges and lawyers with training in Afghan civil law/civil procedures codes and international conventions on civil rights.

Through various projects, the Council is also assisting Afghan women obtain the skills and training they need to become business entrepreneurs or simply to become engaged economic actors. To address Afghan women’s critical health needs, particularly in rural areas, the Council is helping women acquire literacy and health skills to enable them to become community health workers. Community health workers are among the most effective means to bring improved health care to underserved women throughout Afghanistan. A Council-sponsored community dental health program is similarly designed to bring improved dental care by training workers to go out to villages. An upcoming burn prevention project targeted at women and children should help address the problem of burn traumas in Afghanistan. Finally, another notable Council effort has been to establish, with USAID funding, 17 Women’s Resource Centers (WRC’s) in selected provincial capitals in Afghanistan. These WRCs will provide a space for activities that support the social, economic and democratic advancement of all women and women’s organizations in the province. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Women’s Affairs is responsible for maintaining the centers.

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permanent home at Georgetown University. The U.S. State Department and the Afghan Government will con-tinue to support Council initiatives, but will begin a two-year transition to fully integrate it into the Georgetown University community. The University already has a strong commitment to Afghanistan. Georgetown has hosted conferences in Kabul, London, and Washington, gathering leaders from around the world to address the challenges of reconstruction. The University has also created fellowship programs for Afghan students, among other activities. Georgetown, a long-time Council supporter, will now be able to contribute even more through the expertise offered by its distinguished scholars and academic centers.

Project Outcomes: In the area of education, the Council launched a Women’s Teacher Training Institute at Kabul University in 2004 that conducts a program to teach basic literacy and numeracy to rural Afghan women. In partnership with the State Department, USAWC also supported the training of 85 Afghan women edu-cators and teachers at the University of Nebraska. Among other efforts in supporting political leadership/legal awareness, the Council helped 80 Afghan women judges and lawyers with training in Af-ghan civil law/civil procedure codes and international conventions on civil rights. The Council also supported legal and judicial awareness classes for 300 high school girls and their teachers in Kabul. In addressing economic empowerment, the Council contributed to the creation of community banks in Afghanistan that extend microcredit loans to women.

Contact: Andi Bottner Senior Coordinator, Office for International Women’s Issues US Department of State Tel: 202-312-9664 Fax: 202-312-9663 Email: bottnerag@state.gov

www.globewomen.org -52– UNITED STATES

Project Implementation: Funding, supervision of the project, and other administrative tasks are the responsibility of the Ministry. The Ministry is working with the Yemeni Women’s Union, an NGO, to recruit participants. The Yemeni Women’s Union also has offices throughout the country which are being used as sites for tra ining, d istr ibut ion of educational materials, and other resources. The program includes training, followed by courses in awareness, and economics and management. The project also guides the participating women in establishing the capital necessary to start up her enterprise, especially in the areas of embroidery, tricot production, health, agriculture, and tech-related businesses. The first stage aims at providing women with the knowledge, competency, and skills in the field of managing. This training includes lessons on how to prepare a budget, determine need from employees, book-keeping, estimating cost and interest, marketing, and understanding the credit process.

Project Description: The Ministry of Human Rights is embarking on a public/private sector partnership program to incorporate women in the economic and social development framework of the coun-try through training, entrepreneurship skills development and through fund-ing enterprises in a variety of areas.

Project Goals: Within the framework of implement-ing tasks that protect women’s economic and social rights, the Ministry of Human Rights intends for the program to include creating multiple work opportunities for women; changing the economic roles of women from consumer to producer; and developing and promot-ing the capacity of women, especially those with limited income. The program specifically addresses women’s empowerment in an economy where low literacy and education rates have played a factor in the significant workforce gender divide.

Yemen

Government Partner: Ministry of Human Rights Private Sector Partner: Tadhamon Islamic Bank

NGO Partner: Yemeni Women Union Duration of Program: First phase 1/1/2008 - 12/31/2008

U.S. –Afghan Women’s Council

The second stage aims at establishing good relationships with credit banks, such as the Tadhamon Islamic Bank, which will provide loans to the trained women. These loans will support them in building their enterprises from working to production and to marketing stages. For some collective agricultural projects, the first stage will be extended to one year. The women will be provided with all the necessary equipment and materials by the Ministry of Human Rights. Specialists identified by the Yemeni Women’s Union will then offer the women intensive instructions, as well as purchase the raw materials and prepare the women for the marketing process.

Since systems in Yemen do not allow for collective loans, the project will find a credit fund to finance personal/collective projects under the experi-mental project plan. Some suggested projects include: sewing design and embroidery projects in all the centers; tricot projects in Aana’a, Taiz, Heifan, and Al-Mahweet; computer service offices in Sana’a and Aden; weaving workshops in Aden, Taiz, Lahj, and Heifan, oil presses in Lahj.

Project Outcomes: Intended project outcomes include a corps of well trained and qualified women who are able to manage enterprises and be productive within the economy.

Project Challenges: As the project is still in its initial phases, some expected challenges include Yemen’s current economic recession and the expected decline of oil production in the next 10 years. There is also the issue of a general lack of awareness regarding women’s economic issues, and increasing illiter-acy within a population where 40% live below the poverty line and nearly

Contact: Ministry of Human Rights Minister Huda Ali A. Al-Ban P.O. Box 16313, Sana'a Yemen Tel: 967-1-419-672 Fax: 967-1-419-555

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The projected outcome is to produce a corps of well-trained and qualified women who are able to manage enterprises and be

productive within the economy.

50% are under the age of 15. The Ministry of Human Rights also cites long-held customs and traditions as an expected obstacle.

www.globewomen.org -54– MULTIPLE COUNTRIES

Multiple Countries:

Government Partners: National and local governments in Uganda, Rwanda, Cameroon, and Philippines

Private Sector Partner: Nokia Corporation NGO Partner: Grameen Foundation Duration of Program: 2000-2007

Village Phone Project: Connecting Rural Communities Via Mobile Communications

Uganda, Rwanda, Cameroon, Philippines

Project Description: The Village Phone project brings c o n n e c t i v i t y , a n d t h u s t h e socio-economic benefits of mobile technology to rural villages while generating opportunities for small entrepreneurs. The Grameen Founda-tion and Nokia Corporation work together with local operators and micro-finance institutions, with Nokia providing its mobile technology expertise to the partnership and the Grameen Foundation providing microfinance loans to women. The product, Village Phone Direct, is g l o b a l l y a v a i l a b l e f o r a n y micro-finance institution.

Project Goals: Goals of the Village Phone Project include helping to alleviate poverty, empowering women and advancing health and education policies and strategies. The project also has a number of socio-economic goals. Some of the socio-economic benefits of village phones include: increased availability, travel avoidance, access to information (for example, accessing local market prices

for agricultural products, or accessing health care professionals), and facility with financial transactions. The usage of the village phones also af-fects the country on a macro-level. In a typical developing country, an increase of ten mobile phones per 100 people boosts GDP growth by a 0.6 percentage points.

Program Implementation: Micro-finance loans allow women to become Village Phone operators and buy a business kit to provide mobile commu-nication services in their villages. This business kit includes a Nokia mobile phone, a booster antenna, a SIM card with pre-loaded airtime and a re-charging station. Currently, Nokia and the Grameen Foundation have Village Phone projects set up in Uganda, Rwanda, Cameroon and the Philippines. There are now thousands of Village Phone operators, with the numbers continuing to grow.

The Village Phone project benefits local governments by supporting

telecommunications initiatives and universal access in addition to helping to

alleviate poverty and empowering women.

-55– MULTIPLE COUNTRIES www.globewomen.org

Program Outcomes: The Village Phone project benefits local governments by supporting telecommunications initiatives and universal access, in addition to achiev-ing the goals of helping to alleviate poverty, empowering women, and advancing health and education policies and strategies. Local telecom-munication operators see an increase in call volumes in rural areas and are actively engaged in corporate social r e s p o n s i b i l i t y . M i c r o - f i n a n c e institutions enjoy viable businesses generating loan income, while the Village Phone operators themselves pull in an additional monthly income of about $60 USD. This money could easily be set aside for educational purposes, nutrition, housing, or financing additional agri-business. As for the local communities as a whole, the rural poor may access affordable telecommunications, mainly voice and text messages, and fair fixed rates of-fered by the Village Phone Operators in their local villages.

Program Challenges: The real challenge in bridging the digi-tal divide and making universal access a reality lies in connecting rural areas, where half of the world’s population lives. Around three billion people live and work in the rural areas, which are often remote and poorly connected, lacking basic infrastructure. The popu-lation in these areas often maintains very-low income, and agriculture is usually the dominant form of economic

activity. Moreover, the availability of clean drinking water, electricity, education, healthcare, job opportunities or public transportation is limited or non-existent. Understanding local needs, languages and cultures, as well as active involvement on the part of the local population, is required to maximize the effectiveness of delivering ICT’s to ru-ral areas. The value of mobile technol-ogy in these areas is that it offers the best way to create access to communi-cations. Millions of people in rural areas are out of reach of copper wires and fiber cables that carry voice and data over fixed networks. Mobile technol-ogy, on the other hand, provides a highly effective method of reaching geographically dispersed populations.

Contact: Kirsi Sormunen Vice President, Environmental Affairs Nokia Corporation PO Box 226 Helsinki, Finland Tel: 358-400-409-129 Email: kirsi.sormunen@nokia.com

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