By Silvia Sperandini, IFAD´s Gender Team Learning Route on women’s empowerment, business development and sustainable natural resource management. Scaling-up programmes for the rural poor in Nepal. 6 to 13 December, 2014. IFAD & PROCASUR. More contents at: http://asia.procasur.org/portfolio_item/nepal-learning-route/

1. Our Journey through the promotion of
gender equality and women’s empowerment
Silvia Sperandini
(LR Nepal, 6-13 December 2014)

2. Key Principles emerged:
▪ Empowerment: capacity to make choices, and transform
them into actions and outcomes
▪ Being People Focussed: Strategies focussed on people,
their vision, goals, pathways, etc.
▪ Self-generated solutions: Willingess to change is
generated by women who proposed their own solutions
▪ Equal opportunities: Women, men, youth,
Indigenous Peoples and other vulnarable
groups should have equal:
Voice and decision-making
Access to opportunities, productive
assets, services, benefits

3. ▪ Overburdened by their daily workload
▪ Face specific challenges in accessing inputs, land
and natural resources, services,
education/trainings, technologies
▪ Cannot access formal financial services due to the
lack of collateral
▪ Have no voice in decision-making at the household
level but also in the community
▪ Face nutrition and health problems
Gender inequalities in rural development:

4. ▪ Community based organizations:
Encouraging new small business
Investing in knowledge, skills, assets, services
Supporting income-generating activities
Mobilizing peer-to-peer support and mentoring
▪ Men Champions
▪ Clear visions
▪ Group cohesion
▪ Effective community mobilization
▪ Strong partners/could act as agent of
change
Opportunities
Strenghts

5. Outcomes/Achievements:
▪ Increased knowledge, skills, self-
confidence
▪ Access to finance (+ more savings)
▪ Opportunity to participate and benefit
from profitable economic activities;
▪ Increased presence, voice and influence
in rural organizations;
▪ Achieved a more equitable balance in
workloads
▪ Gained a better sharing of economic and
social benefits

6. Lessons Learnt:
▪ Community-based organizations with the wide
range of opportunities provided are crucial for
women’s empowerment
▪ Economic development alone cannot address
gender inequalities and promote women
empowerment (need for social mobilization,
peer-to-peer support, household mentoring)
▪ Women’s heavy workload remain a key issue
that often limits women’s productivity and
involvement in economic activities
Labor-saving technologies
Household methodologies

7. Dhanyabad
Don’t stop the Journey, be a Champion!
And now?