1. Gender
Equality Forum

2. Meeting Plan
Gender Matters Campaign Report (Charlie)
Gender Equality Act Resource Update (Moira and Mairi)
Upcoming parliamentary elections: female
representation (Active Learning Centre)
Per diems (Madeline and Charlie)
Forward Planning

3. Gender Matters Campaign Report

4. Gender
Equality Forum

5. Gender Resource Tool
• for use in Malawi schools to
help raise awareness of the
Gender Equality Act (2013)
• for teachers to use with pupils
– upper primary
– secondary
– girls and boys
• Mairi Brown appointed as
writer
– background in Community
Education

6. Shape of the tool
• Will be a paper booklet
– later, a poster/s to supplement
• Structure
–
–
–
–
Introduction
Understanding Gender Issues
Understanding The Malawi Gender Equality Act
Practical activities:
•
•
•
•
problem solving
co-operation
drama and
group activities

7. Gender
Equality Forum

8. 50:50 NDIYOTHEKA
50:50 IS POSSIBLE
Malawi’s strategy to achieve gender equality
in the 2014 tri-partite elections

9. 50:50 NDIYOTHEKA
• Launched December 2013
• Activities funded largely by Royal Norwegian
Embassy
• Coordinated by NGO Gender Coordination
Network
• Women aspirants/candidates for local
government supported by the Scottish
Government
• Delivered by the Active Learning Centre

10. Emwal team of trainers

11. The challenge
• 1994: 6% women elected to parliament
• 1999: 9.3%
• 2004: 14%
• 2009: 22%
• No local government elections for 14 years
• International protocols (Africa Union, SADS) sets
50% as the target

12. Goal of 50 50 strategy
• To contribute to achieving that 50% target
through:
• Enhanced awareness among political parties and
others on the need to field and support women
candidates
• Motivating women to stand
• Mobilising the electorate to vote for women
candidates

13. Activities
• Identification of women aspiring candidates
• Training of women MP and council aspirants
• Advocacy meetings with district political party leaders
• Advocacy meetings with traditional and religious leaders
•
•
•
•
•
in the districts
Orientation meetings with journalists
Profiling of women aspirants in the media
Community sensitization meetings
Gender sensitive monitoring of primaries, the campaign
period and the polling day
Provision of campaign materials

14. The biggest challenge
• Nomination papers have to be in for 10 – 14th
February
• Political parties choose the candidates:
• DPP (completed) – 95 LC (467) and 45 MP (194)
• MCP (ongoing) 12 LC and 16 MPs
• PP (ongoing) 35% women

15. The power lies here

16. Gender
Equality Forum

17. Per diems
Timeline for developing guidance:
Nov/Dec 2013: Consulted MaSP Members
Nov 2013-March 2014: Research and draft literature
review
Feb-March 2014: Consulted SMP Members
April 2014: First draft of SMP per diems guidance
May 2014: SMP event on per diems to discuss guidance
June/July 2014: SMP final guidance on per diems
published on SMP website

18. What is a ‘Per Diem’?
o Latin for ‘by the day’
o Daily determined allowance for extra
expenses incurred while working away from
normal duty stations, including travel, lodging
and meal costs (Norad 2010)
o Also known as ‘administrative modalities’
o Used by governments, the development and
private sector

19. Functions of Per Diems
1. Reimbursement of work-related expenses
2. Encouraging capacity-building and
professional development
3. Improve efficiency and reduce extra costs in
detailing exact expenses (‘paper push’)

20. Perceived benefits of per diems
o Fair compensation for costs incurred
o Aids in the development of skills, sharing of
information, capacity-building
o Providing incentive for those with low salaries

21. How have per diems been abused?
o Ranges from ‘survival coping strategy’ to fraud
and corruption
o Abuse is generally understood at its root as
connected with low-wages (Chene 2009)
o High level officials taking place of lower-level
employees
o Failure of donors to standardise rates (Ridde
2010)

22. Short and Long-term effects
o Increased attendance, more productive training
sessions and workshops
o But…..can also lead to ‘drain brain’ or ‘workshop
syndrome’
o Feeds into low wage rates as per diems are
viewed as salary supplements or coping
strategies (feedback loop)
o Unhealthy institutional culture (Norad 2012)
o Unequal playing field between larger
development organisations and smaller or locallybased NGOs

23. Input from MaSP members:
• DEFINITIONS: a clearer definition of “per diems” was needed before a clear
position can be made. Different understandings of the term caused
confusion.
• REFORM: look at per diems on a case by case basis, depending on the
persons role, task, distance they have to travel, salary, etc.
• STANDARDISED SYSTEM: across NGOs (a report has recently been published
by NGOs in Malawi seeking to standardise rates-this has been made
available to the SMP).
• INCLUSIVITY: the absence of per diems can exclude those in rural areas from
participating in meetings.
• ABUSE: Has led to people chasing allowances, instead of doing the work
they are employed to do.
• SALARIES: per diems have skewed basic salary levels in Malawi
• TRANSPARENCY
• ADVICE: Malawian CSOs are looking for more advice and guidance for a
strandardised system.

24. Per Diems: FAQs
• What is a per diem?
•
• Where did the practice of paying
per diems originate from?
•
• What are the perceived benefits
of paying per diems?
•
• How have/can per diems be
•
abused?
• What is the short-term impact of
paying per diems?
• What is the long-term impact of
•
paying per diems?
• What have been some of the
•
experiences of SMP members?
• What is the position of the Malawi •
Government in paying per diems?
• What is the position of
international NGOs in Malawi on
paying per diems?
Is there a typical rate at which per
diems are paid?
What is the position of MaSP on
paying per diems?
What is SMP’s position?
What is the position of the
Scottish Government? How has
the challenge of paying per diems
been addressed/what are some
practical suggestions?
Where can I read more about
research on per diems?
Where can I get further advice?

25. Discussion Questions
• Has the issue of per diems come up in your particular link with
Malawi? Has this been a problem? If so how?
• Has your link developed productive and sustainable practices
to address the challenge of per diems? Please give examples.
• Does the proposed format of FAQs on per diems provide the
information you need to make informed decisions about per
diems. If not what other information (statistics, current rates,
academic literature) would you like to have in order to make
informed decisions about per diems?
• What form would this be most useful in (pamphlet, research
paper, web page, etc)?
• Would you attend a specific event with other SMP members
looking at the topic of per diems. If so what content should be
included in the event?

26. Gender
Equality Forum