HOPE 2020 project Proposal On Women Empowerment  & Destitute Elder Mothers Support  In Kursiti & Arada Leka kebele, Tulu Teji Kebele, Tume Wayu Kebele and Migiridi -Woserbi Kebele of Tole Woreda in West Shoa Zone Oromia Region

 

Project Summary

Project Title: Women Empowerment and Destitute Elder Mothers Support
Project Location: Oromia Regional State Kursiti & Arada Leka kebele, Tulu Teji Kebele, Tume Wayu kebele Migiridi & Woserbi Kebele of Tole Woreda in West Shoa Zone  
Project Total Cost: Birr 1,250,216 / USD 138,912
Implementing Agency: H

HOPE 2020
P.O.BOX.: 24198/1000
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Fax:   +(251)-(012)-707534
Project Duration: Three years
Direct Beneficiaries: 40 destitute elder mothers, 200 low income women, adolescent girls of the project area.
Indirect beneficiaries: 13,000 inhabitants of the project areas.

 

Background

Introduction

HOPE 2020 is a non-political, non-religious, non-partisan local NGO established in 2004 with the general objective of improving the life of the rural communities through providing potable water, hygiene and sanitation services; introducing modern irrigation systems; increasing the rural community’s awareness on HIV/AIDS prevention; providing the necessary care and support for orphans and vulnerable children; reducing gender inequality through women empowerments and contributing its part to environmental protection.

It is a legally registered association by the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Ministry Of Justice with registration certificate number 1865 and is licensed to operate as an NGO in its particular areas of interest and intervention meeting all the legal requirements. It has also an operational agreement with Federal and Oromia Food Security Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission.

In line with its memorandum of association and relevant laws of the country, the association has a Board of Directors, a governing body that provides leadership and direction on strategic issues   such as strategic and annual plans, annual budget, salary schemes, and exercise control to ensure that the association is operating within and inline with the laws of the country and its own constitution. It has a General Manager responsible for giving over all directions for the day-to-day operations of the association inline with the directions and decisions of the Board of Directors.

Currently HOPE 2020 implementing water supply, sanitation and hygiene promotion and other projects in Sadden Soddo, Woliso and Tole districts of South West Shoa zone of Oromia National Regional State.

Though the association is few years old its integrated rural development programs to solve the various socio-economic problems of the rural community attracted international NGOs like Water Aid-Ethiopia, Comitato Internazionale per lo sviluppo dei popoli (CISP-Italian based international NGO) and Water Millennium Alliance (USAID) which are currently working as a partner with the association

Conceptual Background on Gender

Gender is a socially determined cultural perception of masculinity and femininity traits, habits, etc. It is the socio cultural, political and economic ascription of femininity and masculinity. It is a learnt behavior. It is learnt in the process of socialization or early orientation. It is a social anthropological concept as compared to sex, which is natural and unchangeable. Gender can and should be changed by proper socialization and re-education of society. An important determinant of inequality in access to and control over societal resources and benefits is gender. Therefore, redressing gender inequalities should be an integral part of development policy, strategy and implementation (CRDA, 2007).

International Policies on Gender

History testifies that it took a long time, tact, social support and political will to recognize women’s inequalities at policy level. The major policies that come up at international level on gender issues are:

• “Convention on political rights of women
• Convention on the consent to marriage, minimum age of marriage and registration of marriage
• Convention against discrimination in education
• Convention on equal remuneration for men and women works for equal value
• Convention on maternity protection
• International convention on economic, social and cultural rights
• Women’s voting right
• Declaration of the child right (Girls and boys)
• Convention on political rights of women
• Convention on the Elimination of all form of Discrimination against Women / CEDAW/ and others” (CRDA, 2007).

National policies on Gender

Ethiopian women have suffered long years of inequality and discrimination in the context of cultural, socio-economic, and political relations as compared to men. Women and young girls were socialized to be submissive, to be passive, and to be seen as unequal in relation to boys and men. Part of the problem is women’s own self-perception and their own self-image, which is internalized through years of socialization and upbringing. 

• “During Haile Silasie regime, women's organized activities were run mainly by non-governmental bodies such as the Ethiopian Women's Welfare Association /EWWA/, the Ethiopian Officer's  Wives Association /EOWA/ and the Ethiopian Female Students' Association /EFSA/. These Associations were, however, limited in scope, and only existed in the cities. They had little or no impact on government policies, laws, regulations or development programs.
• During the Derg’s regime, Revolutionary Ethiopian Women's Association (REWA) was established by proclamation, but this organization was too large claiming a membership of over 5 million and too close to the Derg to be of any real use to women. The purpose of its establishment was, in fact, the consolidation of the Derg's power. Promoting the interests of women was not high on its  agenda nor was it designed to influence government policies or help women benefit from development programs. As a result there was little improvement in the lives of Ethiopian women, whether in the social, economic or political sphere, especially of those who lived in the rural areas.
• During the civil war/ 1970 – 1990/, Ethiopian women made a unique contribution, both as fighters and as civilian supporters, to challenging and ousting the brutal and incompetent regime of the Derg, as well as during the famine, displacements, and drought conditions which accompanied it. Their participation in these events has helped to create the impetus for giving special attention to women.
• Soon after the downfall of the Derg regime, the democratic process in the country has begin to grow when all people are given equal encouragement and opportunity to exercise their human and democratic rights. With this realization the government of Ethiopia has given priority to the speeding up of equality between men and women” (Mehari Ridae, 1997).

Taking into account the historical legacy of inequality and discrimination suffered by Ethiopian women, the Ethiopian Constitution of 1995 recognized and guaranteed gender equality in social, political and economic terms. In order to ensure gender equality and equity, the constitution also recognized international conventions and considerable policies and legal procedures specific to gender equality have also been passed.

Some of the major points in the constitution with regard to women’s rights are:

• Equal rights with men in marriage
• Equal rights with men in employment
• Equal rights to acquire and manage property
• Equal rights to participate in political decisions
• Equal rights in education
• Recognition of maternity related issue and the right to plan their family
• Protection from harmful traditional practices
• The right to affirmative actions to rectify and eliminate discrimination
• The right to pass their pension to their families
• The right to full consultation in the formulation of national development policies affecting the interests of women
• The nullification of all cultures, customary practices and decisions which contradict with the provision on women equality

There are also other policies and legal frameworks targeting specifically gender equalities in social, political and economic ventures. The most important of them are the Revised Family Code, Pension Law, Civil Servant Maternity Leave, The Labor Proclamation, Affirmative Action and the Poverty Reduction Strategy paper. Last but not least the Ethiopian Government has now established Ministry of Women Affairs, which shows the government’s affirmative action to solve decades of inequality and discrimination against women (CRDA, 2007).

Statement of the problem

Tole Woreda is located in south west of Shoa zone, in Oromia region. It has 60 km asphalt road and 20km all whether gravel road. The Woreda consists of 1 urban Kebele and 25 rural kebeles with a population of about 67,000 people out of which, 51% are women. In this Woreda there is only one high school and the literacy level is very low which resulted from lack of non-formal education facilities.

Ethiopian women are actively involved in all aspects of their society's life and are both producers and procreators. However the varied and important roles they play have not always been recognized (Enginyeria & Inermon Oxfam, 2005). In most rural areas, including in Tole Woreda, women do not have equal opportunities, and they have lagged behind men in all fields of self-advancement. According to the information from the Woreda administration office in Tole Woreda, women involvement in economic activities is insignificant mainly because of cultural constraints, high illiteracy rate, and lack of access to land and resources.

 

Elder Mothers

• Elder mothers had been victims of backward culture and legal rules. The then feudal male dominated system had marginalized the role of women on management and administration of   matrimonial properties not only through culture and attitude but also by articulate provision of low. For instance, the civil code provision (Art 566(1)) declares “Common property other than the   earnings, salaries income of the wife shall be administered by the husband.” Moreover the statements to the effect that “the husband is the head of the family” by virtue of (Art 635(1)) (Mehari  Ridae, 1997).

As a result of the then low, most elder women including, elder mothers of Tole Woreda are suffering by:

• Not having access to land (where land is a form of property which is most valued and basics for social status, for most of agrarian economics like Ethiopia.)
• Are kept idle by depending their livelihood on supports from their children, to survive and are living hand to mouth. And those with no supporting children are forced to be beggars.
• Most of them are abandoned and are suffering from poverty.

As Tole Woreda administration office has informed, out of the total women population of the Woreda, elder mothers consists of 6%, and the number of  destitute elder mothers is increasing from time to time mainly because of losing their children (helpers) by HIV/AIDS.

 

Married Women

In most of Ethiopian rural areas, married women are economically dependent on their husbands besides, almost all of the household work and child caring activities are taken as the wives responsibilities (Enginyeria & Inermon Oxfam, 2005).

In Tole Woreda, it is culturally accepted that, the wives are under the rule and administration of their husbands and income generating activities are taken as men’s responsibilities. Even if women are equally capable of doing the outside work and the income generating activities, they are not given this opportunity. Even in some cases married woman do not have the right to limit the number of their children and to use family planning.

Out of the total number of women in the Woreda about 93% are responsible for the house hold work including child caring and are wait the hands of their husbands for survival.

Since married women are economically dependent on their husbands, they kept on living by depending on their husbands even they are dishonored by him, in fear of losing the economical support from their husbands. As a result most married women accepted beating from their husbands and other violence.

Currently, there are credit facilities almost in every rural areas, but most women are not aware of what to do with the credits and are negligent of saving and credit facilities.

Adolescent Girls

Adolescent girls face greater problems than even women in situations of violence because they have less access to low enforcement authorities to make a formal compliant; with more young women going out to work away from homes in the rural areas, and in the regional state, young girls face high risk of sexual abuse. Besides it is this adolescent girls which are in high risk of HIV infection, early marriage, unwanted pregnancy, rape and prostitution (Ronstrom, Anitha ,1997).

According to the information from Tole woreda administrative office, out of the total high school enrollment, girls enrollment is only 12%. Generally most of the rural girls in the regional states have the following limitations;

• Do not have equal access to education as their brothers, even if they join school, they do not have enough time to study, which influence them to have lower school scores than boys.
• They are responsible to assist their mothers in child caring and household work and knowing the household work perfectly is taken as a good requirement to be chosen as a good wife.
• Although now a day it is declared in Art 23(3) “no marriage shall be entered into without the free and full consent of the intending spouses” most of the girls do not choose their spouses, it is rather their families who chooses and arranges for them.

 

Description of the proposed project

Economic development is unthinkable without the participation of women, with this concern; HOPE 2020 has made Women empowerment and elder Support program as an integral part of its strategic objectives. The community development project seeks to mobilize the community to address their own problem and enhance self-reliance with nominal external support.

Each development group will be assisted to discuss and determine how the interests of women are best safe-guarded. It is important those women’s concerns will be specifically addressed based on the outcomes of such discussions at various levels. As a response to the increasing burdens of women, HOPE2020 has prepared this comprehensive be implemented at four rural kebeles of Tole Woreda, west shoe zone of Oromia regional state.

 

Project Target and Location

Hope 2020 proposes to implement this project that directly targets on 40 destitute elder mothers, 200 women with no regular income and adolescent girls in the intervention area. The project will be implemented on 4 Kebele of Tole Woreda namely in Kursiti and Arada Leka Kebele, Tulu Teji Kebele, Tume Wayu Kebele and Migiridi - Woserbi Kebele. The total population of the selected kebeles is 13,000 people. These Kebeles are selected as:-

• They are the project areas in which HOPE 2020 is currently implementing water supply, sanitation and Hygiene project, subsequently theses kebeles are familiar for HOPE 2020 and the implementation of the project will be facile.
• Based on the relatively high population they have. 
• Based on the organization’s intensive discussions with the local community structures like Idirs and Kebeles.

 

Objectives of the project

The overall objective of the project is to enable women to share power, resources and status by increasing their economic involvement, awareness of their rights and access to resources.

Specific Objectives

• Increase women’s economic involvement by giving credit facilities for 200 disadvantaged women with no regular income in the project sites within three years.
• Improve the quality of life of 40 destitute elder mothers through involving them in livestock rearing in the project sites within the project period.
• Expand programs of sexual education and family planning concepts for 157 adolescent girls (girls that are currently enrolled in the high school) and for married women and mothers in the project sites   during the project period.

Activity Descriptions

• Recruit one project coordinator at head office, one project officer at project site (at Woreda town Bantu) and four empowerment workers at the project sites.
• Conduct 2 days seminar on formation of 4Credit associations, one association for one Kebele with 6 members in each association. The members will be selected from men idir representative, women idir representative, Kebele representative and beneficiaries’ representative of the kebeles, chaired by the project site empowerment workers.
• Train credit association members on credit facilities and beneficiary selection criteria for three days.
• Select project beneficiaries using preset selection criteria with stakeholders.
• Conduct 5 days training on potential income generating activities, saving and entrepreneurship for the selected credit beneficiaries.
• Conduct 2 days seminar on formation of women association at district level and select representatives.
• Conduct 5 days training on family planning and women’s right for women representatives.
• Purchase and distribute livestock for 40 elder mothers
• Provide 2 days training on family planning, gender equality and sexual education in the high school and select youth representatives by equal number of boys and girls.
• Provide 3 days intensive gender training for the youth representatives.

·     Inputs of the Project 

• Manpower – employed, invited and volunteers,
• Materials – Offices equipment, training material.
• Fund for project implementation.
• Places- office and hall room.
• Time spent by the community on workshops.

Target Group

• Adolescent girls of reproductive age group.
• Destitute Elder mothers.
• Women who had no means of getting income.
• Inhabitants of the project area.

Beneficiary Selection Criteria

The credit association members with Kebele administration, development committee and elderly people of the community will participate in selecting and screening of the beneficiaries based on the selection criteria, chaired by the project officers at the project sites.

The beneficiaries’ selection standard will be:

• Destitute women who are obligated to head their families either because of losing their husband or other reasons.
• Poor women with no or insignificant income.
• Elder mothers who have lost their children due to HIV/AIDS or other reasons and are required to take care of their grandsons/ daughters.
• Needy elder mothers who have no helper (The beneficiaries should be resident of the intervention area)

Potential Income Generating Activities

Potential income generating activities supported by the project includes:-

• Food and spice processing
• Grain vending
• Injera and bread baking
• Trading in commodities or consumer goods
• Animal husbandry such as sheep, poultry
• Livestock rearing.

Anticipated outcomes of the project

The expected outcomes of the project are the following:

• 40 destitute elder mothers will be self-supported.
• 200 disadvantaged women will be able to allocate their time on income generating activities and will be able to return their credit within 3 years and will be able to continue the income generating activity by their own.
• Increase women’s power by being economically independent.
• Increase women’s thinking and have idea of entrepreneurship and saving.
• The credited money will be revolved.
• Increase women’s awareness to their rights.
• Increase women’s awareness of family planning.
• Enhance awareness of local community about gender issues.
• Significant reduction of women discrimination.

Sustainability of the project

As it is noted earlier, HOPE 2020 is going to be partner with local stakeholders to implement the project. Since the smooth phase out of the project is going to depend on the capacity building of local civil society organizations, they would be considered main partners throughout the implementation period. The project officers will work strongly with Kebele representatives and credit associations to increase their capacity in community mobilization and resource mobilization. This would be done through various training and supports provided during the project implementation periods.

Credit associations will be organized at each Kebele each having 6 members by laws. 200 women, 50 from each Kebele will be selected according to the selection criteria. And, they will be given 3000 birr each and within the three years (36 months) of the implementing period, by taking 6 month as a growth period, they will be able to return the money 100 birr per month and will be expected to return within 30 months. By the end of the project the credit associations will manage to mobilize and reuse the money and they will be able to give credits for those who need support and the money will be multiplied and revolved.

 

Project Management

There will be one project coordinator at head office that is responsible to support and follow project implementation at the project site. The project officer who is to be situated at the Woreda town will work in close connection with the empowerment workers in the selected kebeles. The project officer at the project site and the empowerment workers will implement the project in close collaboration with local partners and credit association.

The Project officer will be reporting to HOPE 2020 head office where centrally compiled report would be sent to the donor and stakeholders by the project coordinator at head office. The insignificant amount of interest rate for the credit beneficiaries will be an incentive for them to be a hard worker in order to return the borrowed money.

 

Project Monitoring and Evaluation

Periodic monitoring focuses on the day-to-day activities of the project. It uses clearly stated activity indicators in the plan for monthly, quarterly and annual targets to be accomplished. Monitoring activity includes measuring the physical performances, budgetary utilization, quality and quantity of work done, correlation of the work done with the set objectives and the set plans and timetables.

A midterm evaluation will be jointly held with all stakeholders including beneficiaries, donors, community, and relevant government counterparts with the active participation of project beneficiaries every six months at project sites.

During the evaluation process the following indicators will be considered:

• Number of elder mothers supported by the project.
• Number of women that are beneficiary form the credit.
• Ongoing Income generating activities by the credit beneficiaries.
• Number of beneficiaries that are repaying the lent money at the given time.
• Amount of money that has been returned.
• Financial system, cost effectiveness and budget utilization.
• Poverty reduction, in the project areas through survey study to be conducted by the project officers situated at project sites.

Proposed implementation strategy and partnerships

The proposed project will align with the existing government structures and HOPE2020 strategic objectives. The overall strategy will be a community led response to the disadvantaged women and poverty reduction by increasing women’s economic involvement with the participation of local community structures including, kebeles, the traditional funeral association, (Idir/Shengo), women Mahiber/Baltna and faith Based Organizations.

Recognizing that no single organization can respond at scale that matches the extent of women discrimination and poverty, HOPE 2020 will work with local partners including government agencies and civil society organizations. After the official approval of the project, HOPE 2020 will work on the detailed implementation plan including timeframe, physical and financial plan and cash flow strategies.

 

Budget Summary in Birr