South Asian Gender Alliance

Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) in collaboration with UELCI and CASA organized an international workshop on gender and development from February 22-27, 1999 in Chennai, India. The workshop was a part of NCA’s initiative to sensitize its partners on gender planning frame works and to develop and strengthen the gender perspective.

Objectives of the training

To strengthen participants’ conceptual clarity and analytical skills to analyze the situation of women in society and to identify and learn the underlying root causes of the discrimination against women.
To learn and share the gender training content methodologies adopted at different levels.
To facilitate and coordinate an intensive dialogue and sharing of experiences of the participants.
To analyze the strengths and limitations of various frameworks adopted in gender planning.
To enlarge the scope of gender training with NGOs and to view gender training as an integral part of NGO program.

Methodology
Country presentation, lecture, exercises, games, songs, group discussion, group work presentation, reflection, reporting, evaluation, video shows, cultural program, experiential sharing, field visits and lecture formed the key methodology of the training.

A cultural evening was organized and the participants took part actively exhibiting their talents. A women’s cultural group performed a street play highlighting the atrocities on women and Dalits. Every day began with a song by different countries highlighting the importance of unity, cooperation, peace and harmony and also depicting the problems faced by women.

Participants
Participants included both men and women. 26 leaders of the projects from various countries – Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Norway, Tibet, India, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Nepal and Bangladesh working on issues related to development of women.

Resource Team
The resource team comprised of Ms. Martha Pushparani, the Lead Resource Person & Bishakha who supported two sessions.

Working Group
The working group comprised of John Nathan, NCA, Sheila Jones, CASA, Vidhya Rani, Church Women’s Centre & Chandramouleswara, NCA who were involved right from the planning process.

Duration
The workshop was spread over a period of seven days and attempted to present participants with the combination of theoretical inputs and experiential sharing.

Recommendations and suggestions

Gender is a sensitive issue. To organize training to workshop on this issue, the facilitators/resource persons must be knowledgeable and experienced, besides having an open mind.
Ensure smaller group discussions. Gender thinking is not done often only by listening and needs practice.
Participants’ profile should have been used to prepare the workshop contents.
Invite same participants for the next follow-up workshop.
Time should be balanced for theory and practice.
Issue of south, north and south- east should have been grouped separately and addressed accordingly.
Two to three participants should have been included in the Steering Committee.
Schedule/agenda of the workshop should be sent to participants in advance.
Improve time management, audio-visual, training technique & process.
Maintain networking and distribute background reading material.
Men and women should be involved in facilitating team.
Report the changes in terms of gender annually to NCA.
Homogeneity in group selection is essential.
Steering committee to be formed to make involvements of participants more meaningful to give feedback and assign responsibility to participants.