By Clare Bishop-Sambrook, PTA
Can a husband and wife, sitting together
to share their visions for household development really bring about changes
that will transform their lives? Evidence from some communities in Western and
North Western Uganda , would suggest
yes! In these areas, IFAD has supported Oxfam Novib in partnership with civil society organizations to implement a programme which addresses the gender inequalities at household level.
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| A community in Arua, West Nile, shares their Vision Achievement journey using the Gender Action Learning Systems (GALS) tools |
A mid-term review
of the programme was held in Arua from 30 September to 2 October 2013. Field
visits took us to rural communities which have been introduced to the Gender
Action Learning System (GALS) through village level savings associations and
functional adult literacy groups. Participatory and visioning tools have given
household members a common sense of purpose. Individuals map out their visions,
which are then shared with other household members and consolidated at
household level. Opportunities – such as new markets or linkages with NGOs or
government schemes - and potential threats which may hinder progress are
identified.
Gender inequalities are high on the list of
threats. Households candidly share cultural norms that dictate that men are the
head of the household and women have no role in decision making – citing the
fact that men pay a bride price for their wives. Women are often illiterate, and land
and livestock are owned by men. Women see themselves as powerless and live in
fear to speak up in a context where alcoholism and domestic violence are rife.
Significant behavioural change is being
achieved, from sharing household tasks and childcare, to working together in
the field, permitting women to buy and sell livestock or to travel to market by
vehicle to sell their produce. Joint decision making determine show to save and spend
the household income. Women have a much wider range of items they can buy
independently from their husbands, including land and mobile phones. Couples
report there is more balance between workloads and sharing the benefits. Households
achieve greater food security and more boys and girls attend school. And the
final proof: the number of cases of wife beating reported to the police has
dropped from about 10 per month to almost nil, and this is attributed to men
changing their behaviour, particularly regarding drinking.
And how
does the message spread? Many people who have
adopted GALS are keen to share their experiences with others and become peer
trainers. Through informal networking, they share information about GALS with
their relatives, friends and others through the church, savings group meetings, local
government, hospital, and even in bars. They display their visions at home
which stimulates interest among their visitors – especially those who are
interested in finding out how they have achieved good relations in the home.
The story of Natal and Magret in Panyani Village Savings and Loans
Association (VSLA)
The lives of Natal
and Magret have been transformed by GALS. Natal inherited about 20 acres from
his elderly parents but, for many years, failed to use the land productively.
He was an alcoholic who spent most of his time at a local drinking place,
leaving his wife to bring up their six children. Working on her own, Margret
was able to cultivate about 1 acre of land. The family had one or two meals a day. There
was no cooperation or agreement in the family and this led to misunderstanding.
GALS has enabled us to realise the potential of the assets we inherited from my parents. We joined the village savings group and followed the GALS lessons together. Now we work together, following our individual and family visions. Loans from the savings group have also helped us grow.
Working together, Natal and Margaret cultivate about 15 acres,
hiring a tractor and casual labourers
for land preparation. Natal has moved from owning one to having 16 modern beehives. He exports honey to Juba.
They have also increased their livestock from three to seven goats and one cow. After 25 years of living together, they were
recently married in church. They have six children and have started using
family planning. The family enjoys three meals a day and Natal can now help
with the cooking. They have a new brick-built house, with an iron sheet roof,
and have bought a motorbike.
Uganda workshop/writeshop on household methodologies
It is experiences like this that has motivated the IFAD PTA gender team to organize the ongoing workshop/ writeshop in
Entebbe, Uganda (3-10 October 2013). This event will enable practitioners,
drawn from across sub-Saharan Africa, to share and reflect critically upon the
different household methodologies used in IFAD-supported projects and by others,
with the aim of developing a
household methodologies sourcebook/manual to further their use in the context of
IFAD-supported projects. This activity has received financial support from the
Government of Japan.
yes, change is possible when people know their realities and own methodologies such as GALS. Seeing peoples lives changing gives great energy and motivation for organisations like CREAM and CEFORD to continue with the journey of continous conscientisation. we are really proud of the community people, Oxfam and IFAD for your tireless efforts in supporting us in this development work, to ensure the world is a just and better place for all. THANKS FOR THE POST, Bishop.
Patricia- CREAM