CHANGING STORIES - SBC: Gender Research on Women Empowerment in Mali
Welcome to issue #36 of Changing Stories - MAGENTA's monthly round-up of all that is interesting, inspiring and innovative from the world of Social and Behavioural Change (SBC). Read, think, share, and enjoy!
Gender Research on Women Empowerment in Mali
In Mali, resilience & nutritional and food security is a major challenge, especially when it comes to girls and women. We focused on how a programme led by UNICEF, WFP and FAO, working on these topics, integrate a gender approach to its daily work.
Objectives:
- Having a better understanding of gender integration in food and nutrition security projects, in order to inform the overall programme.
- Building the capacities of the overall programme staff, to improve their ability to reinforce women and girls’ resilience.
Integrating Gender Into Social and Behavioural Change Communication
Integrating gender into a social and behavior change communication (SBCC) program involves identifying and then addressing gender inequalities during the strategy and project design, implementation and monitoring, and evaluation of a project. By integrating gender into your SBCC strategy, you can make health messages more effective, stimulate equity in gender roles, and improve health outcomes. Since the roles and power relations between men and women affect how an activity is implemented, it is essential that project managers address these issues on an ongoing basis (USAID, 2012). Use this toolkit to integrate gender into an existing SBCC strategy.
Mali: Gender equality is an investment for the future
In Mali, amid widespread poverty and insecurity, education is a child’s best chance for a better future. This is why it is a top national priority, with major efforts being devoted to giving girls the same opportunities as boys - not only for equal opportunity for all students, but for the future of the country. Social norms and the customs of a locality can drive such disparities, “especially, in the Dio?la cirle, early marriages,”. In Mali, more than half of all girls are married by the age of 18. “Women contribute immensely to the development of society, and invest much more in the education of children, and in their health,” he says. “When a woman succeeds, it is good not only for the home, but for society and the country.”
Using Behavior Change Communications to Increase Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
Gendered social norms around sexuality are learned by boys and girls from their families and communities and affect the choices made in adult life, and so increasing women and girls' agency over their sexual and reproductive health requires more than provision of family planning services – it requires a major shift in societal attitudes and knowledge. The Population Media Center uses a theory-based approach to behavior change communications to encourage the adoption of healthier attitudes and behaviors to benefit individuals and societies. They focus on reproductive health and emphasize the rights of women and girls.
Agriculture and Nutrition in Mali through a Gender Lens
Improving the nutritional status of women of reproductive age, pregnant and lactating women, and children under two years of age in the Mopti region. Conducting an analysis of gender barriers in Mali, and more specifically Mopti, to understand the challenges women face in their environment. Through this research, we hope to identify behaviors and strategies we can incorporate into our programming to reduce these barriers.
The literature reviewed for this study focuses on gender barriers with regard to specific topics related to our activities: household decision making, access to land and seeds for gardening, household food distribution, access to health facilities, and women's aspirations for economic autonomy.