Women express fear in an attempt to adapt Gender responsive approaches to development. What does this imply?

On the 19^th of Dec 2009 NUWODU expressed the inevitability of Gender responsive planning if it’s to have positive and sustainable bearing on the livelihoods of its beneficiaries. Thus, NUWODU set out to seek its stake holders/beneficiaries contributions in line to its take on gender responsive approach in development.

Taking Gender Responsive Strategic Plan as, a plan that address gender concerns/issues that originate from gender inequalities; NUWODU in harmony with its stakeholders present, set to work out modalities of including men in the organization plans. Thus cases of men being ex-officio only, men being not more than 10% of human resource/beneficiaries were identified as criterion for men’s inclusiveness in NUWODU’s development activities.

Stakeholders also expressed fears of including men in their plans. These included opposition from NUWODU stakeholders in disagreement to NUWODU’s take, male domination, women off loading their roles to men and limited commitment to women’s concerns.

Interesting to note, of the challenges identified in the process of becoming gender responsive in development approach by NUWODU stakeholders, almost 99% of them are attributable but also preventable by women. For instance most of the challenges identified will only arise if women surrender to men to take lead in defining their interests. However we can not wholly extend the success of gender responsive projects to women alone, but the challenges identified call upon women to be very active and vigilant if they are to embrace gender responsive projects. Or else women should wait to adapt to gender responsive strategies in development as can cause them to lose even the little achieved so far. The above challenges singled out by the stakeholders depict that an organization/women need to successfully embrace gender responsive approaches in development need to first lay a locale.

Despite the above challenges, it’s not worth to assume women emancipation in women only projects. Women only projects/programs implicitly send out a signal that women’s/feminist concerns in development are not issues enough to necessitate men’s time and investment. Perchance this explains the reason as to why women’s concerns have remained at the periphery of government budgets and so commitment, despite the so many years of the women’s movement. Most of the women or ‘gender’ development programs and projects that have operated in Uganda still leave almost of the Uganda’s population (women), marginal economically, politically and socially. So why not question the approach development projects that assume to improve/empower women have taken.  I endorse NUWODU’s take perhaps it will bear fruits for women with disabilities.

Written by

Kirungi Jackline

Intern (Gender/Information Sharing and Networking)