This document summarizes CARE's approach to addressing poverty through their work in Bangladesh. CARE aims to empower marginalized women and girls by developing human capacity, promoting economic opportunity, addressing social injustices, and demonstrating long-term community commitment. Some key strategies include organizing women into groups to gain access to training, markets, and services; improving the milk collection system; and strengthening the breeding and animal health networks. The goal is to increase incomes and livelihoods for 35,000 households through an improved dairy value chain. CARE works to increase women's roles in decision making, challenge social norms, and support women entrepreneurs across the milk production process.
2. 2
Theory of Change: How will we address
poverty?
CARE helps
communities
achieve
long-term
reductions
in poverty
by…
Developing
human
capacity &
providing
economic
opportunity
addressing
social
injustice
& inequity
With
a focus on
marginalized
women
& girls
Demonstrating
a long-term
commitment to the
community
Addressing all three
components of the
Unifying Framework
leveraging our areas of
expertise, informed by
our
deep understanding of
community needs
Measuring impact and
advocating for policy
change
Addressing basic
human conditions
through sectoral
interventions
Addressing power
imbalances resulting
from
• Poor governance
• Gender inequities
• Discrimination
• Social and economic
exclusion
Understanding that
women and girls are
the most vulnerable,
with the strongest
impact on whole
communities’ well-
being
Acknowledging that
working with men
and boys will be
crucial to our
ongoing work
= x x
3. 3
CARE Bangladesh Mission
CARE Bangladesh amplifies the voices of the poor
and the marginalized in ways that influence public
opinion, development practice, and policy at all
levels. This happens as knowledge drawn from our
grass roots and global experience is channeled
through purposeful relationships with civil society,
government, and the private sector.
4. 4
Women’s Empowerment-Theory of Change
CARE Bangladesh Impact Statement on the most Socially,
Economically and Politically Marginalized Women
Women will be empowered by:
Exercise of
greater choice
in decisions
affecting their
lives
Reduced
violence
against
women
Strong
Social movements
built on women's
solidarity and
participation of men
+ X
5. 5
CARE Bangladesh Strategic Directions (2007-2011)
Organizational
Relevance
More influential in
addressing the
underlying causes of
poverty, more
legitimate in the eyes
of local civil society,
more accountable to
communities & more
flexible & competitive
in a maturing NGO
market.
Economic
Empowerment
Improved access to
dignified employment
for the poorest and
most marginalized,
especially women;
markets for their
products; information
& services for their
economic activities;
and technical support
for their
entrepreneurial
initiatives.
Learning Culture
A culture that
promotes learning,
knowledge sharing,
and excellence in
programming,
enabling staff and
partners to
understand,
demonstrate, and
measure impact on
the underlying
causes of poverty
and social exclusion
6. Goal of the Project
35,000 targeted landless and smallholding
households mostly women in North and
Northwestern Bangladesh have increased
incomes and more sustainable livelihoods
through incorporation into a strengthened
milk value chain (2007-2011)
Increase production by improving access to inputs, markets, and
services by mobilizing groups of poor producers and input service provider
Improve the milk collection system in rural and remote areas
Improve the breeding/Artificial Insemination (AI) network
Ensure access to quality animal health services at the producer level
Improve the policy environment.
Objectives of the Project
9. 9
Gender Analysis of the Dairy Value Chain
Main Challenges
Women and their HHs are not
organized into groups to take
advantage of training and other
information.
Women and girls consume less
milk in the household than their
male counterparts.
Women do not have decision
making authority on the livestock
assets especially large ruminants.
Gender roles and tradition limit
women’s opportunities as dairy
producers, collector, processors,
livestock health worker and input
seller
Equal opportunities for women
employees are limited, and
employers are often not open to
hiring women
Women are overburdened as
housekeepers, Small Scale
Producers and day labourers
Equal opportunities for independent women entrepreneurs cannot be
found and leveraged.
10. Farmer & Farmer Leader
Milk Collector
Livestock Health Worker
Community Feed Seller
Vet Medicine Shopkeeper
SDCV facilitates
women engagement
as
11. 11
• Women farmer leaders are successfully leading 67% of
farmer groups including mixed group
• Social acceptance has changed on women role. Many
are “change agents”
• They provide basic animal husbandry and feeding advice
to group members and the community, including men.
• Women’s knowledge and opinions on animal husbandry
are increasingly valued in the community.
• Changed the view of women role in unprecedented
entrepreneurship (Livestock Health Worker and milk
collector)
• Women engagement in dealing with other livestock
inputs
Improving Productivity and Capacity
12. 12
What we have done differently
• Strong platform of solidarity in the community. Many women has
emerged as “change agents”.
• Introduce successful women farmer leaders and entrepreneurs as
model for others
• Being reflective on women barriers in the field and address those
accordingly
• Take positive discrimination for women (e.g. No training fees from
women LHW)
• Work with family member of prospective women farmer leaders
and entrepreneurs for motivating and reducing the work load for
them
13. 13
Challenges
• Market incentives and access
• Education and capacity
• Mobility and nature of work (Women LHWs Vs
Women Collector)
• Our limitation
14. 14
Baseline captures on decision making and control
Women’s decision-making power
Ranging from decisions to work and to spend income from work
Decisions to take loans from NGOs spending decisions
Control of assets, money, decisions regarding livestock and dairy
management
Women’s mobility
15. 15
Some key research questions in the ongoing
mid term evaluation
• Do the women farmers and milk collectors feel that their
status has changed in their household and in the
community changed since SDVCP participation? If yes,
is the change better or worse than before? Why?
• Has the income of the women project participants
increase? If it has, who spends the money and how?
• Do the women project participants perceive that they
have a better role in decision making in the home? In
their community? Why do they perceive so?
• Has there been any change in their confidence,
movement in the market place, bargaining and marketing
skills? If yes, what factors contributed to the change?
• What are the main obstacles faced by these women with
respect to their involvement in the dairy business and in
their homes?