• Advanced Gender Focal Person (GFP) Training on Gender Analysis and Planning
• Fourth Monitoring Forum
• Strategic Planning for Gender Equality Resource Center (GERC)
• Public Awareness Conference on Gender Equality: Empowering Women and Men, and Co-ops
AWCF brought to a close in year-end 2012 the “Promoting Gender Equality Among Co-operatives in the Philippines” Project that it had been implementing since 2010. Implementation was done in coordination with the Swedish Cooperative Center (SCC), with the support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), and with the active and dedicated participation of 15 partner-co-ops of the Project, spread in the three main island regions of the Philippines—Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
After AWCF held for this gender equality (GE) Project the “National Consultation on the Proposed Gender Equality Resource Center/Service for Philippine Co-ops” in June 2012 in Cebu, and the “Third Monitoring Forum” in July 2012, in Antipolo City, both in the Philippines, it convened other major Project activities from October to December 2012. These major activities were apart from the other GE-related activities and initiatives done by the 15 co-ops throughout the three-year Project period.
The GE Project was held under the Philippine country program of SCC, which is the “Advancing Civic Capacities for Effective and Sustainable Services to the Poor (ACCESS to the Poor).” The ACCESS to the Poor Program aimed at strengthening the capacities of civil society organizations in addressing the needs and rights of their poor and low-income members and constituents. It was directed at building the capacities of local non-government organizations (NGOs) and co-ops in these development competencies: promotion of sustainable agricultural technologies among small farmers; provision of decent housing and water services among the poor and vulnerable; and advocacy for GE in co-ops.
Aside from AWCF, the ACCESS to the Poor Program’s partners were the Davao Federation of Farmer’s Integrated Services Co-operative (DAFISCO) for the “Enhancing Capacities for Organic Rice Farming and Marketing in Davao del Norte” Project; Institute for Philippine Cooperative and Social Enterprise Development (IPSCED) for the “Enabling Access to Safe Water and Decent Housing by the Urban Poor” and “Developing Organic Rice Farming Practices in Bataan” Projects; Federation of Multi-Sectoral Alliance for Development–Negros (MUAD-Negros) for the “Promoting Sustainable Agriculture in the Upland Communities of Negros Occidental” Project; and National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO) Enterprise Development Center (NEDC) for the “Development of Housing Cooperatives in the Philippines” and the “Development of Funeral Cooperatives in the Philippines” Projects.
GE Project’s focus
The AWCF GE Project extended strategic intervention on these components of the 15 co-ops: human resource capacity-building; strengthening of plans, systems, and structures; research and policy advocacy; and capacity-building on project planning, monitoring, and evaluation. The Project conducted orientation, consultations, and training activities aimed at developing or enhancing these co-ops’ GE awareness, capabilities, and advocacy. Through this intervention, the Project intended to solidify the gender-related activities and advocacies to be systematically offered to and participated in by the co-ops. In turn, the co-ops were expected to be assisted in their transformation into being gender-fair co-ops and gender-fair workplaces. And being gender-fair, the co-ops were hoped to more effectively implement gender-related activities that will enable the promotion and practice of GE in the organizational areas of people, policies, systems, and structure.
The 15 co-ops involved in the GE Project are among the most active and progressive co-ops in the Philippines, now also among the country’s most gender-fair co-ops: (Luzon) Abra Diocesan Teachers and Employees Multi-purpose Cooperative (MPC); Ligas Kooperatiba ng Bayan sa Pagpapaunlad; Nueva Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives; St. Martin of Tours Credit and Development Cooperative; and Sacred Heart Credit Development Co-op; (Visayas) Don Bosco Network MPC; Cordova MPC; Dumanjug MPC; Lamac MPC; and Metro Ormoc Community Cooperative; and (Mindanao) Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology MPC; Paglaum MPC; Panabo MPC; Pantukan Chess Club Cooperative; and Tagum Cooperative.
Fourth quarter rally
Throughout the Project implementation, milestones were achieved as per the set objectives and even going beyond these objectives. These milestones were observed and gathered from the partner-co-ops’ reports and monitoring visits done by AWCF (see article “Co-ops give update for GE Project”). These milestones inspired AWCF in carrying out the Project’s remaining activities in the fourth quarter of 2012, among which are the: “Advanced GFP Training on Gender Analysis and Planning,” “Fourth Monitoring Forum,” “Strategic Planning for GERC,” and “Public Awareness Conference on Gender Equality: Empowering Women and Men, and Co-ops.”
For her part, Ms Emma Nieva, AWCF Project Manager (assigned May 2012-December 2012) for the SCC Project, in an interview for this article, shares that her involvement in the Project gave her the valuable chance to be immersed more in gender advocacy, in co-ops particularly. She says that as Project Manager, her various tasks such as being part of AWCF’s monitoring team and giving consultancy to the partner-co-ops, among her other assignments, provided her value-added learning on gender and its impact to co-ops. She said this learning is important to her as a co-op member and leader. Ms Nieva, a Certified Public Accountant by profession, is active in the Philippine co-op movement at the primary and federation levels. She offers the advice to other co-ops that their GE efforts should start by sensitizing their leaders on GE, and these leaders, in turn, should be able to apply their GE awareness to the personal and organizational levels, in order to begin the transformation process in their own co-ops.
AWCF GE Project’s activities done in the fourth quarter of 2012
Advanced GFP Training on Gender Analysis and Planning
On October 14-17, 2012, AWCF held for the 15 partner-co-ops the “Advanced Gender Focal Person (GFP) Training on Gender Analysis and Planning,” in Plaridel, Misamis Occidental, Philippines, hosted by Paglaum MPC. With the training facilitated by AWCF consultant Ms Brenda Batistiana, the co-ops’ GFPs were oriented and immersed in gender analysis and planning, especially through the use of tools developed by AWCF. These tools are the:
1. Tool for the Rapid Assessment of Gender Equality in Co-operatives
2. Gender Assessment of the Benefits and Beneficiaries of Co-op Products and Services
3. Gender Competency Perception Survey for Gender Focal Persons of Co-ops
AWCF developed the tools—through its GE Project—to assist any co-op in integrating GE in its organizational design and operations. The tools can identify gender concerns in a co-op, thus helping the co-op crafting appropriate systematic actions (see article “Tools from AWCF to help GE integration”).
Fourth Monitoring Forum and Strategic Planning for GERC
On November 8, 2012, AWCF convened the “Fourth Monitoring Forum” for its GE Project, attended in Davao City, Philippines, by the 15 partner-co-ops’ Board Directors, General Managers/Chief Executive Officers, human resource officers, Gender Committee Chairpersons and members, GFPs, gender role models, and gender advocates; and AWCF’s consultants. AWCF Executive Director Ms Salome A. Ganibe welcomed the participants at the Forum’s opening. The Forum was hosted by Tagum Cooperative (TC), and its Chairperson Ms Norma R. Pereyras also welcomed the participants with a warm and inspiring message. She relayed to them how and why she became a co-op and GE advocate (which pretty much dates back to advocating for earlier women empowerment and gender frameworks), and how her passion and advocacy for GE along with working with her fellow women and men advocates in TC have brought socio-economic benefits to their Co-op. She encouraged the participants, as also being GE and co-op advocates, to continue pursuing with passion their GE and co-op development goals amid challenges. At time of Ms Pereyras’s sharing with the Forum participants, she came fresh from being hailed in October 2012 as the Philippines’s top co-op leader along with major awards also given to TC (see article “Tagum Cooperative gains more awards”).
In the Monitoring Forum proper in Davao, AWCF asked the 15 co-ops to share and discuss with the other participants at least two of their GE good practices. With the instruction they had received, the co-ops used narrative and audio-visual materials to elaborate on their GE good practices. AWCF gave the participants the positive observation that, as in past forums conducted for the GE Project, the co-ops and presenters were particularly able to apply presentation skills they had learned from the training of trainers given to them during the Project’s earlier phase of implementation.
Most of the GE good practices reported by the co-ops were also reported but in lesser detail during the Project’s previous Monitoring Forums. And some of the co-ops took the occasion at this Monitoring Forum in Davao to report not just their good practices but also their updates on their implementation of the GE Project.
It was also noteworthy that many, if not all, of the co-ops winded up their sharing or reports with their officers taking it upon themselves to reiterate to the body their co-ops’ commitment to continue upholding GE through their advocacy and activities, even after the AWCF-SCC Project’s implementation. Ms Ganibe thanked the co-ops for their inspiring sharing of their wide-ranging GE good practices, and for once more expressing their faithfulness to espousing GE, as they had stated also in many ways and different occasions during the Project period.
On November 9 in the same venue and with the same participants, AWCF convened the “Strategic Planning for the Gender Equality Resource Center (GERC).” Co-ops establishing their own GERC or, at least, expanding the offering of their GE resource services (GERS), was also one of the thrusts of AWCF’s GE Project in Philippine co-ops. It will be recalled that in June 2012 in Cebu, Philippines, AWCF organized a national consultation among the 15 partner-co-ops to enable the co-ops’ discussion on the possible setting up, operation, and support to their own GERC or GERS, in the current time or in the future. The GERC/GERS is to be seen as a levelling up that includes, among other enhancements, the even greater visibility and impact of GE-related activities to an increased number of co-op members and also to other organizations that may tap the co-ops’ GE expertise. In the said Cebu consultation, hosted by the Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LMPC), the co-ops in attendance gave their various levels of commitment to establish their GERC, with the expected concurrence of their co-op Board members. Upon their return home from Cebu, the co-ops implemented enhanced efforts to widening their GE-related services and/or outright began the steps toward putting up their GERCs. Thus in the succeeding months after the Cebu conference, AWCF received positive updates from the co-ops regarding their GE activities, such as the initial steps they took to establishing their GERCs. Because there was the felt-need among the co-ops for additional guidance and information regarding the setting up of the GERCs, AWCF held this GERC Strategic Planning in Davao, right after the Monitoring Forum.
• GERC Vision, Mission, Values
The participants in the Strategic Planning thus more deeply discussed the GERC. They held workshops to formulate the GERC Vision, Mission, and Values Statements to set the tone for and guide the setting up, objectives, continued operation, activities, and other aspects of a GERC. It is envisioned that all co-ops, aside from the 15 partner-co-ops of the AWCF GE Project, that want to set up their GERCs can therefore adopt/adapt/enhance the following statements drawn up for GERC in the Planning/Forum:
>>VISION
A Gender Equality Resource Center (GERC) that is holistic, sustainable, responsive, economically and socially harmonized, and enables a gender-fair environment to benefit the co-op members and communities.
>>MISSION
To enable social, economic, moral, and spiritual improvement and upliftment of the co-op members and the community through:
a) Promoting communication and awareness of GE issues
b) Ensuring sustainability of the GE program in the co-op
>>VALUES
GERC COOP
God-centered
Equality
Respect
Commitment
Competence
Openness
Oneness
Passion
--That will lead to healthy and harmonious relationships.
The Davao event was also an opportunity for AWCF to give plaques of appreciation to the partner-co-ops for their dedicated participation in the GE Project. AWCF also gave plaques of appreciation to the GFPs of the co-ops.
• Visit to co-ops
The Monitoring Forum and Strategic Planning of AWCF’s GE Project concluded with the participants’ visit on November 10 to Paglaum MPC and TC, both located in Davao region and among the partner-co-ops of the Project. The two co-ops’ officers and staff warmly welcomed the participants as they gave them information about their co-ops, camaraderie, and bountiful food, and a memorable day altogether for co-operators coming from all over the Philippines. (See more photos.)
Public Awareness Conference on Gender Equality
On December 6, 2012, in Quezon City, Philippines, AWCF organized the culminating activity of its GE Project, which was the “Public Awareness Conference on Gender Equality: Empowering Women and Men, and Co-ops.” (See photos.) The Conference’s objectives were to raise the awareness of the public that:
1. 15 Philippine co-ops were able to participate and gain accomplishments in the “Promoting Gender Equality Among Philippine Co-operatives” Project in 2010-2012, the AWCF Project supported by SCC
2. GE can socially and economically empower women and men, and their co-operatives, as manifested in the experiences of the 15 Philippine co-ops
3. More Philippine co-ops can also engage in GE efforts and become gender-fair co-ops to benefit their leaders, staff, and members.
The Conference had 88 participants (53 women; 35 men) from the GE Project’s partner-co-ops and from invited organizations and individuals from various co-op and development groups and federations. The Conference was keynoted by Ms Remedios I. Rikken, Chair of the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW). In her stellar career as a public servant and development worker, Ms Rikken is known as one of the country’s foremost gender advocates. Being a co-op organizer is also among her career/service highlights.
• Ms Rikken’s message
Ms Rikken, who has also been a resource person of AWCF and Philippine co-op federations for various gender and co-op conferences and events (even in her private capacity when she was not sitting then in the PCW), lauded the objectives of the GE Project that was implemented among co-ops in the Philippines. Delving more into the topic of GE, Ms Rikken also provided the participants inputs on the developments in GE and in the development field in general and, in so doing, she said that the GE Project as it were had been moving toward the right direction in institutionalizing and integrating GE in the co-ops. In that way, the potentials of GE were being tapped to bring in more progress and development to co-ops and the members (see “Presentation of Ms Remedios I. Rikken, Chairperson of the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) at the AWCF 'Public Awareness Conference on Gender Equality: Empowering Women and Men, and Co-ops,' Dec. 2012, PH). Ms Rikken also lauded the efforts of the GE Project to help Philippine co-ops establish the GERC as a further manifestation and a solid action of co-operators to recognize and support the benefits accruing from advocating GE. At the same, the PCW Chair challenged the co-ops advocating GE to help women’s groups they are assisting to actually grow and develop, and not remain dependent on or under the auspices of the co-ops.
• Solidarity messages
Solidarity messages for the Conference were also given by SCC Philippine Country Director Ms Jessica Soto and NATCCO Chief Executive Officer Ms Sylvia Paraguya. Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) Executive Director Mr. Niel Santillan’s solidarity message was also in relation to the “Call for Action” issued at the Conference by the GE Project’s partner-co-ops, and submitted to CDA through him during the event. The Call for Action was put together by the co-ops, based on their experience of being gender-fair co-ops. The CDA official said that his agency, being also supportive of GE especially in the co-op movement, will respond positively to the Call for Action. In fact, he stated, CDA and the PCC will begin coordinating with PCW through Ms Rikken for their gender-sensitivity activities. The Call for Action was to be formally submitted by AWCF to the CDA after the Conference.
• Call for Action for GE
Before the copy of the Call for Action for GE signed by the Project’s partner-co-ops was handed over to CDA Executive Director at the Conference, it was read aloud to the participants of the Conference by Dr. Eufemio L. Calio of MSU-IIT Multi-purpose Cooperative and Ms Fe J. Adlawan of Tagum Cooperative. In the said Call for Action, the co-ops specifically call on the CDA, as being the most relevant government agency supporting co-operatives in the Philippines, to support GE mainstreaming and integration in the co-ops. CDA’s support to GE to bring about even greater economic and social benefits to the movement can be done by:
1. requiring gender-sensitivity training or gender-awareness sessions as one of the courses for co-op officers and key management staff
2. requiring co-ops to engage in gender-related activities so as to address gender issues in their co-ops and thus become gender-fair and gender-responsive organizations and workplaces
3. requiring co-ops to integrate GE in their bylaws.
AWCF formally sent the Call for Action to the CDA Chairperson’s office on January 2, 2013 (see "Philippine co-ops give 'Call for Action' for GE to Cooperative Development Authority").
• Video, book, exhibit
Also at the Public Awareness Conference, AWCF showed to the participants its latest video-documentary "Gender Equality: Empowering Women and Men, and Co-ops" and also distributed its newest publication "Gender Equality: Empowering Women and Men, and Co-ops—Stories of the Gender Journey of Co-ops in the Philippines." The Conference also featured a multimedia exhibit of the partner-co-ops depicting their gender journey and lessons learned. The video, publication, and multimedia exhibit all gave the backgrounder on the GE Project, and the various accomplishments of the 15 co-ops based on the Project objectives and even beyond. All in all, the Public Awareness Conference and the materials produced by AWCF hoped to convey to even more co-ops that when they promote and advocate GE, it is a win-win situation for them and their members. The co-ops and members get to enjoy enhanced socio-economic benefits made possible by the integration and practice of GE in the co-ops' people, policies, programs/projects/activities, and enabling mechanisms. In this way, the co-ops live out even more the "Statement on the Co-op Identity (SCI)" that promotes the "Co-op Values and Principles."
See the video-documentary "Gender Equality: Empowering Women and Men, and Co-ops." Inquiries on the 200-page "Gender Equality: Empowering Women and Men, and Co-ops—Stories of the Gender Journey of Co-ops in the Philippines" can be directed by e-mail to awcf@coopwomen.org
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