Comic Book--Gender Equality in Co-ops: Win na Win for Family and Business

Message from the Asian Women in Co-operative Development Forum (AWCF): Among the vital issues that confront women and men in the household, community, and workplace are gender equality (GE) issues, which include marginalization, subordination, gender stereotyping, multiple burden, different forms of violence, and similar situations. GE issues may also be present in the co-ops because people and relationships are at the very core of these organizations. The challenge for co-ops in the Philippines, where half or more than half of the membership are women, is to be gender-equal co-ops that will enable women and men to have equal rights, benefits, opportunities for advancement, services, and access to and control over resources; and equal roles to play in development as participants and as leaders. Co-ops as a business organization with social objectives can also expect good returns because being a gender-equal co-op is also good for the business. When the members grow economically and socially, so do the co-ops.

This comic book “Gender Equality in Co-ops: Win na Win for Family and Business” presents the story of Chona and Mike who overcame their marital, economic, and social problems, including GE issues, in and through the help of their co-op. The story’s characters are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons is purely coincidental. But the situations to be resolved in this story do happen in real life and to a number of co-op members who have similar or almost similar experiences in relationships, and also economic and social issues. And like Chona and Mike, these co-op members resolve their problems with great help from their co-ops. Their co-ops that have become champions of co-operativism and GE.

Published and distributed by the Asian Women in Co-operative Development Forum (AWCF), a resource center and advocacy body on gender and co-ops in Asia.

AWCF
Email: awcf@coopwomen.org Website: coopwomen.org YouTube: awcf gender forum

Published December 2010 for the “Promoting Gender Equality Among Co-operatives in the Philippines" Project under the "Advancing Civic Capacities for Effective and Sustainable Services to the Poor (ACCESS to the Poor)" Programme (2010-2012), supported by the Swedish Cooperative Centre (SCC), with fund support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

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AWCF starts gender equality project with SCC

AWCF has officially launched the three-year Swedish Cooperative Centre (SCC)-funded “Promoting Gender Equality (GE) Among Co-operatives in the Philippines” Project with three recent orientation meetings in 2010 attended by key leaders and managers of the 15 participating Philippine co-op organizations.The main objective of the meetings was to introduce this Project, which would involve strategic interventions related to four components: human resource capacity-building; strengthening of plans, systems, and structures; research and policy advocacy; and capacity-building on project planning, monitoring, and evaluation. At the meetings, AWCF was able to obtain from the stakeholders their commitment to implement the Project with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Also discussed at the meetings were the GE Survey required from the co-ops and the June-September 2010 schedules for the gender-sensitivity training for leaders and staff to be conducted in each of the organizations.

The first orientation meeting was held in Davao City, Philippines, April 8, which was attended by the Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) Multipurpose Coop; Paglaum Multipurpose Co-op; Panabo Multipurpose Co-op; Pantukan Chess Club Co-op; and Tagum Co-op.The second orientation meeting was in Cebu City, April 20, attended by the Bosconian Multipurpose Co-op; Cordova Multipurpose Co-op; Dumanjug Multipurpose Co-op; Lamac Multipurpose Co-op; and Metro Ormoc Community Co-op. The third orientation meeting was in Quezon City on April 22, with attendees from Abra Diocesan Teachers and Employees Multipurpose Co-op; Ligas Kilusang Bayan sa Pagpapaunlad; Nueva Segovia Consortium of Co-ops; St. Martin of Tours Credit and Development Co-op; and Sacred Heart Credit Development Co-op.

The GE Project is part of SCC’s country programme for 2010-2012, which is the “Advancing Civic Capacities for Effective and Sustainable Services to the Poor (ACCESS to the Poor)" Programme with funding support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

http://coopwomen.org/awcfcms/index.php/resources/news-archives/293-awcf-scc-gender-equality-project-started-