GENDER RESPONSIVE ALTERNATIVE TO CLIMATE CHANGE (GRACC) EVALUATION
Video link: GRACC
Date: 2019
Global Partners: ActionAid International, Australia, Kenya, Cambodia and Vanuatu, Huairou Commission, Monash University Gender, Peace and Security Centre.
Background:
ActionAid is a global movement of people fighting for women’s rights, social justice and an end to poverty. ActionAid Australia commissioned an end-of-project evaluation for GRACC funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade under the Gender Action Platform (GAP). The two-year project was collaboratively designed and implemented with ActionAid country partners in Kenya, Cambodia and Vanuatu.
Purpose:
The primary purpose of the end-of-project evaluation was to “assess the extent to which the project advanced women’s leadership and collective voices in Kenya, Cambodia and Vanuatu and enhanced their ability to influence policy and decision making on climate change and disaster risk response (CC/DRR) related crises at both a national and global level”. The evaluation assessed the extent to which women’s power has been enhanced in ways valued and described by women.
ActionAid Cambodia
Local Partners: ActionAid Cambodia, Children and Women Development Centre in Cambodia, Rural Friend Community for Development.
The three primary strategies for GRACC in Cambodia were evaluated and found that the GRACC successfully achieved its three outcomes of:
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Increasing women’s capacity and knowledge to respond to CC/DRR by working with grassroots women and women who hold local and subnational government positions. They received extensive capacity building on a broad range of topics including Hazard, Vulnerability and Capacity Assessments (HVCAs), drought readiness, tree planting, early warning system registration, waste and water management, hygiene and healthcare.
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Raising the voices of women to take collective action in national and international policy, planning and decision making on CC/DRR by building women’s leadership about their country’s political and economic processes to effectively advocate for resources to address women’s needs and priorities.
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Working with commune, district and provincial disaster management committees in the establishment of a gender responsive framework.
The GRACC project has been an entry point for dozens of women to step outside their currently constrained gendered roles. Aligned with Cambodia’s larger political efforts on gender mainstreaming and CC/DRR, the GRACC project and its stakeholders have made impressive strides in a short two-year time span. Key informants proposed that they are in the early stages of a major agenda for change.
CAMBODIA
ActionAid Kenya
The primary focus on women, the GRACC program in Baringo County, Kenya, focused on:
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CC/DRR knowledge for action planning in pastoral communities.
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Leadership and participation of community members in decision making.
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Support women and civil societies to advocate for increased CC/DRR resource allocations in their communities.
The GRACC project enabled hundreds of women to challenge gendered stereotypes to create new role models. Supported by Kenya’s broader gender equality strategies and CC/DRR, the GRACC project produced positive changes with key stakeholders reporting that they feel their efforts are transforming lives, reducing burdens on women’s lives, and empowering them to be active, contributing and engaged members of society.
Women expressed the strong desire for information and opportunities to represent villages and advocate for their needs. Their engagement is not only for the betterment of their lives and families but for their community’s well-being. There is support for program expansion and interest in embedding the HRBA/CC/DRR curriculum in schools.
KENYA
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ActionAid
Vanuatu
ActionAid Vanuatu
Local Partners: ActionAid Vanuatu, Women I Tok Tok Tugeta (WITTT),
The focus of the country program in Vanuatu was on building women’s leadership. ActionAid’s work in Vanuatu is women-led and aligned to ActionAid’s humanitarian approaches to climate change and strengthening of women’s leadership in emergencies.
The evaluation objectives were:
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To review the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, sustainability, and impact of the project by reviewing the project outcomes achieved as a result of project outputs and project approach.
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To assess the project achievements, strengths, weaknesses, and implementation constraints with a view to identifying any lessons and good practice that can be incorporated into future ActionAid programming and shared in the sector.
The evaluation found that the GRACC project in Vanuatu increased women’s capacity and knowledge to prepare for and respond to gender related risks of climate change and related crises. The project developed women’s leadership capacity to lead collective action, influence and engage in national and international policy, planning and decision making on climate change and related crises and established a gender responsive framework on gender, climate and security.
