For the article on the Memorandum Circular No. 2017-04 for the gender and development (GAD) assessment tool, as issued by the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) of the Philippines in 2017, please see the CDA website. The tool itself can also be downloaded by clicking THIS.
Paper presented by Mr. Melchor Alquizola at the “Second National Gender and Development (GAD) in Cooperatives Summit,” Baguio City, March 30-31, 2016. Mr. Alquizola is the General Manager of Maranding Women Investors Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MWIMPC). The Summit was organized by the Gender Equality Resource Center Inc. (GERC Inc.) and Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) in cooperation with the Asian Women in Cooperative Development Forum (AWCF).
It was in January 10, 1996 that the 17 founding women of Maranding Women Investors Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MWIMPC) of Maranding, Lala, Lanao del Norte, took their first step to cooperativism as they underwent the pre-membership education seminar (PMES). Realizing the vital role of cooperatives in solving the issue of loan sharks and their significant contributions to countryside development, the dynamic women took the next challenge of cooperative formation as they tediously complied with all the necessary requirements set by the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) for its registration. On February 22, 1996, the application for registration was approved, bearing CDA Registration No. KEO 2275, granting them a province-wide business operation.
MWIMPC’s first operation started on a capital of PhP19,500 out of the women’s capital build-up contributions. Such amount was used in the lending business that was lent to the members only. There was a hundred percent collection rate and MWIMPC posted a perfect return of investment. The membership doubled on the next year with corresponding increase in capital build–up.
Among the first to support MWIMPC was the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) that provided both financial and technical assistance. The partnership catalyzed more partners to invest in MWIMPC—more agencies forged partnerships with MWIMPC. The Training Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) supports our beekeeping project and provides technical support. John Snow International and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) support the establishment of the Well-Family Midwife Clinic and provide technical support for quality healthcare among rural women. The European Union through the Support to Agrarian Reform Communities in Central Mindanao ( STARCM) augmented our beekeeping project. The British Embassy provided funds for the establishment and operation of the Lanao del Norte Women and Children Development Center. The Japanese Embassy in the Philippines provided funds for the establishment and operation of the Cooperative Training Center for Women in Lanao del Norte.
MWIMPC continues to prove its excellence in microfinance service at the locality. It exhibits remarkable performance in overall microfinance management, thus strengthening its credibility and track record. Presently, we continue to earn the trust of partner-financial institutions that keep its microfinance business running while promoting grassroots economic viability. Among these institutions that continue to pledge support to MWIMPC’s business operations are the National Livelihood Support Fund, Land Bank of the Philippines, Sustainable Economic Activity for Development, Inc., and the Peace and Equity Foundation-Mindanao. While establishing rapport with its funding partners, MWIMPC also links with the leading networks of cooperatives in the country.
Now, the MWIMPC founding women reach out to 10,200 women and men members in the provinces of Misamis Oriental, Lanao del Norte, and Zamboanga del Sur, with significant market presence in the cities of Iligan and Pagadian. The PhP19,500 initial capital now earns PhP128 million in assets, with a capital build-up of PhP30 million. The Cooperative operates with branches all over the province with 54 gainfully employed staff. The Cooperative continues to uphold the principle of women empowerment by catalyzing economic viability at the countryside through women entrepreneurs.
Programs and services
The MWIMPC has been implementing the following programs and services:
1. Lanao del Norte Women and Children Development Center
2. Lanao del Norte Cooperative Training Center for Women
3. Beekeeping Livelihood Project for Women Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries
4. Primary and Maternal Healthcare for Rural Poor Women through the Well–Family Midwife Clinic
5. Lanao del Norte Saving and Credit Center
6. Cooperative Housing Project
The gender challenges
MWIMPC operates in an extremely diverse and challenging environment with its economic, socio-cultural, and religious environment making its gender equality (GE) advocacy more difficult. In a setting where Muslims and Lumads are 60 percent of the population, and where religion dictates gender roles and their economic activities and ways of life, gender advocacy seems impossible. Community stereotypes dictate the roles of women to be played at the household level. Religious and cultural practices also assign women specific gender roles to be played.
Advocating GE in a highly patriarchal and closed society proved to be an uphill battle. The Cooperative should strike a perfect balance and exert enormous amount of resources to innovatively mainstream GE advocacies in a culturally and religiously acceptable manner.
The MWIMPC gender advocacy and practice
MWIMPC had been an all-women organization in its early stage of operations. Its initial stage of operation had no place for men, being exclusive to women cooperators. Its operation was anchored on the economic empowerment of women. Its goal was to support women to significantly contribute in the household coffer and become catalysts in increasing household income.
MWIMPC believed that improving the entrepreneurial skills and providing women the access to capital will dramatically increase their financial freedom. MWIMPC adhered to the principle that abuse and economic dependence are directly correlated. The higher the economic dependence of women to men at the household level, the greater the tendencies of abuse. This is true in highly agricultural communities. Thus economic empowerment among women reduces their dependence and domestic abuse.
The GE advocacy of MWIMPC is in a reverse manner. An all-women cooperative in itself as an organization is a proof of women empowerment. The Board of Directors, during the Annual General Assembly in 2001, wanted to put the theory of GE into practice by amending the MWIMPC’s Constitution and Bylaws to consider accepting men as associate members of the Cooperative. It was then that men members were recruited, and they availed of the services of MWIMPC and all other entitlements, except for becoming officers. By then also, the MWIMPC recruited male staff in all its subsidiaries and service facilities.
Genderizing cooperative operations
Subtle and strategic approach to effect paradigm shift on GE in a heavily stereotyped environment is the key to effect and gain milestone as an organization. The Cooperative members, officers, management, and staff are trained and oriented to become active agents and dynamic gender advocates.
Taking into account the existing social strata of the community where MWIMPC operates, integrating and genderizing MWIMPC operations at all levels is a must:
1. Social acceptance and culturally sensitive gender advocacy
-Religious and tribal leaders are afforded orientation and seminars on concepts, principles, and ideals of GE and the role of women in development
-Mainstreaming gender roles in the household economics analysis
-Reiterating women economic participation in community development.
2. Membership and recruitment
-It is a Cooperative policy that all PMES conducts should have at least 50 percent male recruits
-Gender-sensitivity and gender-awareness are integrated in all PMES
-All Savings and Credit Branches should have at least 30 percent male staff recruited
3. Operation of the Lanao del Norte Women and Children Development Center
-At least 30 percent operation staff are men
-Community education on Republic Act No. 9262 (“Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004”) targeting fathers and husbands
4. Operation of the Lanao del Norte Cooperative Training Center for Women
-In-house gender-related training conducts
-All training activities conducted are required to have gender-balanced participants and facilitators, both in-house and outside training activities
5. Livelihood Project for Women Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries
-Gender-balanced participants with women trainers taking lead roles in practicum and knowledge transfer activities
-Women livelihood coordinators assigned in every branch and areas of operations
6. Primary and Maternal Healthcare for Rural Poor Women through the Well –Family Midwife Clinic
-All member-clients are required to bring, at least once, their husbands/partners to the clinic in one of its prenatal sessions for the conduct of maternal healthcare seminar that reiterates the role of men in responsible parenthood and maternal and child healthcare
7. Lanao del Norte Saving and Credit Center
-Priority access to women entrepreneur-led economic projects with maximum men participation in the project planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation processes.
-At least 30 percent of total portfolio afforded access to capital among men members
-Success stories of men and women entrepreneurs are showcased to cooperative members
8. Cooperative Housing Project
-At least 30 percent of the proposed 300 housing units are offered to men MWIMPC members
There is no one-size-fits-all approach in advocating GE in the MWIMPC operations. The MWIMPC experience is far from perfect, but it is the process and approach that works given its existing environment and socio-economic and cultural circumstances. Its experience never happened overnight. It took us more than a decade to put the theory and principle of GE as a way of cooperative life.
The very lesson that MWIMPC learned in its wide array of experiences as a women cooperative is the fact the advocacy for women empowerment and GE should adhere to the principle of being community- based and people-centered. The advocacy should be anchored on the community dynamics amid existing religion, culture, and traditions of gender roles. By working around these circumstances, advocacies—not just GE but of all sorts of advocacies—will gain more acceptance and less resistance.
by GERC Inc.
This version of the video "Business development center (BDC) for co-ops: A quick look" is in Filipino (language of the Philippines), with English subtitles. This video is produced by the National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO) (Philippines) under the "Information Technology for Southeast Asian Co-operatives (it@coops) Project" (2004-2007), a joint project of the Asian Women in Co-operative Development Forum (AWCF) and InWEnt (Capacity Building International, Germany), with support from BMZ (German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development). The it@coops Project was implemented in three AWCF members: NATCCO, the Forum for Indonesian Co-operatives Movement (FORMASI Indonesia), and the Credit Union League of Thailand (CULT).
The it@coops Project stressed IT's importance in empowering people, especially women, in rural areas. Because co-ops abound in rural areas, and knowing that women compose half or more than half of many co-ops' total membership, the Project supported the capacity-building activities of co-ops such as by training staff in IT and in the establishment of co-ops' business development centers (BDCs). The BDCs are meant to help co-op members who are engaged in business, particularly women who are, by nature, entrepreneurs. Thus the Project emphasized that IT can bring increased economic and even social empowerment to co-ops and their members.
GERC Inc., which was formed by AWCF in 2013 to give even more focus to promoting gender equality in Philippine co-ops, is featuring here the link to the said video as it looks back to the the early efforts of organizing and strengthening BDCs in co-ops and connecting these efforts to the current developments and even more activities now for BDCs. Current developments include the opportunities for co-ops and BDCs to use more IT strategies for entrepreneurship, and to tap even more resourceful, skilled, and committed cooperators and BDC management and staff.
by Hyun H. Son, Principal Evaluation Specialist, Independent Evaluation Department, Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Can building a road, improving electricity access, or upgrading a port help to promote gender equality?
Though it might seem counter-intuitive, the answer is an unqualified ‘yes’. The fact is that poor infrastructure exacerbates the gender gap in many ways.
Women and girls living in areas with poor roads and water services must spend several hours to fetch water or attend school. At night, a lack of lighting can mean that they fear for their safety.
Development organizations have become aware of the problem, and ADB in particular has made significant progress on making its infrastructure investments gender-responsive. For instance, ADB projects support rural electrification and clean cooking fuels to help women save time collecting firewood while mitigating the health hazard of a smoky environment.
Renewable energy is a good sector for these interventions. An ADB project in Viet Nam provided subsidized connections to power grids for households headed by women, involved women’s groups in energy efficiency campaigns, and registered replacement land in the names of both husband and wife.
Making infrastructure gender-responsive is not rocket science. It can be as simple as putting streetlights on roads, replacing wood and charcoal with clean cooking fuel, or bringing safe piped water into or near homes.
Road, rail, and port projects can do their part to narrow the gender gap by featuring well-lit roads, women-only carriages and resting and waiting areas, and establishing market areas along roads.
In Bangladesh, for example, we learned that streetlights help young women commute safely to work after dark. And in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, we realized that women benefit from setting aside public transport station jobs and shop spaces for female-run businesses.
Such features help ensure that transport projects make a positive impact on women’s mobility and enhance their access to education and health services as well as markets.
Scaling up on gender-responsive infrastructure
Encouraging women to ride motorbikes halved their travel time to markets in Cambodia.
(ADB photo)
ADB-funded roads in Bangladesh and India have made it easier for women and girls to attend school and visit health facilities. More than 80% of female beneficiaries confirmed this in surveys.
Gender-responsive transport and water infrastructure can reduce the time women spend on traveling and fetching water. A rural road project in Cambodia more than halved women’s travel time to markets, as it encouraged women to ride motorbikes. That in turn made it easier to transport seeds, fertilizers and produce.
Still, much work needs to be done.
Although transport and energy accounted for more than half of ADB investment in 2005–2015, in the same period these two sectors contributed only about one-third of gender-mainstreamed projects.
In contrast, agriculture and natural resources, education, health, and urban water accounted for more than half of ADB’s gender-mainstreamed projects from 2005 to 2015, even though these sectors accounted for less than one-fourth of ADB’s portfolio during that period.
One way to move forward is to better integrate gender-responsive components in infrastructure investments, as noted in a recent Independent Evaluation report. This would entail increasing the pipeline of projects in some infrastructure subsectors that gender-responsive features are easier to add to, such as rural road and electrification, and clean cooking fuels and fuel efficient stoves.
The monitoring of gender outcomes in infrastructure also needs to be strengthened to build an evidence base for successful gender approaches that can be replicated or scaled up.
We can accomplish this by adopting outcome indicators such as estimates of time savings per trip for women, improved frequency of trips to health clinics, income change for female workers and entrepreneurs, and changes in cooking practices.
Making infrastructure projects gender-responsive can help women and girls lead healthy and productive lives. And that will determine whether gender equality becomes an everyday reality, or remains a distant goal.