THE SADC GENDER PROTOCOL SUMMIT 2014 Women Empowerment Evelyne Wangu Programme Officer VSO- Lesotho 14 th April 2014 Maseru sun Cabanas. Maseru Lesotho. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

SYNOPSIS Community Phone shop Business Project Women and Ex – Miners widows affected by HIV and AIDS have been identified as support groups with at least 20 women per support group. Each support group would receive a container, a community phone shop with four phones in each container and a laptop. Some widows have opted for individual carts, and these are mobile phones and they do wheel the carts to the busy market places and soccer field offering communication services at fee. The community around these community phone shops would come to make calls and they pay a fee for communication. The support groups have already been trained by VSO volunteers, experts in livelihoods and monitoring and evaluation so that they can establish effective community phone shops.

50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA SYNOPSIS The support groups have already been trained by VSO volunteers, experts in livelihoods and monitoring and evaluation so that they can establish effective community phone shops. In addition, VSO has given out small grants for the support groups to purchase goods, mainly groceries for sale during the time they are managing their community phone shops. The containers have got a section with shelves for stocking groceries. This means customers would come to make a phone call and at the same time they can buy some cooking oil, sugar and maize meal from the same container.

50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA SYNOPSIS Ms Malethapata who is also the chair person of the Nazareth support group said that she had stopped taking antiretroviral drugs because she had no money for transport to go to the nearest Health Centre. She said the project has inspired her and that it saved her life. She has been managing the project well for over a year. She is now adhering to ARVs. She has also managed to raise money from the community phone shop to support her two children

50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA SYNOPSIS

50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA SYNOPSIS

50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA SYNOPSIS Ms Malethapata with VSO- RAISA Director and Ex-Miners Association of Lesotho President showing their bank records

OBJECTIVES What did the process set out to do? To Improve quality of life and improved health status for women and their families in Lesotho Objectives To strengthen the livelihoods of the women and widows affected by HIV and AIDS To improve the health of the women affected by HIV and AIDS To promote Antiretroviral drugs adherence among women living with HIV and AIDS To promote Public Private Partnership in community economic empowerment and strengthening livelihoods among the women affected by HIV and AIDS 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

OBJECTIVES What did the process set out to do? It was noted that HIV prevalence is higher and vulnerability to HIV and TB infection is more acute among mineworkers, their families and the surrounding communities. These vulnerabilities are particularly acute among affected communities in Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland. Vulnerability of families left behind in terms of health and livelihoods are also pronounced, due to poverty, lack of income‐generating opportunities and food insecurity was observed. The spaces of vulnerability associated with the mining sector are conducive to both men and women engaging in multiple concurrent sexual partnerships, a major driver of the HIV epidemic in southern Africa. Awareness and capacity for addressing health and mobility in the mining sector of southern Africa are limited, among stakeholders in Governments, private sector, and mine worker associations. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

BACKGROUND 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA Why did the activity come about? What problem or context is it responding to? The project was established in response to the needs for the women and widows affected by HIV and AIDS in Lesotho. This was also in recognition of the fact that low socio economic status impacts negatively to people living with HIV and AIDS, and women are most affected. There are already well documented findings on the relationship between the socio economic position of individuals and populations and their health. (Schneiderman et al 2010) It is noted that those with greater socio economic disadvantage have worse health status regardless of the measure used.

KEY ACTIVITIES Capacity building for the partner organisations Community Phone shop Business Individual phone Cart business Chicken rearing Project HIV- TB prevention care and support training for Care givers Pig rearing project 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

RESOURCE ALLOCATIONS 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA Amount local currency (specify) Amount in Rand Gender specific allocation Gender in mainstream projects (please specify) – Establishment of IGAs and HIV- TB implementation initiatives Euros Approx Amount contributed in cash or in kind by partner organisations (please specify) TOTAL

BENEFICIARIES 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA CATEGORY WOME N MENTOTAL% WOMEN Direct beneficiaries- Number of Widows and Ex- Miners trained % Indirect beneficiaries (e.g. through other networks) % Online beneficiaries (e.g. website access, mailing lists, scholarly articles) Total %

CHALLENGES What have been the main challenges? How have these been overcome? Group dynamics. With the guidance of VSO volunteers, The Ex- miners staff have been trained on how to handle group dynamics and settle conflicts in this community projects Implementation delay. This was due to the fact that VSO is relatively new in Lesotho. VSO worked around this by accelerating the pace unto which the project activities took place 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

MONITORING AND EVALUATION What types of monitoring and evaluation methods and tools did you use to measure impact? Impact assessment and evaluation Change stories/Case studies – One beneficiary ( Ms Malepatapata) said the project has inspired her and that it saved her life. She has been managing the project well for over a year. She is now adhering to ARVs. Most of the beneficiaries have managed to raise money from the community phone shop to support her children 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

RESULTS Use one slide for each result, include examples of evidence Service delivery Women’s empowerment Men for change Public participation Changes at the work place Outreach through the media Changes at household level Capacity building Changes in attitudes Changes at a policy level that have come about as a result of the COE work Any other changes that have come about as a result of the COE work 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

RESULTS Service delivery VSO has been providing home based care kits for the trained care givers to enable them provide care giving services to the community. Some of the established containers act as free condom distribution base for the community members VSO is planning on collaboration with other service delivery NGOs and government bodies to work hand in hard with the women in the phone shops to act as distribution centres i.e. for condoms and educational materials 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

RESULTS Women Empowerment The women have become providers in their households, through the profits they are getting from the businesses. They have become community educators and role models by sharing the skills and knowledge they have acquired through VSO trainings both on economic empowerment and HIV and TB prevention, care and support “I am grateful for this initiative, it has taught me a lot and I am now able to provide for my children and take my medication.” Malethapata Thamae- Community phone beneficiary 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

RESULTS Women Empowerment 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

RESULTS Men of change As much as the target beneficiaries for this project are men, VSO incorporates 1/3 of men in each project and trainings so as to have male involvement. For 5 beneficiaries per phone shop, there is a man included. For each 4 care givers trained per district, one is a man 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

RESULTS Men of change 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

RESULTS Public participation 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

RESULTS Changes at the work place VSO has had different capacity building activities for the partners in all the three countries its implementing the project. This includes: Placement of skilled volunteers to assist the partners in organisation development of their national affiliates The strategic plan with the assistance of an external consultant has been developed and has been adopted by Its regional partners and its national affiliates The partners in all the three countries have benefited from an annual partners grant that enabled them purchase office equipment and supplies for the better running of the organisation. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

RESULTS Changes at household level Each woman head household has approximately 5 family members, mainly these are orphans and vulnerable children. The women are now able to provide for their children, those who are on ART report that they are now able to adhere to their ARVs as they can bow afford better nutrition. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

RESULTS Capacity building At a regional level: The strategic plan with the assistance of an external consultant has been developed and has been adopted by Its regional partners and its national affiliates At a national level; VSO partners in Lesotho have benefited from a phone shop business that they will operate and use the profits as a source of income The partners in all the three countries have benefited from an annual partners grant that enabled them purchase office equipment and supplies for the better running of the organisation. At the community level Through the business skills trainings offered by VSO, the women are able to cascade the same at the community level. When women become providers in the household, they become more confident and are able to contribute in decision making as well as offer advice on health issues referring to the trainings they have been offered. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

RESULTS Changes in attitudes The women have become change agents, those who are HIV positive are now not isolated by the community. Through this empowerment initiatives, they are interacting more with community members at their businesses. The care givers are also cascading the training received to the community level hence enabling others understand HIV- TB prevention care and treatment, contributing to combating stigma and encouraging others to know their status. “We support this initiative and we will be behind the beneficiaries all the way” Commissioner of Police Haseoli 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

RESULTS Any other changes that have come about as a result of the COE work More donors are impressed by the work VSO is doing and they wish to collaborate with VSO to empower more women in this countries. Vodacom Lesotho has approached VSO on collaboration on expansion of this project. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

LESSON LEARNED AND INNOVATION What lessons have been learned? There is a major gap on women empowerment in the SADC region HIV and TB is still rampant and low low socio economic status impacts negatively to people living with HIV and AIDS, and women are most affected How are these being applied? VSO encourages the women to train others in their communities during public gatherings or initiating their own training sessions so that a larger group of women is reached. In some phone shops, they started as five members but they have risen to around members per community phone shop. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

LEARNING AND SHARING WITH OTHER COUNCILS VSO RAISA has also partnered with the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Health as well as the Ministry of Gender in Lesotho to support this project. The Ministry of Labour has committed to have a budget line to support this project so that it is sustainable at the end of the VSO –Dutch support in The Ministry of Health conducts training on Sexual Reproductive Health. VSO RAISA established Southern Africa Miners Association, (SAMA) from the Ex mine workers associations into a regional organisation based and registered in Lesotho. Thereafter, RAISA partnered with SAMA to establish this economic empowerment project for women and widows. In addition RAISA collaborates with UN Women, UNFPA, and the Lesotho network for people living with HIV and AIDS. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

SUSTAINABILITY AND REPLICATION How can the work be sustained? The phone shop project started in Mozambique in , due to its success, it has been replicated in Lesotho and Swaziland with expansion in Mozambique. The Ministry of Labour has committed to have a budget line to support this project so that it is sustainable at the end of the VSO – Dutch support in The beneficiaries have been trained so that they can train others in the community to ensure sustainability as well growth of the project How can the work be cascaded to other organisations? Through partnerships with other organisations working in the same thematic areas as VSO in the SADC region, and encouraging more donors to invest in women empowerment and health aspects in the region. 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

KEY PRIORITIES FOR 2014 What will the council be focusing on in the next year? VSO thematic areas include:  Education  Health  Secure livelihoods  Participation and Governance  Cross cutting areas: Gender and Climate Change Sexual reproductive health for women and young girls in Southern Africa Region Economic empowerment for Women and girls 50/50 BY 2015: DEMANDING A STRONG POST 2015 AGENDA

KEA LEBOHA