Empowerment of Women and Girls | Interactions



Report Submitted to:

Plot 477, 41 Crescent, off Sa'adu Zungur Avenue

Gwarinpa, Abuja.

On

The International Capacity Building Workshop on Women’s Unpaid Care Work and Economic Justice for State and Non-State Stakeholders

Submitted By:

Aniekan Ukpe

March 2013

The 4-day capacity building meeting was called by the Women’s Rights Theme of ActionAid in collaboration with the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), UK, (as part of a grant from DFID) and as a sequel to ActionAid’s Unpaid Care Work (UCW) Project in Nigeria which seeks to bring recognition, reduction and redistribution of the work that women do in support of household and community development and also to address women’s disproportionate burden of unpaid care work.

The meeting brought together around 40 participants from the public sector, academia, labour, community leaders, civil society organizations, Faith Based Organisations and women’s rights groups to begin to develop collective policy influencing strategies that can raise the visibility of women’s care work and push the state to recognise and ensure that care provision is given the attention it merits and is thus properly supported. See Appendix I

Specific objectives of the meeting were: 1) To increase participants’ understanding of how care and women’s rights are key to achieving social justice; 2) Understand how women’s groups, civil society organizations and allies can organise to overcome resistance at both local and national levels; 3) Identify stakeholders that will help to bring about change and discuss policy influencing strategies and entry points; 4) Develop key steps, activities and messages that will be used to advocate for care and social justice.

Following the set objectives, expected out comes were: 1) Participants leave with a stronger and deeper understanding of care and women’s rights issue; 2) Agree on a common approach for a policy influencing strategy that will put care on the Nigerian government’s agenda; 4) Complete a power analysis and stakeholder mapping to identify the issues and entry points to call for greater awareness on care and related policy changes; and 5) Develop elements of a national policy influencing strategy.

The training adopted a multidimensional methodology in not just educating participants on the issues but also getting them to use knowledge acquired to find solutions to practical issues affecting women and children. Specifically, pictorial aids/power point presentations were used at plenary level to stir participants’ interests on issues, eliciting interesting Question and Answer sessions both at plenary and in break-out sessions. The break-out sessions were also used as brainstorming and do-it-yourself sessions in which participants articulated issues presented at plenary in more details and proffered definite strategies for addressing the issues. Role play was also used in a bid to design some advocacy strategy during the meeting.

Overall, the training meeting strengthened the capacity of the UCW Coalition in Nigeria on issues of early childcare development and UCW, particularly in the Nigerian context. Knowledge was broadened on the linkages between care, women’s right and social justice. The meeting also provided a forum for the Coalition to develop key steps, activities and messages that will be used to advocate for care and social justice, including policy influencing strategies and entry points for the two track approach adopted for the advocacy work. Very importantly, participants used the meeting to identify different actors (potential friends, opponents and indifferent) that could one way or the other impact on their work and accordingly designed strategies to engage with each of these.

1.0 Background

ActionAid Nigeria completed the pilot phase of its Unpaid Care Work (UCW) project in 2012. Within this period, Time Diaries from women and men in the target communities were collected and analysed: relevant stakeholders in the target communities and at the national level were sensitised and their support solicited for the project. The policy environment in Nigeria vis-a-vis other countries was analysed to access its favourability for implementing the UCW objectives and economic rights of women. The project outcomes were evaluated and a country report was developed and submitted to ActionAid International (AAI) for the international report. Following these activities and the need to deepen its advocacy demand, AAN with support from her partners plans to adopt a twin-track approach to its advocacy processes to get UCW issues into Nigeria’s development agenda; one being a specific focus on early childhood policy and the other, mainstreaming of UCW into other sectoral plans and policies. The twin-track approach was justified on the basis that unpaid care work has consequence and impacts on several aspect of our daily lives and can be address if effort is made to mainstream the agenda into relevant plans and policies. To achieve this advocacy strategy, AAN is getting financial and technical SUPPORT from AAI, ActionAid Denmark and the Institute of Development Studies, UK. Part of the work will include strengthening the capacity of relevant state and non-state actors to further enhance national advocacy as well as design strategic campaigns on UCW. To take this forward, a four day international capacity building workshop on Women’s Unpaid Care Work and Economic Justice was organised and held for the State and Non-State actors in Nigeria.

2.0 Opening Message by AAN Country Director

Hussaini Abdul, ActionAid Nigeria, Country Director expressed gratitude to AAI for the inception of the work on UCW, stating that it was already posting astounding results, particularly in terms of attitudinal changes in the local communities where the project piloted. He noted that attitudinal changes are not things that happen over-night but that with commitment of the AAN Women Rights Manager, in just over a year of the project in Nigeria, this was already the case. He thanked the two pilot communities of Jiwa and Gaube for the passion with which they have followed the project and urged them, to share their experiences during the course of the meeting.

Welcoming the Nigerian UCW Coalition to the meeting he urged them to take advantage of the knowledgeable resource persons from AAI and IDS to further strengthen their capacity in preparation for the second phase of the project. He also welcomed the resource persons to Nigeria and wished all a successful meeting.

3.0 A Review of UCW in Nigeria

Patience Ekeoba, ActionAid Nigeria, Women Rights Manager gave participant a brief rundown of the UCW project in Nigeria from inception.

3.1 Inception Workshop and Internal Mobilization

The UCW project in Nigeria started on the 21stMarch, 2011, when ActionAid Nigerian team attended the inception workshop in Nairobi Kenya. Returning to Nigeria the ActionAid Unpaid Care team members organized an in-house country debriefing meeting for staff in April 2011.The meeting provided the opportunity for the team to create awareness about the project and get staff buy-in. To ensure that the LRP partner understood the project, there was also a session with them in May 2011 to draw up an implementation plan and agree on roles and responsibility.

3.2 Community Mobilization and Sensitization

Having set the stage for action, on the 5th and 6th of May 2011, the team went to the project communities and started the mmobilization.The chiefs of the communities were visited and the project was formally introduced to them and their support were solicited. The women leaders and the women were also mobilized and sensitized on the goal and objectives of the project. The women were excited about the new project and committed to making sure that it is successful. As part of understanding the status of women in the Reflect groups and the sub groups and for decision purposes, each woman’s bio-data were collected on the 20thand 21stof May2011.

3.3 Baseline Collection

As part of the implementation framework which includes establishing benchmark for measuring progress in the course of implementation, a baseline data collection was conducted in May, 2011. The exercise was conducted with 24 women across the two communities with results showing huge lack of appreciation and value for Unpaid Care Work.

3.4 Capacity Building for Community Facilitators

To strengthen the community facilitators’ capacity to perform their role of mobilization, organizing and support for Diary collection and analysis, a two-day refresher training on Reflect Methodology and Women’s Rights Programming was conducted for 12 participants from Gaube and Jiwa on the 4th and 5th June 2011. An extensive session was included on the Unpaid Care Work Project to enhance participants understanding of the focus of the project and their ability to support the achievement of the objectives. Participants were also made to understand their roles and responsibilities in delivering on the project.

3.5 Selection of Time Diaries Collection Participants

Having established baseline information, we had a general meeting with all the women in the community to present the action plan for the Unpaid Care Work Project in June 2011.25 women from each community were selected from Jiwa and Gaube to participate in the Time Diary Collection. The selection was based on the existing neighborhood structure to ensure equitable representation, in the two communities respectively 5 women from each of the major 5neighbourhoodstructure popularly called Angwua.

3.6 Time Diaries Collection and Analysis from Gaube and Jiwa Women

The Time Diary Collection in the two communities happened within a period of 14 months. A total of six diaries each were collected from the two communities. The first Diary was collected on June 30th and 31st 2011,Second was on 29th and 30th of September 2011, Third on 19th and 20th April 2012 , Fourth on 9th and 11th of May 2012, Fifth on 18 and 29th of July 2012, sixth on 8th and 10th of August 2012.

All Time Diaries collected from the communities were collated, examined, scrutinized and analyzed using the Excel summary sheets developed by the ActionAid International Unpaid Care Work consultant. The analyzed results were presented to the women in the communities for further analysis and validation. During this process the women filling the Time Diaries and other women in the Reflect group were presented with the results of the Dairies, usually represented in graphic form to aid understanding. Using the visual, an issue is isolated and discussed extensively most times with the use of participatory tools eg: The Problem Tree, Power Flower, Pair Wise Ranking Matrix etc.

3.6.1 Summary Finding from the Time Diaries Collection

From the six Time Diary collections women in Gaube and Jiwa women were found to spend an average of 43 minutes and 82 minutes respectively for paid GDP activities, which is just about an hour when averaged over both sites. This has great implication for women’s social and economic empowerment and highly limits their ability to rise above poverty.

We also found out that over half of the women’s entire day of 24 hours is spent on non-productive activities Unpaid care work e.g , Collection of water and Fuel, Housework, Child and Adult Care including subsistence farming.. On average, women in Gaube and Jiwa spend 860 minutes and 757 minutes which are equivalent of 14 and 13 hours respectively on these categories of work. This finding in particular is shocking and has great implication for women’s general wellbeing, because it limits women’s opportunity to be involved in productive ventures that attracts income, participation in socio-political activities e.g. Learning, leadership roles and more importantly the long and multiple burden of this work impacts greatly on women’s health. The negative health impact of these long hours of work was highly decried during the baseline data collection as reflected in their own words;

“Women are suffering, they do not have time

to rest, am always doing one house chores

after the other, there is too much work to do

at home.

“My day is so full and tight, too much

work to do from early morning till night,

no rest, just work”.

The last categories; Learning, Socio-Cultural Activities, Use of Mass Media, and Other Self-care which has great implication for self enhancement and development receives only 3 hours of the entire 24 hours in the women’s day. At the first Time Diary collection women in both communities were found to spend less than 15minutes on average for learning. This situation was extensively discussed with the women. Having realized what they stand to lose if the situation remains the same they collectively decided to commence Adult Literacy Class and by the 3rd Time Dairy Collection over 30 women had registered for the Adult Literacy program and each was spending an average of 30 minutes daily attending the classes. We also observed improvement in time spent on self-Care which rose from an average of 12 minutes at the first Time Diary to 86 minutes at the sixth time diary. The discussion to prioritize their health and wellbeing was given attention hence the appreciable change.

3.7 Time Diaries Collection and Analysis for Gaube and Jiwa Men

Only one Time Dairy each was collected from men in Gaube and Jiwa. This was done to gather evidence about how men spend their time so as to be able to conduct a comparative analysis for men’s and women’s time use. This is necessary to enable the team make a valid case for more male involvement in Unpaid Care Work.

Pix 1: Sharing the time diary results with the Community

In Gaube, the Time Dairy shown in the table below indicates that men spend an average of 6 hours for paid GDP work, 2 hours and 57 minutes doing unpaid GDP (subsistence farming), collection of fire wood/water, house work, child care and adult care daily. For social enhancement (comprising learning, social and cultural activities, and mass media use) and other self care, men in Gaube spend an average of 6 hours and 56 minutes; while the remaining 6 hours 47 minutes are spent sleeping. The Time Dairy from Jiwa indicates that 8 hours 2 minutes are spent on paid GDP work; 52 minutes doing unpaid GDP (subsistent farming), collection of fire wood/water, housework, child care and adult care; 7 hours 26 minutes for social enhancement (comprising learning, social and cultural activities, and mass media use) and self care while the remaining 7 hours and 40 minutes are spent sleeping.

The summaries of the Time Dairies for men and women were presented to the men in both communities. Looking at the marked difference in term of time spent by women and men in doing unpaid care work, the men were defensive and tried making excuses for themselves. After much critical discussion, they finally agreed that the women were overburdened especially with housework and child care, and then collectively agreed that they were going to make efforts to share in the unpaid burden carried by women. The changing attitude in the men was reflected in some comments they made:

“I use to carry my child only for pleasure

not because I see it as my responsibility

to do so, but having participated in this

discussion, i now see that I have been

unfair to my wife and I now make a

commitment to take more active part

in caring for our children and doing other

housework”

“We really feel ashamed of ourselves as

men after seeing the level of injustice

between us and our wives, we will change,

we promise to become more responsible

as men of this community”

3.8 Stakeholders and Coalition Building

Three forums held during the course of implementing the project, as part of the advocacy and campaign plans, the first Forum held on the 20th July 2011, the second forum was held on the 11 august 2011 and the third was held on 26th and 27th of June 2012. Various stakeholders were drawn from civil society groups, the central labour organisation, the academia, government ministries and agencies, the media and communities.

The fora provided opportunity for sharing the objectives of the project, discussing the community processes, getting the buy-in and inputs for the advocacy and campaign strategy. The fora was instrumental in shaping the policy mapping exercise in which opportunities and gaps were identified for advancing the programmatic and policy direction of the UCW for Nigeria. The outcomes of the stakeholders and coalition forums can be accessed in the activity reports.

3.9 Policy Mapping Exercise

Between May and July 2012, we commissioned a Feminist Economist, Professor Christiana Okojie to conduct an assessment of the policy environment for Unpaid Care Work in Nigeria. Specifically, the consultant was asked to identify and review relevant policies and development strategy documents in Nigeria highlighting opportunities and gaps for AAN to advance it objectives on women’s unpaid care work. She was also to carry out comparative studies of existing policies and programmes of at least four counties at regional and international levels capturing best practice and mechanisms for addressing inequalities arising from UCW. Lastly she was to make useful policy recommendations which; Advance solutions to risks and challenges around UCW ,Clearly identify opportunities and advocacy tools AAN should deploy to advance UCW objectives at local and national levels and Produce a stakeholder map which identifies allies and potential roadblocks to AAN’s ability to achieve its UCW objectives.

A comprehensive report of the policy mapping was produced; staff and Stakeholders reviewed it and made inputs. Following this exercise and the various community processes a detailed advocacy action plan has been developed to address gaps identified.

4.0 Naming, Framing, Claiming and Programming

This session started at syndicate level. Participants broke up into syndicates to first discuss and understand how power is exerted at the household and community levels and how this impacts on women’s rights. Rosalind Eyben (IDS) first introduced the syndicates to a possible framework for analysis and action to get care on the agenda and then encourage the groups to go on and articulate the dynamics of power play at the family and community levels and how these impact on women. Both syndicates’ discussions exposed a pattern of devolution of powers at both levels based on male dominance or male superiority. Reports were accordingly taken at plenary. At households, the father is always at the head of a hierarchy with the first male sons following after, and then comes the mother and the daughters. The daughters are typically at the base of the power hierarchy, with sons exercising more power in most cases, notwithstanding that they may be junior to the daughters. At the community level, the chiefs and his council of elders (all typically men) are usually at the top hierarchy, making decisions that affect women without consulting the latter. Power devolves from the community structure to the household structure described earlier.

4.1 Designing a Framework for UCW in Nigeria

Rosalind briefly introduced participants to aspects of a policy influencing framework and associated challenges which they would be contending with in designing a suitable programming for the UCW work in Nigeria.

• Naming: Naming makes care visible and thus potentially a policy matter. Naming includes pushing back at the circular logic of evidence-based policy, for example by inviting economists to discuss ‘strategic ignorance’. By asking people why they think care is invisible, they are encouraged to recognize it. Rosalind underscored the general attitude to UCW; it’s something that women do that is never talked about. First thing, challenge is to talk about it. This would include discussions on an appropriate name. What should it be called –domestic work? Care?

• Framing: Here, Rosalind underscored that how we frame care shapes what is sought in terms of policy actions and programming. The commonly discussed phrase, ‘burden of unpaid care’ signifies that all care is bad and should be reduced so as to get carers into the market economy and contribute to growth. However, care work is fundamentally important for society and individual well being.. A distinction needs to be made between decent and indecent care work. The challenge lies in appropriately describing UCW. What adjectives would be appropriate? What emphasis should be laid on the “burden” of UCW in talking about UCW? Framing may differ from country to country, depending or socio-cultural inklings.

• Claiming: Claiming is about demanding action to be taken. Policy practitioners can look for opportunities to form alliances with civil society groups to reinforce claim-making. The challenge here is to demonstrate that care exists and it is a very important activity. We should also be able to demonstrate why care work is important. On this basis, we can then make demands on governments at all levels to support care eg,. Policies should be designed to recognize the importance of care.

• Programming: Government programmes are often designed without taking into consideration women’s care responsibilities and as such women are often unable to benefit from some otherwise good policies. Opportunities should be exploited to influence government programmes so that care is recognized, and its commonly associated drudgery is reduced and also that the allocation of caring responsibilities is more equitably distributed. Designing programmes to encourage the redistribution of caring responsibilities includes supporting men’s and women’s own efforts to change gender norms that prevent men assuming equal roles in care responsibilities, making it easier for men to become more involved in and respected for sharing the family’s caring responsibilities.

During a reflexive exercise at syndicate level, participants identified the following practical challenges they could face in Nigeria in efforts at naming, framing and claiming UCW:

• The multiplicity of local languages in Nigeria makes naming in any one language susceptible to problem of acceptability.

• Strong resistance by the patriachical Nigerian society which has long ascribed certain duties as women work.

• Strong religious sentiments supporting subservience of women to men

• High level of ignorance in the society.

In view of the fore goings, participants suggested that:

• While a common name should be adopted at the national level to facilitate greater synergies among advocacy actors, communities should be allowed to frame the work themselves.

• Strong suggestions were made that the name “Unpaid Care Work” be retained at national level to avoid confusions during advocacies.

5.0 Who has the Power to Make Change?

Rosalind led participants in extensive discussions to analyse the different manifestations of power and to understand how change happens. Making use of pictorial aids, participants successfully identified the different types of power and how they can effect change. The following types of powers were identified (See ):

• Visible Power: Exercised by governments, the police, the military, international corporations etc. They derive legitimacy from the basic law and exercise powers through the instrumentality of policies, laws, the constitution etc. Citizens’ participation in the exercise of this power can be achieved through lobbying, negotiation, litigations, policy research and proposals, marches and demonstrations, voting etc.

• Hidden Power: Several pressure groups are not part of the formal decision-making processes of society but are nevertheless, involved in setting the agenda for national discourse by their covert influences, including on climate change, reproductive health etc. Some formal institutions with visible power also exercise hidden power. Citizen influence on hidden power can be achieved through coalitions, movements, organizing communities and active constituencies around common concern etc.

Pix 2: Participants working in syndicates

• Invisible Power: This goes a long way to shape values in society, defining what is normal and acceptable. Invisible power rests in every individual, giving the potential to block or alternatively bring about change. Citizens can develop a ‘power within’ that can positively affect society through education, critical thinking, good leadership etc.

In syndicates, participants went on to identify the different actors in Nigeria with power to influence economic policies and what kind of powers the actors exert. See Section 6 below on Stakeholder mapping.

Rosalind told participants that they must be able to properly recognise the workings of power in order to find the entry points for change. She noted that power shapes personal and system bias to keep care off the agenda. Power works to sustain the status quo, putting care on the development agenda requires a political response that recognises and addresses existing system biases. Alliance building with actors that could indeed influence economic policies was identified as a necessary strategy to get care better articulated in the country’s development agenda.

6.0 Mapping of the Policy Environment for Implementing Unpaid Care Work in Nigeria

During the second stakeholders’ meeting on the UCW project in Nigeria, stakeholders agreed that there was a need to conduct a review of select local laws and policy documents to see how much, if at all they covered issues on UCW and how such issues could be further mainstreamed into such laws and policies as may be necessary. The review was carried out by Professor Christiana Okojie, with the following Terms of Reference: 1) Identify and review relevant laws and development strategy documents in Nigeria with the aim of highlighting opportunities and gaps for advancing the objectives of the women’s Unpaid Care Project; 2) compare existing policies and programmes of at least three countries at regional and international levels with the aim of capturing best practices and mechanisms for addressing inequalities arising from UCW; 3) explore opportunities for influencing and mainstreaming UCW into broader policy space and environment in Nigeria. A summary review of the report was presented to participants by Professor Okojie.

Against the backdrop of the objectives of ActionAid’s UCW project, which is to ‘recognize, reduce and redistribute women’s unequal burden of UCW’ the Report reviewed the following policies and programmes of government: 1) National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS); 2) Seven Point Agenda; 3) Vision 20:2020; 4) The Transformation Agenda; 5) Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment (SURE) Programme; 6) National Gender Policy; 7) Universal Basic Education Act; 8) National Policy on Integrated Early Childhood Development in Nigeria; 9) Employment and Tax Laws in Nigeria. It’s main findings were as follows:

• NEEDS: Included a Social Charter and a section on “Empowering Women”. NEEDS did not explicitly target UCW, but some of the education and health policies touched on reducing the burden of UCW such as the UBE Act with early childhood education an integral part of the UBE.

• Seven Point Agenda: Had little reference to gender concerns. Its main focus was on the Niger Delta crisis.

• Vision 20:2020: The Vision 20:2020 rests on three pillars:

o Guaranteeing the well-being and productivity of the people.

o Optimizing the key sources of economic growth.

o Fostering sustainable social and economic development.

One of the strategies for Pillar 1 is to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment. This is the only Pillar relevant for UCW if implemented in a gender-responsive manner.

• Transformation Agenda: There is no reference to UCW In the programme. It covers areas such as job creation, public expenditure management, governance, health, education, labour and productivity, infrastructure, etc. UCW can be integrated into the health and education sectors.

o Education: By promoting access to Early Childhood Care and Education by all children to reduce childcare burden on women.

o Health: Extending National Health Service to the informal sector to transfer burden of health care away from the household to the public sector.

• SURE: While the SURE document does not specifically recognize UCW, relevant to UCW is the Cash Transfers for pregnant women (Social Protection). Cash transfers empower women financially to meet needs of children or improve nutrition. It usually imposes conditions. Transportation, water and power projects reduce time spent fetching water and fuel wood and reduce burden of housework, especially for rural women. It is important to monitor implementation to ensure that women who bear the burden of UCW are targeted.

• Gender Policy: UCW is recognized and discussed explicitly under economic participation where one of its objectives is to institutionalize ties between work and family roles and creating a family-friendly work environment. In other sectors – agriculture, health, education, etc, – reference is made to increasing their access to basic amenities – water, electricity, roads, which can reduce the burden of UCW. The Policy highlights the need to recognize unpaid care work and suggests strategies for reducing the burden.

• UBE Act: The Universal Basic Education Act (2004) included programmes for Early Childhood Care and Education for children 3-5 years. Children 0-3 years were addressed by the IECD Policy. Every public primary school is to make provision for a Pre-School/Early Childhood Care centre which should be free like the primary school component. However, not all public schools have facilities for Pre-School children – lack of finance and personnel.

• The National IECD Policy: The ultimate aim of the Integrated Early Childhood Development (IECD) Policy is to: 1) Provide care for the child while the parents are at work; 2) Prepare the child for further education, and 3) Ensure improved care and support for the growing child and give him/her a good head start in life. It covers children 0-5 years old.

Pix 3: Cross Section of Participants at plenary

On the IECD Policy, Professor Okojie said while the Ministry of Women Affairs is mandated to initiate IECD programmes and activities as it relates to operation of IECD centres and Creches., coordinating committees are to be set up at national and state, local government and community levels. The Federal government is to fund basic infrastructure and meet costs of supervision to ensure quality service delivery while the State government is to fund play equipment and learning packages; fund publicly-owned facilities; provide one meal in public facilities. Education authorities are to regulate and register pre-school facilities (for age 4-5 years only); implement capacity-building programmes for parents, care-givers and teachers; ensure establishment of IECD facilities in public schools.

The IECD Policy recognized UCW and one of its aims is to ensure care of children when mothers are at work. Main relevance to UCW is that children aged 0-5 years can be cared for in day care centres when parents are at work, thus reducing burden of child care for mothers. Professor Okojie however noted that, IECD centres are only free in public schools, they are concentrated in urban centres and only a small percentage of children have been reached by IECD services (about 25%). Many ECD centres lack adequate infrastructure and personnel. She summarised the entire findings of the report as follows:

• Recognition: UCW is generally not recognized in national policies and plans, with few exceptions (Policy on IECD, Gender Policy, Labour Law).

• Reduction: Several projects are being implemented which can reduce the burden of UCW – roads, electricity, water, and health.

• Redistribution: The IECD policy redistributes the burden of child care between parents and IECD centres during the working week.

7.0 Care and Economic Policies

This session basically aimed at educating participants on how economic policies impact on women’s UCW and also to explore how progressive public financing policies can help to address gender inequalities. Two presentations at plenary by Rachel and Tunde gave participants a good insight and a third presentation by David led participants into a practical session on the budget cycle, including influencing it to balance existing inequalities.

7.1 Unpaid Care Work and Economic Rights

Rachel Moussie, Women’s Rights Advisor, AAI in defining the concept of “care”, told participants that care involves work with/for other people rather than things. Direct care of other people, whether on a paid or unpaid basis can take place in private homes as well as in public and private institutions (paid, half-paid, unpaid). She explained that indirect care activities, such as housework, provide the conditions for direct care. On the other hand, “unpaid work” includes unpaid work on the household plot or in the family business, collection of water and firewood for household use and unpaid care of other household members, including housework i.e. “unpaid care work”. Unpaid Care Work would thus broadly include:

• Housework

• Cooking, and caring for children, old people and sick people

• Child development

• Assisting people from other households

• Assisting the community more generally

Rachel underscored the point that the term ‘care’ does not mean that the work is always done willingly, or with love.

Unpaid Care Work, Women and the Economy: Drawing the linkage between this and thus underlining the rationale for agitations for a redefinition of economic justice, Rachel told participants that:

• Unpaid care work sustains the economy by building and supporting a healthy labour force and by providing services in the home that government does not have to provide

• Economics today measures only paid work and unpaid work like subsistence agriculture. It does not include unpaid care work in economic measurements like Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Therefore, economists cannot measure ALL the work that goes into maintaining the labour force and economic activity

• Women are seen as primary caregivers and men are seen as primary breadwinners. Women are limited in their access to education and skills training and the priority is given to men who are supposed to be the breadwinners.

• The market is biased on unequal power relations between the rich and poor, women and men as women and men do not have the same type s of employment and often do not earn the same pay. Women’s responsibilities in the home limit their opportunities to engage in decent work

• The purpose of the economy is not to make big profits for a few, but to ensure that there are enough job opportunities and basic services available that help to reduce or redistribute unpaid care work. This would transform our economic model today where everything is about production without enough consideration to policies that also support reproduction.

She further told participants that the aim of all governments is to maintain macroeconomic stability. This means not spending too much more than government has in revenue and not allowing prices to rise too high too quickly. Governments raise revenue by making people and companies pay taxes and through the profits of their state-owned enterprises. Governments often spend more than they have and this can be managed over the long-term as long as the spending is going towards public investments that will contribute to more employment and greater economic growth. However, neoliberal policies encourage governments not to spend into deficit and instead to cut public services. The problem here is that when governments spend less to reduce their deficit unpaid work is affected in two main ways:

• If government spending on crucial public services such as health or water and sanitation decreases ( women’s unpaid work intensifies even further.

• If output declines because government spends less ( higher unemployment ( households with less income forced to compensate by producing more goods and services at home  

Thus, without enough public services women will continue to subsidise the state through their unpaid care work. Possible solutions include:

• Higher budget allocations on public services that will lead to employment for both women and men and economic growth – i.e. education, healthcare provision, childcare centres - create jobs and allow more women to engage in paid work and rest,

• Raise more taxes progressively – ensuring more taxes are paid by those who can most afford to pay taxes. Make sure that multinational corporations and big national corporations pay their fair share of taxes.

This kind of economic plan will help to reduce and redistribute women’s unpaid care work and lead to greater equality – including gender equality.

7.2 Tax Justice, National Development and Inequality

Briefly introducing participants to the tax system in Nigeria and how it perpetrates inequality, Tunde Aremu of AAN told participants that the tax regime is one of the avenue through which inequality is deepened and the gap between the rich and the poor further widened. Women are on the lower rung of the employment ladder and in the informal sector where arbitrary tax regimes occur. Women suffer more from indirect taxes such as VAT because in their largely UCW functions they happen to interact regularly with the market. They are hardly able to negotiate tax rates or regimes in their local areas due to the deep nature of patriarchal relationship in the economy and politics at the local level. Women suffer most from corporate tax dodging, tax incentives granted to big businesses and capital flight as resources available to the government to fund social services provisioning are largely inadequate; (Tax incentives are cost foregone by businesses; the poor are made to bear these cost).

7.3 How Does the Budget Circle Work in Nigeria?

David Adama of AAN led participants in an engaging discourse on the budget cycle in Nigeria and also to identify key policy influencing strategies. The budget process was tracked as: Budget Formulation Budget Approval Budget Implementation Monitoring & Evaluation.

The Federal Ministry of Finance was identified as the principal actor as far as budget formulation is concerned in Nigeria. Prior to the budget formulation stage, the Ministry of Finance sends out a Call Circular to MDAs in which it directs them to draw up their budget proposals in line with the budget trust as stated in the Circular and also within the resource envelope allocated therein. When formulated, the budget proposal is sent to the Parliament for approval and the MDAs subsequently get to be responsible for implementation. As preparatory to sending out the Call Circulars, the Ministry of Finance calls all MDAs to a retreat where they among other things, determine the eventual content of the Call Circular. The Ministry of Finance also prepares a Physical Strategy Paper which is sent to the Parliament for approval. Upon approval, the paper becomes the basis upon which the budget is formulated. Participants identified the budget formulation stage as a most appropriate point to attempt influencing the final budget to address issues of UCW. Specific strategies were identified as follows;

• Identify relevant MDAs at this stage of budgeting and engage them with fact sheets and policy briefs.

• Advocacy/lobby campaigns at pre-budget retreats both at Federal and State levels where the content/thrust of the Call Circular is debated and agreed upon.

• Lobby to influence the conceptualisation of the Physical Strategy Paper by the Ministry of Finance.

Since the budget formula is based on the Physical Strategy Paper as approved by the Parliament, the budget approval stage provides stakeholders another opportunity to influence the budget. Stakeholders can take advantage of Parliamentary public hearings to make a case to Parliament on which ever area a proposed budget has deviated from the Physical Strategy Paper.

Considering other possible avenues of influencing budgets, it was noted that politicians often try to use state budgets to achieve their party manifesto. Participants were thus encouraged to explore engagements with political parties in order to influence their manifesto to address issues of UCW. A good budget must be:

• Comprehensive- covers the interest of all stakeholders

• Transparent- the budgeting process should be transparent

• Feasible- how realistic or achievable are the projects in the budget having regard to the allocations?

Lastly, participants were taken through the indices of measuring a human rights-based approach to budgeting:

• Availability: The budgeted item should be readily available upon implementation.

• Accessibility: The item should be easily obtainable or reachable by the public.

• Acceptability: The item should be generally accepted as necessary and useful to the public.

• Affordability: The cost of accessing the item should be moderate and within the means of the public.

• Quality: The item must be of good standard and able to serve the purpose as intended.

7.3.1 Comments, Questions and Answers

Participants sought to know at what budget stage local communities can best influence the budget. David explained that as identified during the presentation, the formulation stage afforded the best point at which any stakeholder could make input to and influence the budget. The pre-Call Circular retreat affords a rare opportunity for stakeholders to make input into shaping the budget thrust itself. Once the Call Circulars have gone out to the MDAS, stakeholders should focus advocacy towards MDA budget officers so as to influence whatever proposal an MDA sends to the Ministry of Finance in response to the Call Circular.

Pix 4: David, demonstrating the dynamics of the budget process

Sharing a practical experience in successfully getting some gender considerations mainstreamed into the federal budget during the Obasanjo administration, a participant urged that sustained lobby campaigns on UCW issues could be directed at the President and Governor’s wives as these ones have proven in the past to be capable of influencing MDAs budget, particularly those MDAs touching on issues affecting women and children.

Budget retreats at State level, often including both State and Local Government officials are excellent forum to take advocacy to in the bid to influence budgets at the grass-root level. Again, the use of academic researches reduced into fact sheets and policy briefs are effective tools in attempts at influencing these officials.

Public hearings, parliamentary committee visits and visits to identified influential parliamentarians were identified as avenues of influencing budgets at its approval stage. Again, the use of fact sheets and policy briefs in advocacy campaigns comes in very handy here.

8. Influencing Policies to Address UCW Demand: Twin Track Approach

Patience Ekeoba provided participants with the proposition for a twin track approach to the policy influencing and advocacy intervention for the UCW. Providing rational for this she said that UCW touches on several areas of our national life e.g health, Education, agriculture, infrastructure, water and power supply etc. she also opined that there is also the need to respond to single advocacy issue e.g Early Childhood Education while responding to broader issues across education, health, infrastructure etc as identified in the policy mapping. She pointed out that over arching gaps identified by the UCW coalition team at the last meeting was around lack of evidence on dimension/nature, time and monetary value of unpaid care, impact of burden of care work. Based on the above, there was consensus on what needed to be done to achieve the objection of recognition, top on the priority was to increase evidence on e.g dimension/nature, Time and monetary value of unpaid care, impact of burden of unpaid care work on women, role of income and poverty on Unpaid Care Work, definition of Socio-cultural beliefs and norms. This could be done by orgs. As independent studies or National studies

For Reduction of Unpaid Care Work, the need for increased government spending and disbursement for basic services/infrastructure-transportation/roads, facilities for education-primary, secondary, adult literacy, health care, non-formal education, skills acquisition, cash transferStill on reduction, there was the demand for gender sensitive Tax Credits(Exemptions) for care givers, accountability of government to address corruption and misappropriation of government resources, policy influencing, re-orientation of families and communities to change gender norms and the need to mainstream household budget to address e.g water supply and storage

For Redistribution, coalition members articulated the need for family support policies as currently there is lack of policy measures that support sharing of burden, flexible working hours; parental leaves(paternal and maternal) provision of affordable child care and services for the elderly, re-orientation of family members e.g husbands, sons, etc. Need for high level advocacies to link local issues of UCW to national, regional and global e.g ECOWAS, EU etc The need to evolve national coalition and link up with relevant informal sector network to promote the objectives of the UCW was also stressed.

After due consideration of the issues, AAN is proposing a Twin Tracked Approach to facilitate the achievement of the objectives of the UCW in Nigeria: Single Advocacy for Early Childhood Education Centres to reduce women’s child care burden and a Mainstream process for existing policies to ensure that they tale on board the issues of unpaid care work and adequately provide to address gaps. Reasons for specific focus on ECDE is the fact that IECD services are still very few in urban centers and almost absent in local communities hence only a very small percentage of eligible children have been reache. Coupled with this is the fact that majority of caregivers in the Day Care Centers and Creches in Nigeria still lack the requisite qualifications necessary for an effective development of children. Despite the Policy on Integrated Early Childhood Development, most public schools can only provide care for children 3-5 years in ECCE classes which are still not available in several public schools because of insufficient classrooms and caregivers.

What the single advocacy focus will do will be to review implementation status of ECE policy; establishment and spread between urban and rural areas to ensure services for women in poor urban and rural areas. There may also be the need to review the budget allocation and disbursement for ECE as well as review and demand quality of programme and value for money/resources. For the second stand of the advocacy, since most of the exiting polices do not explicitly recognise issues of unpaid care work, there will be need to mainstream the policies using existing review platforms.

Patience then explained that participants will be shared into two groups; one group will work to articulate how to drive the single advocacy agenda for ECDC while the other group will articulate how to effectively mainstream other existing policies to ensure that they respond to UCW issues. Rachel and Ene were to facilitate the ECDC group while Rosalind and Patience worked with the other group.

9.0 Early Childcare

In another presentation, Rachel led participants to deepen their knowledge on the subject of early childcare and prepare them to design an approach for Early Child Care Education (ECCE) in Nigeria. She told participants that changing family structures due to increasing participation of women in the labour force, economic migration, urbanisation, conflict, HIV and AIDS among others, is seeing more and more children between the ages of 0-3years separate from their mothers and in need of care. This has in turn resulted in a growing debate on who should provide care in such circumstances –the State or Households or the market or Not-for-profits? In any determination of the right provider of childcare services, certain considerations must be guiding; for those needing/seeking childcare services, such considerations would be:

• How affordable is the service in relation to their earnings;

• How convenient is it, in terms of opening hours and location;

• Sufficient quality of service such that they are assured the child is well looked after.

For those providing childcare services on the other hand, the following are important considerations:

• Are the right training and materials available to ensure quality service provision

• Is there recognition that this work is valuable and requires skill?

• pay for time spent providing care services

While underscoring the point that almost half the world’s countries have no formal programmes for children under 3, Rachel pointed out that most ECCE provision is by the public sector in the global north and in Latin America. In Africa and Asia, most childcare services are provided through the private sector. In the global South Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific have the highest pre-primary gross enrolment ratios; far behind come Asia, the Arab States and sub-Saharan Africa. 65 of the 79 countries with data allocated less than 10% of education spending to ECCE in 2004. Over half the 65 countries allocated less than 5%. Of the 14 countries allocating more than 10%, most were in Europe. She further noted that ECCE is not a priority for most donor agencies as available data show that almost all donor agencies allocate to pre-primary less than 10% of what they give for primary education, and over half allocate less than 2%. On their part, governments accord relatively low priority to pre-primary education in their spending. The broad mix of public and private providers and a lack of data make it difficult to calculate total national expenditure on ECCE.

Designing an appropriate approach to childcare development must cover the twin perspective of child’s rights and workers’ right –on the one hand, the child has a right to good education in a safe environment and on the other hand, women have as much right as men to paid work and rest. The later also contemplates more support from other family members to older women and girls. Sensitizing participants on the Global Campaign for Education particularly as touching on early child care, Rachel highlighted that:

• Governments must ensure higher standards for teacher education in early childhood and ensure that the qualifications of early childhood and childcare professionals are on a par with those of primary school teachers and beyond.

• Take measures to overcome all forms of discrimination and guarantee quality early childhood care and education provision to boys and girls, children from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds, children with disabilities and those in emergency situations and marginalized communities.

• Governments must promote investment in ECCE and set up the framework for delivery of early childhood programmes that include civil society.

• Ensure governments set up an ECCE policy-coordinating mechanism to ensure that the programmes, activities and budgets of the various sectors involved in ECCE work together.

• Call for a target of a minimum of 8% of education budgets to be allocated to ECCE (prior to school) and for significant increases in resources for early primary.

• Donors commit to support ECCE

In designing an appropriate approach to early childcare development, the following considerations should be resorted to:

• Should we frame early childcare provision as a way to improve women’s productivity? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this approach?

• How can claiming and programming for early childcare engage men and change norms around women’s and men’s responsibilities?

• How can women’s demands be heard above others demands for early childcare?

PATIENCE, I THINK WE NEED A SUMMARY HERE OF YOUR PRESENTATION ABOUT THE HISTORY OF POLICY INFLUENCING ON WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN NIGERIA AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL

10.0 Stakeholder Mapping

In two syndicates, one on early child development and the other on general UCW, participants undertook a stakeholder mapping exercise in which they identified critical actors with powers to influence programming around the twin issues. The stakeholders were distilled under three different heads –Friends, Opponents and Indifferent. Their scope/level of influence was also identified.

10.1 Stakeholders on Early Child Development

| |Big Influence |Small Influence |

|Friends |UNICEF/UNESCO/WHO/UNIFEM |National Human Rights Commission |

| |Ministry of Women Affairs |Civil Society Action Coalition on Education For All |

| |Department in Charge of Basic Education |CIDA/USAID/ILO |

| |Ministry of Information/Media |Men in UCW Project Communities |

| |Parliamentary Committee |Women in UCW Project Communities |

| |ActionAid Nigeria |Coalition on UCW |

| |Ministry of Health |State Agencies for Mass Education |

| |CWO |AIT Education |

| |FOMWAN |Universal Basic Education |

| |National Women’s Commission -NLC | |

|Indifferent |MDG Office |Leadership of Coalition member organizations |

| |Office of the First Ladies |Men and Women outside UCW Project Communities |

| |Ministry of Finance |News Agency of Nigeria |

| |Ward Leaders |Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria |

| |State Governments |NTA Channel 5 |

| |Area Councils |NECA |

| |Leaders of Women’s Group |NAWOJ |

| |Opposition Political Parties |Wazobia FM |

| |Parliament at all Levels |Vision FM |

| |Ministry of Labour |Aso FM |

| |Labour Unions |National Women’s Commission -TUC |

| |Ruling Party manifesto | |

| |Ministry of Information/Media | |

| |Other Donors | |

| |National Orientation Agency | |

|Opponents |Religious Leaders | |

| |Men and Women | |

| |Traditional Rulers | |

| |Private Sector | |

| |Opposition Political Parties | |

Pix 5: Syndicate work in progress

10.2 Stakeholders on UCW

| |Big Influence |Small Influence |

|Friends |National Orientation Agency |DFID |

| |Political Parties |ILO |

| |NECA |Project Alert |

| |Ministry of Women Affairs |IDS, UK |

| |UNIFEM |Universal Basic Education Commission |

| |National Bureau of Statistics |Non-formal Education Commission |

| |Female Legislators |National Human Right Commission |

| |ActionAid Nigeria | |

| |Women’s Right Advancement Protection Alternative | |

| |Change Managers International | |

| |Brekete Family 104.5 FM | |

| |National Council of Women’s Society | |

| |Gawube Community | |

| |Jiwa Community | |

|Indifferent |Airlines |OXFAM |

| |Telecom Companies |USAID |

| |Oil and Gas Companies |Food and Agriculture Organization |

| |Banks |Ministry of Education |

| |Food and Beverage Companies |Ministry of Water Resources |

| |ALGON |Ministry of Health |

| |Political Parties |Ministry of Agriculture |

| |NECA |FEMNET |

| |Budget Office |National Youth Service Corp Scheme |

| |National Planning Commission |Ministry of Youth Development |

| |Women’s Wing of Christian Association of Nigeria | |

| |Trade Unions | |

| |Governors’ Forum | |

| |Ministry of Finance | |

| |Jamatu Nasril Islam | |

| |Gender Department in Universities | |

| |NUJ/RATTAWU | |

| |Council of Traditional Rulers | |

| |Market Women Association | |

| |UNFPA | |

| |UNICEF | |

| |World Bank | |

| |National Association of Nigerian Students | |

| |Political Parties | |

| |NEPAD | |

| |Governors’ Wives Forum | |

| |Federal Executive Council | |

| |ECOWAS, Gender Unit | |

| |House of Representatives | |

| |Wives of Local Government Chairmen | |

| |Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria | |

| |FIDA | |

| |African Union Gender Desk | |

| |World Bank | |

| |NASFAT | |

| |Senate | |

| |Some Religious Leaders | |

| |National Association of Nurses and Midwives | |

| |Nigerian Television Authority | |

| |Organised Labour | |

| |NAWOJ | |

| |News Agency of Nigeria | |

|Opponents |Some Media | |

| |Religious Leaders | |

| |Traditional Rulers | |

| |Some Women Organisation | |

The syndicate working on mainstreaming UCW into other sectorial plans and policies further prioritised targeted stakeholders totalling 22 in number;: UNICEF, UNFPA, Market Women Association of Nigeria, NUJ/RATTAWU, Council of Traditional Rulers, ALGON, UNIFEM, Ministry of Women Affairs, National Orientation Agency, National Bureau of Statistics, Chairman, Senate Committee on Women Affairs (Sen. Helen Esuene), Political parties, National Employers Consultative Association, Gender department in Universities, National Planning Commission, Ministry of Finance, Budget Office, Jamatu Nasril Islam, Christian Association of Nigeria, Governors Forum.

11.0 Critical Path

Having successfully undertaken a stakeholders mapping, participants went further to identify a desired final outcome and also draw a pathway of changes needed in the next 5years to achieve the desired outcome.

11.1 IECD

|Target Objective |Date |

|Popularity and implementation of IECD policy up to 50% in Urban areas and 30% in rural areas |2017 |

|Budget for IECD in MDAs/government organisations |2016 |

|Number of Parliamentarians supporting IECD increased |2016 |

|Increased provision of childcare at the ward level |2016 |

|Increased support for the IECD programme after review |2016 |

|Popularity and implementation of IECD policy up to 20% in Urban areas and 10% in rural areas |2015 |

|Community group leaders take IECD policy toward higher level |2015 |

|Training of x number of care givers by government completed. |2015 |

|Information sharing builds up stronger coalition of CSOs |2015 |

|Political Parties adopting the IECD Policy in their manifesto |2014 |

|First lady speaks to their husband, Governors and their wives on the IECD policy |2014 |

|Community leaders sensitised to donate land and labour security |2014 |

|IECD generate national debate for elections |2013 |

|Stakeholders meeting to develop strategies of implementation |2013 |

|Media sensitised on the childcare policy |2013 |

|Increased awareness in the communities |2013 |

|Stakeholders identified and mobilised at community and different levels |2013 |

|Partnerships established with MDAs |2013 |

|CSOs coalition on UCW develop a media strategy for engaging the policy |2013 |

|CSOs strategic plan funded by donors/private sector |2013 |

|IECD Policy exist but with only partial implementation |2013 |

|Baseline (of centres + budget) |2013 |

12.1.1 Individual Commitment of Participants/Partners

• CSECAFA: We will integrate IECD into the agenda for the forthcoming Action Week Campaign; “Every Child Needs a Teacher” –April 21 2013 – April 23 2013.

• Agency for Mass Education: We will build crèches in 5 centres across the geopolitical zones in Nigeria by 2014.

• Nigerian Labour Congress: We will include UCW and IECD issues in the gender policy of the Congress which is currently due for review.

• Women’s Right to Education Programme: We will include IECD issues in a current project proposal we are developing to be sent to TY Danjuma foundation for funding. We will promote IECD issues on the social media.

• Center for Non-Formal Education (CENFE): We will integrate IECD issues into our on-going projects on “Supporting Childcare and Good Parentage” in the South-South and we will use crèches to increase the awareness of UCW issues in Nigeria.

• Jiwa Communities: We will meet our leaders and design a plan for sensitizing other neighbouring communities on issues of IECD.

• Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN): I will make a case to the Association’s National Executive Council on the need to build crèches in all our centres across the country. We will also build the capacity of our members on UCW issues.

12.1.2 Collective Commitment of Participants/Partners

• Look for opportunities during community gatherings to talk about IECD and UCW.

• Fundraising for Community sensitization, stake holders’ meeting and baseline studies.

o Approach our friends; UNICEF, UNESCO, uUN Women or assistance. Propose partnership funding.

o Contact Office of the first ladies.

o Contact UBEC

o Central Bank of Nigeria Fund on “Women and Children”

• Develop 1-page flyer and posters on IECD and UCW issues to share with other organizations. Use social media and radio jingles to broaden sensitization drive.

• Set up meeting with officer in charge of IECD department at the Ministry of Education.

• Set up meeting with Child Welfare and Development department at the Ministry of Women Affairs.

• UBEC/SUBEC and AME should go down to the partner communities to meet with them.

12.2 Policy influencing on Unpaid Care Work: Critical Path

|Change outcome |Date |Collective activities to achieve this change |

|Shift in attitudes among Nigerian policy |2017 |Repeat of attitude survey |

|influencers | | |

|At least 5 out of22 targeted organisations in|2017 | |

|Nigeria will have recognized the importance | | |

|of unpaid care work and will have revised | | |

|their policies and programmes accordingly. | | |

|22 targeted stakeholders will have taken |2016 |Strategy for engaging with targeted stakeholders developed including |

|steps to engage unpaid care work as an | |identification of appropriate messages. Mass media strategy. |

|important development issue. | | |

|Coalition on UCW will have been strengthened |2014 |Regular quarterly meetings; community-based work continues and expanded to |

| | |other communities. Individual coalition members ensure that UCW is |

| | |recognised more broadly in their own organisations. |

|Coalition will have enhanced their knowledge |2014 |Report from attitude survey; review of policies and programmes of targeted |

|about current attitudes to UCW among Nigerian| |stakeholders. |

|policy influencers | | |

| |2013 |A funded proposal submitted to donors for working in more communities and |

| | |influencing targeted policy influencers at the state and national levels. |

12.2.1 Individual Commitment of Participants/Partners

Jiwa Community: We will make the awareness stronger, much stronger in my community. We will meet with our traditional rulers, youth leaders, women’s leaders, different organisations. We can also get to the women in Islamic schools; meet with some women’s committees in the churches.

Society for Community Development:

• Raise awareness of people’s consciousness on UCW

• Meet with key stakeholders to discuss UCW in relation to recognitions, reduction and redistribution

• Conduct monthly meetings with women’s groups in the pilot [centres]

• Sensitization of stakeholders to lobby for childcare concerns

Universal Basic Education Commission:

• Seek to organize in-house sensitization with the whole staff of the Commission

• The Commission, given proper sensitization, could assist in information dissemination through SBMCs in addition to the IECD, special care given to challenge people

• I will suggest that the group have specific recommendations for my commission

Federal Ministry of Women Affairs:

• Organize in-house workshops to get everyone sensitized on the objectives of UCW

• Develop an action plan on how the Ministry will support the strengthening of the coalition in 2014.

National Bureau of Statistics:

• Initiate a courtesy visit for Action Aid Country Director to visit Statistician General on the role statistics can play in developing advocacy strategy to raise visibility of women’s care work and push state to take on responsibilities for care provision

• Get Statistician’s commitment to integrate time use into our regular surveys.

ActionAid Nigeria:

• Visit to all the 20+ organizations targeted in the Critical Path

• High level breakfast or dinner for the targeted organizations.

Change Managers International (CMI):

• Sensitize CMI mgt to buy into the idea of UCW

• Encourage CMI to use their outreach programmes as opportunities to mention UCW

• Mention UCW in SBMC training

• Integrate UCW discussion into grassroots women’s political participation training

National Orientation Agency:

• Facilitate a meeting between the DG and Action Aid to discuss UCW being included in NOA’s routine activities of public enlightenment and sensitization.

National Human Rights Commission:

• Facilitate a meeting between my organisation and Action Aid (this is important as the commission is due to review the National Action Plan for the promotion and protection of human rights in Nigeria)

FLOW Project ActionAid International

• Share lessons, information and influence about UCW with Nigerian representatives attending meetings at NEPAD, ECOWAS etc.

• Use Nigeria case studies on UCW in presentations at the AU and NEPAD meetings.

Institute of Development Studies:

• Contact DFID Nigeria and influence them to be active partners in the coalition

13.0 Programming and Messaging

In a role play session, participants identified key points and design to use in successfully passing their message on IECD and UCW to policy makers, politicians, donor agencies and traditional rulers. The following is a summary:

Policy Makers:

• Identify the goal of each Ministry of Government and weave message around such goal.

• Use research papers and policy briefs to formulate evidence-based positions in passing the message.

Pix 6: Participants in role play

Politicians:

• The politician likes to be recognised and feel important. Factor this in when formulating messages.

• Use summaries of briefs or key points in passing message as he barely has time to read long briefs.

• Clearly articulate how involvement in IECD or UCW project will help him achieve his electoral promise or an electoral advantage.

• Message should also clearly articulate how the IECD and UCW campaigns will help stamp out societal inequalities, social injustice and their overall contribution to societal development.

Community Leaders:

• These ones are very interested in peaceful co-existence within their domain. Let them know that if women are over-worked, it could increase chaos and violence in families and homes.

On a general note, Rachel advised participants that it is important to always document the process of any engagement so as to be able to give the target actors up to date summaries during any new engagements.

13.0 Workshop Evaluation

Rosalind took participants through an evaluation process to assess level of success of the workshop. They were asked to write their comments using coloured cards; they were to write what they will take away on a green card, emotional experience on a pink card and new ideas on an orange card.

Various feedbacks were elicited as captured in the attached table [pic]

14.0 Closing

At end of the 4-day training, the international resource persons, Rachel and Rosalind thanked participants for the very engaging sessions. They urged the participants to forge a stronger and collaborative Coalition in pursing common objectives under the UCW project. They thanked AAN for the logistics that ensured the success of the training meeting. Patience of AAN in response, thanked the resource persons for the time and pragmatism with which they conducted the training and the participants for their active participation and commitment all through the training.

Disclaimer: The contents of this report are the sole responsibility of its authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of [pic]

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