Date
06.12.2024
By
Barbara Metzler , Patricia Nyasuna

Transforming social and gender norms

Gender Equality
Human Rights & Civ. Soc.
Learn&Share: knowhow3000
East Africa
Co-financing
Advisory

“If we want to transform society, we have to transform ourselves”

A lack of full access to resources for women, male domination of decision-making, unequal distribution of labor and the prevalence of gender-based violence are some of the gender inequalities that horizont3000’s partner organizations encounter while implementing their activities in East Africa. This was clearly shown by 16 gender analyses that were conducted at the beginning of the projects in Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. More than 3000 members of different communities shared their views and daily experiences when responding to questionnaires or personal interviews or participating in focus group discussions.

A female respondent from Nwoya district in northern Uganda explained:
“If you are still unmarried and living at your father’s house, they believe that you will one day get married somewhere, that you will get land there. At your marriage place, they believe that you will one day go back to your father’s house or, change men. In both cases they do not want women to own land because it means that it can be transferred to another male that is NOT of the clan.”

Male respondents from Biharamulo district in Western Tanzania stated that:
“Sometimes when I help my wife to cook, she comes back and complains why did I do that, the community will say a negative word against her” and “When other men find me doing domestic activities, they say this man has been bewitched.”

While these three statements are only exemplary and of course can neither represent the complex causes nor the various manifestations of gender inequality, they give us an idea of how powerful social and gender norms are. If they are not addressed, gender inequality can’t be overcome.

The Social Analysis and Action (SAA) approach

To equip the partner organizations with the necessary knowledge and tools to master this task the horizont3000 regional office in East Africa organized two five days training on using the Social Analysis and Action (SAA) approach to transform social and gender norms. The trainings were funded by horizont3000’s knowledge management program knowhow3000 that puts the focus of its current program phase on learning and sharing for gender equality.

Taking place in Kampala, Uganda, at the beginning of August 2024 the first training brought together 25 participants including project staff and community facilitators from South Sudanese and Ugandan partner organizations as well as staff members and advisors from horizont3000. The second training which was held in Bagamoyo, Tanzania, in mid-September 2024 was attended by 24 participants including project staff and community facilitators from Kenyan and Tanzanian partner organizations as well as advisors from horizont3000. Both trainings were facilitated by highly experienced and knowledgeable members of CARE’s Global Gender Cohort.

“I learned that the SAA approach is a powerful strategy for challenging restrictive gender norms in our communities without causing disruption. It emphasizes community-led problem identification and joint action planning, fostering sustainable change from within.”

a training participant

SAA is an approach developed by CARE International that accompanies individuals and groups in exploring and challenging the social norms and practices that influence their daily lives. It aims at initiating community-led change that results in more gender equality. At its core the cyclical process consists of five steps.

  1. The first step is one of the characteristics that sets SAA apart from conventional training methods. SAA acknowledges that staff members are part of societies and have also grown into certain beliefs. Therefore, it starts by looking in the mirror. During staff transformation, facilitators reflect their own attitudes and assumptions and thereby increase their understanding of and comfort with the topics they are going to address.
  2. In a second step the community is engaged to identify gender norms that are relevant to them. A set of participatory tools allows to discuss these norms in a safe space and to understand their impact. Responding to probing questions helps the community to recognize negative sides of certain norms, which serves as a gateway to envisioning positive alternatives.
  3. Making use of this motivation for change the third step is to plan for individual and collective action. Facilitators support the communities in assessing if the proposed actions will bring about the desired change, who would either support or oppose the actions, and which risks they possibly have to deal with.
  4. Putting the developed plans into practice is what the fourth step is all about. Implementation should be locally led and based on local knowledge. However, following the Do No Harm principle, facilitators have to be aware of potential damages and assist in identifying appropriate alternative actions.
  5. Lastly the fifth step is to monitor and evaluate how dialogues and actions are developing and which transformation is achieved on different levels.

"Part of this transformative training entailed a reflective session for the participants, who are working to support communities in addressing GBV through community dialogues.

Talking about what happens behind closed doors can be difficult, uncomfortable and even a taboo topic in some contexts. Conversations on sexuality and sexual activity are often swept under the carpet, making it even more difficult to discuss sexual violence."

Maureen Obbayi, gender expert

Persons and things

The trainings were mainly structured by the five steps of the SAA approach. Sessions on key gender concepts, gender transformative approaches and the CARE gender marker provided the basis for a shared understanding of what was to follow. Units on gender-based violence, male engagement and women’s voice and leadership further complemented the program. Throughout the trainings the main focus was laid on applying different tools for self-reflection and for facilitating reflection-processes in the communities. One such a tool that left a specific mark on many participants is called “persons and things”.

“Persons and things” is a suitable tool to explore gender power dynamics and reflect gender-based violence. The exercise provides those who are involved with a first-hand experience of how it feels to have power over others or – on the absolute contrary – to be completely powerless. At the beginning of the exercise the members are divided into three different groups. One group is supposed to act as “persons”, the other as “things” and the last as “observers”. The groups then receive the instruction that only “persons” can think, feel, and make decisions during the exercise. “Persons” are in a position to tell the “objects” what to do. At the same time “things” have to do whatever they are directed to do. “Things” cannot make any decisions and have to ask “persons” for permission for everything. “Observers” have to look at what is happening in silence.

After the instructions each “person” is assigned a “thing” and an “observer”. In the following five minutes they all carry out their designated part. Then “persons” and “things” switch their roles and the exercise continues for another five minutes. At the end everybody goes back to their place and the group gets the chance to discuss the experience. While initial questions from the facilitator focus on the exercise itself, questions at a later stage should connect the exercise to experiences from the participants’ daily lives.

In their feedback participants referred to the trainings as “eye-openers”. They especially appreciated the interactive approach and praised the facilitators’ abilities to involve everyone and respect different ideas. Besides of conducting the trainings the facilitators were therefore also acting as role models for how to carry out reflection-sessions and guide discussions. The engaging nature, practical examples and reference to personal experiences allowed the participants to grasp the complex and diverse content presented during the five days. The in-depth discussions encouraged members to not only use the gained knowledge in their work context, but to also think about their personal practices at home.

"Together with 'persons and things', the ‘body mapping’ tool also helped participants to reflect on perceptions about their bodies, sexual behaviour and its potential to elicit both pleasure and pain.

There was a powerful realisation that violence causes pain and harm to men and women, boys and girls, and persons of all genders, and it should be mitigated and prevented at all costs."

Maureen Obbayi, gender expert

outlook

A recently concluded follow-up survey among partner organizations made the impacts of the trainings further palpable. A coupe of the participants stated that the training has fundamentally changed how they work. They now handle gender issues as integral part of project implementation and aim at transforming systems and structures instead of only focusing on individual empowerment. During their activities they engage both women and men and pay increased attention to power dynamics, inclusivity and intersectionality.

Moreover, thanks to the application of SAA tools, they have moved from lecturing community members to listening to them. In some cases, project staff was already able to notice a shift within the communities: The understanding of social and gender norms has increased and their critical reflection has opened rooms for sharing roles and responsibilities as well as for reporting of gender-based violence. And last but not least: training participants reported an attitude change and enhanced mindfulness among themselves. In that sense the trainings can be regarded as successful – because after all we first have to transform ourselves if we want to transform the societies we live in.

“The most significant takeaway from the training was the array of innovative approaches to facilitate equal and respectful participation of both men and women in community engagements.

These methodologies empower community members to critically examine, challenge, and transform harmful social norms, fostering a mindset shift towards positive change.”

a training participant

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