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Development Issues: Women
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On-the-spot course on the Role of Women in Agriculture Production, Israel
On-the-sport course on Women and Micro-enterprises, Kenya
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Statistics show that of the more than a billion people living in
abject poverty in the developing world at the start of the 21st
century, the vast majority are women. Generations of discriminatory
practices, including low investment in women's education and health,
restricted access to services and credit and legal and regulatory
restraints, have all marginalized and undermined women's position in
society. This has in turn limited their opportunities for
participation in decision making, contributing to the growing gender
disparities in the developing world.
At the same time as the problem of gender disparity has become an
urgent issue on the international agenda, the important actual and
potential role of women in sustainable development has become a
central tenet of development policy worldwide. The United Nations
World Economic and Social Survey of 2000 noted a link between
education and growth. In particular, investment in the education of
girls and women has been shown to contribute to economic growth and
improve child survival and overall family health.
Israel has long considered investment in training women to be central
to sustainable development. The Golda Meir Mount Carmel International
Training Center (MCTC), one of MASHAV's earliest affiliate training
centers, has addressed the connection between gender, poverty and
development for over 40 years. MCTC's courses, workshops, study tours
and seminars in Israel and in partner countries, raise awareness of
gender bias and the need for gender-sensitive policy decisions.
Participants in these MCTC courses are encouraged to develop
empowerment strategies to heighten the consciousness of policy makers
to issues relating to women's economic and social welfare and to
increase interaction between women's organizations and public sector
decision-makers. In addition, many of MASHAV's courses in fields
ranging from Small and Medium Enterprises to agriculture are
specifically geared towards women or towards traditional fields of
female employment. This includes both training and support in the
type of entrepreneurial activities in which women can most profitably
engage.
Capacity building of women's organizations is another key feature of
MASHAV's activities in this field. MASHAV aims to help strengthen
women's NGOs throughout the developing world through providing
structures for networking and representation and the encouragement
and support of women leaders. In this context, MASHAV sponsors a
biannual International Seminar and Symposium of women leaders from
the developing and industrialized countries. These events enable
information-sharing and exchange of experiences among the
participants. They also attract international experts from the ILO,
UNIDO, IDB, UNESCO, UNICEF, the EU and the World Bank as well as
representatives of international aid agencies.
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Women as Entrepreneurs
MASHAV and the MCTC have cooperated with Winrock Interantional and
UNESCO since 1997, to develop the capacity of national women's
organizations and to train local women trainers to transfer knowledge
and skills to rural women's groups. 82 women and 17 men have
participated in four MCTC/Winrock workshops held in CUte d'Ivoire,
two in Senegal and one in Mali. The training emphasizes
organizational development and project planning skills and is then
further strengthened by inviting workshop graduates to the full MCTC
eight-week course on "Community Development and Management of
Income-Generating Projects." This project of human resource
development aims to act as a catalyst for the continuous transfer of
skills to women leaders and trainers at a regional level.
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