The Regional Gender and Governance Programme
The Regional Gender and Governance Programme unites five feminist organisations in El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala. The programme aims to strengthen the political participation of marginalised women so that public policies, services and legislation reflect women’s rights. Work is being carried out in four Central American countries in 39 rural and urban municipalities: Nicaragua (12 municipalities), El Salvador (12 municipalities), Honduras (7 municipalities) and Guatemala (8 municipalities) and is benefitting approximately 1,500 grassroots women from 30 women's organisations and 155 women councillors and mayors.
Grassroots women are working to strenghen links with local government decision making structures in order to push for a greater gender focus in municipal planning, policy-making and resource allocation Public officials are also receiving training on gender mainstreaming. Public campaigns are undertaken to mobilise public and political support for reform of political parties, municipal and national structures. The consolidation of cross-party alliances, so that women’s interests are put above those of party concerns, is a particular focus of this programme.
(photo - training workshop)
OWA was instrumental in bringing the five partners together and continues to support them as the Alianza Feminista. This joint regional approach has been invaluable in building the skills and capacities of the partner organisations through the regional and bi-national exchanges. OWA has also encouraged cross-learning between disabled women and women political rights activists.
The partners have involved grassroots women and women councillors in all levels of the programme, as demonstrated by the successful development of the Network (Red Centroamericana de Mujeres para el Desarrollo Local con Equidad de Género), which now develops joint media campaigns and direct actions in support of their sister organisations when they face threats.
For example, women in El Salvador staged a sit-in in the cathedral of San Salvador to protest against the treatment of Honduran women who were attacked during protests against the military coup in Honduras in July. The programme has targeted particularly marginalised women, such as young women in Nicaragua and Honduras, indigenous women in Guatemala and blind women in El Salvador.
The Regional Disability Rights Programme
The Regional Disability Rights Programme has been implemented since 2006 by the following partners: FEMUCADI (Federation of Disabled Women of Nicaragua), INMUN (Institute of Blind Women of Nicaragua), COMUS (United Communities of Usulután) and ASCES (Association of Blind People of El Salvador). One World Action also supports COMUCES (the Committee of Blind Women in El Salvador), and the Ombudsperson for Disabled People’s Rights in Nicaragua.
In El Salvador and Nicaragua more than 10% of the total population are disabled. Of this percentage, more than half are women who face the double discrimination due to their gender and being disabled. Disabled women are often disproportionately excluded from education, health services, job opportunities and political participation; they are also more vulnerable to gender-based violence and sexual abuse.
(photo - women holding purple banner)
The programme focuses on transforming legislation & policy from the national to the local level in favour of disabled women. It provides training & organisational support to enable disabled women to take forward and negotiate policy proposals and legal reforms with elected representatives and with regulatory and state bodies. Such proposals and legal reforms focus on issues such as access to public spaces, the development of inclusive education, improved social security benefits and better treatment by medical personnel.
Regional and national exchanges also allow for lesson learning and the building of a movement for promoting the rights of disabled people which approaches disability issues in a gender-sensitive manner. To this end, a regional consortium is in the process of being legalized so that it can effectively lobby at both national and international levels.
