Éducation International-Coopérative de Services de Développement et

Published purpose

This project aims to increase gender equality and to empower rural women. The beneficiaries are indigenous women and young women from the provinces of Paruro in Peru and Oropeza in Bolivia. The project aims to reduce the political, economic and social inequalities that these vulnerable populations face. These inequalities are made worse by climate change, food insecurity and the deteriorating health of their families. There is also the COVID-19 crisis, which increased the number of cases of gender-based sexual violence. The pandemic also limited their access to health services. The project will help the targeted women to be more resilient to climate change and to health crises. Sustainable economic activities will therefore help to reduce poverty in the targeted communities. Project activities include: (1) analyzing obstacles to women’s, young women’s and indigenous women’s public leadership (the goal is to use this information to strengthen civil society organizations (CSOs) and the authorities); (2) providing technical assistance to support and increase these women’s participation and representation (these women and local CSO representatives will be better able to respond to climate change and to control their resources and public health); (3) establishing information and awareness activities for local authorities on various issues, including gender equality, climate change, resource control and public health; (4) training and supporting beneficiaries so they can detect, prevent, intervene and protect themselves against sexual and gender-based violence; (5) establishing awareness activities on this type of violence, rights and available resources, and providing training on climate change, resource control, agroecology and public health; (6) opening travelling agroecology schools; and (7) providing entrepreneurship training and support activities to encourage the marketing of these women’s agricultural productions and those of the CSOs in the targeted communities.