Together for Equality

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.

The expected outcomes this project include: (1) increased and more systemic representation and participation of rural women young women and indigenous women in the provinces of Paruro in Peru and Oropeza in Bolivia (the goal is for them to take a public leadership role including in terms of the challenges related to climate change resource control and public health); (2) increased prevention of protection from and suitable services related to sexual and gender-based violence by the authorities and CSOs in rural communities in Paruro in Peru and Oropeza in Bolivia; and (3) improved and fairer access to sustainable self-employment and resource control for women beneficiaries in the provinces of Paruro in Peru and Oropeza in Bolivia.