Oxfam Canada - Engendering Change - Program 2009-2014

The main objective of the program is to reduce gender inequality by increasing the sustainability skill set and programming reach for southern partners to deliver tangible improvements in the lives of women in food security rural livelihoods HIV/AIDS reduction and freedom from violence; and empower women to actively advance women’s democratic rights. In Canada Oxfam's methodology focuses upon mobilizing Canadians to deepen their understanding and engagement particularly on global women's issues aid effectiveness principles and the interplay between active citizens and effective states to affect sustainable poverty reduction. Key activities include: capacity building of 44 partners to improve program delivery through training and technical assistance on gender equality for women to secure improved livelihoods access to credit property and labour rights and protection against HIV/AIDS and violence. The expected results include: • 4 211 small-holder farmers traders and cooperative members (of which 69% or 2 902 are female) with increased sustainable incomes from local agricultural value chains; • 136 local partner staff policy makers practitioners and researchers with the capacity to use and replicate community asset-based entrepreneurship models to economically empower small holder farmers particularly women; • Increased knowledge and skills of women and men in rural economic collectives to manage the production and marketing of value added products; • Improved collaboration between actors in the value chain; • Increased integration of asset-based approaches to community economic development by decision-makers and practitioners.