Various perspectives on using women"s organizations in development programming

This paper summarizes discussions held at a series of A.I.D. conferences on this potential and discusses ways to make it a reality. Four major conclusions were reached at the conferences about the potential of women"s groups. (1) Strengthening local women"s user groups will help donors reach the poor through local projects and the channeling of funds and materials. (2) Working through these organizations provides women with opportunities for personal and managerial development. (3) Women are under-represented in development programs and need help in establishing strong and effective organizations. (4) A number of women"s groups are ready to participate in development programs, but how donors can assist them to do so remains unclear. Informal groups, it was felt, can best be supported by giving them information and by assisting local projects around which groups form. Intermediary groups should be encouraged to provide information at the local level, establish networks, and offer expertise on larger programs, while non-indigenous groups can provide technical support. The author then provides two criteria for WID projects -- to integrate women into all aspects of development, especially in the modern sector, and to give them more control over their future by improving their skills -- and suggests ways for improving the use of women"s organizations in achieving WID objectives. It is recommended that user groups make sure that projects they support truly benefit women and push for women"s interests in larger projects; that intermediary groups establish an umbrella fund for small WID projects, hold a year-long regional workshop to build up the capacity of local women to work with development programs, and assist promising local groups; and that donors help define goals and evaluation criteria and fund research on training, income generation, marketing, technical support, and case studies. A 53-item bibliography (1974-80) and an appendix on selected non-indigenous intermediaries representing six different organizational frameworks is included.