Training Objectives 1. Understand how to use the Resource Guide and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

WORKSHOP ON GENDER AND WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT IN THE CLEAN COOKING SECTOR

SCALING ADOPTION OF CLEAN COOKING SOLUTIONS THROUGH WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT: A RESOURCE GUIDE

Friday, February 7th

Training Objectives

• 1. Understand how to use the Resource Guide and

access the tools online

• 2. Leave with at least 2 concrete actions that you can

apply to your program/business model in the next 2 months

• 3. Meet people and learn about organizations that can

share best practices and be a resource to you as you implement best practices in your own projects

• 4. Understand basic gender terms
• 5. Identify at least 1 activity/intervention that you might

consider integrating into your project/business model and think through a plan for considering it for implementation

Review of Materials in Packets

• Agenda & Participant list
• Note Taking Worksheet – use throughout the day
• Alliance Gender Strategy
• Every value chain segment has:
• Overview of key concepts & best practices
• Example tools
• Checklists – at the end of the session, check off

whether you already implement these best practices

• Activity handouts/worksheets for workshop
• How to Use the Resource Guide handout
• Women’s Empowerment Fund (WEF) guidance
• Workshop questionnaire and feedback form

Why does the sector need to focus on women and gender issues?

Women, as the users, will ultimately determine use and adoption Women entrepreneurs are an untapped resource – Women are the fastest growing cohort of entrepreneurs and business owners in many developing countries Women entrepreneurs can better reach female consumer segments and increase overall sales Women can enhance development impacts – Women reinvest 90% of their earnings back into their families and communities

Has anyone seen evidence of this first hand? Let’s share a few experiences.

So if we know it is critical, why isn’t everyone focused on it? What are the challenges around scaling women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship, and addressing gender?

Capacity of implementing

• rganizations to address gender

and women’s entrepreneurship needs to be strengthened:

• Resource Guide
• Gender capacity building through

Capacity Development Facility

Financing needed for gender components of cookstove and fuel projects:

• Women’s Empowerment Fund

Need increased evidence of the specific gender impacts in the sector:

• 3 gender studies currently

underway

• Applied research and M&E

for Alliance grants

The Resource Guide serves as the foundation to build capacity to address gender and empower women

• Accessible information and resources: The

Gender Online Knowledge Hub features over 55 tools

• Resource Guide implementation: workshops,

trainings, grant opportunities, & media

• Series of publications

Each value chain section includes:

– An overview of the value chain segment – List of best practice for integrating women in that segment – Case studies that show application of best practices – Stories of individual women – A chart linking best practices with tools and resources

• All tools can be downloaded at

www.cleancookstoves.org/gender

PRODUCT DESIGN PRODUCTION CONSUMER FINANCE SUPPLIER FINANCE DISTRIBUTION AFTER-SALES SERVICE

Universal Best Practices

• Conduct analysis to understand gender roles and dynamics in a

community

• Develop a strategy to engage men
• Schedule times and locations of meetings/activities around

women’s availability and remain flexible

• Identify and build strong local partnerships with trusted individuals

and organizations; Strongly consider working with women’s groups

• Conduct gender sensitive training on relevant topics; Offer

continuous training opportunities and mentorship

• Examples of interesting tools:

– Tips for conducting a gender analysis at the activity or project level – Toolkit on engaging men and boys – Monitoring form for measuring sustainability of women’s groups – Business training toolkit for women

Working with Men

• Resistant / obstructive

– Be aware and deal with resistance

• Involve as supportive partners /

change agents

– Sensitize leaders, fathers, husbands – Separate activities, m/f promoters – Men’s awareness of cookstoves benefits – Men’s involvement in design and cooking – Joint budgeting, decision making, loans – Gender equality benefits all How have men responded when you try to work with women? What are some creative ways to work with men?

DISTRIBUTION

Women can be the key to scaling distribution. Women have access to hard-to-reach households, can utilize woman-to- woman marketing techniques, and are trusted promoters of household products among their peers.

CASE STUDIES Practical Action Solar Sister The Paradigm Project CARE ESVAK Living Goods Best Practices

• Create selection criteria
• Create market maps and emphasize

customer service within trainings

• Offer trial periods
• Provide an entrepreneur starter

package

• Use gender-informed marketing

messages/methods

• Create a tiered system of

accountability

• Provide incentives
• Provide opportunities for successful

women to share their experiences and take on leadership roles

• Engage intermediaries and work

with men to provide transportation support

• Create central product hubs

DISTRIBUTION

Women can be the key to scaling distribution. Women have access to hard-to-reach households, can utilize woman-to- woman marketing techniques, and are trusted promoters of household products among their peers.

Tool Examples

• Selection Guide Example:

Entrepreneur Screening Score Sheet

• Mapping the Market
• What to Put in an

Entrepreneur Starter Kit

*Tools for each best practice on the Alliance Gender Online hub

AFTER-SALES SERVICE

Women are well- positioned to ensure proper maintenance and care of improved cooking

• solutions. Woman- to-

woman knowledge transfer in maintenance is often more effective than man-to-woman knowledge transfer, particularly in conservative

• communities. Women

have direct access to users.

CASE STUDIES SURE Grameen Shakti CEDESOL Best Practices

• Offer product trial periods
• Provide support networks

and oversight

• Provide warranties with

women servicing repair and/ or maintenance needs

• Emphasize technology,

repair, after-sales, and customer service within trainings

• Create central energy hubs

where maintenance and service can take place

• Encourage the use of or

provide mobile phones *Tool Examples:

• Warranty Examples
• How to Create an Upesi Stove Guide

AFTER-SALES SERVICE

Women are well- positioned to ensure proper maintenance and care of improved cooking

• solutions. Woman- to-

woman knowledge transfer in maintenance is often more effective than man-to-woman knowledge transfer, particularly in conservative

• communities. Women

have direct access to users.

Tool Examples

• Warranty Examples
• How to Create an

Upesi Stove Guide

*Tools for each best practice on the Alliance Gender Online hub

Overview of Distribution Breakout Options

• Mapping the market

– Practical Action will lead an exercise on how to map the market. Mapping the market is a process of visualizing the connections between market actors, the issues that affect them and the services that support them. – Mapping the market provides practitioners with a theoretical framework to help design initiatives and promote dialogue, reflection and awareness. Using this map, practitioners can explore where and how to engage women.

• Empowerment training

– ESVAK will lead a session on Empowerment training, which is designed to foster women’s sense of self, resulting in greater self-esteem, motivation, self-respect, and self-reliance. – Empowerment and leadership training can enhance women’s abilities to be successful as entrepreneurs in the cookstove value chain to increase sales and adoption.

PRODUCT DESIGN

Women’s input in design is critical. Engaging women can help generate demand, create appropriate products, and increase adoption. CASE STUDIES EcoZoom Potential Energy

Best Practices

• Conduct household

questionnaires and surveys, as well as one on one discussions

• Conduct expert interviews
• Conduct focus group discussions
• Conduct cookstove

performance tests with users in the field to ensure performance

• Observe women cooking on

both their traditional cookstoves and with the improved models

• Conduct cookstove field trials

and gather feedback

PRODUCT DESIGN

Women’s input in design is critical. Engaging women can help generate demand, create appropriate products, and increase adoption.

Tool Examples

• Household Questionnaire
• Focus Group Discussion

Template

• Testing protocols

*Tools for each best practice on the Alliance Gender Online hub

Best Practices

• Integrate livelihood
• pportunities for women

in manufacturing processes that involve producing components locally

• Work with women’s

groups or create groups of women to scale efforts, build capacity, and provide a support system

• Provide training on quality

assurance and quality control; Provide production manuals

PRODUCTION

Women can be economically empowered in the production of clean

• cookstoves. As producers,

women become experts in the products they use regularly and are likely to further help generate awareness and demand among a wider cadre of consumers.

CASE STUDIES ICSEE GERES TIDE

PRODUCTION

Women can be economically empowered in the production of clean

• cookstoves. As

producers, women become experts in the products they use regularly and are likely to further help generate awareness and demand among a wider cadre of consumers.

Tool Examples

• Clean Cooking Catalogue
• Monitoring form for

measuring sustainability of women’s groups/associations

• Portable Clay Stove

Construction Guide

*Tools for each best practice on the Alliance Gender Online hub

Overview of Finance Breakout Options

• Consumer Finance

– Jennifer Tweddell, of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, will conduct a session exploring consumer finance mechanisms through a gender lens and lead a reflection activity on consumer finance for women.

• Supplier Finance

– GVEP International will present on their case study from the resource guide, delve into how to support women and financial institutions for effective supplier finance, and conduct an activity that explores sources

• f supplier financing for women.

Best Practices

• Educate women’s groups
• n how to access consumer

finance as a group

• Emphasize money

management and savings in trainings

• Consider flexible repayment

plans, micro-consignment,

• r rent-to-own schemes
• Consider providing

consumer finance directly through the project or develop partnerships to provide direct access to credit for product purchases

• If working with financial

institutions, provide support to make them comfortable lending to women, as well as education working with women clients

CONSUMER FINANCE

Consumer finance options enable women to purchase clean cooking

• solutions. When diverse

finance options are available to purchase expensive products, consumer have more purchasing power and are able to consider higher- priced, but better quality

• ptions.

CASE STUDIES Jagriti SEWA Potential Energy

CONSUMER FINANCE

Consumer finance options enable women to purchase clean cooking

• solutions. When diverse

finance options are available to purchase expensive products, consumer have more purchasing power and are able to consider higher- priced, but better quality

• ptions.

*Tools for each best practice on the Alliance Gender Online hub

Tool Examples

• Gender and Rural

Microfinance: Reaching and Empowering Women – Guide for Practitioners

• End-User Finance: A Guide for

Sustainable Energy Enterprises and NGOs

Best Practices

• Train women borrowers on

financial management and provide mentorship

• Ensure women have equal

access to innovative finance mechanisms

• When working with

financial institutions, provide financial support to reduce their risk lending to cooking sector businesses; Conduct education and advocacy to lend to women energy entrepreneurs

• Organize women borrowers

into groups or networks in

• rder to access and/or

repay loans more efficiently

• Create flexible terms such

as low interest rates and small repayment

SUPPLIER FINANCE

Women-led businesses have a unique role to play in the cooking sector. They have direct access to consumers and can expand access to a variety of clean cooking products. Women-led businesses are often unable to obtain loans or connect directly with investors, and need training to support their business and its growth.

CASE STUDIES GVEP International Eco-Fuel Africa

SUPPLIER FINANCE

Women-led businesses have a unique role to play in the cooking sector. They have direct access to consumers and can expand access to a variety of clean cooking products. Women-led businesses are often unable to obtain loans or connect directly with investors, and need training to support their business and its growth.

*Tools for each best practice on the Alliance Gender Online hub

Tool Examples

• Training Manual for Micro, Small

and Medium Entrepreneurs in Energy Business Financing

• Marketing Innovative Devices for

the Base of the Pyramid

• Strengthening Access to Finance

for Women-Owned SMEs in Developing Countries

How to use the Resource Guide

• Resource Guide Best Practice Charts:

– Identifies the best practice – Explains challenges that the best practice can help overcome – Lists tools that can help you implement the best practice

• Cheat sheet of Best Practices and Tools:

– Breaks down each tool for each best practice – Describes the tool including who developed it

• Types of tools available

– Guidelines and checklists – Reports and manuals – Reference to a case study – Webpages and catalogues

How to Access the Tools

www.cleancookstoves.org/gender

A Call to Action

Partners can continuously and actively:

– Understand gender dynamics – Be flexible and considerate of women’s availability – Build strong local partnerships – Create livelihoods that work for women – Train, mentor, and train again – Be innovative

Alliance commitment:

• Finance women’s empowerment projects and help scale successful

approaches

• Trainings on Resource Guide in 2014 (East Africa, West Africa, South

Asia, South America)

• Possibly provide coaching services after trainings
• Gender capacity building in Alliance’s Capacity Development Facility
• Provide support and guidance on M&E
• Continue to build evidence