6 June 2009

Lending a Voice to the Most Vulnerable

Mainstreaming Gender Issues in the Flood Preparedness Programs in

ABSTRACT

his case study features activi- ties to develop and implement T a program that addresses the needs and problems of women who are de facto heads of households. Firstly, a study was conducted to identify the general problems faced by women- headed households and their spe- cifi c problems they encounter during fl oods. Results of the study were later discussed in two workshops attended by representatives from the provincial, district, and commune level disaster management committees as well as Consultation Workshop in identifi cation of fl ood related needs of women headed households in from the department of women af- province fairs. The workshops recommended the building of capacities and raising the awareness on fl ood risk reduction INTRODUCTION by women-headed households and women and children focal points at t is estimated that 29.2% of the house- government hierarchies, which are, in the commune level. A local NGO was holds in Cambodia are headed by turn, linked to male-dominated status commissioned to assist in facilitating Iwomen. The percentage of women- hierarchies, and (2) if the community the participation of women and chil- headed households is higher in rural ar- consultation is performed, the male as eas (29.3%) than in urban areas (28.4%). the decision-making fi gure in the com- dren in three fl ood preparedness and Some are widows, a result of decades of munity prevents women from actively disaster risk reduction activities. Final- civil violence. Others are divorced or have participating. Those obstacles deprive ly, a public awareness campaign was been abandoned by their husbands. women-headed households of direct conducted in several villages targeting Though not all women-headed assistance as well as critical informa- the women-headed households. households can be labeled poor many tion with regards to development and of them tend to have smaller land hold- other humanitarian activities. THE INSIDE STORY ings. They are more vulnerable to los- Kandal and Prey Veng provinces in ing their land in the event of economic Cambodia have played host to a grow- Gender-sensitive fl ood risk shocks and have higher rates of child ing number of fl ood risk reduction proj- reduction programming for labor than male-headed households. ects by non-government associations women-headed households 2 They are likely to have less benefi t from in partnership with the local disaster A collective problem solving – development or any humanitarian re- management authorities, with the aim women leading the women 4 lated interventions due to two causes: of reducing the risks posed by the an- The next step 7 (1) the customary linkages to offi cial nual Mekong fl oods. Many of them are 2

FLOOD EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT STRENGTHENING - COMPONENT 4 OF THE MRC - FLOOD MANAGEMENT AND MITIGATION PROGRAM (FMMP)

targeted at the local community in general and a few of them National Level Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA) at specifi c groups of the community who are “Women-headed considered substan- households are Provincial Level Dept. of Women’s Affairs tially vulnerable discriminated and isolated such as elderly, within the community and, District Level Office of Women’s Affairs ethnic minori- many times, have to rely on ties, children their relatives for support in and women. times of crisis because they have Commune Level Women and Children Focal Points In Cambodia, limited recovery options such as the Ministry of access to both economic and Women’s Affairs Offi cial Women’s Affairs representatives at various levels humanitarian aids. In terms of (MoWA) is the social standing, they are at a primary entity project target areas, of the National Committee for Disas- very low level and have very charged with de- Lvea Em and Leuk ter Management (NCDM-Cambodia) little rights in the society.” veloping policies Dek districts in Kan- at the national level, the representa- for the advancement Mrs. Hoy Sochivanny, dal province and Peam tive bodies of MoWA at the provincial, of women. However, Director, Positive Change Chor and and commune also serve as for Cambodia (PCC) it has been diagnosed districts in Prey Veng prov- the members of disaster management that implementing gender- ince identifi ed and initiated committees at their respective levels. sensitive programs in Cambo- gender-sensitive activities as part dia is challenging since the available lo- of the priority sub-projects under the Designing a Suitable Program: cal capacity to maintain such programs implementation of provincial and dis- Identifying the Needs of is limited, particularly at the local levels. trict fl ood preparedness programs. The Women-Headed Households Therefore, one of the pre-requisites and provincial and district Departments of an essential integral part of the programs Women’s Affairs (DWA) in the target ar- To design a gender-focused program is the capacity building of the MoWA eas took the lead with two major target to benefi t the poor women-headed structure at the ground level, especially groups identifi ed as the benefi ciaries: households living in the fl ood-prone the commune women and children focal the women and children focal points at areas, a study was commissioned under points as the ideal agents of change, who the commune level and poor women- the FEMS project. The study, conducted are themselves part of the community headed households. by a Khmer Consultant, was carried out and who possess extensive knowledge of in two phases: the local conditions. GENDER-SENSITIVE FLOOD • Phase I: Conducting a desk research, In the second year of the Flood Emer- RISK REDUCTION PROGRAM- compiling data from the secondary gency Management Strengthening MING FOR WOMEN-HEADED sources on the problems the women- (FEMS) project under the Component HOUSEHOLDS headed households usually faced dur- 4 of the Mekong River Commission’s ing the fl ood season. Flood Management and Mitigation The MoWA structure is represented • Phase II: Holding consultative meet- Program (FMMP), the provincial and at the provincial level by the Depart- ings with selected commune women district Committees on Disaster Man- ment of Women Affairs. At the dis- and children focal points, provincial agement (PCDM and DCDM) of the trict level, it is represented by the and district Department of Women Af- Office of Women’s Affairs and at the fairs and PCDM and DCDM focal points commune level by the women and in Prey Veng and Kandal Provinces. At children focal points. The commune the meetings, the results of the desk re- women and children focal points are search were shared with the attendees mainly responsible for executing the to receive confi rmations, corrections mandate of the MoWA at the com- and suggestions based on the attend- mune level focusing on four areas: ees’ real life experiences. education, health, empowerment of The study, when concluded in early Workshop participants take time out for a women in the economic sector, and September 2006, was shared with a souvenir photo after identifying problems and needs of women-headed households legal protection of women (domestic wider audience at the Provincial Con- during fl oods. violence). While MoWA is a member sultative Workshops. In Prey Veng, the

1 From Provincial and District Committees on Disaster Management (PCDM and DCDM) as well as from the provincial and district Departments of Women Affairs.

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FLOOD EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT STRENGTHENING - COMPONENT 4 OF THE MRC - FLOOD MANAGEMENT AND MITIGATION PROGRAM (FMMP)

General problems faced by women-headed households: • Losing out on lands – have to sell or have to abandon the lands due to low agricultural yields, leading to more debts • Migration of male family members – less help, due to fl oods and droughts, agricultural production is reduced and have to fi nd jobs elsewhere • Handling more than one job to make ends meet – increased work load negatively affects children’s education (they get pulled out of schools to help out or neglected – effects on girls greater than on boys) • Large household – affects their health, nutrition and sanitation • Lack of access to formal and informal credit services – discrimination: lack of household assets to be eligible for borrowing money. In some area, a Self-help Group (SHG) exists that provide loans to poor women-headed households but not all of them have access to it.

Specifi c problems faced by women-headed households during fl oods: • Increased burden of work – on top of usual chores, have to ensure the family safety, foods, water, etc. • Low educational level and lack of skills prevent poor women-headed households from obtaining steady jobs. • Food/water shortage resulting in malnutrition and poor health – due to lack of income and limited choice of work. • Low physical mobility (no transportation – do not own boats or other means). • Limited access to health services (in addition, have to keep on working, whether sick or in good health. • Inability to provide continuous education to children – the children have to miss school or leave the school to get odd jobs during fl ood season to contribute to already limited family income.

The three main causes increasing the fl ood vulnerability of women-headed households are: • Lack of resources, hampering the ability to respond and recover from the impacts of hazardous events. • Lack of knowledge with regards to fl ood risk reduction measures. • Limited access to information (not knowing where and how to fi nd the right information), preventing them to prepare for any hazards on time.

workshop was attended by 34 partici- pants with 14 representatives from pro- vincial and district levels1 and 20 wom- en and children focal points from the commune level. In , 14 provincial and district representa- tives and 22 women and children focal points took part in the workshop. In both workshops, the FEMS focal points from NCDM-Cambodia and PCDMs of Prey Veng and Kandal played the crucial roles as resource persons and facilita- tors alongside the National Consultant and the FEMS project team.

The workshop featured two discus- A workshop facilitator leads the group discussions on possible interventions at the commune sion sessions: level to address the needs of women-headed households during fl oods. • Session 1: Prioritization of the needs of the women-headed households with women-headed households. risk reduction and planning on how to regards to four major areas: livelihood One common recommendation that disseminate the fl ood risk reduction in- sustainability during fl oods, health, came up from both workshops was that formation to the target groups of poor awareness raising and participation in in order for the women and children women-headed households. community decision making process. focal points at the commune levels to • Session 2: Development of possible take the lead, their capacity needs to be Finalization of Specifi c Activities interventions that can be implement- built fi rst in two major areas: enhanced ed at the commune levels to fulfi ll the knowledge on fl ood risk reduction, The suggestions and recommenda- needs and counter the diffi culties of mainly the community-based fl ood tions that arose from the Consultative

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FLOOD EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT STRENGTHENING - COMPONENT 4 OF THE MRC - FLOOD MANAGEMENT AND MITIGATION PROGRAM (FMMP)

Workshops were compiled and two 1. Praek Pnov village • Prek Changkran commune, Sithor Kandal district, fundamental activities were selected: 2. Ba Prey village 1. To build the capacity of women and 3. Praek Changkran-Krom village children focal points at the Commune 1. Angkor Ang village Level. • Angkor Ang commune, , 2. Veal Robang-Leu village 2. To raise the awareness on fl ood Prey Veng province 3. Veal Robang-Krom village 4. Prek Trong village risk reduction of the women-headed households and the women and chil- • Koh Ras commune, Lvea Em district, 1. Koh Ras-Krom village dren focal points. Kandal province 2. Koh Ras-Leu village The activities were put together with the aim of enabling the women- 1. Peam Raing Leu village • Peam Raing commune, Leuk Dek district, headed households to adopt proper 2. Peam Raing Kram village Kandal province and inexpensive measures to counter 3. Thmei village the flood impacts, to reduce the cost of recovery and stress thereby helping them to invest more time, money and participation of women in risk man- various discussions provides an oppor- efforts to concentrate on income gen- agement initiatives at all levels. In the tunity for inclusion of WHH issues in eration activities during or outside months of July and August 2007, PCC both the revised district FPP as well as flood season. Through bilateral con- facilitated the capacity building of the the 2007 action plans which were rec- sultations, the provincial and district women and children focal points, mak- ommended to be incorporated into the authorities unanimously supported ing the most of the other on-going FEMS commune development/investment the initiatives. project activities – specifi cally the con- plans (CDP/CIP) in the upcoming plan- sultative review and revision process of ning cycles. Involvement of a National NGO fl ood preparedness programs and the Community-Based Flood Preparedness Participation in CBFM Orientations The activities took into consider- (CBFM) Orientation Sessions conduct- ation nurturing local talents and ca- ed for the Commune Council for Disas- In August 2007, four Community- pacities for the sake of the sustain- ter Management (CCDM). based Flood Management (CBFM) ability of such initiative. In April 2007, orientation sessions were held in all Positive Change for Cambodia (PCC)2 Participation in District Flood four target districts of FEMS project. a local non-government and non- Preparedness Program Review The sessions were jointly organized profit organization, was engaged to and Revision Workshops by Srer Khmer, a Cambodia NGO, in oversee the implementation of the ac- Undertaken as part of the monitor- association with DCDMs of target tivities. The key responsibilities spe- ing process, four FPP review work- districts and the CCDM members cifically were spelled out as working shops were held, one in each FEMS who were trained under FEMS project closely with women and children fo- project target district under the lead- in 2006. The trained CCDM members cal points in advancing their capaci- ership of DCDMs of Lvea Em and served as the lead trainers to further ties and collaborating with provincial Leuk Dek districs of Kandal province disseminate and introduce CBFM and district Departments of Women’s and Peam Chor and Sithor Kandal concepts to the remaining CCDM affairs in facilitating and creating a districts of Prey Veng province. The members and commune women and conducive environment for the wom- representatives from DCDM line children focal points. Facilitated by en and children focal points to un- agencies and CCDM, particularly the the PCC, altogether 19 women and dertake the activities aimed at poor commune chiefs, participated in the children focal points4 participated in women-headed households. workshops. With support from PCC, the orientation sessions. The sessions 11 women and children focal points3 aimed at producing more trainers/fa- Collective Problem Solving- also took part. cilitators on CBFM at the commune Women Leading the Women Since the workshop also oversaw levels, who can relay the knowledge preparation of district action plans for to wider audiences in the commu- The impact of minimal understand- FPP implementation before the 2007 nity, especially the basic concepts of ing of disaster risk reduction in the fl ood season, the involvement of the CBFM and the household level prac- gender sector is apparent in the poor women and children focal points in the tical measures.

2 PCC was established to address the right based need of women in Cambodia. It works to ensure incorporation of human/ women/ children rights and the gender concept in community development projects and to build the capacity of community-based organization (CBOs) and Commune councils (CCs) in partnership with local NGOs and Government at all level. PCC is a member of the NGO Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (NGO CEDAW). 3 4 from Peam Chor, 2 from Stithor Kandal, 3 from Lvea Em, 2 from Leuk Dek. 4 7 from Sithor Kandal, 1 from Peam Chor, 6 from Lvea Em and 5 from Leuk Dek.

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FLOOD EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT STRENGTHENING - COMPONENT 4 OF THE MRC - FLOOD MANAGEMENT AND MITIGATION PROGRAM (FMMP)

Formulation of Information meetings, the “Information Dissemi- Implementation of Information Dissemination Action Plans nation Action Plans “ were prepared Dissemination Action Plans in by the women and children focal Selected Villages Following the CBFM orienta- “Many of The implementation of the Plans tion, district level the participants (women kicked off immediately afterwards action planning household heads) are illiterate so with the convening of the very fi rst meetings were or- the video viewing was very effective with public awareness raising activity in Au- ganized with the its visual messages. I was surprised and also gust 2007 in the village of Praek Pnov District Depart- satisfi ed with the Group Discussion specifi cally as in Sithor Kandal district, Prey Veng ment of Wom- the participants were able to deliberate and apply Province. Twenty fi ve women-headed en’s Affairs and the concepts in view of their day-to-day households took part in the partici- trained women situations.” patory event, facilitated by the dis- and children focal trict Offi ce of Women’s Affairs and the Mrs.Chheun Horn, Chief, Offi ce of Women’s points in the pres- Affairs, Peam Chor District, Prey women and children focal points to- ence of provincial Veng Province gether with PCC. The activity included representatives a video show on “Living with Floods” from the Department of Women’s Af- points to be undertaken at the com- produced by OXFAM-Cambodia. The fairs. Altogether four meetings were mune levels. The core activity of the show focused on the general dos and conducted, one in each district. The Information Dissemination Action don’ts at the household level before, meetings finalized the selection of tar- Plans was limited to arranging and during and after fl oods. get villages for conducting awareness organizing awareness raising cam- Immediately after the video, a Group raising activities for women-headed paigns exclusively for poor women- Discussion was facilitated to bring out households. headed households in the selected solutions for the diffi culties faced by the During the district level orientation target villages. poor women-headed households dur-

SPECIFIC HOUSEHOLD LEVEL FLOOD RISK REDUCTION ACTIVITIES IDENTIFIED BY WOMEN-HEADED HOUSEHOLDS

Before Flood • Use wood for constructing railing around the house; • Prepare boats or motorboats or rafts; • Planting vegetables for food at home (vegetable garden); • Stockpile food (for both people and livestock), fuel, medicine; • Know all the safe areas in the vicinity and the routes to them; • Follow the weather and water level information on radio and TV; • Keep important documents in safe places (away from water); • Prepare clean water for drinking (acquisition of pills, etc.).

During fl ood • Take care of children so that they do not play in the water and arrange for their send off and pick up from the school; • Equip boats with life-saving materials such as life jackets or any other cheap fl oatable materials such as rubber tubes and car tires; • Evacuate to safe areas if necessary; • Remove electric cable immersed in water with bamboo pole and avoid that area; • Be careful of poisonous animals carried by water such as snakes; • Drink boiled water and clean using soaps/powders.

After fl ood • Clean and repair the house and the surrounding area; • Seek rice seeds and vegetable crops for re-planting; • Record all damages: • Use pills and other methods to make sure the water is clean for drinking and other usages; • Repair and rehabilitate critical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, etc.

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FLOOD EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT STRENGTHENING - COMPONENT 4 OF THE MRC - FLOOD MANAGEMENT AND MITIGATION PROGRAM (FMMP)

ing the fl ood season. The participants Cambodia, gender mainstreaming has women-headed households in the de- separated into 3 groups for before, dur- gained momentum but it is not being partmental plan as well as in the over- ing and after phases of the fl oods. It fully integrated into disaster manage- all comprehensive development and elicited the preparedness sense of the ment sector. Many ministries, active in disaster programs. participants by encouraging them to list disaster management, have not devel- In late September 2007, PCC orga- down various measures that could be oped gender-mainstreaming strategies nized four district level consultative undertaken at the household level dur- meetings with the provincial and dis- ing various phases of fl oods. Especially trict Departments of Women’s Affairs. after watching the video “Living with The objectives of these meetings were Floods”, it was found that the partici- multi-fold, to present the women- pants developed a better understand- headed household problems identifi ed ing of these measures by discussing so far for the inclusion in the brochure, them in detail. Moreover, the session to look at the potential access to local afforded an opportunity for the wom- fi nancial services to be presented for en-headed households to share and ex- incorporation in the CDP process and press their real life experiences and at also to orient the personnel from Wom- the same time, made possible women en’s Affairs departments on the prepa- and children focal points to apply the ration of proposals to seek additional knowledge and skills they gained from external resources for the implementa- their participation in CBFM orientation tion of more gender-sensitive activities. and FPP consultative process through The meetings endorsed the production active facilitation of discussions. of brochure and realizing the need to At the event, IEC materials produced consult the key benefi ciaries of WHH under FEMS project were distributed to on the activity, the meetings recom- all the participants such as 3 posters on mended to undertake a short field The ADPC brochure containing information “Household Safety Measures” and 2 post- on needs of women-headed households in mission. The missions took place in ers on “Prevention of Child Drowning. time of fl oods. the seven selected villages in Sithor Subsequently, similar half-day Kandal and Peam Chor districts of events were held in the remaining and do not understand or take seriously Prey Veng province. Though the cov- villages between September and Au- the need to address gender disparities erage was limited to Prey Veng prov- gust 2007. Totally around 344 women- in policy development and implemen- ince, the Kandal provincial Depart- headed households benefited from tation, hindering the access of women ment of Women’s Affairs also actively the public awareness raising events in to available disaster management re- took part in the mission. The final eleven villages. sources within the country. Many in draft of the brochure was prepared at Cambodia perceive the gender concept the end of the mission, making use of Spreading the Word: Designing as ‘a women’s problem’. not just the mission findings but also a Brochure on Poor Women- In an attempt to eliminate that based on the outcomes of the WWH headed Households and Floods weakness, the provincial Depart- related events. ments of Women’s Affairs in Kandal It is accepted that the causes of the and Prey Veng provinces, with tech- issues of poor women-headed house- nical support from PCC, jointly orga- holds and their needs/problems with nized a technical meeting to design a regards to fl ooding not getting ad- brochure. The main contents of the dressed in any of the development or brochure would address special issues disaster management plans were: and needs of women-headed house- • Lack of relevant data on women- holds in the context of floods and how headed households: The inconsistent the recurring annual floods of the Me- and insuffi cient data/information on kong are affecting various aspects of women (number of women headed their lives. This material aims to raise households, how many women in the the awareness of the government village own farmland, etc.) hampers the line departments, who are members development of an effi cient strategy to of Committees for Disaster Manage- Offi cers of provincial and district offi ce reach out to the women population at ment, on the subject. It is envisaged of the Department of Women Affairs and the NGO Positive Change for Cambo- the grassroots level. that with the improved understand- dia (PCC) meet to formulate plans and • Lack of knowledge with regards to ing of the issues, more attention will activities addressing the needs of women- women-headed household issues: In be paid towards meeting the needs of headed households.

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FLOOD EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT STRENGTHENING - COMPONENT 4 OF THE MRC - FLOOD MANAGEMENT AND MITIGATION PROGRAM (FMMP)

Lessons Learned

• Provincial and district Department of Women’s Affairs and Veterans have extensive experiences in implementing such activities related to domestic violence and health issues but not in disaster risk reduction. But their existing capacity and experiences can be of great benefi t in implementing disaster risk reduction programs. Therefore, strengthening the capacity of existing women’s affairs networks at all levels on disaster risk reduction should be a top priority initiative.

• Designing and executing programs targeting a specifi c vulnerable group of the community can generate new found inter- est and draw attention to the needs of such group.

• Enhancing the capacity of women and children focal points at the commune levels can ensure sustainability of disaster risk reduction initiatives and increase the potential replications of such practices in areas with similar problems.

• Facilitating close cooperation of disaster management committees and the existing women’s affairs networks at all levels helps improve both the vertical and horizontal collaboration between the member line agencies of these committees.

• Engaging a local NGO in the role of facilitator sows the seeds for the development and implementation of more innova- tive programs and supports the local capacity building.

THE NEXT STEP for poor women-headed families. For cry from ensuring a permanent part- them to be able to set aside half-day or nership between the agencies. At the The provincial and district Depart- one-day of their time without any in- national level, there is not much co- ments of Women’s Affairs in Kandal and come generating activities is diffi cult. operation between MoWA and the Prey Veng appreciate the WHH-focused At the same time, a high level of in- NCDM-Cambodia. fl ood risk reduction activities, acknowl- terest has already been stimulated on It has to be taken into account that the edging the creation of a knowledge base the fl ood risk reduction information gender-focused programs can some- at the commune level through capacity sharing and this momentum should be times unintentionally create misunder- building of the commune women and maintained. Therefore, the lead agen- standing and alienate potential partner children focal points. However, they also cies, provincial and district Depart- institutions. To avoid such trap and also express frustration in not being able to ments of Women’s Affairs, hope to be to live up to the expectation of the Wom- contribute to alleviating the hardships able to mobilize additional funding to en’s Affairs structure to take the lead in of the women-headed households with carry on the fl ood risk reduction ac- gender-focused programs in Cambodia, regards to their livelihoods. They real- tivities as well as complementary skill particularly in a sector like disaster risk ize that trainings alone cannot perform building trainings with the support reduction where resources are limited, miracles for these poor women. of basic capital for the poor women- assistance and understanding of the fel- One key concern the facilitators of headed households to be able to make low members of committees on disaster the awareness raising activities have is decent livings all year round. management at various levels are im- the low attendance of the poor women- Moreover, through the implemen- perative. Hence, over and above the con- headed households at the awareness tation of WHH-focused activities, the tinuous capacity building of the Women’s raising functions. Attention should be Women’s Affairs departments at the Affairs institutions at all levels, the aware- given in organizing such activities to provincial and district levels have im- ness raising of all disaster risk reduction ensure that the community be provid- proved their collaboration with the stakeholders on the gender issues should ed with ample time to prepare for par- respective PCDM and DCDM secre- be seen as a continuous process integral ticipation. This is even more important tariats. Nevertheless, this is still a far to MOWA’s responsibilities.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Safer Communities would like to acknowledge the following for their contribution in the production of this case study:

Mr. Aloysius Rego, Director and Team Leader, DMS, ADPC, Thailand Mr. Thanongdeth Insisiengmay, Program Manager, FEMS, ADPC, Cambodia Mr. Aslam Perwaiz, Project Manager, DMS, ADPC, Bangkok Mr. Vuthy Chum, National Project Manager, ADPC, Cambodia Mr. Chantola Bi, Project Assistant, ADPC, Cambodia Mrs. Hnin Nwe Win, author Mr. Lim Tara, layout artist

June 2009