How the rights-based approach to development can work within the local culture to overcome resistance to change, and make rights real for marginalized populations
Making Equal Rights Real/Vers la pleine réalisation de l'égalité des droits
May 1, 2010
McGill University

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Marginalization of Women
Traditional practices include: sexual cleansing, early marriages, wife battering, and wife inheritance
Victims of land grabbing
Female children significantly less likely to attend school
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Standard of Living
32% of people living in the rural areas of Zambia have access to improved water sanitation, compared to 68% of people in urban areas
(WHO, 2006)
36% of people in rural Zambia have access to improved water sources, compared to 90% of people residing in urban Zambia (WHO, 2006)

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Data Collection:
43 in-depth Interviews
Observational evidence of programme activities and life in the rural communities
Review of institutional documents
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Location:
The majority of the study was spent in the rural districts of Kalomo and
Lundazi. Women for
Change (WFC) has been active in Kalomo for over 10 years and in Lundazi for just over a year

Vision Statement: “Women for Change (WFC) is a Zambian gender-focused
NGO working with communities, especially women and children, in rural areas to contribute towards sustainable human development using popular education methodologies.”
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• Works with both women and men
Operates from the capital city, Lusaka
Works in 4 of Zambia’s 9 provinces with 236,205 direct beneficiaries
Field Animators spend 3 of 4 weeks each month living in field
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Rooted in legal obligations of duty-holders to provide rights from legally binding agreements such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Based on the principles of accountability, universality and nondiscrimination, indivisibility and participation

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WFC uses education to empower members to take actions that lead to sustainable development
The education illustrates to members what development in their community can look like and what means they can use to achieve it
People are empowered by the “rights” language
Both women and men are involved in the process. They are drawn by the notion of development, but see what they can gain differently
• Women are interested in both the physical development and social development
• Men are more attracted by the physical development and often resist the social development of women at first.
Depiction of what development would look like

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1. Popular Education Methodologies and Critical Analysis
Brainstorming, buzzing, role-playing, drawing, listing, singing, dancing, small-group discussions and sculpting human figures
• Used to deconstruct the development obstacles in the community
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2. Affirmative Action
To equalize power between women and men and uplift the social position of women
Membership is comprised of 60% women and 40% men
Women always hold the position of Chair and Treasurer so they have control and access of resources
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3. Traditional Leaders
Traditional leaders have significant influence over people in their communities
WFC has held conferences and education lessons to inform leaders of the rights of people in their chiefdoms and how to make these rights real

The Structure
35-40 members for a Group
10-12 groups form an Area
Association
10 Area Associations for a District
Development Association
Leadership Positions
Each level is represented by a
Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer and
Secretary. The Chair and
Treasurer positions must be held by women.
District Development
Association
Area Association
Group Level

“He says resistance was there. When it was first introduced not
everyone accepted it. Some people said... ‘A women is supposed to be beaten because after all we buy them.’ It is customary that you have to pay the dowry – you are buying the woman and she belongs to you.
So then you can do anything. The resistance was there but (by) this time at least almost everyone has changed their minds and they are seeing that at least women are able to do those things that
we were not accepting them.” (Anonymous 113, [Community
Participant]. Interview by Author, Kalomo, Zambia. 26 July, 2009).
“So she is saying at most of the trainings of leadership, they have helped her because from that she is now able to stand in front of people. She is able to lead her people without feeling intimidated... She says that leadership was one of those things that was just regarded for men. But now she has learned that even as a woman she can also
lead. She is leading 3200 people.” (Anonymous, 104, [District
Chair]. Interview by Author, Kalomo, Zambia. 25 July, 2009)

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Gender
Household chores are shared more equally
Women are more involved in the household decisions
Land grabbing has decreased
Wife battering is far less common
A development centre has been built
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Economic Improvement
Becoming registered communitybased organizations
Goats have been bred and are now shared with group members
Money is being used to meet other needs
WFC has been active for over 10 years
Food Bank in Kalomo
Achievement Towards Basic Rights
• A basic school has been created and attendance is high
• A food bank has been organized
• A borehole has been put in place that provides water for over 600 people
• Still struggling with health services

WFC has been active for just over 1 year
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Gender
Resistance is still strong
Early Marriages are common, female children less likely to attend school
Active participation of women is low when men are present
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Economic Improvement
Still at the early stages
Community members can see the changes and want to join because of them
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Achievement Towards Basic Rights
Can see where the programme is taking them
Hunger, no boreholes, lack of clothing for children and limited school supplies
Distributing pumps for gardens
Area Association Garden

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Social and Cultural
The pace of change is slow
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Geographical
Government officials do not visit the communities
Members have trouble accessing local markets due to road conditions
Takes a toll on WFC operationally
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Weaning Off
Have taken steps to decrease dependency
WFC has been active for 18 years and has never exited from any of the communities they support
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Financial
Donor dependent
Project versus programme focused
Popular Education
Methodology tool to reduce dependency

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Working from the local context
The development process and programming models must reflect an understanding of the community and respect the pace of change for which the community is ready.
Cultural changes do take place, but are based on concerns community members already had. The change comes from the people within the culture, and represents changes that they want.
Workshop attended by 223 members
Working with Groups
• Change is supported and maintained by men and women
• Change takes place at the cultural and systemic levels
• Members can share of knowledge
• Members are seen as a collective when approaching duty-holders
• Affirmative action ensures women’s rights are upheld within the group