“Harvesting beehives used to be men’s work,” said Josephine Mutambuki, Secretary of the Kibewzi Honey Co-operative. “But now, even the women can harvest.” They walk through the forest in Makueni County to access both traditional and contemporary beehives, harvesting honey and wax, using their earnings to cover essential expenses like school fees.
Gilbert and his wife, Christine, participated in Gender Model Family training. This transformative experience encouraged them to reassess and reshape the traditional gender roles within their family as they share duties more equitably, creating a harmonious and collaborative household.
Ann and Henry became one of 20 families in Kenya to undergo GMF training, which aims to address disparities in power dynamics and decision-making related to household resources. By challenging conventional gender roles and responsibilities, the training empowers couples and their children to become exemplars of progressive gender dynamics.
The 4R Nutrient Stewardship Project has been at the forefront of advancing gender equality and women's empowerment across various sectors, focusing on women’s leadership through the Rural Commercial Women’s Groups and Gender Model Families. These initiatives have profoundly impacted gender norms and community development.
Over the past five years, the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Project has achieved remarkable success in uplifting rural communities’ socio-economic status by strengthening co-operatives through the Rural Commercial Women Groups and Village Savings and Loan Associations, which have significantly improved market linkages, access to financial resources, and smallholder farmers’ productivity.
Janepher Otieno's volunteer journey in Malawi is a tale woven with challenges and victories. She also navigated through a whirlwind of emotions and complexities as it would be the first time she would leave her children for this long. But, she took it as a divine sign to step forward with confidence and enthusiasm, embracing the unknown.
The 4R Nutrient Stewardship Project stands as a beacon of transformative change for smallholder famers. With a mission to empower them, particularly women on best crop and nutrient management practices, the project integrates gender-sensitive 4R principles into agricultural practices and policies while promoting sustainable crop production.
The Gender Model Family (GMF) approach addresses unequal power relationships between women and men and promotes a longer-term transformation of harmful gender norms. Participants said their GMF training has provided the tools to help couples and family members share household chores and decision making in their homes.
One hundred sixty farmers from 12 co-operatives who were affected by Tropical Cyclone Freddy received support from the Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada, the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation, and the Malawi Federation of Co-operatives.