Main Events / Project Events

Introduction

The undertaking of a sub-regional course was one of the activities to be carried out within the GEWAMED project before its finalization. It was included  in  the last contract amendment  with the purpose of strengthening the capacity building of the Project. Within such a framework, the African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development (CAFRAD) took the initiative of organizing a 4-day training course with the support of IAM of Bari. The course title was 'How to integrate gender in water management: The institutional and political dimensions of gender integration in the management of water resources, some experiences and challenges of the Maghreb countries ' and it was held in Tangier from 18-21 October 2010.

This training course was attended by selected countries of the Maghreb, especially Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia, which participate in the GEWAMED project to share their experiences and challenges with regard to the issues raised above. Originally the presence of some participants from Spain and France was envisaged but in the last instance it was not possible, although Ps-Eau, GEWAMED partner from France, financed one of the participants from Tunisia.

Objectives and main themes

The objective of the training course was to sensitize participants on gender and water in the Maghreb countries selected by common experiences, challenges and dissemination of information to promote changes that improve gender issues in water management.

The main topics of the course were as follows:

1. Presentation of positive experiences;
2. Identification of the major constraints that limit the effective participation of women in agricultural water management;
3. Gender indicators at macro and micro levels;
4. Gender and water management in agriculture;
5. The political influence of gender participation in decision making in water management;
6. Preparation of an Action Plan to improve the status of women in agricultural water management.

French was the working language of the course and a participatory approach was adopted based on the theory of adult education to enable participants to share their experiences and apply the proposed methodology and tools in real-life cases and practical exercises. For each session there was a brief presentation followed by working groups and plenary discussions to share the lessons learned and the challenges of each participant in the integration of gender into water management programs and projects . On the fourth day of the course a visit was organized by CAFRAD to  the pumping stations for drinking water in Tangiers and a wastewater treatment plant .

The resource persons of the training course were Mrs. Reinders Margriet of the Gender and Water Alliance (GWA), Ms. Ilaria Sisto and Mr. Juan Antonio Sagardoy, GEWAMED Project Manager . The Coordinator of the course was Dr. Raphael K. Arinaitwe from CAFRAD.

Participants were selected from national experts who are engaged in the management of water resources and rural development programs. Most participants have a relatively high level professional position to be able to use the knowledge acquired in the training course in their future activities. A total of 22 experts from Algeria (2), Morocco (13), Mauritania (1) and Tunisia (3) and CAFRAD (3) participated in the sub-regional training course.

The opening session was chaired by CAFRAD Director General, Dr. Simon Lelo Mamosi, who gave welcoming remarks and opened the course, followed by Mr. Sagardoy who spoke to the participants of the main results of the GEWAMED project. There was also the presentation of participants and resource persons, and the introduction and adoption of the curriculum, followed by the adoption of the participatory decision rules.

Conclusions

The 4-day training course was a success because participants were well motivated, although some of those from local institutions could not follow the entire program. Success was also due to the varied and participatory approach  adopted , which allowed an intensive and interesting exchange of knowledge between participants and facilitators.

In general, there was a good level of discussion between participants and resource persons. The discussion on indicators was very interesting for most participants and the results were very positive. There was also a practical session on participatory tools, using the SEAGA methodology. In the future it would be important to update SEAGA hardware and introduce other aspects (e.g. climate change, more information on indicators, etc..).

On the last day of the course, participants prepared action plans to show how they intend to use the new knowledge acquired in their work or community life. Six months after the course the organizers will provide distance support, if needed, and will monitor these actions. It is well to note that the intended Plans of Actions must be integrated into participants’ daily work to avoid developing overly ambitious plans that may not be implemented.