Gender and Agriculture/Rural Development in the Information
Society
===========================
Announcing Round 2 of GenARDIS
===========================
A Small Grants Fund to Address Gender Issues in Information and
Communication Technologies for Agricultural and Rural Development
in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP Countries)
10 grants @ 5,000 Euro
Submission Deadline: 25 February 2005
=================
The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU
(CTA), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the
International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD)
and the Humanist Institute for Cooperation with Developing Countries
(Hivos) are inviting applications for the second round of the
GenARDIS small grants programme.
Most technological innovations affect men and women differently,
and ICTs are no exception. In addition to the urban-rural 'digital
divide', there is a further digital divide that adversely affects
women, who make up the majority of the rural poor in developing
countries. Compared to men, rural women in the ACP regions are
much less likely to access new technologies because they are generally
less educated and hold less economic and political power than
men. Women, with their special responsibilities for children and
the elderly, find it less easy than men to migrate to towns and
cities. The urban bias in connectivity thus deprives women, more
than men, of the universal right to communicate.
While women make up the majority of people in rural areas of
developing countries and play a central role in agriculture, issues
of language, literacy, etc. are compounded by their already heavy
workload that limits the time available to use modern ICTs, and
by cultural attitudes that prevent them from visiting public access
points mostly frequented by men. Other important challenges include
limited time availability to participate in training and use of
ICTs, and lack of awareness of the opportunities available.
In recognition of the dilemma between a potentially powerful
set of tools - ICTs - and their failure to reach the majority
of the poor in ACP countries - rural women - CTA, IDRC, IICD and
Hivos invite proposals to the GenARDIS Small Grants Fund to support
innovative activities that contribute to the understanding of
gender issues in ICTs and to the gender- sensitive application
of ICTs in ACP agricultural and rural development.
Gender is the term used to refer to the socially constructed
relations between women and men in a particular society. These
relations, and the roles women and men may assume, are culturally
and institutionally embedded. Biological sex refers to being male
or female; gender as a social identity changes over time (historically)
and space (geographically).
Therefore the gender roles of men or women in one society may
differ from those in another, and they may differ even within
one society, depending on other socio-economic criteria. The concept
of gender recognises that women and men are not homogeneous groups.
Differences in age, class, race and ethnicity, and disability
status cut across human society and affect status, power and access
to resources.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can be interpreted
broadly as technologies that facilitate communication and the
processing and transmission of information by electronic means.
This definition encompasses the full range of ICTs, from radio
and television to telephones (fixed and mobile), computers and
the Internet. In development contexts, the interface with traditional
communications systems and tools is also important, as are applications
in areas like agriculture, business, governance, health, and education.
Proposals can be aimed at:
* understanding gender differences in the use of ICTs;
* promoting ICT use among rural women (sensitization);
* improving rural women's access to ICTs;
* improving the skills and capacities of rural women in using
ICTs;
* increasing the attractiveness of ICTs for rural women by providing
relevant content;
* mainstreaming gender concerns in ICT policy and projects;
* using ICTs for gender advocacy purposes
[Please note that proposals that aim to only buy equipment and
hardware cannot be supported. On the other hand, proposals that
aim to improve rural women's access to existing ICT facilities,
e.g. by providing special opening hours, can be considered.]
Submissions will be judged according to the following criteria:
* Innovativeness
* Clearly outlines and addresses gender issues, i.e., the socially
constructed relations between women and men in a particular
society
* ICT-enabled
* Agricultural or agro-linked rural development context
* Proposal clearly states objectives, includes a methodology/implementation
strategy, identifies outputs, partners/stakeholders and includes
a timeline and budget
* Realistic within budgetary and time constraints
This is a competitive call for applications for 10 non- renewable
grants of up to 5,000 Euros. The deadline for receipt of applications
is 25 February 2005. An expert panel will judge the submissions.
Announcement of the successful applicants is expected to be made
on 11 April 2005. Successful applicants will be expected to write
a comprehensive report on their project results, experiences and
use of the funds and contribute to a workshop to be held in late
2005. All submissions must be received before the deadline (25
February 2005).
Submissions via e-mail *are preferred*. E-mail applications and
questions should be sent to <GenARDIS@cta.int>
Submissions by post should be sent to:
GenARDIS Small Grants Fund
c/o Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET)
Attn. Dr. Dorothy Okello
P.O. Box 4411
Kampala, Uganda
Fax: + 256 (0)41 234924
=================
Read more about the GenARDIS 2003 winners:
http://ictupdate.cta.int/index.php/article/frontpage/29
=================
The sponsors of GenARDIS are:
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EC
(CTA) http://www.cta.int,
International Development Research Centre (IDRC) http://www.idrc.ca,
International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD)
http://www.iicd.org,
Humanist Institute for Cooperation with Developing Countries (Hivos)
http://www.hivos.nl.
GenARDIS coordination:
The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) http://www.apc.org
and APC-Africa- Women http://www.apcafricawomen.org
=================
APPLICATION FORM
Proposals can be submitted in English and French.
Please note that only organizations in ACP countries
are eligible for consideration under the GenARDIS programme.
For a list of ACP countries, please see http://europa.eu.int/comm/development/body/country/country_en.cfm
=================
Part 1: Information about you and your organization
1. Your name
2. Your professional background
3. Your job title
4. Your organization (name & short profile)
5. Your address, incl. telephone, fax, e-mail and website (if
applicable)
6. Where did you hear about the GenARDIS small grant fund?
Part 2: Describe the project you propose to address gender in
ICTs for ACP agricultural and rural development
Kindly provide information on the following points (on not more
than 5 pages):
* Title of the proposed project
* Objectives of the project
* Some background information (Why is the project considered important?
Where will it be implemented? Who/what organization will implement
it?
Are there other ongoing initiatives that could complement the
project?
Will other donors contribute to the project? Will you be partnering
with other projects, networks, and initiatives?)
* What are the gender and ICT issues to be addressed?
* What will be the project activities? Identify the major activities
of the proposed project and indicate the expected date of completion
for each activity.
* Who will benefit as a result of this project? Give a description
of the beneficiaries, their context, and access to ICTs etc.
* Explain the intended impact of the project.
* How do you intend to monitor and evaluate the project?
* What is the project budget? Describe how a one-time small grant
of 5,000 Euro would be used.
Maria Arce Moreira
Executive Secretary
Gender and Water Alliance
P.O. Box 2869
2601 CW Delft
The Netherlands
Phone: +31 15 2192943
Fax:+31 15 2190955
E-mail: arce@irc.nl
Website: www.genderandwateralliance.org
