Strengthening Gender Capacities of Local Organizations in MENA Region

About ABAAD:

ABAAD is a non-profit, non-politically affiliated, non-religious civil association that aims to achieve gender equality as an essential condition to sustainable social and economic development in the MENA region. ABAAD seeks to promote women’s equality and participation through policy development, legal reform, gender mainstreaming, engaging men, eliminating discrimination, and advancing and empowering women to participate effectively and fully in their communities. ABAAD also seeks to support and collaborate with civil society organizations that are involved in gender equality programs and advocacy campaigns.

About the Project:

This is a pilot project that aims to provide capacity building trainings to three local organizations from Jordan, Iraq, and Yemen (one from each country). More specifically, the project will provide a thorough capacity building program for the three organizations strengthening their abilities to integrate gender into their organizational and programmatic schemes. ABAAD will ensure that the organizations are well informed of the Gender and GBV core concepts before providing its tailored training on Gender Integration.

Description

ABAAD will utilize its extensive experience and outreach to provide a thorough capacity building program for the three organizations, chosen from the listed countries, to strengthen their abilities to integrate gender into their organizational and programmatic schemes. The aim of this intervention is to ensure that the organizations are well informed of Gender and GBV core concepts before providing its tailored training on Gender Integration. Following the trainings, ABAAD’s team will provide coaching for each of the organizations to ensure that the knowledge is well retained and put in practice.

• On Gender and GBV Core Concepts

The main objective of this training is to sensitize participants on the basic elements of Gender and GBV. It essentially seeks to build participants’ skills and knowledge on how socially constructed gender norms affect the lives of women, men, and people of diverse gender identities and sexual orientation.

• On Gender Integration

Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to learn about the principles of gender integration, build their skills and knowledge on how socially constructed gender norms affect the lives of women, men, and people of diverse gender identities. The program will also create space for participants to analyze how these gender norms impact their own programs and the contexts where they work.

Coaching and Mentoring

Sessions will provide participants with tools to integrate a gender perspective into their activities irrespective of their mandates.

After the selection process, CSOs will undergo a needs assessment that will contribute to designing a tailored-fitted coaching process and action plan for each organization.

Eligibility criteria

• Organization must have a minimum of 15 programmed staff members;
• Organization must be local within the specified countries (Jordan, Iraq, and Yemen);
• Organization must have ongoing field activities and programs;
• Organization’s mission must be focused on young people and children;
• Organization must be willing and committed to integrating gender into its structure and programs;
• Organization must be willing to appoint a focal point for coordination of trainings;
• Organization must engage vulnerable groups such as women, persons with disabilities, youth, stateless, and refugees.