© 2002, CARE USA. All rights reserved.

CARE’s Strategic Impact Inquiry: From Women’s Empowerment to

Girls’ Empowerment2007 Gender & Education Symposium

Engaging our Differences – CIES 2007

Baltimore, Maryland: February 26, 2007

Margaret MeagherBasic & Girls’ Education

© 2005, CARE USA. All rights reserved.

CARE’s Strategic Impact Inquiry (SII) on Women’s Empowerment

Phase I (2005-2006)

• Research in a handful of sites

• Used empowerment model (agency-structure- relations) to guide research

• Identified appropriate indicators for locally-identified most relevant sub-dimensions of women’s empowerment to measure impact

• No attempt to hold empowerment measures constant

© 2005, CARE USA. All rights reserved.

Key Questions

What contributions have CARE programs made, if any, to the empowerment of women and the advancement of gender equity?

We will explore this through changes in women’s own agency, in the power structures around them, and through the nature of relationships in which they engage.

What evidence (pro and con) exists regarding the link between (a) CAREs program approaches and principles, (b) CARE’s internal gender equity and diversity practices and (c) the advancement of gender equity and empowerment?

We will explore this through comparing the effectiveness of different approaches CARE has pursued, and the implications of CARE’s own institutional form.

© 2005, CARE USA. All rights reserved.

CARE’s Strategic Impact Inquiry (SII) on Women’s Empowerment

Phase II (2006-2007)

• Expanded to 30 research sites & secondary data from 1,000 projects

• Continue local generation of empowerment evidence categories that most matter to women

• Added exploration of structural and relational changes systematically across contexts

• Began to identify core sub-dimensions of empowerment & corresponding indicators

© 2005, CARE USA. All rights reserved.

From Adult to Child-Centric Approaches

Girls’ Empowerment through Education

• PCTFI focusing on most marginalized girls

across contexts

• Longitudinal research on impact

• 12 common indicators

• Mixed methods, triangulated

© 2005, CARE USA. All rights reserved.

PCTFI Indicators

ATTAINMENT EQUALITY QUALITY EMPOWERMENT

Completion Communities' Educational Opportunity Perception

Suitable Educational Environment

Supportive Strategic Relations

Persistence/ retention

Teacher's Gender Sensitivity

Relevant Educational Content

Girls’ Agency

Achievement Children's Perception of educational equity and equality

Child Centered Processes

Structural Environment for Girls

© 2005, CARE USA. All rights reserved.

ATTAINMENT (Increase Basic Education Attainment)

Completion is defined as the degree to which enrollees that start a PCTFI supported educational program finish based on a set of pre-determined requirements for the program.

Persistence/ retention is defined as the degree to which direct beneficiaries that are enrolled in an educational program continue to subsequent years/ periods/ levels.

Achievement is defined as the degree to which direct beneficiaries demonstrate acquisition and practical application of new skills as a result of PCTFI supported program in realms of work, home, further education, civic engagement. 

© 2005, CARE USA. All rights reserved.

EQUALITY (Improve Gender Equality in Basic Education)

Communities' Educational Opportunity Perception is defined as the percentage of community members that believe girls and boys have equal opportunities to participate in and benefit from education in the program area.

Teacher's Gender Sensitivity is defined as the percentage of teachers observed to be facilitating equal conditions for girls' and boys' learning using a standardized instrument

Children's Perception of educational equity and equality is defined as the percentage of children in the impact area that believe girls and boys have equal opportunities to participate in and benefit from education in the program area.

© 2005, CARE USA. All rights reserved.

QUALITY (Enhance Quality of Basic Education)

Suitable Educational Environment is defined as the degree to which schools and classrooms in PCTFI target areas demonstrate social and physical learning environments that are gender-sensitive, healthy, safe, protective, and include adequate facilities. (adapted from UNICEF)

Relevant Educational Content is defined as the degree to which PCTFI innovations are able to promote regular use of curriculum and learning materials that cover basic skills with pertinent, gender-sensitive and contextually appropriate subject matter. (adapted from UNICEF)

Child Centered Processes is defined as the degree to which child centered pedagogies and methodologies are evidenced in practice in the educational environment.

© 2005, CARE USA. All rights reserved.

EMPOWERMENT

Supportive Relations are defined as the degree to which formal and informal decision makers exercise their ability to make decisions in favor of girls’ right to development.

Girls’ Agency is expressed in the frequency with which girls exercise their rights and/or their rights are recognized in the law (beyond knowledge of rights & laws to tracking exercise of such).

Structural Environment for Girls is expressed in whether girls have equitable access to basic human services (contextually specific, chosen in consult with communities).

© 2005, CARE USA. All rights reserved.

Girls’ Education & Empowerment SII

2007-2008

Model Women’s Empowerment SII research process

Focus on Girls’ Education and Empowerment

Operationalized through Regional Education Networks