RUTA

Roadmap for gender mainstreaming in a member-based organisation (MBO)

When it comes to decision-making processes in many farmers’ or entrepreneurs’ organisations, there is often a low participation of young people, women, people with disabilities or people who are socially or economically disadvantaged. However, Trias plays an important role in strengthening their participation by providing trainings on leadership and inclusion to the members of these organisations. In doing so, we try to illustrate that everyone benefits from an inclusive society. 

What is RUTA?

This trajectory offers organisations a structured approach to become more inclusive

  • The specificity of RUTA is to start from the constraints of each organisation, in order to facilitate adhesion and appropriation.
  • The RUTA is not confined to one-off training awareness actions, but offers developing a specific action plan for each organisation, and monitoring its implementation to measure changes.

how does it work?

  • Awareness: at the end of the introductory session, our partner organisations choose whether or not to follow the gender trajectory.
  • Self-diagnosis: via focus groups and a gender diagnostic questionnaire, the organisation conducts a self-assessment. The objective is to to identify the main gender constraints within the organisation and the measures to respond to them.
  • The action plan: based on the self-assessment, the organisation’s leaders draw up an action plan with the help of Trias. This plan sets the activities, the responsibilities but also the indicators and the expected results. The action plan is validated by all members. For operationalisation, actions are integrated into the organisation’s monthly and quarterly activity plans.
  • Monitoring: Both the partner and Trias carry out regular monitoring of the implementation of the plan, to measure progress and make adjustments. The effects are collected in a participatory way and data on leadership and access to resources are updated annually.
  • Institutionalisation: after 3 years of implementation, certain changes have been integrated into the rules and statutes of our partner and contribute to the culture of the organisation.

“We are the future and the present, we are a fundamental part of the organisational process, we have the capacities to contribute”

Salvador Vasquez (CONFRAS, El Salvador)
RS28469_Trias Yngwie Scheerlinck-103-lpr

WHY DOES IT WORK?

The participatory approach
Both leaders and grassroots members of an organisation are associated with the different stages of the trajectory. This broad participatory approach, promotes support and ownership.

We demonstrate the importance of inclusion
The approach consists, not in formulating prescriptions, but in raising awareness by demonstrating the advantages of inclusion.

Sensitized and committed leaders
The personal commitment of leaders is a key success factor. Strong in their position, they are able to convince and inspire changes for more inclusion in their organisations. Leaders who are aware and committed to inclusion are resource persons on whom to rely to sustain and scale up the trajectory.

“Participating in this trajectory was beneficial for me, it gave me good ideas. Thanks to the trainings on inclusion, women and young people now come to the meetings – whereas before they did not participate.”

Mariam OUEDRAOGO (President of the Sinignassigui group, UCRB, Burkina Faso)

OUR IMPACT

With Trias’ support in El Salvador, our partner CLAC, Coordinadora Latinoamericana y del Caribe de Pequeños Productores(as) y Trabajadores(as) de Comercio Justo, incorporated an inclusive approach to gender and youth in its strategy and regulations. This led to actions promoting leadership and participation of women and young people, reaching 7,455 people in 24 countries in Latin America.