WILDAF Conducts Gender Mainstreaming Training for Forum CC Staff

By- Our Reporter in Dodoma

The Women in Law & Development in Africa (WILDAF) conducted a capacity-building training for the staff of the Climate Change Forum (Forum CC) to integrate gender issues into the organization's programs and structures. 

Participants in a group photo after the day one session

 This training is part of a broader project funded by the Sida through Save the Children aimed at strengthening organizational capacity, enhancing institutional structures, and amplifying the voices of children to discuss, advocate for, and assert their fundamental rights, particularly in the realm of climate change. The joint initiative is being implemented by WILDAF, Forum CC and 5 other consortium partners.  

During the training conducted by WiLDAF, Forum CC Executive Director, Sarah Ngoy, highlighted the significance of the workshop in the context of a gender gap identified within the organization during a capacity assessment conducted in 2022. She emphasized the need for capacity-building among staff to ensure gender responsiveness in programs and advocated for systemic changes to address gender equality issues comprehensively.

Deogratius Temba, a facilitator from WiLDAF

Ngoy expressed gratitude for the insights gained through the training and outlined specific areas for improvement. These include making budgets gender-responsive, increasing training for staff, allocating a budget for sanitary pads for female employees, providing a resting room for pregnant mothers, and revising financial guidelines to cover costs for assistants to breastfeeding women and assistants of people with disabilities.

Post-training, the organization plans to conduct a thorough review of internal policies and guidelines, including the human resources policy, to align them with the organization's gender policy. Ngoy announced the development of a gender implementation plan scheduled to commence in 2024.

Deogratius Temba, the facilitator from WILDAF, expressed optimism regarding the potential for significant institutional changes following the training. He highlighted the participants' commitment to contributing to institutional change, ensuring that all activities within the organization become gender-responsive.