Conference objectives

1. Conference objectives • To facilitate the emergence of a faith movement for gender justice • “Together we can achieve gender justice, as our faith compels us” • To share experiences of faith and gender justice • To make plans for the emergence of a regional network of faith actors for gender justice.

2. What would success look like?E. Africa Faith & Gender Justice consultationNairobi, Nov 2015

3. What would success look like? Objectives: • To understand what we are already doing for gender justice • To identify any gaps at country and regional levels • To develop a shared vision for what an East African faith movement would be doing for gender justice

4. Is the breadth of our response adequate?

5. Is the depth of our response adequate? Community level Interventions which aim to change social and cultural norms, values and practices which condone or reinforce gender inequality at the community level; Societal level Interventions to build political will and legal and institutional capacity to end gender inequality; gender responsive policies, and services which respond to gender specific needs. Household level interventions which target relationships within the family, within marriage, within sexual relationships; to promote equal decision-making power and more equitable division of household roles, responsibilities & resources Individual level interventions which focus on influencing an individual’s self-confidence, knowledge or self-awareness; these empower people to seek and claim their rights including through increased voice and agency. Source: DFID PPA Gender Learning Group Theory of Change. 2015.

6. Mapping exercise • Divide into country teams • Draw a rough map of your country • In your teams, map what you are already doing on gender justice and where: by sector and at what levels (individual – societal) • Now include what other faith actors you know of are doing for gender justice

7. Mapping exercise continued In your teams record the gaps: • Which sectors are not addressed by faith actors? • Is the depth of response adequate to create real change (covers individual to societal)? • Is the faith response adequately coordinated? • Is there an activity you are especially proud of?

8. Mapping regional strengths & gaps

9. What is your vision for gender justice in East Africa? • Complete the following sentences: • Our vision for gender justice in our country is… (what impact do you hope for women/men, boys/girls?) • Faith actors are helping to create gender justice at the individual, household and community levels through activities like…?? • They are helping to create gender justice at the national and regional levels through activities like…??

10. What are the barriers preventing faith institutions & leaders doing more? The purpose of this session is to identify: • What are the barriers preventing faith actors doing more? • What strategies and activities could help strengthen their commitment and capacity to address gender justice issues?

11. What are the barriers preventing faith actors addressing gender justice? I don’t want to address gender justice Entrenched patronage and powerful vested interests Poor faith-state relations. FBO’s seen as part of the problem Lack of organisational incentives I don’t have to address gender justice Fear of ostracism, don’t see the benefits Lack of personal knowledge and skills Autocratic or technocratic attitude Lack of appropriate methodologies, Lack of sanctions I can’t address gender justice Lack of committed leadership Lack of confidence in faith institutions capacity Lack of public pressure and lay person engagement (due to disempowerment, fear or apathy) Disabling theology

12. Mobilising the middle Vocally and actively pro gender justice Vocally and actively anti-gender justice Inactive and unaware of the theological & developmental imperative Silently anti-gender justice Silently pro gender justice

13. How can we mobilise faith actors to do more? • Political Want (I want to address gender justice!) • Nurture constructive faith/secular relationships & mutual respect. • Build on moral and political self-interests e.g. theology for gender justice Political Can (I can address Gender Justice!) Capacity development e.g. mainstream gender to theological colleges, Gender Model Families type approaches, • Political Must (I must address Gender Justice!) • Empower and mobilise people of faith (pressure from below) e.g. faith marches for gender justice • Influence top leadership (pressure from above) e.g. national faith consultations

14. How can these barriers be overcome in your country? In country groups consider how we can ensure faith actors: • What are the barriers? • How can they be overcome?

15. How to establish a movement? The purpose of this session is: • To understand what movements are? • What keeps them going? • To develop a coordination structure and spaces for the movement

16. “The time is always right, to do what is right”

17. ‘In the Church, and in the journey of faith, women have had and still have a special role in opening doors to the Lord’

18. ‘We must be the change we want to see’

20. What is a movement? • Pursues a common political agenda or ‘common cause’ • Has a visible constituency or membership base • Involves members collectivised in either formal or informal organisations • Engages in collective actions and activities in pursuit of the movement’s goals • Uses a variety of actions and strategies • Engages clear internal or external targets in the change process • Usually aim to shift power

21. How to establish a movement • Have the courage to stand up and standout • Have the courage to follow • Movements take on a life of their own when they are driven by supporters –organisations must be willing to let go of control

23. What mobilises people? • Critical incidents (e.g. the rape of a woman) • Sense of injustice (e.g. unequal pay) • Common problems (e.g. poverty) • Expressed needs (e.g. equitable access to education, healthcare, land etc.) • Traditional community events (e.g. church services, rites of passage etc.) • General development activities • Emergencies

24. Mobilising vs Organising • Mobilising people could be considered the easy bit....keeping them motivated is harder. • For movements to grow someone needs to be committed to the hard work of organising. • Too often campaigns plan for moments and don’t think about what next.

25. “First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you.Then you win”

26. Ignore you • Make ourselves impossible to ignore • Evidence-based research • Raise awareness • How might we do this?

27. Tips • All types of engagement are needed • Online and offline • Keep it simple –tangible and emotional.

28. Laugh at you • Demonstrate that we are a movement to be reckoned with. • Get organised: clear goals, strategies, structures for collaboration & communication • How might we do this?

29. Fight you • Confront power • Vote / Strike / non-violent non cooperation • Don’t take on the power until you’ve got enough power to not get crushed • How might we do this?

30. You win… • …something • Is it enough? • Have you been co-opted? • What do you want to win?

32. Spaces for movement • Grace Mbugua

33. How will I start a movement in my country? • What steps do I need to take to begin to start/strengthen the faith movement for gender justice in my country? • Planning group: what regional structures do we need to put in place to support the national movements?

34. Mobilising the middle Vocally and actively pro gender justice Vocally and actively anti-gender justice Inactive and unaware of the theological & developmental imperative Silently anti-gender justice Silently pro gender justice

35. Support a more coordinated faith movement that… • Builds a more comprehensive evidence base for the contribution faith actors can make towards gender justice • Building greater awareness amongst people of faith, faith leaders and FBOs of the moral and theological imperative for gender justice and supporting them to demand this of themselves, their own partners, communities and leaders

36. Increase collaboration • Support the creation of national, regional and global structures for a more coordinated and collaborative movement of faith-based gender justice actors to take more affirmative and common action towards achieving gender justice policy and programmatic outcomes • Pooling existing resources and collectively seeking new resources to implement these activities

37. Establish safe spaces • For senior faith leaders to discuss, understand and commit to take leadership action on gender justice at every level from the household to global • For faith leaders and people of faith already championing gender justice to discuss relevant issues and providing them with a platform to air their views

38. Build capacity • Sharing existing, and producing and disseminating new faith-based tools, methods and theological materials for use by faith leaders and FBO’s to address various gender justice issues • Mapping out existing faith actors and enlisting new ones to work more collaboratively towards common gender justice goals.

39. East Africa aims to… • Engage with all faith actors and other stakeholders to achieve gender justice; • Support and equip religious leaders to recognize and use their position of leadership and responsibility to influence and promote gender equality; • Challenge negative social norms, religious and/or cultural practices that negate the achievements on gender equality; • Proactively challenge structures and systems that hinder women and girls, men and boys from fully participating in social, economic and political structures in their communities; • Fully engage men and boys in adopting positive masculinity; • Use religious structures to empower men and women, girls and boys to enable them achieve their God given potential.

40. East Africa actions • Creating awareness amongst our respective congregations and communities of the need for gender justice. • Establishing and supporting safe spaces for faith leaders and people of faith already championing gender justice to discuss and deliberate on relevant issues and provide them with a platform to share their views. • Producing, disseminating and sharing new and existing information, education and communication materials on gender justice. • Supporting of national structures in respective countries in the region for a more coordinated and collaborative movement of faith based gender justice actors to take affirmative and common action towards achieving gender justice policy and programmatic outcomes. • Mapping of existing faith actors and enlisting new ones to work more collaboratively towards common gender justice goals. • Building a more comprehensive evidence base for faith actors to appropriately respond to gender injustices in their respective countries

41. How will I start a movement in my country? • What steps do I need to take to start/strengthen the faith movement for gender justice in my country?

42. How will I start a movement in my country? • Create awareness in my own country office of the faith movement for gender justice • Encourage faith leaders to conduct a gender audit of the state of gender justice in the country/region • Map out what activities are already taking place in the region • Encourage development of theology’s for gender justice and incorporate these into the curriculum of theological colleges • Set up an interfaith networking group to discuss tricky gender issues e.g. polygamy, strategies for negotiating safe sex, SRH, GBV, transformative masculinities • Work with faith institutions in the development of joint proposals • Start a conversation and learn from what others have done and start bringing in other faith groups • Build upon existing structures and platforms and relationships • Hold a W Africa and Sahel conference for gender justice??

43. Follow up with contacts made to see if we can jointly work on getting a national faith movement strengthened • Research action/gender audit • Discussing possible fundraising strategies • Discuss how to take forward existing publications/research • Renew/create contacts with existing umbrella faith bodies • Reviewing the curriculum of faith institutions • Collate good practice/shared learnings • Share information on the movement with existing partners • Arrange a panel discussion to examine the barriers and opportunities to establishing a faith movement nationally • Work with and encourage the Kenya inception group • Identify champions in the country • Develop a communication on what the whole movement is all about

44. How can you get involved? • Multi-agency inception group formed • Action plan and working groups • 3 to 5 regional consultations in Africa, Latin America and possibly Middle East • Resource mobilisation