wfn.org | Re: MCC Examines how Gender Issues Effect its Overseas Work

[Mennonite Central Committee Communications]

TOPIC: MCC Examines how Gender Issues Affect its Overseas Work  
DATE: August 23, 1996  
CONTACT: Pearl Sensenig 
V: 717/859-1151 F: 717/859-2171
E-MAIL ADDRESS:  mailbox@mcc.org

August 23, 1996 
5)
MCC EXAMINES HOW GENDER ISSUES AFFECT ITS OVERSEAS WORK

AKRON, Pa. --  Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is in the midst of a three-year effort to
analyze how gender issues affect its overseas programming. "We are trying to discover how MCC's
work impacts women and men differently," explains Gwen Groff of the MCC Peace Office.  

The study grows out of MCC's 75-years of experience, which have shown how challenging it can
be to plan appropriate programs that meet the needs of the whole community.  In one location, for
example, MCC had asked communities to appoint one member as a "health promoter."  Most
selected men because it was easier for them to travel to receive training.  Yet women were most
often the ones who cared for sick family members, and were reluctant to consult the male health
promoters.  This difference in cultural roles hindered the health program's effectiveness. 

Groff and Deb Simpson, an MCC Peace Office worker based in Switzerland, are working to
produce a set of questions that MCC workers can ask themselves as they consider ideas for new
programs.  These questions might include, "What is the nature of men's and women's participation
in the activities with which MCC is involved in the community?," and "Will MCC's involvement
have an impact on the workload of women?  Of men?" 

"Gender roles are different in every culture, so as North Americans we can't assume we know what
our impact will be unless we ask questions that help us understand the gender roles in any
particular culture," says Groff.  "Men's and women's roles are always interdependent, so we can't
just work with women or just with men.  We have to work in consultation with both."  

In July Groff and Simpson traveled to El Salvador for the first of three country studies.  Next
month they will visit Zambia.  A trip to India is planned for 1997.  These country visits are
providing opportunities to develop and test the proposed questions in three different geographic
regions.

"Many good tools for gender analysis are already available.  The main reason for coming up with
our own set up questions is so we can integrate MCC's faith perspective and style of service," says
Groff.

MCC's set of gender questions is scheduled to be completed in 1997, in time to be incorporated
into MCC's 1997-98 program planning.

Deb Simpson of Toronto, Ont., is a member of Toronto United Mennonite Church.
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