Soheilas blogg: 11/01/2006

Projects in the Women Empowerment Centre and the Child Protection Directorate
Since we were employed by MOLSA to direct the Women Project and the Child Protection Directorate, we have produced a lot of papers – and even some results. This is a collection of our proposals and the progress of the work.
Kjell Fors Soheila Fors

Background
Women are an unexploited resource in the Kurdish society. By strengthening women’s position, the woman herself and the whole society will be positively affected. The situation for the Kurdish women is somewhat better than for the women in the rest of Iraq. Still it's far from satisfying and we would like to highlight some areas of concern:
1. Professional life.
Due to both traditions and to the civil wars are the women in Kurdistan living in rather traditional roles. Only in public administration are the women represented in higher extent. The abilities of the female resources are rather unexploited and affect negatively the prosperity of the whole society.

2. Literacy.
The endured wars have even affected the rate of literacy. Surveys show that it has dropped since young girls have shared domestic responsibilities, curbing their school attendance. In a world with higher demands on education are the illiterate women neglected on the labour market.
3. Single mothers.
"There is no future for a single mother in Kurdistan," , we quote from an article covering a shelter in Duhok. The situation of the abandoned wife and the raped girl is most troubling. They are often publicly condemned and live often on great poverty. They need safe havens, shelters for themselves and for their children.

4. Human Rights
The issues above are of course closely connected to the UN Convention on Human Rights. The vulnerable women need a spokesman, an authority that forcefully represents their rights and interests according to the CHR.

Proposal
We therefore suggest the foundation of a Women Empowerment Centre that facilitates female entrance to professional life, promotes equality, human rights, literacy and provides vulnerable women and their children with shelter and good care. The Centre should also provide psychiatric care and councelling.
This Centre shall be equipped with staff and facilities that enable them to make a difference.
We apply for 4000 m2 of land: For the Centre and for the first shelter for 40 abandoned women and their children.

Hewler 1st of December 2005

Soheila Fors Kjell Fors
.......................................................................................................

Safe Water System Pilot Project
Background:
One billion people in the world lack access to safe water sources. Even for those who have access to water, unsanitary handling and storage translates into unsafe household water for drinking and food preparation. Unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene practices are responsible for the vast majority of diarrheal diseases, a leading cause of nearly 2 million deaths of children under age five annually (US Aid). Water-borne infections such as cholera, typhoid fever and dysentery also burden public health system. Speaking with Kurdish doctors they always mention diarrhea as a common child disease. It is thus for the Kurdish society an important task to ensure safe water for the whole population and especially for the children. It will give the society significant economic gains, enhance life quality and minimize the infant mortality.
The many studies about safe water have all concluded that safe water systems will reduce diarrheal and other enteric diseases by up to 50 %, even in absence of improved sanitation and other hygiene measures. Combined with other means the safe water systems will reduce the frequency of these diseases with some 80 % (http://www.who.int/household_water).

PuR, Purifier of Water
The most successful water treatment systems in developing countries are all as close to the consumer as possible. They are called point-of-use systems and are administered by a member in the household, typically the mother. The water treatment is done one link in the transportation chain before consuming.
Almost all systems use chlorine in some form. It’s a fairly cheap disinfectant, effective even in low concentrations. Among many systems the one proven most user -friendly and effective is PuR, Purifier of Water, developed by Procter & Gamble in collaboration with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. PuR uses the same chemicals as the municipal water treatment facilities in the West, but it is packaged in sachets. Each sachet can treat 10 liters of water.
Since its introduction 2000 PuR has already prevented countless cases of diarrhea by providing 260 million liters of safe water. During the tsunami catastrophe alone 15 million sachets were distributed. That is enough to treat 150 million liters of water.
Since PuR is easy to use and requires no special skills, chemically stable during long time and an effective disinfectant, I recommend the product for a Pilot Project.
Label from a bucket
Means and methods
The Pilot Project is done in six different steps:
1. Obtain community specific information
2. Determine material and logistic for the project
3. Develop education material and message
4. Establish the pilot project in the community
5. Evaluate the project
6. Develop an expansion plan

Step one: Obtain community specific information
In our Pilot Project is the target group to find among the 12.000 families that receive food support from KRG. 200 families are to be chosen from the group for this Pilot Project. Our field workers shall choose families from different parts of the country that meet the following requirements:

a. There is enough water to drink, bake, cook and clean.
b. The families shall have children under age 5.
c. Diarrhea is perceived as a problem in the community.
d. The water used is often very turbid (dirty looking).
e. The families are aware of the relation between water quality and health.

With the sample for the Pilot Project selected, we proceed to:

Step two: Determine material and logistic for the project
The material used is

1. sachets of PuR and
2. a water bucket with snap lid, tap and
3. a label with instructions on the bucket.
4. a record of the test period for each family with health situation, problems and complaints.

1. The sachet of PuR is of the size of a big tea bag. The families typically use 20 liters / day and cost 0,01 USD each. A test period of 2 months with 200 consume 2 x 60 x200 = 24000 sachets or 240 USD (2 sachets / family / day providing every family 20 liters of safe water / day).

2. The Oxfam bucket was designed to provide safe storage to the NGOs working with water safety. Its manufactured in England and cost about 4 USD. We shall however contact local manufacturers and see if they can give a better prize. 200 Oxfam buckets (excluding transport) will cost 800 USD.
3. A label with instructions (se first page) cost typically 0,60 USD, totally 120 USD

The material will thus cost 1160 USD, transport of the buckets uncounted. If we assume that every family has five members, then this Pilot Project will provide every person with safe water during two months for about one dollar!

The logistics are the easy part! The sachets of PuR shall be distributed with the food parcels. Since the material will be distributed to families that anyway get support, the administration and transportation costs will be neglectable.

Step 3 Develop education material and message
A critical part of the safe water program is the education message, educational materials and training procedures.
During the development of the material there is a checklist important to keep in mind:

1. What is the knowledge base of the community about safe water practices?
a. Do people understand that microbes in the water cause disease and that disease can be prevented by treating water?
b. Do people understand that better hygiene (handwashing, cleaning, latrines) can help prevent waterborne disease?

2. What uses shall we promote the PuR system for?
a. Drinking water
b. Juice water
c. Cooking water
d. Handwashing

3. What are the appropriate methods of training in this culture?
a. Classroom style training
b. Group meetings
c. Verbally, from person to person
d. Pictorial or written
e. Mosque or Church based.

It's important to have clear instructions to the informators. Their material must be designed carefully. Most important as a reminder is the label on the bucket. The process is described in pictures. See page 1.

Step 4 Establish the pilot project in the community.
I suggest 1st of January to 1st of March 2006 as test period. The turbidity is still high and the level of microbes in the water is rising. This will test PuR under demanding conditions. The logistic is often more difficult than expected. We have to keep an eye on families leaving the test, find out why and record it. All the sachets are not to be delivered at once but in smaller portions.

Step 5 Evaluate the Pilot Project
The evaluation starts in the beginning of March 2005. The evaluation is done in order to determine if, and how to, expand the project. Give special attention to these issues:

a. reasons why people dropped out of the project
b. aspects that people liked about the project that you would like to maintain
c. problems that you had in the pilot project

Now its time to write a report to the ministry and for them to decide about next step:

Step 6 Develop an expansion plan
Now should all the difficulties have been worked out and a functioning model for distribution, instruction and use been molded out. The goals of the expansion plan depend on a few factors as:
a. the goal of you final number of users
b. the resources available
c, the number of instructors
d. the social marketing of the project

About the last point I suggest that local retailers shall sell buckets and powder to the villagers and that KRG only shall distribute the powder to them who have absolutely no means. The reason is simple: people tend to appreciate things they pay for – even a small sum. If the retailers are allowed to make an even modest profit they are willing to sell the powder. All evaluations from every part of the world show that this is a crucial point for ongoing use.

Personally I think that this project that radically improves life conditions for only 0,5 USD per person and month is highly commendable.

Hewler, day as above

Kjell Fors

َAttached to this report is some info material and a big survey published in British Medical Journal July 2005

_____________________________________________________________________

The Natural Pharmacy Project
Background:
There is among the people of Kurdistan a great hidden wealth of knowledge about the nature and its resources. From the dawn of mankind Kurdish men and women have collected herbs in the mountains to treat various diseases. Some of the cures were of course plain superstition while others are of considerable value even today. This knowledge is a resource to explore. Collecting herbs, sorting, packing and selling would contribute to the economy of many poor families. This might even, since the interest in natural cures is rising in the West, be a commodity to export.
I therefore suggest the founding of a natural pharmacy in Hew1er.

Project Characteristics
This in the first "Female Power Projects" that we launch; This category of projects are tailored to show both for the women involved and the society as whole the capacity that is concealed under the veil. Because of this, the whole project is fUn entirely by women. From the expert group to the gathering of herbs to the accounting after sale is done by women. Our experience is that women living under suppressive structures tend to bloom when only their gender is involved. If successful, this project will clearly display the capacity of the women. This project begins in the well known, were the women are, with the knowledge they have about nature and life. But it's designed to lift them to the yet unknown, by learning things while doing them.

Short term goals
1. To give women in rural areas a possibility to contribute to the family economy.
2. To give women along the distribution chain sustenance.
3. To give women experience in different parts of the production and different kinds of
work. To find a kind of work that they are specially talented in or fond of.
4. To explore the wealth of Kurdistan and, in an environmentally friendly way using
renewable resources. .

Long term goals
1. To give the woman a new position in the family as one of the bread winners.
2. To give the woman a new position as an equal member of the society.
3. To wake an awareness among the Kurdish people of all the provisions of the country. 4. To make the Kurdish people environmentally aware.

Steps in implementation of the Natural Pharmacy Project
Step 1: Collect an expert group
Step 2: Gather information.
Step 3: Found an administrative group
Step 4: Run and continually evaluate the project

Step 1: Collect an expert group
The expert group consists of women with a great knowledge of herbs and different treatments, of a pharmacologist and/or a doctor interested in natural cures. These last persons are there to control that the herbs and cures used are not harmful. Since my knowledge of the Kurdish society is so superficial I'm open for any proposal about how this group shall be collected and how these women shall be found.

Step 2: Gather information
The group shall select a number of herbs and cures, not obscure and well known for their effect. The proposed herbs, the location of the herbs and cures shall be presented for the administrative group (the Board Members of the company) The Expert Group shall after this continually monitor the processing of the herbs to keep the quality high from collecting to sale.

Step 3: The administrative group
The administrative group is the hub in the wheel. They shall decide the mechanisms used to:
- Form the company (maybe a cooperative?)
- Employ
- Inform women about this opportunity
- Form the logistics for:
1. Gathering the collected herbs
2. Discerning the quality
3. Paying the collectors after weight and quality
4. Transportation (do I have to mention "female drivers"?)
5. Sorting and refining the herbs
6. Storing and treatment
7. Packing
8. Hiring and running a store
9. Advertising
10. Selling
11. Job circulation (so everybody can work in different parts of the process)
- Accounting .
- Write the proposal to the MOLSA for start capital. (This company can also be run as a private enterprise. I estimate the founding capital needed to some 200.000 USD)
- Inform media

Step 4: Run and continually evaluate the project
I'm certain that a process as complicated as this will face many obstacles of the most unexpected kind that have to be solved in a correct but unbureaucratic manner. If the process is run within the MOLSA it will pinpoint on procedures within the bureaucracy that have to be modified to function in an efficient way.

We must at this stage also consider an expansion plan, to other towns and/or export to other countries.
Proposal concerning founding of a Women Empowerment Centre
Background
Women are an unexploited resource in the Kurdish society. By strengthening women’s position, the woman herself and the whole society will be positively affected. The situation for the Kurdish women is somewhat better than for the women in the rest of Iraq. Still it's far from satisfying and we would like to highlight some areas of concern:
1. Professional life.
Due to both traditions and to the civil wars are the women in Kurdistan living in rather traditional roles. Only in public administration are the women represented in higher extent. The abilities of the female resources are rather unexploited and affect negatively the prosperity of the whole society.

2. Literacy.
The endured wars have even affected the rate of literacy. Surveys show that it has dropped since young girls have shared domestic responsibilities, curbing their school attendance. In a world with higher demands on education are the illiterate women neglected on the labour market.
3. Single mothers.
"There is no future for a single mother in Kurdistan," , we quote from an article covering a shelter in Duhok. The situation of the abandoned wife and the raped girl is most troubling. They are often publicly condemned and live often on great poverty. They need safe havens, shelters for themselves and for their children.

4. Human Rights
The issues above are of course closely connected to the UN Convention on Human Rights. The vulnerable women need a spokesman, an authority that forcefully represents their rights and interests according to the CHR.

Proposal
We therefore suggest the foundation of a Women Empowerment Centre that facilitates female entrance to professional life, promotes equality, human rights, literacy and provides vulnerable women and their children with shelter and good care. The Centre should also provide psychiatric care and councelling.
This Centre shall be equipped with staff and facilities that enable them to make a difference.
We apply for 4000 m2 of land: For the Centre and for the first shelter for 40 abandoned women and their children.

Hewler 1st of December 2005

Women Empowerment Course

English for new beginners
Instructor: Melvin Sundstrom

Introduction
A sufficient knowledge of the English language is necessary for anyone who wishes to break free from a locally-minded existence. With English one can get along well almost anywhere. The importance of bilingualism keeps on growing with the use of the World Wide Web. Today it is almost impossible to acquire information about the world outside one’s own country without knowledge of English. Another good reason to learn English is, of course, the growing ties between Kurdistan and the Western World. The World has indeed become smaller thanks to the Internet and Television, and it is an unacceptable thought that the Kurdish people should not be benefactors as well as contributors.

Aim
After the 30 classes, the participants should have gained enough confidence to be able to use simple English in everyday situations. The aim is that they should dare speak and understand what is being said when spoken to. Reading and writing skills will improve, but emphasis is laid on spoken language.

Method
In the classes the participants will encounter new items of language every day, since the language of instruction is English. They will first hear English and then they will get the Kurdish translation from the interpreter. Power Point will be put to good use. In that way they will also see written English and they will often be asked to write what they see on the screen. The most important part of the lecture, however, is when the participants will get involved in groups or pairs to practice language connected to what has come up in the lecture.

It is important to keep the lessons simple and concentrate on what will be useful. This might be filling in simple forms with their name and address, reading telephone numbers, timetables, prices, all kinds of signs and so on. I am not afraid to have a lesson that is completely oral: illiterate does not mean someone can’t remember words or phrases. I will let them practise situations in shops, on the phone, at work, at the surgery, on a bus or train, in a bank or just social conversations.

Material
The students will receive handouts and other course material in class. No text book is required. However, the most important course material will be that which they create for themselves: their note book.

Soheilas blogg

1 nov. 2006

Kvinnoprojekt i Kurdistan

Projekt vi arbetat för i Kurdistan

förslag till den kurdiska regeringen gällande uppbyggnaden av ett kvinnocenter