GAD Work

GAD stands for Gender and Development. The GAD committee's job is to promote gender equity. We do this by financially supporting volunteer-initiated and run projects. Volunteers can be granted up to 60,000 CFA (about $120 USD) for each individual project. Topics include:

* Maternal and Child Health

* Family Planning

* Marche marketing techniques

* Small business management

* Anything you can think of that helps men, women, or children realize equal opportunities and knowledge.

 

The GAD committee members come from different sectors of work--health, girls' education and empowerment, small business education, and secondary education.  Inequalities between the sexes determines, in part, the quality of social life for Burkinabe, influences the economic development of Burkina, and affects our work as volunteers--working towards gender equity is a cause we can all unite behind.   

However, we are not a funded committee, and must find ways to raise money. Currently, our funds are critically low and we are not able to grant volunteer requests. Hence, our reasoning for the Bike Tour. We hope to use this bike tour to raise awareness for Peace Corps Burkina Faso, as well as receive donations for the GAD committee...so we can keep those gender equity projects funded.

Here's one example of the work that GAD can do, with the proper funding:

PCVs & village counterparts hard at work

The second annual Women's Health and Leadership Conference took place this year in Leo, in the south of Burkina Faso. The goal of the conference is to teach women from rural communities about basic health topics, such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, nutrition, hygiene, and maternal health, and give them the skills necessary to start their own health-focused projects in their communities. 12 participants, along with their Peace Corps counterparts, spent a week doing interactive discussions and hands-on activities to learn about these important topics.

Enriched porridge demo to teach proper child nutrition

The conference was thought of as a way to give women a way to empower themselves and their communities. As women are the closest people to the realities of families in their population, giving them the skills and methods to help their communities directly is crucial in increasing not only the well-being of communities, but encouraging gender equality through strengthening women's voices.

Soap making is great for hygiene education & income generating activities

2014's Women's Health and Leadership Conference was co-sponsored by USAID's WA-WASH program, spotlighting hygiene as a major health concern that the women worked on. It was an amazing experience, and one that we foresee continuing in Peace Corps Burkina Faso as long as GAD has the resources!

By decorating old mosquito nets, their usage increases (& holes are repaired!)

For more information on GAD's projects and conferences, check out our web page on the Peace Corps Burkina Faso website!