Deadline: Thursday, July 12 2012

Rural, indigenous and migrant women (RIM) are rarely included in policy debates as experts of ‘development’, despite their extensive knowledge and lived experience. As women who most suffer from inequitable economic paradigms, most likely to live in poverty and most likely to suffer from climate related disasters, it is imperative that RIM women are the agents of development policies. RIM women are best able to identify both the problems and solutions in their communities. APWLD believes a new development framework is urgently needed.

This project is designed to build the capacity of RIM women’s organizations to be vocal and effective advocates for rights based approaches to development. It acknowledges that RIM women’s organisations are under resources and so the project provides funding for one full time staff position as well as training for the staff member to conduct research in their local community that can be used for advocacy and policy formation at local, national, regional and international levels.

Overall objective:

To advance rural, indigenous and migrant women’s human rights by increasing the capacity of RIM women in Asia Pacific to be evidence-based in their arguments, analytical,  vocal and effective policy advocates for human rights and just development.

Specific objective:

To build the capacity, resources and strategies of RIM women in nine (9) communities to research and document evidence to support national and international advocacy for change on their priority issues.

Nine partner organisations will be selected to work with APWLD for one (1) year, starting from July 2012 until 2013, to document:

1. Economic, social and cultural rights violations that are illustrative of development needs with a particular focus on one of the following:
   1. i.      Right to land and resources
   2. ii.      Right to decent work and a living wage
   3. iii.      Right to a democratic voice
   4. iv.      Right to peace and security
   5. v.       Climate change impact and coping mechanisms for women

Support

APWLD will provide a small grant to employ a young researcher and carry out the research including salary and on-costs; and will support the researcher to participate in capacity building workshops and advocacy or network meetings.

Community Based Participatory Research for Evidence-based Advocacy

Researchers will be introduced to a human rights based approach to development; feminist participatory action research methods; advocacy and campaigning for change. They will access training in international human rights standards and rights-based approaches to their area of research. Through a combination of face-to-face and online modules, they will:

• share the frameworks within their communities
• learn practical research skills, and
• by the end of 2012 have developed and commenced a community-based research plan.  The advocacy planning for the documented cases will be done during the workshops so that each research will have a clear purpose and target for the research report.

Researchers are also encouraged to actively participate in the online module.

Expected output:

• Enhanced knowledge and skills on research/ documentation and advocacy/ campaigning within the partner organisation
• Empowered women within the community as research partners
• Documented participatory action research reports
• Documented case studies and advocacy materials

Eligibility:

A non-governmental, non-profit organisation which:

• Works for the realisation of the human rights of marginalised women at community level in countries in Asia Pacific and are able to commit to the one year documentation process. (excluding major developed countries in the region such as Korea, Japan, Brunei, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, which have different contexts of “development”)
• Is committed to the promotion of human rights of marginalised women, particularly young, women (rural, indigenous, migrant, dalit women and/or women in other minority groups), as well as to the participatory methodologies to increase the democratic participation of those women in the research
• Can provide the appointed researcher with regular internet and computer access for online communication with APWLD secretariat and online training

Selection criteria:

• Sub-regional representation
• Recommendations/ references by APWLD members
• Diverse issues of human rights of rural, indigenous and migrant women to be taken into account

Application

Please complete the application form in full and prepare an expression of interest and proposed budget by the deadline.

Please send completed forms by THURSDAY, 12 JULY 2012 to apwld@apwld.org or fax to 66-(0)53-280-847.

Download the application form here.