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Caribbean island states and COVID-19: re-building resilience

Posted on by Marlene Attzs

Caribbean Island States are characterised by, among many other things, small but growing populations, limited resources, remoteness, susceptibility to natural disasters, vulnerability to external shocks, excessive dependence on international trade, and fragile natural environments. For many Caribbean countries, a new year signals the start of a series of established annual events—from the respective country carnivals of exceptional revelry to the end of a flourishing tourist season that coincides with the winter season in North America and Europe. Such is the Caribbean reality to which many have grown accustomed.

The year 2020 beckons a different Caribbean truth. The entire region is grappling with COVID-19 and some unique challenges loom. Commodity-dependent islands such as Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana are reeling from the shock of oil prices that have plummeted beyond their wildest imagination. Given that the pandemic began to shut down global travel as early as December 2019, tourism-dependent islands did not have the kind of winter tourist season and revenue to which they’ve grown accustomed. Add to these novel challenges those that are not new: the imminent hurricane season that starts in June (the devastation of earlier years from which some Caribbean countries are still trying to recover), and the perennial social and economic challenges in the region—high levels of debt, poverty, unemployment, and crime.

‘It is well known that the poor suffer the most in times of disaster due to fewer—if any—safety nets.’

As seen around the world, local outbreaks of the coronavirus result in illness, quarantine, and in many cases, government-imposed ‘stay at home’ measures; these all affect hours worked and productivity. Public health services are at the forefront of the COVID-19 response but most countries in the region have little fiscal space to increase spending to the health sector and simultaneously support households. Islands that have weak public health infrastructure and large elderly populations are particularly at risk. The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean has predicted that ‘The effects of COVID-19 will cause the biggest recession that the region has suffered since 1914 and 1930.’

Caribbean countries need to begin contemplating what their development trajectory with COVID-19 looks like. It is well known that the poor suffer the most in times of disaster due to fewer—if any—safety nets. Women and children are also more at risk, especially in developing countries since they comprise a larger proportion of those living in poverty. Building multidimensional resilience should be a priority at this time; resilience, in this sense, is understood as a country’s (or individual’s) capacity to adapt and maintain an acceptable level of functioning when exposed to hazards.

‘This challenge should not be left solely to Governments, though they have a pivotal role to play’

COVID-19 is exposing many of the fault lines that could compromise sustainable development in this part of the world. Loss of jobs and slower economic activity could push more people into poverty; health care systems, which are under unimaginable strain at this time, may not be able to support the general health and wellness of the population, particularly the most vulnerable; and, while many schools have closed and lessons have moved online, inequities and inequalities in education might be exacerbated due to unequal digital access.

The road ahead in rebuilding Caribbean island states will be challenging. I see it as a marathon as opposed to a sprint—it will be achieved over the medium to long-term.  This challenge should not be left solely to Governments, though they have a pivotal role to play in terms of ensuring the availability of, and access to, public goods and services. Caribbean community-based and non-governmental organisations are vital allies in the process of recovery and resilience-building since they are closer to the pulse on the ground and can identify where interventions might be most effective. To ensure we do not rebuild our vulnerabilities and that we embed resilience—now, more than ever—Caribbean civil society should be integral to policy-making and planning.

Dr Marlene Attzs is an economist and a Civil Society Advisory Governor on the Foundation’s Board.

Reframing the debate around women, peace, and security

Posted on by Shreen Saroor

When a peace deal is struck between warring factions, it is widely understood that peace has been achieved. However, when key sections of society—in most cases all women—are kept from the negotiating table, is that peace agreement likely to meet the needs of all citizens? As an individual who has lived through conflict from a young age, I know I have a different perspective on peacebuilding than those who have sat at the negotiating table on my behalf.

‘Unless a society treats its citizens equally, national security does not guarantee security for all’

Trying to address this problem two decades ago, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. Recognising that women bear unique burdens during conflict and can offer critical insights on peacebuilding, UNSCR 1325 stressed the importance of ensuring that women participate in greater numbers at all stages of conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction. Since its passage, Resolution 1325 has become the organising framework for thinking about women, peace, and security and is touted by the U.N. Security Council, U.N. Women, and other powerful international organisations.

But while the impetus behind UNSCR 1325 may be sound, does its approach actually make things worse? Unfortunately, yes.

The problem is conceptual. UNSCR 1325 defines security in terms of national security. But national security is not the same as individual security: unless a society treats its citizens equally, national security does not guarantee security for all. If we can agree that women bear a disproportionate burden of hardship and injustice in conflict, our priority should be reforming the structures that create those inequalities in the first place.

Last month, Shreen Saroor (third from right) joined peace advocates from around the world for a roundtable discussion exploring how women could achieve greater representation in peace processes. The event took place in Penang, Malaysia, and was convened by the Commonwealth Foundation.

We know that women face sexual violence in conflict and untold hardships in post-conflict reconstruction.  When lands and resources are grabbed or access to them restricted in the name of post-conflict security, war-affected women can find themselves with no means of livelihood. As a consequence, women can find themselves in unskilled factory labour with no pathway for advancement. The same women who were uniquely vulnerable during the war remain uniquely exploited after it. Recognising their voices in conflict resolution and peacebuilding requires that we look at the broader context. That context includes not just physical security from violence but a transformation of their role in relation to the state.

‘The answer to war’s disproportionate impact on women should not be to deputise women as agents of war’

The drive for greater female representation in the armed forces—although ostensibly about female empowerment—works against women in the longer term, undermining arguments against violence. Indeed, the women’s peace agenda is best served by a reduction of arms and security personnel. The answer to war’s disproportionate impact on women should not be to deputise women as agents of war, but instead to solicit women’s views to reduce violence and reshape the structures facilitating it.

By defining the debate in terms of national security and working for greater participation of women in the security sector, UNSCR 1325’s influence is leading governments and international organisations, including U.N. Women, astray. It is incumbent on civil society stakeholders to argue for an alternative framing.

What women need is not a token seat at the table, but rather a chance to offer real input in peacebuilding and conflict resolution. We need our values and experiences to be heard to dismantle the structures of oppression and violence that leave us uniquely vulnerable. This means a commitment to disarmament, demilitarisation, war crimes accountability, human rights and dignity, livelihood assistance, land rights, cultural rights, inheritance and divorce reforms, and lasting efforts to repair war-torn societies and elevate them to a place better than before. It is in shaping this process that women need to be heard.

How do I know I’m right? Twenty years after UNSCR 1325, impunity persists for sexual and gender-based violence. Even as women have joined peacekeeping ranks in greater numbers, reports of rape and sexual violence against U.N. peacekeeping forces and state security personnel persist. Well-qualified women are encouraged to enter politics, but when they do, they are mocked, their good intentions questioned, and they are distracted in the fight against the same patriarchal, discriminatory, and sometimes militarised structures their presence in politics seeks to change.

What gains are we making in addressing the problems that UNSCR 1325 sought to correct? If we take an honest assessment, it is clear we need a better path forward, one that actually considers women’s perspectives in peacebuilding rather than treating them as placeholders in the same flawed approach.

Shreen Saroor is a human rights activist.

After the aftermath: Hurricane Dorian

Posted on by Alexia Tolas

It’s been two months since Hurricane Dorian struck The Bahamas. In Abaco, my cousin and her family swam to my uncle’s house when the wind took her roof. In Grand Bahama, my best friend’s family spent two days in a second-floor bedroom of their home as the sea climbed the first landing. Leviathan waves decimated coastlines and winds tossed cars and houses out like cast nets into oblivion. And then there are those who didn’t make it.

For a short while, the world peered through television and smartphone screens into the aftermath of one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic, but, just like the storm, the collective concern and interest of the global community dissipated. This is natural: you only look through your neighbour’s window when you hear a commotion inside. I want to tell you what happens after the aftermath. I need to tell you because this may only be the beginning.

‘Our proof lies in Irma’s endless deluge, fuelled by warming waters; in the ancient trees and electrical poles Matthew cleaved, winds strengthened by rising temperatures’

In the last decade, the Bahamas has suffered at least five major hurricanes: Hurricane Irene (2011), Sandy (2012), Joaquin (2015), Matthew (2016), Irma (2017), and now Dorian. Of course, hurricanes come with the territory, but while residents of continental states have the option to evacuate, there are no roads to safety in the Caribbean, not when you live on flat terrain surrounded by water and the next district may just as well end up in the monster’s path. Even if another island is spared a direct hit, the effects of the storm are widespread. I was in New Providence during Dorian, where conditions never escalated beyond ‘Category One’, and yet even here we were submerged in water almost three-feet deep. We are unwitting victims of a larger global issue beyond our control.

Every year, hurricanes increase in ferocity, bringing stronger winds, higher storm surges, and more rain. For Bahamians—and the Caribbean at large—the legitimacy of climate change is not a debate. Our proof lies in Irma’s endless deluge, fuelled by warming waters; in the ancient trees and electrical poles Matthew cleaved, winds strengthened by rising temperatures; in the 18-23 foot storm surge that Joaquin and Dorian brought, elevated by glacial melting. Then we look at the data. Catastrophic storms are becoming more frequent. To disregard 28 major hurricanes in the region in just 10 years as ‘coincidence’ is wilful ignorance. What can developing nations do when they are threatened with three cataclysmic storms a year? There is no escape from the effects of climate change for us, and as storms become more incessant and destructive, we as small island nations suffer not only from immediate devastation but also from, more grievously, the long-term economic consequences.

‘Teachers, doctors, and public service workers are rioting, but how can they be paid when the money is needed elsewhere?’

The Bahamas is not a wealthy country. With a GDP of $12 billion and a national debt of nearly $9 billion: we did not need this hurricane. We were still recouping after Joaquin, Matthew, and Irma, which collectively incurred $915 million in damages; Hurricane Dorian has incurred $7 billion. Two of our three strongest economic pillars, tourism and fisheries, have been damaged. Nearly 70,000 are homeless and countless more are without jobs. But the financial implications go even deeper.

For developing nations, natural disasters detract from progress. Infrastructure must be repaired. Schools and medical centres must be rebuilt. Public amenities must be restored—and these projects drain money away from other national priorities. Dorian ripples throughout the country as it downs the engines of our economy, however temporarily. Electricity fees have risen to supplement the funds needed to reinstate facilities lost. Public workers and government contractors are likely not to be paid for their services as the government allocates those payments to hurricane relief. Teachers, doctors, and public service workers are rioting, but how can they be paid when the money is needed elsewhere? It is not fair, but it is the sad reality of our situation as a developing nation.

Finally, the cruellest irony of all: with hurricanes bombarding the country with increasing regularity, will developers risk investing in the islands? Is it safe to build hotels here? Will tourists be discouraged from visiting? The Bahamas’ primary industry is tourism, but with media coverage touting the destruction of the country post-Dorian, it has been estimated that we can expect a 10% drop in inbound tourists. People are worried, and with good reason.

The Bahamas is resilient. We’re accustomed to rebounding from hurricanes, but as temperatures rise and the economy droops, we have to admit the injustice of our situation. 65 people are dead. Official reports claim that 282 people are still missing. Rumours suggest it’s higher. We are in a precarious position as our government and people struggle against a relentless force beyond our control. But what is most frightening is not the immense task of rebuilding once again. Our biggest fear now is whether or not Dorian was only the beginning.

Alexia Tolas is a Bahamian Writer and Caribbean regional winner of the 2019 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.

From commitment to action: inclusion of women’s voices in Commonwealth priorities for gender equality

Posted on by Myn Garcia

Women from across the Commonwealth met in advance of the 12 Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting (12WAMM) on 16 and 17 September to discuss policy recommendations to accelerate national, regional, and global action to implement the Commonwealth commitments on gender equality in support of Beijing+25 Platform for Action. The Commonwealth Foundation offered a platform to 50 women’s rights and women-led organisations from across the Commonwealth. 

Delegates to the civil society roundtable in advance of 12WAMM called on member countries of the Commonwealth to support four priorities: ending violence against women and girls, women in leadership, women’s economic empowerment, and women’s land rights and climate change. These priorities reinforce the commitments made in Beijing 25 years ago, which despite progress remain unfinished business globally. The discussion also included an interrogation of the intersectionality of gender and how it is finding its way (or not) to the analysis of policy, particularly with regard to commitments made in Beijing on gender equality and women’s rights. 

Anne Pakoa (pictured right) Founder and CEO of the Human Rights Coalition of Vanuatu and Founder of Vanuatu Young Women for Change, addressed the Senior Officials Meeting in the days following the roundtable.

One of the things that the Foundation has been committed to in the last seven years is to promote ways by which civic voices are able to not only access spaces of policy making, but meaningfully engage with policy makers in the Commonwealth and beyond. The efforts have had uneven results. But on 18 September 2019 in Nairobi, the Foundation and its partners celebrated the inclusion of civic voices in the Senior Officials Meeting of 12WAMM, a milestone for the Commonwealth.  

Delegates of the roundtable called on member countries to take action as follows:  

  • commit to ensuring that women and gender affairs ministries track compliance to international commitments and accelerate implementation at the national level 
  • invest in research to collect disaggregated data relating to the four pillars to ensure better planning, effective implementation, monitoring and evaluation 
  • address gender-based violence for the promotion of social and economic justice for women and girls, and document all women’s rights violations  
  • allocate significant funds: 15% of all sectoral budgets to women’s economic empowerment and 30% of national budgets to women machineries, in support of women, girls, and vulnerable groups in the margins 
  • allocate 50% of parliamentary seats for women leaders 
  • address the gender impact of climate change through meaningful international climate financing and prioritisation of mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage strategies in the most vulnerable countries in the global south, particularly in the small island developing states and the large ocean nations. 

Anne Pakoa, Founder and CEO of the Human Rights Coalition of Vanuatu and Founder of Vanuatu Young Women for Change, addressed the Senior Officials Meeting in the days following the roundtable. She concluded her delivery of the core messages from civil society with these words:  

‘We hope that as you return to your respective countries, you will continue with the same spirit of constructively engaging with women’s rights and women-led organisations in support of the Commonwealth priorities for the advancement of the Beijing +25 Platform for Action.’

Indeed, accelerating the implementation of the Commonwealth’s priorities in support of the Beijing+25 Platform for Action requires national action. The key to accelerating these commitments lies at the national level. That’s one of the lessons the Millennium Development Goals gave us. Let’s take heed.  

Myn Garcia is a former Deputy Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation.  

Involve me and I learn

Posted on by Elzeever Odhiambo

When I received an email from the Commonwealth Foundation inviting me to a roundtable on women and peace—I was ecstatic. Finally, I was going to have my say on peacebuilding at an international forum. On reviewing the profiles of the attendees, however, I soon became anxious; parliamentarians, presidential advisors, and international peace activists were set to attend, and I thought it best to keep my mouth shut, and resolve to listen and learn. But the meeting’s strength was drawn from its diversity: there were women from over 11 countries who had worked at very different levels of peace advocacy. The dialogue turned out to be one of the most important moments in my career as a peacebuilder.

I am involved in community policing in Kenya, where I do my best to bring communities and police together to cooperate and maintain peace and security. My work is primarily focused on the ‘forgotten’ parts of rural Kenya, where violent cattle theft and revenge attacks are the order of the day. I never suspected that my efforts would be recognised at the international level.

‘I noticed how the role of colour in conflict serves as an illuminating metaphor for the seeming vacuity of group differences’

My views and opinions were keenly listened to and acknowledged and I was asked many questions about my line of work. I explained that peace is impossible without the presence of independent security forces in the areas of Kenya considered to be violent conflict zones. This is why we must enlist the help of security agencies and cooperate closely with the police in our peace efforts and mediation strategies. In Baringo, for example, the establishment of Community Policing Committees and Forums has enabled locals to give the police crucial intelligence information. Plans to steal from or mete out revenge on communities have been thwarted as the police are able to swing into action without delay.

‘… our collective aim is to have women present at the negotiating table, and I now feel confident that young women should be accorded a seat’

The rich knowledge and wisdom in the room accounted for more than I can write about here, but one thing that struck me was that wherever you are in the world, conflict is similar—it is always one community of identity or ideology against another. I noticed how the role of colour in conflict serves as an illuminating metaphor for the seeming vacuity of group differences: in Kenya, during the 2007/2008 deadly post-election violence, the colours blue and orange were used to identify what side a person was on; in Northern Ireland, colour codes were used to identify Catholics and Protestants; and in Sierra Leone, the situation was so dire that you could not access services from government offices while adorning clothes of the ‘wrong’ colour.

As peacebuilders, young women are often alone in the field, so I am pleased to say that I made meaningful intergenerational connections during the meeting, including with a seasoned peace activist who has since become my mentor in the field. I decided to set aside the African rule of keeping distance from your elders and instead focus on creating reciprocal friendships regardless of title and age: for our collective aim is to have women present at the negotiating table, and I now feel confident that young women should be accorded a seat.

‘Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.’ ⁠— Benjamin Franklin

Elzeever Odhiambo is a community peace activist in Kenya. 

After Cyclone Pam: rebuilding a community multimedia space

Posted on by Further Arts

When the category five Tropical Cyclone Pam hit on 13 March 2015⁠—packing winds of up to 250 kilometres per hour⁠—people in Vanuatu were in a state of disbelief.

‘No one was ready,’ recalled Further Arts General Manager, Viviane Obed. ‘There were warnings but nobody took them seriously. At the Government level, there was little preparedness. [In evacuation centres] the quality was very poor; toilets were not working and many families were moved to them at the very last minute.’

At Further Arts’ Nesar Studio, a community multimedia space designed to train and support local artists, it was business as usual: the staff and members just expected the cyclone to pass through without causing much disturbance.

‘Half of the building’s roof was down on the road, 100 metres away [….] there was water everywhere.’

Nesar Studio is located just outside of the capital, Port Vila, on a hilltop in a residential area. The studio was created by Further Arts, a local NGO, in collaboration with youth and local communities, as a place for anyone to sign up and benefit from various media education projects and initiatives. Nesar refers to ‘nasara’: a word which translates locally as a ceremonial meeting place within a village for the intergenerational transmission of ‘kastom’⁠—knowledge and wisdom through song, dance, art, and other practices. Nesar Studio is named as such because it resembles a digital, urban nasara, imparting skills in new media so local artists can transmit messages and knowledge. Providing the community with education on these tools is a powerful means to enact change, enabling people to realise their rights to voice.

‘Before Pam hit, Nesar Studio was a centre for many youths in this area. Youth came here with interests in media, video, handling a camera or microphone for the first time, doing interviews, taking photos, and things like that,’ recalled Marcel Meltherorong, a local artist and Nesar Studio member and crew.

‘On Friday the 13th when the wind picked up, we were all at our own homes nailing down roofs and covering windows. But little had been done at the office to prepare it for what was coming⁠—we didn’t expect it to be so ferocious! Once night fell, the storm grew stronger and you couldn’t see anything… you just heard it—things breaking, cracking, landing, and crashing.’

During the proceeding cleanup, Marcel recalled that people helped one another; families helped other families to rebuild homes, and then helped to clear the roads.

When staff and crew finally made their way back to the organisation’s headquarters a few days after the cyclone, the streets were emptied out and damage to the office was colossal.

‘Half of the building’s roof was down on the road, 100 metres away. The wind had thrown it there. Most of the equipment inside was damaged, and there was water everywhere… it’s hard to describe it… I mean, this was where Further Arts and Nesar Studio was born!

‘When Pam hit, it was like this big space was just gutted. Everyone was feeling very down after that’ Marcel said.

Following the devastation, Further Arts staff and crew moved into a smaller space in town.

‘We weren’t discouraged, even though we lost the building. We kept going and didn’t give up because we were passionate about what we did,’ said Roselyn Tari, the Production Co-ordinator at the time.

Before long, Further Arts made an appeal to its key partners and donors for their assistance in rebuilding, and received generous support from many, including new opportunities for growth and activity.

‘When the idea to rebuild came about after Pam, we were all so happy—even though we had to start from zero—to train members and recreate that space. People were starting to feel hopeful again’ Marcel said.

The success of rebuilding was based on Further Arts’ deep networks and partnerships, both in-country and internationally. Working with the local community was also important to ensure that the new space could accommodate the needs of its stakeholders.

Further Arts was extremely fortunate to receive assistance from the Commonwealth Foundation so that it could continue its work. The funding supported the studio to conduct a needs assessment amongst its membership, and then purchase multimedia equipment and train members in its use. This enabled the facility to continue its work relatively quickly, which lifted morale during a very hard time.

Everyone agrees that disaster readiness and preparedness has become a major priority in the community following Cyclone Pam. Further Arts itself has begun implementing stronger disaster preparedness measures to mitigate future disaster impact to its resources and personnel.

‘It’s the work you do before the storm that is most important. Really, these storms, they’re just a part of our lives,’ the organisation’s Finance Officer, Ladonna Daniel, pointed out.

Production Co-ordinator Gina Kaitiplel believes Further Arts Nesar Studio has a very bright future because of all the work it has done supporting young people and local communities.

‘Further Arts has become a main powerhouse to support communities in Vanuatu through multimedia, arts and culture. It helps individuals within the community to know where they come from, and what the true meaning of culture is. And it does that by building the knowledge of young people in the media industries.’

This post was written collaboratively between Further Arts and Nesar Studio staff and crew.

Accountability in health policy and service provision: a blog journey

Posted on by Susan Fock-Tave

Blog entry one: the week ahead…

I am Susan from Seychelles. Over the next two weeks I will be in Geneva participating in a number of health governance meetings. On May 13-15 I will be participating in the Commonwealth Foundation’s Health Learning Exchange workshop in my capacity as Chairman of the National Mental Health Advisory Committee. The National Mental Health Advisory Committee was set up to advocate for and conduct the review of the current mental health law in Seychelles and to steer the proposed reforms. I’ll be sharing our experience in Seychelles where we decided to repeal and replace the outdated mental health Act, through the administrative and legislative channels.

I am really looking forward to this learning exchange because it is an opportunity for sharing and exchanging ideas and good practices. Learning from the successes (and failures) of others is always useful. I really want to hear how others engage with a range of stakeholders and involve them in big policy decisions. In my line of work, I am constantly involved in developing new policies and pieces of legislation. To stay true to the ‘Health in all, Health for all and Health by all’ policy, reaching out to non-health stakeholders and civil society organisations is an imperative.

On a day to day basis, I am usually bogged down by the sheer amount of what has to be done. I do not always have a chance to take a step back and look at the how it should be done and who I should be engaging with. The three-day workshop will provide me with an opportunity to do just that – to take stock of the wonderful things I have contributed to, to engage with people who have similar issues, but have worked out ways to better engage with those we perceive to be ‘outsiders’.

Following the learning exchange, I’ll be attending the Commonwealth Civil Society Policy Forum (May 18), the Commonwealth Health Minister’s meeting (19 May) and ending with the World Health Assembly (20 -28 May). Although each meeting will be a very different ‘space’ I expect that there will be many common threads running through. My aim is to leave Geneva not only with new ideas, but most importantly with new friends who I can reach out to for guidance and advice in the future.

I look forward to sharing my experiences along the way.

Blog entry two: thoughts during the exchange:

Blog entry three: concluding thoughts

As I mentioned in my first post, I was in Geneva last month to participate in a learning exchange organised by the Commonwealth. The theme of the learning exchange is relevant to Seychelles context, where the Government, as well as the opposition and the whole of society, is calling for accountability. Very often, the call for accountability is directed at others. We point fingers at others and rarely look inwards to our personal accountability.

I enjoyed the learning exchange and the subsequent civil society policy forum. It was interesting to sit in a room with passionate and very vocal members of civil society organisations, and listen to them talk about their work, their successes, and their frustrations, often directed at governments who fail to be accountable to their citizens.

I am especially pleased that my presentation on the review of Mental Health Legislation in the Seychelles was so well received. It made participants realise that very often while talking about gender and equity issues, mental health is left out of the conversation. Saoyo Tabitha Griffith, from KELIN, realised that she may have missed out on providing valuable input in the revision process for Kenya’s Mental Health Law. I salute her enthusiasm and passion in tracking the bill through the system and recall her relief that she could still make a difference.

I particularly liked Anil Patil’s project. Anil is the Founder and Executive Director of Carers Worldwide. His project was centred on giving a voice to unpaid family caregivers in India. In Seychelles, a member of the family can benefit under a home carer scheme financed by the Agency for Social Protection for taking care of a loved one if the beneficiary meets certain criteria. Families may also opt to have somebody other than a family member take care of their loved one. There is currently a discussion aimed at formally employing the care givers, so they may benefit from all the advantages of full-time employment. I believe we can learn from Anil’s experience with caregivers in India. Carers Worldwide can also learn from our experiences in implementing a home-carer scheme. I am also planning to link several patient support groups (Cancer Concern Association, Alzheimer Foundation and the Stroke Foundation to name a few) with Carers Worldwide, so they can explore possible areas of partnership or cooperation.

After the civil society policy forum, I had the privilege of attending the Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting and the World Health Assembly. The focus of both meetings was universal health coverage which is clearly relevant to the work we are doing in Seychelles. While it is generally recognised that we have achieved universal health coverage, we do have groups of hard to reach populations, or rather—as was highlighted in the civil society policy forum—groups we have not done enough to reach. Forty years after Alma Ata, the Seychelles is holding a national conference in July this year to revisit its primary health care successes and challenges, and to come up with a concept that will ensure Seychelles meets the goals of SDG 3.8. My experiences in Geneva will certainly influence my participation and contributions to this important event.

Coming into the learning exchange, I did not fully know what to expect. I must say, however, that it was an energising and reinvigorating experience.

Susan Fock-Tave is a consultant ear, nose, and throat Surgeon at the Ministry of Health, Seychelles. 

Strengthening the role of civil society for health-policy action in the Commonwealth: a blog journey

Posted on by Radhika Shrivastav

Blog entry one: the week ahead…

The coming week (May 15-19, 2019) promises to be an enriching and empowering experience for me with three back-to-back meetings facilitated by the Commonwealth Foundation: a Learning Exchange focussing on ‘Accountability in health policy and service provision’; a Civil Society Policy Forum on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and; the Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting. These meetings are innovative platforms to convene multi-sectoral stakeholders from Commonwealth countries to discuss and exchange our experiences in implementing projects that address critical health and developmental issues. What makes this a unique journey is the opportunity for us to be able to inform and cascade the insights and outcomes from one meeting to another, synthesising perspectives of civil society actors and policy-related stakeholders, with a potential to strategically position our priorities at the highest level of health-related policy making, at the ministerial meeting.

UHC is a common thread which strings together international, national and sub-national policy and programmatic responses to the entire spectrum of public health and developmental issues, including the focus of HRIDAY’s project in India on civil society engagement in the national response to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). The meetings have been conceived in a participatory manner and are designed to garner multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder insights on robust strategies to address these issues, within the available resource pool. The focus on holding key players accountable to their roles, is an important cross-cutting theme that we hope to deliberate on.

I look forward to hearing from fellow grant partners, about their successes and challenges, and identify opportunities for adapting effective strategies for our ongoing project on working with health and development civil society partners to track India’s NCD targets.

I am hopeful that this experience will help us to explore stronger pathways and mechanisms to participate in health policy-related decision making in our respective countries, regions, the Commonwealth and even globally.

Blog entry two: thoughts during the exchange:

A final, post-event blog entry is coming soon…

Just because they care: developing the capacity of family carers to advocate for their rights

Posted on by Victoria Nicholson

Family carers are an invisible force who care day in, day out for sick or disabled loved ones, without receiving payment and with little chance of respite. The effects of caring on the physical and mental health of carers can be devastating. Carers often face loss of employment, missed education opportunities, and social isolation due to their caring responsibilities.

Carers’ needs have traditionally been neglected by Governments, NGOs and other agencies in low and middle income countries. Since 2012 we have been working in The Global South to improve the lives of carers and to advocate for official recognition of the important role they play in society. Our vision is a world in which the needs of every carer – physical, emotional, economic and social – are routinely met. We want to achieve this through building strong partnerships with our carers, their families and wider communities, as well as with local, national and international NGOs, Governments and academics.

‘Our holistic “Carers Worldwide Model” […] is designed to create systemic changes for carers’

In 2014 we received funding from the Commonwealth Foundation to implement a three year project promoting the recognition and inclusion of carers in three states of India: Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. Working with three local partners in India, this project focused on developing the capacity of carers and ensuring carer-specific services were developed to lessen the burden of caring. This involved disseminating our holistic ‘Carers Worldwide Model’ which is designed to create systemic changes for carers. The model comprises carers’ support groups; access to health services; respite and short breaks; access to employment, training and education; and advocacy activities. Our model is successful because it addresses the needs of carers at all levels – emotionally, physically, mentally and economically and encourages carers to advocate for themselves.

The results of the project exceeded expectations. A total of 1,963 carers as well as 2,012 care recipients and approximately 9,800 additional family members benefited. The benefits obtained by the carers included the establishment of new livelihood activities, access to medical and counselling services, and being provided with respite breaks. As a result of their advocacy activities, 90% of the carers involved in the project are now also accessing government or other NGO programmes and schemes. Such schemes include the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act – an employment guarantee scheme for the rural poor from which carers were previously excluded. As a result of the project 431 carers are now accessing employment through this Act.

Caregiver support groups To reduce loneliness and isolation, create social networks and support emotional wellbeing
Health services To provide access to physical and mental health services, including locally available counselling services
Respite and short breaks To offer a break from caring responsibilities along with the development of alternative high-quality care options such as day care centres
Employment, training and education To facilitate access to employment, training or education, tailored as appropriate to co-exist with caring responsibilities
Recognition To strengthen the collective voice of caregivers to advocate for their needs and the provision they require at community, regional and national level, leading to changes in policy and practice

To increase impact at a district level, 148 village level carers groups were federated into three Carers Associations, one in each of the three project states. Each Carers Association is comprised of carer representatives who have been elected by the village level carers groups. The Associations meet quarterly to formulate responses to issues raised in the village groups, plan engagement with government officials and other stakeholders, and to organise events at district level. Government officials are now recognising the individual and collective needs of carers. For example, the Commissioner of Disability for the Government of Karnataka announced in 2018 a 100% commitment to supporting carers and scaling-up the work of our project across the state.

A district level carer group meet in Jharkhand

Last year we received further funding from the Commonwealth Foundation to develop a new project that will upscale and complement the previously funded project in India. We intend to make use of existing partnership operations, carers groups, and Carers Association networks and increase the reach we have in India. Key priorities include:

  • Implementing services at a local level that directly support carers, and ensuring the services become enshrined in policy
  • Designing an approach to engagement that is capable of influencing local, state and national level policy, immediately enriching our plans not only for our work in India but also further afield in Bangladesh, and informing our longer-term South Asia strategy

Leveraging the infrastructure and capacity created by our work to date, we feel that the project is positioned to capture and capitalise on the momentum already created at village and district level, and achieve significant steps towards establishing a robust civil society movement, able to petition for the recognition of the human rights of Indian carers. Through increasing momentum, we intend that this project will enhance the capacity of the Carers Associations and help sustain the representation of the population of carers overtime. Ultimately, we anticipate that this new funding will support the project’s transition from a grassroots carers initiative, to a robust movement of civic society poised to achieve the aims of a global strategy to reach 100,000 carers and their family members by the end of 2019.

To find out more about this current project and to learn about our other work, please visit our website and our Facebook page today.

Victoria Nicholson is a Communications Officer at Carers Worldwide.

Defining the agender: West African feminism

Posted on by Malou Schueller

The Commonwealth Foundation’s Participatory Governance and Gender Programme focusses on developing the capacities of civic voices to constructively engage with institutions, with each other, and with policy-makers to get their voices heard and ultimately influence policy.

‘Civic voices’ in this context is a broad concept, which does not only include civil society organisations but also individuals such as writers and filmmakers, who have a public voice and can influence public discourse towards policy change. The Foundation recognises that there are voices in the margins, voices who are more excluded than others, because they may not only be female, but female and from a poor rural background, or female and disabled, or young in societies where older people are more likely to be respected and listened to. Therefore, an intersectional analysis lies at the heart of our work.

‘local ownership is critical and movements need to identify their own agendas and solve their own problems’

In line with this broader understanding of civic voices, the programme worked with the West African Civil Society Institute in Ghana to organise a three-day dialogue in Accra.  A diverse group of women’s rights activists, networks, journalists and writers from five West African countries, both young and older, were invited to the conversation to explore strategies to amplify their voice, advance the women’s rights agenda across the region, and identify challenges to the women’s movement. In the spirit of South to South learning, women’s rights networks from Southern and East Africa were also invited to share their learning on monitoring the gender commitments of their governments.

Movement-building is critical to strengthening the collective voice of women. The added value of the Foundation is to facilitate processes that enable women from across the Commonwealth to come together to learn from each other and strategise together. This is part of the Foundation’s capacity development approach, which is a holistic process of change whereby people and institutions develop their abilities to do what they already do even better, to help them solve problems, and set and achieve their goals. This also means that local ownership is critical and movements need to identify their own agendas and solve their own problems. The conversation in Accra was organised on this basis; there was an explicit acknowledgment of this from participants: ‘[we need to] redefine feminism for ourselves, set our own agenda and harness our own resources and inspiration.’

‘In the spirit of South to South learning, women’s rights networks from Southern and East Africa were also invited to share their learning on monitoring the gender commitments of their governments.’

A key result of the dialogue was an in depth analysis of the main challenges facing the West African women’s movement. There was agreement that the women’s movement had been fragmented and was characterised by numerous cleavages, especially along intergenerational and class lines.

‘It is imperative to start a serious intergenerational dialogue, so the next generation of young women will get to understand what we have fought for and the need to continue the fight if the gains are to be sustained.’

The discussion therefore focussed on developing strategies to bridge these gaps–between women of different ages who had a different understanding of feminism and experiences of being a woman; the gap and mistrust between female politicians and women’s rights activists; the gap between rural and urban, rich and poor women – in order to effectively mobilise women to develop an inclusive agenda that all could support. Therefore, engaging more with younger women and expanding the dialogue on equalities-taking into consideration the various diversities-was seen to be critical to furthering the agenda.

Ultimately, the dialogue created the space for a renewed commitment to the women’s movement at national and regional levels, which enabled each country to develop a road map to strengthen its women’s movement. The Foundation is currently supporting some countries to develop these plans further into proposals that can be supported over the medium-term.

Malou Schueller is a Senior Programme Officer for  the Partipatory Governance and Gender team at the Commonwealth Foundation.