Fostering Opportunities in Rural Southern Areas in Egypt (FORSA):

An Integrated Intervention to Empower Women and Raise Community Awareness About FP/RH/MCH Issues
April 2014

Reem Mehanna & Alaa Hassan

Pathfinder International Egypt

CONTEXT

Poverty rate in Upper Egypt reaches 39.1% (UNFPA) Conditions aggravated by recent political turmoil Low levels of knowledge of MCH/RH/FP Pervasive sociocultural barriers to gender equality, especially in rural areas:
Resistance to women working outside home Prevalent patriarchal norms regarding womens involvement in decision-making and control of finances

PATHFINDERS RESPONSE

USAID-funded FORSA project integrates: Poverty alleviation Womens empowerment Health improvement

INTERVENTION
Worked in 2 of Egypts poorest governorates, Assiut and Souhag (Upper Egypt) Created jobs for 1,468 Community Outreach Workers of reproductive age (mostly young women) from 75 rural communities Built their capacities in interpersonal communication, counseling, and FP/RH/MCH issues Through household visits, they worked to raise awareness of 112,500 women in their communities about FP/RH/MCH and nutrition

Train WRA (mostly young women) on IPC, counselling, MCH/RH/FP issues

INTERVENTION

Trained Outreach Workers

Selected outreach workers receive TOT for Egyptian Women Speak Out (EWSO) workshop

All outreach workers aim at raising awareness of 112,500 WRA about MCH/RH/FP issues

Outreach workers train selected women on life skills, womens empowerment issues, project management skills, and handicrafts in EWSO workshops

HOUSEHOLD VISITS

EVALUATION METHODS
Capacity building of outreach workers assessed through: Pre- and post-training tests Focus group discussions In-depth interviews
Awareness-raising activities assessed through pre- and post-intervention household surveys: Random sample from the 112,500 visited women compared to a control sample

RESULTS
Pre-intervention household survey revealed the following gaps in knowledge: Pregnancy spacing Family planning Childrearing and nutrition
Post-intervention household survey currently in progress

RESULTS (CONT.)
45 40 35 38.17

Score achieved on test

30 25 20 15 10 5 0 pre-score post-score 11.90

Pre- and post-test scores of outreach workers before and after training assessing knowledge and skills (out of 40)

RESULTS (CONT.)
Qualitative assessment of womens empowerment activities through FGDs held with male relatives of the women targeted by empowerment activities revealed: Positive change in opinions and attitudes about womens empowerment Greater acceptance of women working outside the home Positive change in opinions and attitudes about womens control of financial resources

CHALLENGES Limited capacity of outreach workers in disadvantaged intervention sites (poorest, under-served, least educated) Cultural norms concerning resistance to women working outside the home Deeply rooted misconceptions, unsafe/ineffective practices, and controversies related to FP/RH issues

LESSONS LEARNED In societies similar to rural Egypt, it is insufficient to provide employment opportunities for women without also engaging men
Values clarification and sensitization of male stakeholders and gatekeepers facilitates sustainable change

RECOMMENDATIONS FORSA should be scaled up to additional areas to promote womens empowerment and knowledge of key FP/RH/MCH issues

For more information contact Reem Mehanna at rmehanna@pathfinder.org and Alaa Hassan at ahassan@pathfinder.org.
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