Women Leading Change: Experiences Promoting Women's Empowerment, Leadership, and Gender Justice

This publication features the experiences of five Oxfam partner organisations in promoting women’s political and economic empowerment and leadership. While each of the organisations operates in its own unique environment and has its own approach, there are a number of common themes. After a general look at the context in which women live, the publication moves on to what leadership means and how to achieve it. Attention is given to working within existing institutions and cultural norms and also to creating new institutions. The final section summarises common lessons and considerations for future policy and practice, aiming to promote women’s empowerment and leadership. The document is designed to assist Oxfam International and civil society organisations (CSOs) working with women to promote women's leadership.

The organisations featured are:

• Agri-Aqua Development Coalition (AADC) on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. They implement the Poor Women’s Economics Leadership (PWEL) approach;
• Dairy Development Programme (DDP) in Sri Lanka, which also implements the PWEL approach;
• Perkumpulan Sada Ahmo (PESADA), which works on the islands of Sumatra and Nias in Indonesia building women’s credit unions as a vehicle for women’s political empowerment;
• Committee to Promote Women in Politics (CPWP), a network in Cambodia that intending to empower grassroots women through promoting political leadership; and
• Asosiasi Pendamping Perempuan Usaha Kecil (ASPPUK), an Indonesian organisation working nationwide to empower women at the grassroots level through a micro-business network.

Editor's note: This document is not an Oxfam position paper. The views expressed in the five case studies are those of the individual organisations.