Implementing women resource centers in developing countries: a model for self-help and positive change

Abstract

Women throughout the world are experiencing change on all levels societal, political and personal. The options made available to women over the past 20 years have made this era not only an exhilarating time to be a woman but also a difficult time (Friedan, 1989;Wallis, 1989). It appears that the need to design and implement creative approaches to meet the needs of women and their families is of critical importance in the United States. Experience, anecdotal evidence and research have shown that this is equally true for women and their families in countries that are in economic transition. Despite the fact that women in the West have made some progress in addressing these global issues which confront women everywhere -child care needs, gainful employment, quality education, and financial and personal concerns -there remains much work to be done in this area. It is, therefore, the intent of this article to extend and develop the concept of women resource centers as a creative problem-solving approach to meet the needs of women in development.An overview of the development of women resource centers Although feminist protest has always been a part of the American culture, it reached an apex for Caucasian women during the 1960s. Many observers of the time believed that African-American women and other women of color were not a part of that process.Many factors exist which contributed to this myopic view. Most particularly, African-American women saw the need to conceptualize their issues and concerns within a different context and from an African-centered perspective (Davis, 1983;hooks, 1982).

Women and Social Development: Global Opportunities for Gender-Conscious Transformation in the New Millennium

“…There are numerous examples of women's organisations across Africamany of which maintain considerable political power and have made significant achievements toward the reduction of barriers which limit women's opportunities to be full participants in their communities (Logan, 1998;Winter, 1993;Adeyeri, 1994). Logan (1998) cites the 31st December Women's Organisation of Ghana, which was established for the purpose of improving the welfare of women and their children through incomeproducing activities. The organisation brings together women from across the country to work co-operatively to improve the quality of life for themselves and their children.…”

“…The organisation is novel in part because it consists of women from a variety of socio-economic strata who work collectively to solve the problems they face as women. Logan (1998) notes two of their most recent initiativesthe building of day-care centres and schools in their local communities, which addresses some of the needs women face in the places in which they live. Winter (1994:44) states that "In recent years, there has been a proliferation of women's organisations and women's divisions of political organisations in South Africa.…”

“…The authors offer the "Gender And Development with Acompanamiento" (GAD-A), perspective to guide partnerships in international collaborative projects for women. Utilising this perspective, the authors advocate Logan's (1998) concept of resource centres which are designed to foster empowering environments. Logan (1998:133) suggests that women throughout the world are experiencing change in many facets of their lives, including alterations in both personal and socio-political spheres.…”

“…While Logan (1998) notes that the resource centre model has been widely used throughout the United States, such a model has not been widely applied in developing countries. Through the implementation of the resource centre initiative in developing countries, Logan (1998) further suggests an expanded focus around three major areas:…”