Civic Education, Advocacy, and Grassroots Organizing
WCI trains, consults, and mentors local leaders, organizations and communities on topics of civic education and methods to create and implement successful advocacy efforts. WCI works with groups to encourage civic participation among constituents.
Civic Education aims at imparting the knowledge and skills that constituents need to effectively participate in local and national politics and government.
Grassroots organization is the process of mobilizing a group of people in a movement for social change from the ground up. It is a movement for change that is created, organized and implemented by the constituents of a community. Organizers must understand how different types of people and institutions function, how to teach people to engage in the democratic process, and how to pursue campaigns that will improve the lives of people who don’t hold significant power. Advocacy is the process of speaking out on public issues with the objective of influencing decision-makers and outcomes. Advocacy campaigns aim to change ideas or systems and have specific goals, such as influencing policy, social systems, and resources.
Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Livelihoods
WCI supports organizations and individuals creating change and sustainable development through livelihoods programs.
Entrepreneurship is the practice of starting an organization, company, or venture. WCI typically works with women who are starting micro, small and medium ventures in an effort to increase their financial sustainability. WCI has found that in supporting programs that encourage women’s economic ventures in their communities, women’s confidence and sense of empowerment will increase.
WCI supports programs designed to support and sustain women’s livelihood, or their capabilities and means of living, including food and income. Sustainable Livelihoods Approaches (SLAs) are designed to support people and their livelihoods. Sustainable livelihoods prioritize communities and people’s assets; their ability to withstand shocks; and policies and institutions that reflect all people’s priorities, rather than those of the economic elite.
Peace Building and Conflict Mitigation
Women’s Campaign International supports conflict mitigation and peace building efforts in countries emerging from conflict.
Peace-building efforts seek to prevent and reduce the frequency and severity of war and other violent conflicts. WCI works with organizations and professionals in areas of protracted conflict to help transform policies, infrastructure, and environments that are conducive to violence, and help people build sustainable communities. Peace-building is a long-term process that occurs after violent conflict has slowed down or come to a halt. It is a process that facilitates the establishment of sustainable peace and tries to prevent the recurrence of violence by addressing root causes and effects of conflict through reconciliation, governance and institution building, and political, social, and economic transformation.
Peace-building and conflict mitigation programs also work to prevent conflict from reemerging. Through the creation of mechanisms that enhance cooperation among different groups, political parties, and institutions, programs can help parties manage their conflict of interests and promote dialogue, peace and development. Women’s Campaign International (WCI) implements a conflict mitigation program that builds the capacity of women in decision-making processes, especially on matters of peace, security, and conflict as a means of reducing political violence, terrorism and extremism. The program works with civil society groups to create trainings, programs, and media campaigns focused on increasing the number of women leaders, enhancing advocacy skills, increasing their ability to participate effectively in conflict resolution and peace building and providing them with resources to implement these new skills.
Specifically, the program aims to: create, lead and participate in peace-building and conflict transformation efforts in cases of protracted conflict; impart the skills and knowledge necessary to ensure that women’s programs are sustainable; and build productive relationships between men and women leaders.
Political Participation, Campaigns and Leadership
WCI works to promote gender equality in governance systems around the world.
Women constitute slightly more than half of the world population. Yet their participation in formal political structures and processes, where decisions regarding the use of societal resources generated by both men and women are made, remains insignificant. Women’s representation in legislatures around the world is currently 18.3% percent.
In WCI’s election program model, WCI works to increase the number and the capacity of women politicians. WCI provides training for women who wish to run for office and for party leaders. WCI trains candidates to conduct well-organized campaigns and create strategic campaign plans. It also works with party leaders in party block vote electoral systems to ensure that women are high enough on the party list to get elected to office.
After an election, WCI works with elected officials, the women’s caucus and other groups to provide training and assistance to create issue-based and advocacy campaigns. We have historically focused on four areas of primary concern for women today: women’s rights, HIV/AIDS and preventable disease, economic inequality and violence against women and girls. WCI also collaborates with other non-government organizations (NGOs) to assist women running for office in their country’s local, regional or national elections as well as in-country organizations that promote women’s rights and their participation in democratic processes and civil society.
WCI trains local groups and leaders on methods to create and implement campaigns, which is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making process within a specific group. Campaigns also include organized efforts to alter policy within any institution or organization. WCI trains local groups on campaign planning and elements (including letter writing, lobbying, marches, media, etc.). WCI works to build the capacity of local groups and individuals as campaigners, officials, and leaders.
