Case Study For Oxfam Gender Conference

This document reports on an Oxfam project in Vietnam aimed at addressing gender issues in the context of rapid structural change. It begins by outlining the challenges posed by the socio-economic reforms in Vietnam, and identifying gender and environmentally sensitive project planning as roles which foreign NGO's can perform. The bulk of the report describes a PRA focusing on gender and the environment. In a brief discussion of PRA methodology it is cautioned that PRA is not inherently gender sensitive - this depends on how the PRA is conducted. In this case, to ensure greater gender sensitivity: (i) prior to fieldwork, the team was formed composed of a majority of women and during training gender issues were emphasised; (ii) During fieldwork male and female villagers participated in equal numbers, a female translator was used, data collected was gender disaggregated, and women's many responsibilities were accounted for in the way exercises were conducted; (iii) the planned activities derived from the PRA includes gender-sensitive objectives, indicators and a monitoring plan. The PRA was also used to identify local women who can act as contact people in the future.