''GEM'' to measure the degree of ICT use by women

The premises currently house Afriklinks a workshop on the Gender Evaluation (GEM). Organized by the Program of Women's Networking Support (PARF) of the PCA and Afriklinks, this workshop is the first of its kind in a Francophone country in Africa. It will last three days, from 11 to 13 February 2009.
It is during these three days, training program coordinators, facilitators, trainers, evaluators of projects and recipients of small grants GenARDIS in the use of the GEM. Participants will discuss a small part of the GEM and produce a plan of evaluation of projects and local initiatives on ICT with the GEM tool.

Fifteen people from Mali, Benin, DR Congo, Burkina Faso, Togo, took part in this workshop. They are managers of telecentres Bandiagara, Mopti, and Kati Bougouni. There is also the participation of four international and staff Afriklinks. It should also be noted that the group Women and ICTs in Mali supported by IICD, (Ms. DIARRA Assetou) was present at this meeting.

Training is provided by Ms. Dafne Plou Saban, Program Coordinator of Women's Networking Support (PARF) for Latin America and the Caribbean and also coordinator for the adaptation of the GEM tool telecentres. It is accompanied by Mrs. Silvie Niombo, co-coordinator of the APC-Africa-Women.

The work of this first day began with a brief presentation of the GEM tool and then the participants divided into working groups told stories that have changed the bad behavior in their lives or in community life.

A survey was done on the access of ICTs by women and the fact that the Minister of Communication in Mali (Ms Diarra Mariam Flantié Diallo) is a woman has been much welcomed.

Statistics also showed that in these recent times, women were accepted in positions of decisions in many countries in Africa and elsewhere. This is a favorable indicator of the use of ICT by women. Examples have also shown that having a woman at the level of decision-making bodies, is not necessarily an advantage in itself, but it is also the consciousness of women.

It should be noted that the Gender Evaluation Methodology "GEM is a guide that integrates gender analysis into evaluations of initiatives that use Information Technology and Communication (ICT) for social change. How this tool to measure the changes that ICT can bring to various communities.

Participants must at the meeting place, an evaluation plan type (as detailed as possible), they also have an overview of possible stories of transformation of gender in their projects and working groups. The question of the debate is how GEM can facilitate women's access to ICTs and measuring impacts.