1 July 2015 This evaluation report of the Women’s Leadership Program in Paraguay was produced at the request of Higher Education for Development with support from the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by Flavia Ramos-Mattoussi and Venus Caballero, consultants to HED. Evaluation Report EXTERNAL EVALUATION OF THE WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP PROGRAM IN PARAGUAY EXTERNAL EVALUATION OF THE WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP PROGRAM IN PARAGUAY EVALUATION REPORT July 31, 2015 This document was first submitted by Flavia Ramos-Mattoussi and Venus Caballero to Higher Education for Development (HED) on June 12, 2015. It has been reviewed, revised and resubmitted on July 31, 2015. DISCLAIMER The authors’ views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. Additional information can be obtained from: Flavia Ramos-Mattoussi, Ed.D. Learning Systems Institute Florida State University Email: framos@lsi.fsu.edu Cover Photo: This photo is displayed on the Women’s Leadership Program in Paraguay’s Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/liderazgomujeres/photos/ The photo was posted on February 24 in celebration of ‘Paraguayan Women’s Day’ showing a group of students at the Educational Center in Mbaracayú. Desde el Programa de Liderazgo y Empoderamiento de la Mujer Paraguaya brindamos hoy por mayores oportunidades de acceso a la educación de las Mujeres Paraguayas! Porque…“Educar a una mujer es educar a un pueblo” (Mahatma Gandhi) 24 de febrero - Día de la Mujer Paraguaya iii External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 CONTENTS ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................................................................ v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................................... 1 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................. 7 2. OVERVIEW OF THE PARTNERSHIP ................................................................................................................ 9 3. LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................................................................... 11 3.1. PROJECT BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................................ 11 3.2. DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES: WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT AND GENDER EQUITY .................. 12 4. METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................................................................. 15 4.1. EVALUATION PURPOSE AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK............................................................... 15 4.2. DATA COLLECTION METHODS ............................................................................................................... 19 4.2.1. EVALUATION QUESTIONS ............................................................................................................... 19 4.2.2 DATA SOURCES ................................................................................................................................. 20 5. LIMITATIONS .................................................................................................................................................... 24 6. FINDINGS ......................................................................................................................................................... 26 6.1. RELEVANCE OF PROGRAM DESIGN (CONTEXTUALIZATION AND PROGRAM LOGIC) .................. 26 6.2. EFFICIENCY OF MANAGEMENT PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS........................................................... 29 6.3. EFFECTIVENESS OF PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION ........................................................................... 31 6.4. IMPACT OF PROGRAM INTERVENTION ................................................................................................ 35 6.4.1. INITIATIVE I: INCORPORATION OF GENDER IN UNA-FCA CURRICULUM, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING ................................................................................................................ 35 6.4.2. INITIATIVE II: GENDER POLICY DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................... 36 6.4.3. INITIATIVE III: STRENGTHENING UNA'S CENTER FOR LEADERSHIP ......................................... 36 6.4.4. INITIATIVE IV: SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM ...................................................................................... 37 6.4.5. INITIATIVE V: EXTENSION EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM .... 38 6.4.6. INITIATIVE VI: COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND DIGITAL MEDIA PROGRAM ............................... 38 6.4.7. INITIATIVE VII: PRE-ENTRY PROGRAM FOR FEMALE HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS ................... 39 6.4.8. INITIATIVE VIII: MENTORING PROGRAM ........................................................................................ 40 6.4.9. INITIATIVE IX: INTERNSHIP AND APPLIED PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE (IAPE) PROGRAM ........ 41 6.4.10. INITIATIVE X: AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AMBASSADOR (AGRO-LEADER) PROGRAM ....... 42 6.4.11. INITIATIVE XI: CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND JOB PLACEMENT CENTER ............................... 44 6.5. POTENTIAL FOR PROGRAM SUSTAINABILITY ..................................................................................... 44 7. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS ................................................................................................................................ 45 8. DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS ............................................................................................................................ 47 8.1. STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONAL CAPABILTY ................................................................................... 47 8.2. GENDER AND LEADERSHIP TRAINING ................................................................................................. 48 8.3. ALLIANCES, PARTNERSHIPS & AGREEMENTS .................................................................................... 52 8.4. WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT AND GENDER EQUITY ............................................................................ 57 8.4.1. GENDER AGREEMENT AND SELF-EFFICACY (GSE) TEST SCORES .......................................... 58 9. RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................................................................................................................... 60 ANNEX I: EVALUATION STATEMENT OF WORK .............................................................................................. 63 Scope of Work for Local Evaluator in Paraguay ........................................................................................... 66 iv External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 A note about the authors ............................................................................................................................... 67 Schedule of Activities & Deliverables ............................................................................................................ 68 ANNEX II: HED EVALUATION FRAMEWORK ..................................................................................................... 69 ANNEX III: WLP-PARAGUAY RESULTS FRAMEWORK .................................................................................... 72 ANNEX IV – WLP-PARAGUAY PROJECT RESULTS (SUMMARY REPORT) ................................................... 76 ANNEX V: SITE VISITS & INTERVIEWS ............................................................................................................. 79 ANNEX VI: DOCUMENTS REVIEWED ................................................................................................................ 85 ANNEX VII: EVALUATION TOOLS ...................................................................................................................... 87 STRUCTURED INTERVIEW/QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TRAINERS, INSTRUCTORS, WORKSHOP FACILITATORS AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPERS ................................................................................. 87 TEACHER/INSTRUCTOR/TRAINER – SURVEY/QUESTIONNAIRE .......................................................... 88 SELF-EFFICACY SURVEY ........................................................................................................................... 93 PROGRAMA DE LIDERAZGO Y EMPODERAMIENTO DE LA MUJER PARAGUAY: INDICADORES ADICIONALES DE USAID............................................................................................................................... 97 INTRODUCTION TO FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION ................................................................................. 98 FOCUS GROUP WITH TEACHERS/INSTRUCTORS .................................................................................. 99 GRUPO FOCAL CON PROFESORES/INSTRUCTORES ......................................................................... 100 FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION WITH MALE STUDENTS......................................................................... 101 FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION WITH FEMALE STUDENTS .................................................................... 103 KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEWS ............................................................................................................... 105 KEY INFORMANT SURVEY QUESTIONS ................................................................................................. 107 ANNEX VIII: EVALUATION RESULTS ............................................................................................................... 112 Letter from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock .................................................................................. 112 Responses to Self-Efficacy and Gender Agreement Test .......................................................................... 113 Results of online Survey: Responses from UNA/FCA faculty, instructors, and workshop facilitators ........ 127 Results of online Survey: Responses from Key Informants ........................................................................ 142 ANNEX IX: DESCRIPTION OF THE HOST-COUNTRY INSTITUTION: UNA-FCA ........................................... 162 ANNEX X- DEFINITION OF GENDER TERMS .................................................................................................. 165 WORKS CITED ................................................................................................................................................... 167 v External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 ACRONYMS ACDI VOCA AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT INTERNATIONAL AND VOLUNTEERS IN OVERSEAS COOPERATIVE ASSISTANCE ADS AUTOMATED DIRECTIVES SYSTEM CA COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT CAT CAPACITY ASSESSMENT TOOL CDCS COUNTRY DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION STRATEGY CEDAW CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN DEC DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE CLEARINGHOUSE FCA FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS AGRARIAS (SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES) FECOPROD FEDERACIÓN DE COOPERATIVAS DE PRODUCCIÓN FMB FUNDACION MOISES BERTONI FP FUNDACION PARAGUAYA FSU FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY DGYJR GENDER AND RURAL YOUTH DEPARTMENT GOP GOVERNMENT OF PARAGUAY HED HIGHER EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT IFAS INSTITUTE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES IR INTERMEDIATE RESULT ISE INSTITUTO SUPERIOR DE EDUCACIÓN DOCENTE KII KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEWS LWA LEADER WITH ASSOCIATES M&E MONITORING AND EVALUATION MAG MINISTERIO DE AGRICULTURA Y GANADERÍA (MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND LIVESTOCK) MEC MINISTERIO DE EDUCACION Y CULTURA (MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND CULTURE) MINMUJER MINISTERIO DE LA MUJER (MINISTRY FOR WOMEN) NGO NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION PMP PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM RF RESULTS FRAMEWORK SOW SCOPE OF WORK UF UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA UNA UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE ASUNCION (NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF ASUNCION) USAID UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT USG UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT 1 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BACKGROUND The Women’s Leadership Program in Paraguay (WLPP) is a three-year (2012-2015) higher education partnership funded and supported by Higher Education for Development (HED), in cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID/Paraguay). HED works with EGAT/ED and USAID/Paraguay under the Women’s Leadership Program to support the partnership between the National University of Asuncion (UNA) in Paraguay and the University of Florida (UF) in the United States. The WLP￾Paraguay partnership contributes to the primary objectives of the overall Women’s Leadership Program framework. It supports national and local development goals in Paraguay that promote gender equality and female empowerment in the agricultural sector. Through WLPP, a project team of UF faculty partnered with UNA/FCA to meet the objectives of the program. 1. To promote and support women's access to the National University of Asuncion (UNA) with a focus on developing leadership skills; 2. To strengthen institutional capacity of UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences and the Center for Leadership to produce strong female leaders through training in workforce leadership skills; and 3. To develop sustainable alliances between the UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences, civil society, and the public and private sector that promote the emergence of female leaders. The University of Florida is the managing partner of the WLP-Paraguay project. A UF project team partners with UNA-FCA and the following organizations in the execution of the project.  ACDI-VOCA-Paraguay  Federación de Cooperativas de Producción (FECOPROD)  Fundación Paraguaya  Fundación Moisés Bertoni  Ayuda en Acción, Paraguay  Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura (IICA)  Proyecto Mujeres por las Cuencas Hídricas  International Young Leaders Assembly (IYLA), Paraguay  Agroeducación, Consorcio de Ganaderos de Experimentación Agropecuaria (CEA)  Centro de Altos Estudios del Paraguay (CAEP)  Compañia Agrotabacalera del Paraguay, SA The WLPP project includes the following initiatives: Initiative I: Incorporation of Gender in UNA-FCA Curriculum, Professional Development and Training Initiative II: Gender Policy Development Initiative III: Strengthening UNA's Center for Leadership Focus on Women Initiative IV: Scholarship Program Initiative V: Extension Education and Professional Development Program Initiative VI: Communication Skills and Digital Media Program Initiative VII: Pre-Entry Program for Female High-School Students Initiative VIII: Mentoring Program Initiative IX: Internship and Applied Practical Experience (IAPE) Program Initiative X: Agricultural Sciences Ambassador Program (AgroLeadership) Initiative XI: Career Development and Job Placement Center 2 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 EVALUATION PURPOSE The purpose of this end-of-project evaluation is to help inform HED, implementing partners, and relevant stakeholders on:  The overall key achievements and outcomes of the WLP-Paraguay partnership program;  Effectiveness of the project and its integrated design in achieving intended results; and,  Sustainability of the initiatives implemented by the UF/UNA-FCA partnership. The evaluation team composed of Dr. Flavia Ramos-Mattoussi (international consultant) and Ms. Venus Caballero (local consultant) was contracted by HED to conduct the external (end-of-project) evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay to learn how the partnership has contributed and could continue contributing to the promotion of gender equality and female empowerment in agriculture. The team examined the following aspects of the program: (1) efficiency of management processes and systems; (2) relevance of program design; (3) effectiveness of program implementation; (4) impact of program intervention; and (5) potential for program sustainability. The evaluation was conducted from February 4 to July 31, 2015. Fieldwork was carried out from April 6 to May 25, 2015, including work in the United States and in Paraguay. METHODOLOGY Following a review of the evaluation questions during the initial briefing and in subsequent discussions with HED staff, the evaluation team applied several data collection tools to address the categories of questions included in the HED evaluation framework as well as other questions that emerged during the review of documents and fieldwork. Data collection tools were designed to explain how the partnership has been designed and implemented to achieve its target goals. More specifically, this evaluation examines the WLPP’s eleven initiatives in order to generate knowledge about how higher education partnerships can contribute to the promotion of gender equality and female empowerment. Data collection and analysis occurred in four phases. In the first phase, the Team conducted document analyses, and interviewed select key informants, including faculty and staff from UF, UNA-FCA, and HED. The second phase of the evaluation included field work in Paraguay; site visits, administration of survey questionnaires, interviews with key informants, and focus group discussions with participants and program beneficiaries (students and instructors). The third and fourth phases of the evaluation included the analysis of data and reporting of findings respectively. The evaluation design incorporated a variety of targeted methods to address the evaluation questions by eliciting rich information and triangulating emerging themes and points of view. Working in cooperation with HED and WLPP staff, evaluators requested meetings with representatives of all partner organizations. In addition, to the WLPP partners, the evaluators interviewed stakeholders such as representatives of MINMUJER, MAG, and Itaipu. Evaluators ultimately met with 30 representatives from 15 organizations; and conducted focus groups with 52 students (30 female, 22 male) from 4 agricultural schools, and 5 UNA-FCA students who are mentors or agro￾leaders; and a focus group with the WLPP staff members in Paraguay. The bulk of the interviews and site visits proceeded as planned. The evaluation team concluded that the diversity and coverage of key informants was both sufficient and robust enough to allow for compiling findings and formulating recommendations. FINDINGS The Women’s Leadership Program in Paraguay not only designed and implemented relevant initiatives, it influenced the ways the academic units within UNA-FCA are managed, by engaging faculty and administrators in the design of new policies, creating new courses, and breaking some of the boundaries between the university and civil society organizations. Some of the eleven (11) WLPP initiatives were contextualized to fit the local reality by addressing the needs of faculty and students and available resources. Some others were created anew, such as the Career Center (Centro de Desarollo Laboral); the Mentoring and AgroLeadership programs; the internship opportunities for FCA students in coordination with public and private organizations; and the partnerships with agricultural high schools in the rural areas of the country. The mentoring program to 3 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 support female students and create stronger linkages between the high schools, universities, and professional associations has been one of the most effective initiatives established by the partnership. The management system employed by the WLPP team allowed for synergies to emerge within the UNA-FCA. Each program initiative built on each other’s success creating a multiplier effect. The program was able to strengthen existing units, such as the Center for Leadership, to develop new programs and innovative ways of connecting faculty and students in efforts to promote gender equity and women’s empowerment, including a focus on helping vulnerable populations with the means to access UNA-FCA. The WLPP fell short of its promise of providing scholarships for female students from agricultural schools through partnerships with Itaipu Foundation and other external donors. On the first year of the project, relationships were established with the Ministry for Women (MINMUJER) and Itaipu Foundation. Due to changes in personnel within those institutions, those relationships were lost, and by the end of the program it does not appear that any agreement exists between WLPP and either MINMUJER or Itaipu Foundation (responsible for providing merit and need-based scholarships to students enrolled at UNA). One of the greatest achievements of UF-UNA/FCA partnership was the curricular revision of the five disciplines that make up the academic programs of the college of agricultural sciences. FCA offers five bachelor's degree programs: Agronomic Engineering, Forest Engineering, Human Ecology Engineering, Degree in Agricultural Management, and Environmental Engineering. While the curricular revision has not impacted the curriculum across all sectors, a concrete achievement was the development of the gender policy, and the introduction of the ‘gender’ subject in each of those five disciplines, resulting in a new elective course: “Gender and Interculturalism,” listed in the UNA/FCA 2015 Course Catalog. (Guia Académico Año 2015– FCA/UNA) One of the pillars of the gender mainstreaming process, occurring at UNA/FCA, was the training provided by the team from the University of Florida to the WLPP team, FCA faculty and other invited guests. At the core of the partnership was a series of training workshops on gender and leadership themes that were implemented by the WLPP team in all target areas and institutions identified by the partnership. The WLPP designed and delivered a series of workshops with the aim of strengthening institutional capacity of UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences and its Center for Leadership to produce strong female leaders through gender and leadership training. The workshops targeted female and male faculty, students and administrators at FCA and students at four agricultural schools in San Pedro, Belen, Cerrito and Mbaracayú. These schools are managed by WLPP’s partners: Fundacion Paraguaya and Fundacion Moises Bertoni. The program staff contributed in many forms to the success of the Center for Leadership—with the design and delivery of the gender and leadership workshops, recruitment and selection of mentors, matching of students and internship sites, etc. The Center for Leadership, in coordination with the division of Agricultural Extension, offers an internship program that provides opportunities for students of different disciplines to strengthen their capacities as professionals in areas of great diversity. The WLPP was able to expand those internship opportunities through partnerships with ACDI VOCA, FECOPROD, and other organizations. FCA students were granted internships at cooperatives in various regions of the country, broadening the opportunities for practice and exposure to diverse populations, including working with women’s cooperatives. In addition, the partnership helped to improve UNA/FCA faculty and students’ knowledge, skills and attitudes in relation to gender and leadership themes. It helped to raise awareness of gender disparities within the agricultural sector by integrating gender in the curriculum, and by creating new gender policies that will have a lasting impact beyond the life of the partnership. The program was designed to systematically address the three pillars of women’s empowerment: agency, capability and access. Agency - The ‘gender agreement and self-efficacy (GSE) test may not be the best tool to measure program’s impact on participants. Despite the relatively insignificant results of pre and post test scores, qualitative data show some positive changes on students from FCA and agricultural schools. Female students report higher levels of self-esteem and confidence. FCA students also demonstrate leadership skills and engage in community projects as mentors, agro-leaders, or as volunteers. Female students from agricultural schools report changes 4 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 in behavior and more proactive participation in school and community projects, and better relations with friends and family. Male students also report an increased awareness of gender disparities; show changes in attitudes and behavior in relation to gender dynamics; and regard women’s role in society in a more positive way. Access - Vulnerable populations and young women from agricultural high schools have increased educational and professional opportunities due to financial support from UNA/FCA in the form of 50 percent tuition waiver for Probation Entry Course to facilitate UNA’s application process. They also receive academic support provided by FCA student mentors and AgroLeaders. Capability - Faculty and students who participated in the gender and leadership workshops report gains in knowledge, skills and attitudes in the various areas of training (i.e., gender, communications, self-esteem, conflict resolution, entrepreneurship, leadership, etc.). FCA students also gained applied knowledge and skills by tapping into internship and volunteer opportunities through the various partnerships with private organizations, including women’s cooperatives. Overall, the Partnership has successfully implemented most of the planned activities in a timely manner and met the needed percentage of target achievement by the end of the project. (See Annex IV: WLPP Project Results - Summary Report). By the end of the program, 12 new gender policies were created; 11 young people were enrolled in FCA/UNA to pursue a college degree; 136 extension activities were developed; 1,409 workshops and 63 leadership trainings were implemented; 5 academic programs providing internship opportunities have been strengthened; funds equal to USD 6,067 have been leveraged; 2 cooperative agreements were signed, and over 346 students have participated in the mentoring program. A total of 2,308 people were direct beneficiaries of the activities implemented by WLP-Paraguay. CONCLUSIONS The WLP-Paraguay helps to strengthen the capacity of UNA's Center for Leadership to deliver relevant leadership training and experiential learning, increase access to UNA/FCA for female students from targeted agricultural high schools, and develop sustainable alliances that promote the emergence of female leaders. University of Florida’s role is to forge relationships and leverage partnerships that capitalize on existing strengths of UNA/FCA and other host-country institutions and organizations. In addition to strengthening the capacity of the Center For Leadership at UNA/FCA, the WLPP helped to create a new Career and Job Placement Center and other programs, such as the Mentoring and AgroLeadership programs, and to leverage financial resources with the support of the FCA Dean’s Office to sustain the pre-entry college program that allows students from the agricultural high schools to prepare for the UNA/FCA entrance exam. Together, the mentoring program and the scholarship for the Probational Entry Course seem to be the most promising in terms of sustainability. Other resources leveraged by the WLP-Paraguay include four primary agricultural high schools that are supported by Fundación Paraguaya and Fundación Moises Bertoni, three mixed-gender schools in San Francisco, San Fernando, and Belén and one all-girls school in the nature reserve of Mbaracayú; and multiple partnerships with private organizations, through formal and informal agreements or MOUs. What is the potential for sustainability of the various program initiatives? The division of agricultural Extension, which coordinates the activities of the Center for Leadership, would be the most logical unit to sustain the most successful initiatives spearhead by the partnership. UNA/FCA would also like to increase partnerships with the private sector and with organizations like FRECOPOD to create opportunities for faculty and students to have more practical experiences. It is expected that the internship and mentoring programs are likely to continue with the support from the division of Agricultural Extension that gives students credit for extension activities. Both UF and UNA/FCA agrees that the sustainability of results will depend on efforts made on the part of UNA/FCA deanship and faculty to support the implementation of gender policies and curriculum reforms introduced by the partnership. There’s goodwill on both sides of the partnership to continue collaborations between UF and UNA involving faculty and students. 5 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Both human and financial resources will be required to continue with current level efforts. UNA/FCA may not count with the same level of financial and human resources to duplicate what the WLPP program has developed. Nonetheless, the WLPP’s experience has the potential to motivate FCA faculty and administrators to maintain the level of effort, involving students and engaging private sector organizations in those efforts to promote gender equity and to sustain gender policies. Significant gaps are evident in the context of public sector partnerships. Strategic alliances with WLPP could have been developed with institutions such as MINMUJER, which is the lead agency for gender policies; and MAG, through the Gender and Rural Youth Department (DGyJR) under the General Planning Office. DGyJR is currently working to mainstream gender in agricultural policies, and in agricultural schools under the Office of Agrarian Education. These alliances could have been strategic to achieve synergies towards sustainable approaches to mainstream gender into FCA, and in the case of MAG, as a bridge for internships and support for family farming through university actions that could result in strengthening and improving the visibility of FCA’s Agricultural Extension Office and the Center for Leadership under this office. Not only there’s no formal agreement with MINMUJER or MAG, the existing partnerships with the private sector organizations were established between the WLPP and the organizations—these are not cooperative agreements between UNA-FCA and those organizations. This could be a threat to the sustainability of those alliances. It is important to note that the UNA-FCA has the capability to establish cooperative agreements with institutions in both the private and public sectors (See Annex IX: Description of Host Country Institution). Despite the great strides the WLPP has made towards change in the direction of gender equity and women’s empowerment by creating new opportunities for disadvantaged youth, gender awareness and establishment of new gender policies within UNA-FCA, these gains may not be sustained in the long term without the support from the GOP, through its various ministries and directorates in charge of such policies. RECOMMENDATIONS The following recommendations are made to address current challenges to women’s empowerment and gender equity within the context of the Women’s Leadership Program in Paraguay. These recommendations address issues related to the implementation of gender policies at UNA/FCA and for improving coordination with the private and public sectors. 1. Implement gender policies with support from public and private partnerships. The WLP-program has been successful in developing partnerships with the private sector, and has maintained formal and informal agreements with a dozen organizations, including foundations, businesses and industry. It would be beneficial for the UNA-FCA to continue this effort and develop partnerships with the public sector as well, more specifically with MINMUJER, MAG and MEC if they are to implement policies that target increased women’s access to UNA-FCA, potential exchanges with universities abroad, and the effective implementation of gender policies at the university level. 2. Build UNA/FCA capacity to integrate gender in the curriculum. Gender policies and integration of gender in the curriculum can only be successfully implemented if a more robust approach to their implementation is in place, including:  Involving gender specialists from MINMUJER and adapt the model used by ISE (Instituto Superior de Educación Docente/ Institute for Higher Education’s Faculty Development) during the implementation of gender integration in the UNA/FCA curriculum.  Acknowledging that gender cannot be fully integrated in the basic curriculum unless it is incorporated at all levels, departments, and courses taught at the university, not just one elective course.  Allocating financial and human resources for the development of curriculum, instructional materials, and gender training targeting UNA/FCA faculty.  Developing curriculum and strategies for the integration of gender themes in required courses at UNA/FCA.  Conducting monitoring and evaluation of implementation of the UNA/FCA curricular revision to make sure gender perspectives are effectively integrated into the curriculum. 6 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 3. Improve the effectiveness of program areas related to gender and leadership training, and engagement of agricultural school directors, teachers, NGO staff, and UNA/FCA faculty in the promotion of gender equity and institutionalization of gender education.  Gender and leadership workshops must address the needs of students, teachers, and administrators at all levels of the program. School directors, administrators and teachers need to receive training in gender￾related issues in order to institutionalize gender integration and ensure the sustainability of interventions.  Involve teachers and administrators in the design and implementation of gender and leadership training.  Improve the efficacy of the gender and leadership training at the school level; Provide follow-up to participants after the workshops; Plan to spend more time at the agricultural schools to assess the needs and aspirations of students and teachers; and make sure to address gender issues in the specific context of the students. This would require coordination with partners and frequent contact with teachers and administrators at each agricultural school.  Include subjects such as sex education, reproductive health and women’s legal rights with a focus on vulnerability and gender-based violence in the content of workshops addressed to students at UNA and agricultural high schools. These are key topics that need to be included in the training program, mainly in the rural areas where the incidence of gender-based violence is high. A situational analysis from a rights￾based perspective and personal development approaches, specifically for women and girls, may also be applied. Conduct workshops and gender-based training for men and women; but, provide separate sessions for each sex group to discuss critical subjects.  Improve the monitoring and evaluation systems in order to measure the impact of gender and leadership training on students and provide feedback to them. 4. Use communication channels for raising awareness of gender issues in the agricultural sector.  Increase gender awareness efforts within UNA/FCA. A marketing campaign would be useful as well as spaces for people to get information about the various program initiatives.  Use social media and other communication channels for disseminating the program and for raising awareness of gender issues in the agricultural sector.  Reach out to UNA/FCA faculty and get them involved in the design and implementation of the program and its promotion. 7 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP PROGRAM IN PARAGUAY 1. INTRODUCTION The evaluation team of two consultants (Dr. Flavia Ramos￾Mattoussi and Ms. Venus Caballero) was contracted by HED to conduct an external (end-of-project) evaluation of the Women’s Leadership Program in Paraguay (WLPP). The purpose of the evaluation was to learn how the WLP-Paraguay partnership has contributed and could continue contributing to the promotion of gender equality and female empowerment in agriculture by examining the following aspects of the program: (1) efficiency of management processes and systems; (2) relevance of program design; (3) effectiveness of program implementation; (4) impact of program intervention; and (5) potential for program sustainability. The Women’s Leadership Program in Paraguay is a partnership between the National University of Asuncion’s School of Agricultural Sciences (UNA/FCA) in Paraguay and the University of Florida (UF) in the United States. The WLPP consists of eleven initiatives that were designed to achieve partnership objectives. Each of those initiatives was implemented to address specific target outcomes and together they collaborate to the promotion of gender equality and female empowerment in agriculture. Table 1 shows the relationship between program objectives, outcomes and the WLPP initiatives as indicated in the Results Framework and Partnership Implementation Plan. Taking into account the complexity and diversity of the WLP-Paraguay program design, the evaluation team examined issues related to the efficiency, relevance, effectiveness, impact and potential for sustainability of each of the eleven program initiatives. This may seem as a diversion from the HED Evaluation Framework1, but it became evident that each of those initiatives evolved with certain programmatic independence—some with greater potential for sustainability than others. More specifically, this evaluation examines the WLPP initiatives in order to generate knowledge about how higher education partnerships can contribute to the promotion of gender equality and female empowerment. The evaluation also documents lessons learned and best practices and provides recommendations to inform evidence-based future programming. 1 HED uses an evaluation framework that synthesizes lessons learned across a portfolio of partnerships. The evaluation team used the HED evaluation framework as the basis for the design of the external evaluation of the WLPP. See Annex II: HED Evaluation Framework. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Higher Education for Development (HED) selected five universities in the United States to partner with higher education institutions in five countries to promote gender equality and women’s leadership. Under the Women’s Leadership Program, these critical higher education partnerships promote and develop curricula and opportunities for women in business, agriculture and education in the targeted countries, thus supporting key national and local development goals aimed at fostering the advancement of women and girls articulated in USAID’s Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy. With funding from USAID totaling about $8.75 million, HED manages the five partnerships: one each in Armenia, Paraguay and South Sudan; and two in Rwanda. 8 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 TABLE 1 – RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PROGRAM OBJECTIVES, OUTCOMES, AND WLPP INITIATIVES Objectives Outcomes WLPP Initiatives 1. Promote and support women's access to the National University of Asuncion (UNA) with a focus on developing leadership skills 1.1: Increase the number of female graduates from the agricultural high-schools participating in leadership-focused university program • INITIATIVE IV - Scholarship program • INITIATIVE VII – Pre-entry science program for female students • INITIATIVE VIII – Mentoring program • INITIATIVE X – UNA Agricultural Sciences Ambassador program • INITIATIVE VI – Communication skills and digital media development 2. Strengthen institutional capacity of UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences to produce strong female leaders through training in workforce leadership skills 2.1: Facilitate UNA’s School of Agricultural Sciences to offer expanded and improved leadership development that complements the core curriculum • INITIATIVE III – UNA –FCA Center for Leadership • INITIATIVE I – Incorporation of gender in curriculum, professional development and training • INITIATIVE II – Gender policy • INITIATIVE VI – Communication skills and digital media development 2.2: Facilitate UNA’s School of Agricultural Sciences to offer applied practical experience that reinforce 1) leadership and 2) academic training • INITIATIVE V – Extension education and professional development • INITIATIVE IX – IAPE program • INITIATIVE X – UNA Agricultural Sciences Ambassador program • INITIATIVE XI – Career development and job placement center 3. Develop sustainable alliances between the UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences, civil society, and the public and private sector that promote the emergence of female leaders 3.1: Increase the number of activities that advance women’s leadership opportunities between: 1) UNA, 2) partner universities, 3) civil society, and 4) the public and private sector • INITIATIVE VIII – Mentoring program • INITIATIVE II – Gender policy • INITIATIVE IX – IAPE program 9 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 2. OVERVIEW OF THE PARTNERSHIP The Women’s Leadership Program in Paraguay (WLP-Paraguay) is a three-year (2012-2015) higher education partnership funded and supported by Higher Education for Development (HED), in cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID/Paraguay). HED receives funding from USAID’s Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade, Office of Education (EGAT/ED), USAID’s functional and Regional Bureaus and worldwide Missions, and the U.S. Department of State to support higher education partnerships to advance global development, economic growth, good governance, and healthy societies. These partnerships provide training, applied research, academic program development, program evaluation, policy analysis, and program implementation, which are critical to furthering the U.S. government’s (USG) foreign assistance goals. HED is working with EGAT/ED and USAID/Paraguay under the Women’s Leadership Program to support the partnership between the National University of Asuncion (UNA) in Paraguay and the University of Florida (UF) in the United States. The WLP-Paraguay partnership contributes to the primary objectives of the overall WLP framework. WLP-Paraguay also integrates key elements of the new USAID Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy into the program. It supports national and local development goals in Paraguay that promote gender equality and female empowerment in the agricultural sector. In addition, the partnership supports USAID’s efforts toward achieving some of the Gender Policy’s overarching outcomes: (1) Reduce gender disparities in access to, control over and benefit from resources, wealth, opportunities and services—economic, social, political, and cultural; (2) Reduce gender-based violence and mitigate its harmful effects on individuals; and (3) Increase capability of women and girls to realize their rights, determine their life outcomes, and influence decision-making in households, communities, and societies. The results framework for WLP-Paraguay calls for activities that will directly advance progress toward Outcomes One and Three and may indirectly address Outcome Two of the Gender Policy. It also supports local government’s efforts to address gender-based violence and discrimination. In 1999, the Government of Paraguay became a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and ratified it in 2001. In addition, the Ministry for Women has implemented two plans for equal opportunity. The most recent of these is the "Third National Plan for Equal Opportunities between Women and Men" (2008-2017), which prioritizes equal rights and participation for men and women; access to economic resources and work; equitable education; comprehensive healthcare; life free of violence; and effective decentralization. Under the Women’s Leadership Program (WLP), the University of Florida and the National University of Asuncion's (UNA) School of Agricultural Sciences engaged in a three-year higher education partnership to train strong female leaders through leadership training, and emphasize the role of agricultural extension work as a means to provide students with applied learning opportunities. The objectives of the WLP-Paraguay partnership are: (1)To promote and support women's access to the National University of Asuncion (UNA) with a focus on developing leadership skills; Paraguay is a landlocked country with a population of 6.6 million. Women make up a little less than half (49.5 percent) of the population, and nearly one-third of households (32 percent) are female-headed. One-fifth of the population lives in extreme poverty, the majority of whom (71 percent) reside in rural areas (World Bank Database). Agriculture remains an important sector of Paraguay's economy, representing 90 percent of exports and employing approximately 30 percent of the population (World Bank Database). Although women's labor force participation has increased, gender gaps are most evident in patterns of employment and incomes in rural areas and gender stereotypes continue to limit women's access to agricultural extension and credit, and land titles (2011 USAID/Paraguay Gender Assessment). 10 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 (2)To strengthen institutional capacity of UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences and the Center for Leadership to produce strong female leaders through training in workforce leadership skills; and (3)To develop sustainable alliances between the UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences, civil society, and the public and private sector that promote the emergence of female leaders. Through WLPP, a project team of UF faculty has partnered with the National University of Asuncion (UNA), School of Agricultural Sciences (FCA), to meet the objectives of the program. The 3-year project is conducted in three phases, as follows: Phase 1 from October 1, 2012 to September 30, 2013; Phase 2 from October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2014; and Phase 3 from October 1, 2014 to September 30, 2015. The work plan for Phase 1 (Y1) of the project entails a needs assessment of university priorities; and the planning, and development of strategies, programs, and activities. Project implementation takes place in Phase 2 (Y2) of the project. Phase 3 (Y3) is a replication of Phase 2 except the project team turns leadership of the initiatives and activities over to the in-country partners. The goal is for UNA and local partners to administer, deliver, and independently evaluate the project outcomes and deliverables. The WLP-Paraguay helps to strengthen the capacity of UNA's Center for Leadership to deliver relevant leadership training and experiential learning, increase access to the UNA for female students from targeted agricultural high schools, and develop sustainable alliances that promote the emergence of female leaders. University of Florida’s role is to forge relationships and leverage partnerships that capitalize on existing strengths of UNA/FCA and other host-country institutions and organizations, such as the agricultural schools, foundations, and other resources in addition to efforts to engage indigenous and underserved communities in targeted areas and Chaco Central. In addition to strengthening the capacity of the Center For Leadership at UNA/FCA, the WLPP helped to create a new Career and Job Placement Center and other programs, such as the Mentoring and AgroLeadership programs, and to leverage financial resources with the support of the FCA Dean’s Office to sustain the pre-entry college program that allows students from the four agricultural schools to prepare for the UNA/FCA entrance exam. Other resources leveraged by the WLP-Paraguay include four primary agricultural high schools that are supported by Fundación Paraguaya and Fundación Moises Bertoni, three mixed-gender schools in San Francisco, San Fernando, and Belén and one all-girls school in the nature reserve of Mbaracayú; and multiple partnerships with public and private organizations, through formal and informal agreements or MOUs. The University of Florida is the managing partner of the WLP-Paraguay project. A UF project team partners with UNA-FCA and the following organizations in the execution of the project. • ACDI-VOCA-Paraguay • Federación de Cooperativas de Producción (FECOPROD) • Fundación Paraguaya • Fundación Moisés Bertoni • Ayuda en Acción, Paraguay • Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura (IICA) • Proyecto Mujeres por las Cuencas Hídricas • International Young Leaders Assembly (IYLA), Paraguay • Agroeducación, Consorcio de Ganaderos de Experimentación Agropecuaria (CEA) • Centro de Altos Estudios del Paraguay (CAEP) • Compañia Agrotabacalera del Paraguay, SA The University of Florida, a land-grant institution, has a long history of improving people’s life through education, research, Extension and service. UF counts with the resources of the following units: 11 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 • The Center for Latin American Studies (CLS) (www.cls.ufl.edu) • College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) (www.cals.ufl.edu) • Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) (www.ifas.ufl.edu) • Department of Agricultural Education and Communication (AEC)—including several interdisciplinary centers: Gender, Environment, Agriculture and Participation (GEAP), Program Wedgworth, Leadership Institute (www.aec.ufl.edu) The WLPP project includes the following initiatives:  Initiative I: Incorporation of Gender in UNA-FCA Curriculum, Professional Development and Training  Initiative II: Gender Policy Development  Initiative III: Strengthening UNA's Center for Leadership Focus on Women  Initiative IV: Scholarship Program  Initiative V: Extension Education and Professional Development Program  Initiative VI: Communication Skills and Digital Media Program  Initiative VII: Pre-Entry Program for Female High-School Students  Initiative VIII: Mentoring Program  Initiative IX: Internship and Applied Practical Experience (IAPE) Program  Initiative X: Agricultural Sciences Ambassador Program (AgroLeadership)  Initiative XI: Career Development and Job Placement Center 3. LITERATURE REVIEW 3.1. PROJECT BACKGROUND USAID/Paraguay launched a new Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) process beginning in FY2012 and developed a performance Management Plan (PMP) and Results framework to articulate the strategy for Gender Assessment/Analysis at the Assistance/Development Objective Level Strategy. Although USAID Paraguay is not a CDCS Pilot Mission, it began a significant new cycle of assistance instruments and strategy for a period beginning in 2012.2 The WLP-Paraguay coincided with the USAID CDCS and new strategy (2012-2015). The WLPP has been conceptualized and implemented in this context of international development assistance. At the national level, the Ministry for Women (MINMUJER) has taken several measures to eliminate gender discrimination, including 2 Documents reviewed for the evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay included: USAID/Paraguay’s Results Framework for the new Strategy period 2012 -2015; USAID/Paraguay’s approach to integrating gender; and, USAID/Paraguay’s Gender assessment from 2011. Both Paraguayan men and women face numerous challenges to personal advancement and full economic, social and political participation for themselves and their families. The Government of Paraguay (GOP) estimates that almost 40% of Paraguayan households live below the poverty line. Of this total, female-headed households fare worse than male-headed households. One of the greatest barriers to progress for all Paraguayans is their education level, particularly for women. Indicators clearly show that individuals with less schooling have lower incomes and more health issues. People in rural areas have less formal schooling. The problem, again, is most acute in rural areas. Poor women within the lowest quintile, less educated and Guaran speaking ha e on a erage 4.1 children, though the national average is about 2.5 and only 2 for women in the cities. There exists a correlation between the number of years of schooling and the number of children a woman will have. For example, the fertility rate for women with over 6 years of formal education is 2.7 vs. 3.6 for women with 3 years or less of schooling. Women with partial high school education or who have a high school diploma have on average 2 children, respectively. Furthermore, maternal mortality is considered high in Paraguay with 127 deaths per 100,000 live births. DEVTECH SYSTEMS, INC. USAID/PARAGUAY GENDER ASSESSMENT, NOVEMBER 2011, P. 40. 12 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 two plans for equal opportunity. The most recent of these is the “Third National Plan for Equal Opportunities between Women and Men” (2008-2017). Current efforts to achieve gender equity at the national level are faced with many challenges. Some of the challenges encountered in the sector include:  gender-related data are sparse or dated for many sectors in Paraguay  insufficient data are collected that are sex-disaggregated  gender bias exhibited in agricultural extension workers’ technical assistance reinforces stereotypes of farmers as men only and results in missed opportunities for women to access the assistance and increase farm productivity The following recommendations3 were made to address current challenges to women’s empowerment and gender equity within the agricultural sector in Paraguay. These areas correlate strongly with the activities implemented by WLPP and could be applied in the monitoring and evaluation of similar programs.  Identify local expertise on gender (e.g., NGOs, women’s organizations, foundations, academics, research institutions, government ministries with particular emphasis to the MINMUJER) that can be called on to provide in-depth technical assistance.  Include training and selection of female agricultural extension agents by recruiting from universities and providing flexible work arrangements that accommodate the domestic responsibilities of female agricultural extension agents.  Provide gender training to male and female agricultural extension agents, loan officers, and other technical staff working with male and female producers.  Form alliances with implementing partners, the GOP, other donors and communities to identify creative solutions for alleviating the time burdens of domestic responsibilities that restrict the ability of female producers to generate incomes for families and communities.  Integrate family workshops into technical assistance training to sensitize both younger and older men and women to respect one another’s productive and reproductive roles, including issues such as sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence.  Work with the GOP to include gender training and domestic violence training in government curricula.  Link existing gender training resources provided by Paraguayan institutions and other donors with USAID's partners and programs. 3.2. DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES: WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT AND GENDER EQUITY The WLPP’s initiatives and activities are aligned with the USAID’s Gender Policy’s overarching outcomes: 1. Reduce gender disparities in access to, control over and benefit from resources, wealth, opportunities and services—economic, social, political, and cultural; 2. Reduce gender-based violence and mitigate its harmful effects on individuals; and 3. Increase capability of women and girls to realize their rights, determine their life outcomes, and influence decision-making in households, communities, and societies. The three WLP-Paraguay’s objectives are centered on the potential benefits that education—knowledge, skills, and attitudes—can impart as an instrument by which women and men can achieve gender equality. Those objectives aim (1) to promote and support women's access to the National University of Asuncion (UNA) with a focus on developing leadership skills; (2) to strengthen institutional capacity of UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences and the Center for Leadership to produce strong female leaders through training in 3 Source: DevTech Systems, Inc. USAID/Paraguay Gender Assessment, November 2011. 13 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 workforce leadership skills; and (3) to develop sustainable alliances between the UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences, civil society, and the public and private sector that promote the emergence of female leaders. The WLPP operates under the assumption that access to higher levels of education ultimately contributes to women’s empowerment and social inclusion. The WLPP strives to provide leadership and gender training with the aim of preparing women and men to develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes to pursue leadership positions in the communities where they live and work. The program focus on providing the resources for those in disadvantaged groups in society (women and indigenous people) to access better opportunities in education, job training and the workforce. However, research suggests that educational progress measured purely in terms of enrolment is not enough to alter women’s conditions. In Paraguay, where women and indigenous populations in rural areas earn the lowest wages, and face greater societal obstacles to attain the knowledge and skills necessary to negotiate their spaces in the workforce, more specifically in the agricultural sector, access to higher education is a great challenge. We must examine the potential capacity of programs such as the WLPP to transmit new ideas, integrate leadership and gender in teaching/learning practices and provide the greatest opportunity for poor women and indigenous populations to achieve their potential while creating the conditions for men and women to gain equal access to education and economic opportunities. In the context of the WLPP, it would be important to examine not only the cognitive content of the educational activities (i.e., UNA courses, agricultural schools, short and long term training), but also how the cultural, ideological and emotional outcomes are reproduced by the partnership. To what extent are the partnership organizations challenging the status quo—expressed in the concepts of masculinity/femininity, the gendered nature of society and division of labor, and the sociocultural norms that may hinder gender equality and women’s empowerment? Education alone may not address issues of gender inequality and women’s empowerment, as two other simultaneous conditions must be present: “women’s participation and equal opportunity in the public sphere and women’s differential needs in the private sphere, particularly those concerning reproductive rights, childcare and the violence they may experience in domestic settings” (Stromquist: 2006, p 154; Singh, 1998). Defining and measuring women’s empowerment has proven to be an ongoing challenge amongst researchers and international development agencies. The concept of empowerment has been associated with a range of activities undertaken by and for women in different sectors, including education. Definitions of empowerment vary and tend to be described as a process, an end-state, and a capacity (Kabeer, 2001; Malhotra, 2002; Alsop et al., 2005; Martinez, 2006). Evaluating women’s empowerment outcomes also requires further examination of how ‘empowering’ is defined, based on what assumptions and whose perspectives. Nelly Stromquist refers to empowerment as “the multidimensional changes that women must undergo to become active agents of their own transformation” (2006, p. 154). She continues to say that “This has been defined as skills and knowledge that usually comprise several dimensions: economic (capacity to generate independent income), psychological (feelings of self￾esteem), cognitive (critical understanding of one’s reality) and political (awareness of power inequalities and the ability to organize and mobilize) (Stromquist, 2002; 2006). Lucy Lazo defines women’s empowerment as "a process of acquiring, providing, bestowing the resources and the means or enabling the access to a control over such means and resources" (Medel-Anonuevo & Bochynek, 1995, p.8). Adding nuance to the definition, Depthnews (1992, cited in Medel-Anonuevo and Bochynek, 1995, p. 8) states that “Self-empowerment means that women gain autonomy, are able to set their own agenda and are fully involved in the economic, political and social decision-making process.” 14 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Self-efficacy is a widely used and frequently assessed psychological concept first developed by Albert Bandura in 1977. Fundamentally, feelings of self-efficacy refer to people’s beliefs in their capacity to produce actions that are necessary for achieving desired outcomes/ attainments. As a concept, it is similar to having a sense of personal agency. Self-efficacy has been shown to have a crucial impact on goal￾setting, perseverance in the face of difficulties, and action-oriented behaviors. Feelings of self-efficacy can be assessed in specific contexts or as a more general, cross-situational belief that one has the capacity to mobilize the motivation, cognitive resources, and courses of action needed to exercise general control over events in one’s life. General feelings of self-efficacy can be presumed to mediate the relationship between efforts to empower women and their resulting actions and is more easily measurable within the time frame of a typical USAID activity. (USAID Paraguay Custom Indicator) Empowerment can be defined as “the expansion of assets and capabilities of poor people to participate in, negotiate with, influence, control, and hold accountable the institutions that affect their lives.”4 In this sense, empowerment, as Kabeer suggests, is related to women’s agency, “the expansion in [women’s] ability to make strategic life choices in a context where this ability was previously denied to them5.” According to this concept of empowerment, agency is exercised in opposition to a prior condition of subordination in important spheres of life6. Similar to having a sense of personal agency is the concept of self￾efficacy as defined below. “Empowerment, in part, consists in individual women building relationships, joint efforts, coalitions, and mutual support, in order to claim and expand agency, alter inequitable structures, and so realize rights and livelihood security.7” Since women’s empowerment is a multidimensional concept, much remains unknown about how best to evaluate the processes of change. Measuring the effect of a program relative to empowerment of women is also difficult, as most empirical studies fail to operationalize the concept of agency or empowerment or effectively measure these processes8. Self-efficacy 9is a necessary condition for and a psychological component of ‘women’s empowerment,’ that includes the development of feelings that women can act at personal and societal levels to improve their condition as well as the formation of the belief that they can succeed in their change efforts (Stromquist, 1995). However, self￾efficacy is not the only determinant to woman’s empowerment. Many women in the world live in highly unfavorable socio-economic and cultural conditions and remain victimized as far as human rights are concerned, despite their levels of self-esteem 10and self-efficacy11. Amongst researchers and development practitioners, there’s some agreement that, in order to promote women's empowerment, it is necessary to create the opportunities to and an environment that allows women to participate in educational programs; and also a need to set up specific educational programs for women, that provide the type of education and training that will sensitize people towards gender discrimination and will raise their acceptance of women's promotion (Medel-Anonuevo & Bochynek, 1995; Ramos, 2007; Ramos￾Mattoussi, 2009). Research suggests that success of educational programs to empower women depends on the extent to which those programs take the multiple roles of women into account and how they help in alleviating the burden of sociocultural predictions and expectations of women as care givers—contributing to both production and 4 Narayan, D. (2001) Empowerment and Poverty Reduction: A Sourcebook. Washington, DC: World Bank. 5 Kabeer, N. (1999) The Conditions and Consequences of Choice: Reflections on the Measurement of Women’s Empowerment. UNRISD Discussion Paper 108. United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, Geneva. 6 Ibid. 7 Global Research Framework, Women’s Empowerment Strategic Impact Inquiry (January 19, 2006) 8 Malhotra, A. 2003. Conceptualizing and Measuring Women’s Empowerment as a Variable in International De elopment. 9 Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: W. H. Freeman. 10 Self-esteem is the basic appraisal people make of themselves. 11 Judge et al. defined generalized self-efficacy as one's estimates of one's capabilities to mobilize the motivation, cognitive resources, and courses of action needed to exercise general control over events in one's life. 15 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 reproduction (Ramos, 2007; Ramos-Mattoussi, 2009). Furthermore, in order to succeed, women’s empowerment programs must include certain components such as: promotion of gender awareness; integration of technical, entrepreneurial, cultural and communal aspects; information and lessons on politics; and provision of planning and thinking skills, among others. (Medel-Anonuevo & Bochynek, 1995) Efforts to measure women‘s empowerment may consider different levels of action (micro/macro, individual/collective), different spheres (economic, political, social), different temporal scales (often beyond the lifetime of a single program) and must be sensitive to social context. Approaches to measuring women‘s empowerment must also take into account the fact that empowerment can be a slow process of change (Helpdesk Research Report: Measuring Women’s Economic Empowerment, 2010) and the impact of a program may not be seen immediately at the end of the funding period. Figure 1 - Components that allow for women’s empowerment 4. METHODOLOGY 4.1. EVALUATION PURPOSE AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK The purpose of the evaluation was to learn how the WLP-Paraguay partnership has contributed and could continue contributing to the promotion of gender equality and female empowerment in agriculture by examining the following aspects of the program: (1) efficiency of management processes and systems; (2) relevance of program design; (3) effectiveness of program implementation; (4) impact of program intervention; and (5) potential for program sustainability. The evaluation aims to address the concrete forms in which women’s empowerment is likely to take place, within the scope of the WLPP. In this case, empowerment should be assessed by the number of facets the project addresses (access, self-efficacy, leadership and gender equity), the changes it brings in terms of women's access to higher education, improvement of leadership capability and gender equity; as well as the potential for sustainability of the eleven (11) program initiatives. In order to evaluate the efficiency, relevance, effectiveness, impact and potential for sustainability of the WLP-Paraguay partnership, as well as to capture best practices and lessons learned that could be applied to future programs, the Team applied a case study evaluation methodology. The purpose of the evaluative case study is to describe how the partnership program operates; how it was implemented, and to explore what program aspects are working well or less well and why with regards to the promotion of gender equality and female empowerment as a result of its various initiatives in Paraguay. The evaluation targets specific constructs of “women’s The Evaluative Case Study “Case study as an evaluation method is a means of learning about a complex instance, based on a comprehensive understanding of that instance obtained through extensive description and analysis of that instance taken as a whole and in its context”. USAID Technical Note: Evaluative Case Studies, November, 2013 16 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 empowerment” focusing on (1) self-efficacy and (2) perceptions of equality. The evaluation Team examined the potential impact of the partnership by gathering information about inputs, outputs, and outcomes—both positive and negative and planned and unplanned, seeking to provide explanations by making causal inferences about the reasons for success or failure. Evaluation of project’s efficiency, relevance, effectiveness, and impact has been informed by the stated WLP￾Paraguay partnership’s objectives. The external evaluators examined each program component—presented in the WLP-Paraguay Results Framework—by looking at its stated objective and the respective implementation plan to achieve it; and considering end-of-project results in comparison with baseline data and target results. The aim of the WLPP was to implement a multipronged approach that focuses on imparting knowledge, skills and attitudes that will help women operate as efficient and equal partners of men in specific areas of agricultural sciences; to provide Leadership and Gender Training that stresses collaboration between the sexes; to engage local public and private organizations in the provision of educational experiences, including internships, training, mentorship and scholarship programs that build on relevant knowledge and skills that will allow women to invest their knowledge and experiences in their own personal growth as well as that of their communities at local and national levels. The expected outcomes of the WLPP are increased awareness of gender dynamics on the part of all actors and a collaborative effort to support and sustain women’s empowerment through access to higher levels of education and economic opportunities; and increased levels of self-efficacy, as a determinant of women’s agency and self-determination. Therefore, in this evaluation of the WLPP, we focus on the question of WLP-Paraguay’s contribution to women’s empowerment and gender equity, framed as access (enabling structure), self-efficacy (agency ), and leadership capacity (individual and institutional capability to produce expected results). The following conceptual framework of women’s empowerment is offered to support the development of evaluation design and methodology. The triangle graphic (Fig.3) and Table 2 illustrate the interdependent nature of access (structure and enabling conditions), agency (self-efficacy and perceptions of equality), and capability (leadership and gender equity) to engender women’s empowerment. 17 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Figure 2 – Women’s Empowerment Framework for the Evaluation of WLP-Paraguay In the context of the WLPP, we understand impact on women’s empowerment to be reflected in three inter￾connecting aspects of the program: (1) access (enabling conditions, such as the scholarship and mentorship programs); (2) agency (measured by self-efficacy and equal access agreement); and (3) capability (individual and institutional capability to promote gender equity and the emergence of female leaders). 18 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Table 2- Framework of Women’s Empowerment in the context of the WLP-Paraguay Dimensions of Women’s Empowerment Indicators of changes imparted by the WLPP in enabling an environment that promotes and supports women's access to UNA; builds sustainable alliances between the UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences, civil society, and the public and private sector to promote the emergence of female leaders Indicators of individual changes in women’s self-efficacy and perceptions of equality Indicators of institutional changes and capacity to produce strong female leaders through training in workforce leadership skills ACCESS AGENCY CAPABILITY  ACCESS (structure & enabling conditions)  AGENCY (self-efficacy and perceptions of equality)  CAPABILITY (leadership and gender equity)  Number of individuals from underserved and/or disadvantaged groups accessing tertiary education programs  Number of collaborative agreements signed and executed with public and private entities  Number of higher education institution outreach/extension activities in community  Number of female students participating in the mentorship program  Number of scholarships financed by non-USG resources to support females  Number of sustainable alliances [cooperative agreements] between the UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences, civil society, and the public and private sector that promote the emergence of female leaders Self-Efficacy Proportion of females who report increased self-efficacy at the conclusion of USG supported training/programming Equal Access Agreement Proportion of target population reporting increased agreement with the concept that males and females should have equal access to social, economic and political opportunities This indicator will be used to gauge the effectiveness of USG efforts to promote gender equality by measuring changes in target population attitudes about whether men and women should have equal opportunities in social, political, and economic spheres.  Number of leadership development training programs or workshops offered by UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences  Number of tertiary institution faculty or teaching staff whose qualifications are strengthened through USG-supported tertiary education programs  Percent of academic certificate and/or degree programs supported through the partnership that include experiential and/or applied learning opportunities  Incorporation of Gender in UNA-FCA Curriculum, Professional Development and Training  Number of initiatives supported by UNA's Center for Leadership that focus on women  Institutional capacity of UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences to produce strong female leaders through training in workforce leadership skills 19 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 4.2. DATA COLLECTION METHODS The evaluation design incorporated a variety of targeted methods to address the evaluation questions by eliciting rich information and triangulating emerging themes and points of view. Working in cooperation with HED and WLPP staff, evaluators requested meetings with representatives of all partner organizations. In addition, to the WLPP partners, the evaluators interviewed stakeholders such as representatives of MINMUJER, MAG, and Itaipu. Evaluators ultimately met with 30 representatives from 15 organizations; and conducted focus groups with 52 students (30 female, 22 male) from 4 agricultural schools, and 5 UNA-FCA students who are mentors or agro-leaders; and a focus group with the WLPP staff members in Paraguay. Data collection and analysis occurred in four phases. In the first phase, the Team conducted document analyses, and interviewed select key informants, including faculty and staff from UF, UNA-FCA, and HED. A main goal of the first phase of data collection and analysis was to fine tune the evaluation approach; and to identify targets (i.e., sites, programs, organizations and direct beneficiaries) in the WLPP. The case study examines the various program areas to determine the extent to which the partnership appears to be achieving stated goals as indicated by baseline metrics, monitoring data reports, periodic status reports and survey and interview responses. The second phase of the evaluation included field work in Paraguay; site visits, administration of survey questionnaires, interviews with key informants, and focus group discussions with participants and program beneficiaries (students and instructors). In addition to UF/UNA, the evaluation team tried to reach other key informants, including HED staff; local partners, affiliated schools and organizations in Paraguay; and USAID Mission. The third and fourth phases of the evaluation included the analysis of data and reporting of findings respectively. All interviews were recorded and transcribed in the language used during the interview. Transcripts were first analyzed in Spanish and later translated to English. The evaluation was carried from February 4 to July 12, 2015, including work in the United States and fieldwork in Paraguay from April 6 to May 25, 2015. The bulk of the interviews and site visits proceeded as planned. The evaluation team concluded that the diversity and coverage of key informants was both sufficient and robust enough to allow for compiling findings and formulating recommendations. An evaluation matrix detailing the types of organizations and people interviewed is included as Annex V: Site Visits and Interviews. Data Collection Methods included: 1. Review of key documents. These are listed in Annex VI: Documents Reviewed. 2. Meetings with HED; UF/UNA-FCA; USAID-Paraguay; WLPP staff; and partner organizations. 3. Interviews with key informants in the U.S. and in Paraguay. Interviews in Paraguay were conducted in Spanish. 4. Semi-structured interviews with UNA-FCA Dean and Vice-Dean (Host-Country Program Director), faculty and students; WLPP’s partners: Fundacion Paraguaya, Fundacion Moises Bertoni, FECOPROD, and ACDI VOCA; MINMUJER, MAG, and Itaipu Foundation. Nearly all interviews were conducted in Spanish. 5. Site Visits to four Agricultural Schools and Focus Groups with male and female students. The focus groups were conducted in Guarani and in Spanish. 6. Survey/Questionnaires: one addressed to key informants and the other to teaching faculty, instructors and facilitators of leadership workshops. The surveys were administered online (via SurveyMonkey.com) and face-to-face. Two surveys were written in Spanish and one in English. 7. Gender Agreement and Self-Efficacy test (GSE), administered in-person to male and female students at four Agricultural Schools. 4.2.1. EVALUATION QUESTIONS Following a review of the evaluation questions during the initial briefing and in subsequent discussions with HED staff, the evaluation team applied several data collection tools to address the categories of questions INFORMATION GATHERING METHODS:  Document Review  Key Informant Interviews  Surveys/Questionnaires  Focus Groups Interviews  Field Visits 20 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 included in the HED evaluation framework as well as other questions that emerged during the review of documents and fieldwork. This evaluation attempts to address the following questions: 1) What evidence exists regarding the link between WLPP’s (1) efficiency of management processes and systems, (2) relevance of program design, (3) effectiveness of program implementation, (4) impact of program intervention, and (5) potential for program sustainability and the advancement of gender equity and women’s empowerment? a) To what extent have the efficiency of management systems and the relevance of program design contributed to the empowerment of women and the advancement of gender equity? b) What’s the likeliness that the positive, intended results of the WLPP will be sustained? c) What’s the likeliness that the partnership (the relationship between the institutions will be sustained? 2) To what extent and how is the WLP-Paraguay promoting and supporting women's access to the National University of Asuncion (UNA) with a focus on developing leadership skills? 3) To what extent and how is the WLP-Paraguay strengthening institutional capacity of UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences and the Center for Leadership to produce strong female leaders through training in workforce leadership skills? 4) To what extent and how is the WLP-Paraguay developing sustainable alliances between the UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences, civil society, and the public and private sector that promote the emergence of female leaders? 5) What contributions has the WLP-Paraguay made, if any, to the empowerment of women and the advancement of gender equity? For instance, how is the partnership transforming organizational practices by integrating gender training and bringing heightened awareness of unequal gender relations to the agricultural sector? We examine these questions in the context of the WLP-Paraguay, focusing on the partnership’s three main goals: (1) supporting women's access to UNA/FCA; (2) strengthening institutional capacity of UNA/FCA; and (3) developing sustainable alliances with the public and private sectors to promote the emergence of female leaders. Data collection tools were designed to explain how the partnership has been designed and implemented to achieve its target goals. More specifically, this evaluation examines the WLPP’s eleven initiatives in order to generate knowledge about how higher education partnerships can contribute to the promotion of gender equality and female empowerment. We also explore changes in women’s own agency measured by improved self-efficacy scores and increased agreement with the concept that males and females should have equal access to social, economic and political opportunities; improved leadership capability and gender equity; and access to resources, measured by enrolment in educational programs, leadership training, internships, scholarships, career development, and engagement with civil society organizations. The evaluation documents lessons learned and best practices and provides recommendations to inform evidence-based future programming. 4.2.2 DATA SOURCES The evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay partnership programs relied on the following data sources: 1) Review of documents including, but not limited to: Quantitative and qualitative data collected by WLP￾Paraguay partnership staff from target schools over the three years of implementation; RFA Paraguay Women’s Leadership Program; UF results framework application; UF-UNA subawards; M&E reports, Annual Implementation Plans; Baseline Tool; and Progress Reports. 2) Semi-structured interviews with stakeholders and key informants: HED; USAID-Paraguay; UF, UNA/FCA, and WLPP staff and implementing partners (Fundación Paraguaya, Fundación Moisés Bertoni, teachers and students at target agricultural schools); Itaipu; MINMUJER; and MAG. 3) Focus Groups with target population – students and instructors at UNA/FCA; female and male students at four agricultural schools. 21 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 4) Survey/questionnaires – specific forms designed for students, instructors, faculty and staff at various sites. 5) Gender Agreement and Self-Efficacy and Test (GSE) 4.2.2.1. DOCUMENT REVIEW AND ANALYSIS The review of documents provided the basis for the design of interview and focus group protocols; and survey/ questionnaires used with implementing partners and stakeholders. Baseline data and WLPP results framework were used to evaluate the success of the partnership to achieve its intended results. The Team conducted an analysis of relevant WLP-Paraguay partnership documents, as well as other documents that helped provide a richer understanding of partnership’s work in promoting gender equality and female empowerment in Paraguay. Additional documents were gathered during the in-country visits to supplement data analysis. Documents reviewed include the following tools:  Standard Indicators–Higher Education  Standard Indicators–Women's Leadership Program  Results Framework (RF)  Partnership Monitoring Plan (PMP)  Partnership Implementation Plan (PIP)  Performance Indicators Baseline Tool – data on a set of indicators prior to implementation of partnership activities to define existing conditions. Comparison of data collected during project implementation against baseline tool.  Performance Indicators Baseline - Standard: Goal 2 of the 2011-2015 USAID Education Strategy directly related to higher education.  Performance Indicators Baseline – USAID Paraguay: Developed by USAID Paraguay, this set of indicators is specifically aimed at measuring partnership progress in the areas of women’s leadership and empowerment.  Performance Indicators Baseline - Custom: Custom objectives and indicators identified during the partnership project design or application phase. 4.2.2.2. SURVEY/QUESTIONNAIRES The Team designed two surveys to capture basic information about the stated goals, progress, impact, and effectiveness of the WLP partnership in Paraguay. One survey was administered to key informants and the other was administered to FCA faculty, instructors and workshop facilitators. The latter focuses primarily on pedagogical approaches, teaching/learning methods used by the project in the implementation of workshops and integration of gender in their courses. The surveys were administered online and/or in person to all relevant WLP-Paraguay partnership personnel; partners; and beneficiaries. The online survey was administered via surveymonkey.com. The online surveys allowed a rapid assessment of impact of programs on different categories of people (staff, trainers, students, partners, etc.); including both open-ended and forced-choice items with responses that can be easily tabulated and quantified. The questions were formulated on the basis of document and literature review. For instance, a section of the survey addressed to instructors/trainers consists of agree/disagree scales related to evidence-based best practices in women’s leadership training and experiential learning. One section of the survey addressed to key informants consists of a 5 item scale related to the effectiveness of each of the 11 initiatives implemented by the program. The surveys were designed in both English and Spanish. The two survey questionnaires were administered in person and/or online using SurveyMonkey.com. The link to the online survey was sent via email to 36 potential respondents. Responses to survey/questionnaires were tabulated and displayed in graphic format using Survey Monkey and exporting to Excel. Narrative responses provided insight for the analysis of the program initiatives from various perspectives. The survey data was quantified and reported in the aggregate. Evaluators collected 10 responses (9 in Spanish and 1 in English) to the online Key Informant Survey (35 items). 22 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Women's Leadership Program-Paraguay (Key Informant Survey) Responses in Spanish (9) Type of organization you represent: Answer Options Response Percent Response Count University 22.2% 2 University partner 11.1% 1 Funding Agency 0.0% 0 NGO/Foundation 44.4% 4 Other (please specify) 22.2% 2 answered question 9 skipped question 0 Responses in English (1) Type of organization you represent: Answer Options Response Percent Response Count university partner 0.0% 0 funding agency 0.0% 0 NGO/Foundation 100.0% 1 Other (please specify) 0.0% 0 answered question 1 skipped question 0 Evaluators collected five responses to the online survey for instructors, UNA/FCA faculty and WLPP workshop facilitators. Survey for UNA/FCA faculty and WLPP workshop facilitators (Instructors Survey) AGE GROUP SEX HIGHEST LEVEL OF EDUCATION Answer Options Response Percent Answer Options Response Percent Answer Options Response Percent 17 or less 0.0% Male 25.0% primary school 0.0% 18-20 0.0% Female 75.0% secondary school 0.0% 21-29 25.0% specialization 0.0% 30-39 25.0% bachelor’s degree 50.0% 40-49 25.0% Graduate (masters/ Ph.D.) 50.0% 50-59 25.0% 60 or more 0.0% 4.2.2.3. SELF-EFFICACY AND GENDER AGREEMENT TEST Other data collection tools, such as the Gender Agreement and Self-Efficacy Test (GSE) were designed for program participants and administered in-situ after the focus groups with students. The surveys also capture basic demographic information about the respondents. Since self-efficacy is one of the USAID Paraguay’ indicators associated with gender equity and women’s empowerment, we collected data for this indicator by administering the same survey that was used at the start of the WLPP 12 and repeated several times during program implementation. 12 The measure used is the Generalized Self-Efficacy or GSE (Judge, Locke, Durham, & Kluger, 1998). 23 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 The Gender Agreement and Self-Efficacy Tests (GSE) were administered to participants face-to-face as a paper/pencil questionnaire. Data collected were transferred to SurveyMonkey.com for analysis of results. Evaluators collected 54 responses (30 female and 24 male); 50 from students at agricultural high schools and 4 from mentors and agro-leaders at UNA/FCA. Women’s Leadership Program in Paraguay (WLPP) Gender agreement and self-efficacy (GSE) Test administered by the evaluation team to students at four Agricultural High Schools and to UNA/FCA students (mentors and agro-leaders). Survey respondents by sex Female 30 56% Male 24 44% Total 54 100% Survey respondents by type of education enrollment Agricultural schools* 50 93% University** 4 7% Total 54 100% * Includes respondents that completed elementary school and high school ** Includes respondents that completed university and specialization 4.2.2.4. KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEWS Key informant interviews were conducted with the implementers of the WLPP, UF and UNA’s faculty and staff and representatives of other resource organizations; representatives of public and private organizations in a position to provide information about the nature of their support and the initiatives or programs they help develop and sustain. Interviews with key stakeholders in Paraguay, WLP-Paraguay project staff and with key persons in its implementing partner organizations were useful in gaining a context for the project. In addition, the Team conducted semi-structured, qualitative interviews with several key stakeholder groups: HED and USAID Mission staff; MINMUJER, MAG, and Itaipu. Those interviews were conducted in-person; some were conducted individually or in small groups. All interviews were digitally recorded with consent of respondents. All recorded interviews were transcribed in the language used during the interview (English, Spanish or Guarani). Data collected in Guarani were translated to Spanish; data were first analyzed in Spanish and later translated to English. Face-to-face interviews were recorded and transcribed. Responses were categorized by respondents’ institutional affiliations, coded and analyzed on a qualitative basis to review a multiplicity of opinions regarding project design, implementation, challenges, and potential for sustainability as well as elicit suggestions for improvement and revealing areas of concern. The transcripts were manually coded into cluster categories and sub-categories according to criteria set by the evaluators in direct relation to the evaluation questions. The evaluation team analyzed the transcripts of 30 interviews conducted with representatives from 15 organizations including UF/UNA faculty, WLPP staff, partners and other stakehoders, such as MINMUJER, MAG, and Itaipu Binational. 4.2.2.5. FOCUS GROUPS Focus group interviews are an effective way of eliciting people’s feelings and opinions about a specific product or program. Focus groups were conducted with WLPP staff; separate groups of female/male students at 4 agricultural high schools; and one group of student mentors and agro-leaders from UNA/FCA. FG sessions were recorded and transcribed in the original language. The Team conducted two distinct sets of focus groups with instructors and students in each selected site. Focus groups were scheduled in advance and six to twelve participants representing each category of people were invited to participate. Two facilitators conducted the 24 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 FG in the preferred language of participants (Guarani or Spanish); while one facilitator led the conversational style discussion, the other took notes and made observations on the process. The focus groups were recorded by a digital audio-recorder. The recorded sessions were later transcribed and translated for the purpose of analysis. The protocol for FG consists of a few questions to initiate discussion regarding relevant topics and elicit participants’ opinions regarding different aspects of the program. The purpose of the Focus Group interviews was to elicit feelings, ideas, and opinions on the part of instructors and students regarding programmatic activities, relevance and quality of instruction, appropriateness of program interventions to address specific participants’ needs (knowledge, skills and attitudes). Guidelines for facilitators and FG participants were also provided. Refreshments were provided to all participants. In all the FG conducted in Paraguay, facilitators emphasized the fact that there are no right or wrong answers, and encouraged participants to speak freely and to discuss emerging issues collectively and with each and every other participant in the group. The analysis of focus groups’ responses is made on a qualitative basis, by coding responses into categories –emerging themes and trends (i.e., expression of feelings and opinions about aspects of the program; personal experiences and anecdotes regarding impact of interventions; knowledge and skills gained as a result of the program; challenges and difficulties encountered; etc.). Quotes from the focus group discussion were used to illustrate the points made by respondents with regards to WLPP initiatives—feelings, opinions, gains and suggestions for improvement were also shared. Focus Groups were administered to program participants (female and male students) who could describe their experiences, the benefits they received or expected to receive as a result of the partnership (i.e., educational program, training, internship, mentorship or scholarship). Interview and focus groups transcripts were coded and analyzed by the evaluation team and later translated into English.13 Evaluators conducted focus groups with 52 students (30 female, 22 male) from 4 agricultural schools. Each focus-group was carried out at the school location and consisted of groups of 5 to 13 students. Groups of males and females were interviewed separately; at the agricultural school for girls in Mbaracayú, the focus group consisted of 13 girls. At UNA￾FCA, the focus group consisted of 5 students (mentors and agro-leaders). The evaluation team also conducted a focus group with 6 members of the WLPP staff at UNA/FCA. 5. LIMITATIONS The impact of the WLPP must be assessed in terms of how it influences changes at the organizational level to promote and support women’s access to UNA and develop their leadership potential; and the impact of the partnership on participants—men and women who participated in workshops, short-term programs, internships, courses, etc., and received support to enroll in university-level program, in particular, on how the program contributed to women’s empowerment and self-efficacy. • Difficulties measuring the impact of a three-year program in higher education We need to take into account the fact that changes related to women’s empowerment and gender equity can take time to achieve and the impact of a program may not be seen immediately at the end of the funding period. The three-year length of the program limits the evaluation of its full impact. Many of the initiatives were only implemented at the second year of the program. The majority of the students who benefitted from the program may not be at the point where its impact can be measured, such as number of women from agricultural schools entering UNA-FCA; number of disadvantaged students enrolling and successfully completing degree programs at UNA-FCA; number of UNA-FCA female students taking leadership roles in their communities and successfully engaging in the country’s workforce; UNA-FCA policies that integrate 13 Initial consideration to use the assistance of the online research tool Dedoose (www.dedoose.com) or NVivo software to manage, code, and analyze qualitative data was not feasible – raw data were collected in multiple languages (English, Spanish and Guarani) and entered at various dates and locations. Plus only one computer had access to the software. 25 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 gender executed and new courses efficiently implemented at FCA. To this date, the new policies and courses created as a result of the partnership have not been fully implemented yet. • Limited scope and context of program narrows the impact of women’s empowerment and gender equity to a segment of the target population The evaluation is limited to the scope and context of the WLPP. In this context, women’s empowerment is limited to the micro level or personal sphere, in other words, changes in a person’s behavior, knowledge, skills and attitudes; reported self-efficacy (agency) and access to resources (structure). The evaluation does not attempt to assess women’s empowerment as “a process to change the distribution of power, both in interpersonal relations and in institutions throughout society” (Stromquist, 1995, p. 13). • Diversity of languages used creates challenges in communicating across cultures and poses some limits to data collection and analysis of results The fact that the interviews, focus groups and surveys were conducted in Spanish– with a few in English or Guarani—posed a challenge for the analysis and consequent reporting of data. This meant that all the data collection and analysis methods had to be communicated in Spanish to the local consultant; transcripts of data done in Spanish and Guarani had to be later translated into English for the purpose of reporting. The use of multiple languages also complicates the use of text analysis software. The two evaluators decided to collaborate on the analysis of the data in Spanish and to maintain frequent communication with each other via Skype. The team leader took the responsibility to translate data from Spanish into English and to write the final report in English. The task of collecting, analyzing and reporting data in multiple languages must be taken into account when setting target dates for completion of final report and budgeting for translation services. WLPP staff also mentioned “the language barrier is a limitation to full communication between the UNA/FCA and UF partners” and makes it difficult for UNA/FCA to take full advantage of the resources made available to them via UF’s various units and communication channels. Program reports and updates are written in Spanish; Semi-annual and final reports are written in English; not all UF faculty members who provided training to WLPP staff and UNA/FCA faculty are fluent in Spanish, and not all staff and faculty at UNA/FCA are fluent in English. • Scheduling difficulties delayed data gathering and analysis of results Meetings with government entities such as Ministry for Women (MINMUJER) and Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) were not possible during the period of time assigned for fieldwork in Paraguay (May 6-13). However, the local evaluator sought references in those institutions as well as with the Itaipu Foundation— responsible for scholarships for disadvantaged students enrolled at UNA-FCA. One contact at the Ministry for Women agreed to talk with the evaluator. The person in charge of management of scholarships at Itaipu also agreed to have a formal meeting with the local evaluator. Both the Ministry for Women and the Itaipu Foundation were listed in the WLP-Paraguay Results Framework document as partners. However, the contact at Itaipu had no information about the program. The involvement of the Ministry for Women has been symbolic, limited to the presence of ministry officials at WLPP’s major events. Based on data gathered from UNA-FCA, there’s no formal agreement with neither Ministry of Women nor Itaipu Foundation. Some limitations to data collection were caused by major holidays in Paraguay—in the months of April and May—and weather conditions during the evaluation timeframe. Site visits to agricultural schools in Cerrito and Mbaracayú had to be changed either because of the weather or local holidays. Responses to the online survey were very limited. After a personalized request to each key informant and instructor was sent, the number of respondents increased from 3 to 15 (10 key informants and 5 instructors) out of the 36 requests that were sent via email. However, the low response to the online survey was not an impediment to collecting the data; the evaluators used the same survey questions during interviews with key informants and were able to upload responses to the SurveyMonkey.com site for the purpose of analysis of quantitative data. 26 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 6. FINDINGS In the context of the WLP-Paraguay, we wanted to learn how efficiently the partners managed the program by examining how they made use of the results framework and management systems; how they made decisions about the program design, its relevance, contextualization and logic; to what extent the efficiency of management systems and relevance of program design led to positive intended results; and finally, what is the likelihood that these positive results as well as the relationship between the institutions will be sustained. The evaluation team conducted a focus group with the WLPP staff in Paraguay, in addition to interviews with the program director and staff at the University Florida, and with the UNA/FCA Dean and Vice-Dean and other faculty members to gain a better understanding of how the partnership was designed, and how decision￾making and project management affected the outcomes of the project. Qualitative data were gathered from program directors, administrators, gender specialists, and UNA/FCA faculty and staff responsible for the coordination of several of the WLPP initiatives. Here we present what can be implied from the data gathered in relation to the efficiency of management systems and decision-making processes, the relevance of the program design with regards to its contextualization and the logic of the results framework –the relationship between outputs and outcomes, in particular the outcomes of gender equality and female empowerment. 6.1. RELEVANCE OF PROGRAM DESIGN (CONTEXTUALIZATION AND PROGRAM LOGIC) It is interesting to notice that the University of Florida had never had a project in Paraguay nor any type of collaboration with UNA/FCA prior to the WLPP. The partnership between UF and UNA, as well as the relationship with the local private and public sectors began at the time the UF team responded to the RFA. USAID and HED had already selected the host universities in all the countries were the Women’s Leadership programs would be implemented. The UF team began to build connections with host country organizations not long before the implementation of the project. In October of 2012, UF and HED signed a contract, and later, UF and UNA signed a contract to implement the project. Each partnership institution is headed by a director; the UNA/FCA dean appointed the vice-dean to be the host country director of this project. The UF proposal, in response to the USAID RFA, indicated eleven initiatives that were aligned with the objectives of the program. “The idea for the different initiatives emerged from a process where the UF team took into account the contacts in Paraguay; the education system, in terms of youth and particularly women’s education rates, unemployment rates for women, the social conditions and the status of minorities and the indigenous population. UF also proposed to work with the indigenous communities; it didn’t make sense to leave them out. Where does Paraguay stand in comparison to other Latin American countries? Paraguay has the second lowest pay rate for women, after Bolivia. What does the university (UNA) offer and what is there at the department of agricultural sciences? Who are the key players in terms of the corporate world, the private sector? What NGOs, national or international, are there? Are there any agricultural high schools? It was a long process…” (Excerpt from interviews with the UF team, April 21, 2015) The questions related to how the UF/UNA-FCA partnership would address the needs of women and indigenous minorities in the agricultural sector, and which private and public sector organizations would be better positioned to support the partnership’s goals played into the logic of the program design, even prior to its implementation. The program design consists of eleven initiatives; these offer an innovative solution to the institutionalization of some of the programs that were created by the WLPP. For instance, a Career Center is a common feature in institutions of higher education in the U.S., but not in Latin America. Initiative XI: Career Development and Job Placement Center created within FCA is a pioneer in the region. Each initiative targets a specific situation affecting women and minorities that had not been considered before. 27 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 “Women and men, of the indigenous population, as long as they are members of an indigenous community, it doesn’t matter if they are boys or girls; the program is open to both. Who are the women at the universities? They are usually coming from well-off families. We don’t always see, for example, the single mothers. So we tried to target different women from different communities, like single moms. Most of the unemployed women are single moms, so we targeted single moms. We developed five policies in the first year and seven in the second year.” (Excerpt from interviews with the UF team, April 21, 2015) Initiative VII: Pre-Entry Science Program for Female Students is another innovative idea to address the needs of young women in the agricultural sector. This initiative targets rural communities and students in the agricultural high schools and gives them half the price of the fee for the courses they need to take in the first semester at UNA/FCA; as the program director suggested, “Financial aid, in part, but also academic aid; to do that, we developed policies towards the retention of those most vulnerable girls.” The WLPP implementers focused on providing not only access opportunities, but also the conditions to sustain the initiatives implemented by the program, and to support rural women and minorities to stay in school. “It had been established that there are more girls that drop out of school than boys. Sometimes it is not getting them in, but it is making sure that they complete the program. We need to think about access and retention. The policies established serve to meet that first objective. We established a pre￾university program to serve the agricultural schools. We developed and delivered educational programs for high schools. With the amount of resources we have, we cannot go to as many schools as we would like. The Ministry of Agriculture administers eleven high schools, but we could not serve all of these plus others.” (Excerpt from interviews with the UF team, April 21, 2015) The partnership targeted four agricultural high schools administered by external partners: Fundacion Paraguay and Fundacion Moises Bertoni. In the all-girls school in Mbaracayú, the students are in a reserve. There are no teachers that go there every day. They have arrangements with a teacher who makes a trip to the reserve to teach mathematics, maybe once or twice a month. The only ones who live there are the school staff and administrators. Initiatives VIII and X, Mentoring and AgroLeadership Programs were particularly successful there, where the female students counted with the support of a team of FCA student mentors. The mentoring program consists of peer mentoring, faculty acting as mentors, and a professional from outside the university also providing mentoring. Students who are at the advanced level and who are strong in a subject can mentor a new student who is having difficulty with that subject. They are all volunteers. “Peer mentoring, is a concept completely new in Paraguay and it took a while to socialize that concept. But once people started understanding and believing in it, the program had to hire a new person to manage that program,” said Dr. Marta Hartman, the UF project director. Another innovation brought to UNA/FCA by the WLPP emerged as a result of arrangements made with the division of UNA/FCA Agricultural Extension. All students who earn a degree in agriculture have to have a certain number of extension hours or credits. The WLPP team made arrangements with the division of Extension to give the mentors credit. The program developed a manual, and the students were required to attend regular training to be mentors; of the participants in the mentoring program, almost seventy-five percent were the ones who had received peer mentoring. The mentoring program was also established in two UNA/FCA locations: Asuncion and Santa Rosa. The WLPP made some changes to the program in consideration to the local context. For instance, the Science Ambassador Program, one of the WLPP’s initiatives, was later changed to the AgroLeadership Program, which made more sense in the Paraguayan context. “The initial proposal had a program with junior ambassadors, but they didn’t think that ambassador was the right word. They preferred ‘AgroLeadership’…we worked very closely with them. We engaged them to work with us in this program. This is a program for students at the university. To be an agro-leader, you have to have served as a mentor, and successfully so. Then you apply and you are 28 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 selected by a committee, whose job is to do mentoring outside the universities. They are the ones who go to the schools to actually mentor the kids. They do not get financial incentive, but they get an ‘emotional salary,’ because they get a lot of satisfaction; they get the status and recognition. They go to different parts of Paraguay and help the students in high schools.” (Excerpt from interviews with the UF team, April 21, 2015) The partnership collaboration began with the UF visit to UNA campus in Asuncion in 2012, aimed to strength the relationship between the partners and the institutional capacity of UNA/FCA to implement the WLPP. UF faculty designed several workshops addressed to UNA/FCA faculty and the WLPP staff, including: digital media, project development, and professional development focusing on gender, family, and leadership themes. These initial workshops included no more than 20 participants. The WLPP staff were trained on the core areas of the program and continued with program implementation on the second year. The UF and WLPP staff, acknowledged the difficulties they have encountered in implementing a program that focus on gender and women’s empowerment. Involving UNA/FCA faculty members in the process has been one of the major challenges. WLPP staff say that “the faculty is mostly men, and not young. Paraguay is more traditional than any other Latin American country. The faculty members went crazy when we talked about gender. Just to get them to attend a workshop or a meeting is hard. They do not care about gender studies, and they have told us that.” The program implementers agree that the ‘gender theme’ is a difficult one; a faculty member said that many at FCA think that “to talk about gender is to give all powers to women and homosexuals.” Despite the resistance, the partnership was able to achieve most of the project's intend goals, as the WLPP team asserts, “We have incorporated gender in the curriculum of all six careers; we have institutionalized the course on gender and interculturalism, and we have done workshops and training for faculty.” These changes resulted from the efforts associated with Initiative I: Incorporation of gender in curriculum, professional development and training and Initiative II: Gender Policy. The WLPP in coordination with UNA/FCA faculty and staff imparted numerous Gender and Leadership Training Workshops. Some of those were geared towards UNA faculty and students; some others targeted external partners working in the agricultural sector; and others were designed for the students at the four agricultural schools under the partnership. WLPP’s gender specialists were the primary facilitators of those workshops. Each workshop follows a specific design and training manual that includes some supporting materials—mostly tools and hands-on activities for participants to use, such as the “True Color” personality assessment. The WLPP mentioned that they were currently compiling the training materials. However, to this date there is no evidence of training materials produced or given to participants. “The program maintains a folder with all didactic materials. We don’t have materials for the schools, but the AgroLeaders have all the tools to utilize in the workshops at the agricultural schools. We are currently compiling the training materials; each member of the staff summarizes the program, content, and theme of each workshop. We’ll share the results – best practices and activities, with the program coordinators for the final report. The materials are not ready yet. All supporting materials will be ready for production by the end of the project.” (Focus Group with WLPP staff, 5/8/2015) The logic of the partnership is based on the assumption that participation in the events or workshops organized by the partners will strengthen the capacity of the institutions involved and will benefit the individuals by creating spaces for discussion of gender issues and opportunities for men and women to act and think differently regarding their roles in society. Notwithstanding, it was difficult for the program to correlate the participation in gender and leadership workshops with higher scores in the Gender Agreement and Self-Efficacy test (GSE). Either because of faulty administration of the GSE test, validity and reliability issues, or other unknown factors, the GSE has not been a good measure of the effect of those workshops on young men and women who participated in them. On the other hand, those workshops provided the impetus for the other initiatives to succeed, such as the 29 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 development of gender policies, the mentoring program, and the internships with women’s cooperatives through program initiatives, mainly, Initiative III: UNA/FCA Center for Leadership, Initiative V: Extension Education and Professional Development, and Initiative IX: IAPE Program. These initiatives contributed to enhancing UNA/FCA’s rural community agricultural extension and strengthening the internship program, allowing students to gain practical experience and to apply leadership and technical skills. 6.2. EFFICIENCY OF MANAGEMENT PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS The University of Florida as the implementer of the WLP-Paraguay, reports directly to HED on the USAID funded partnership. UF uses the results framework to measure program implementation progress by examining various standard indicators set by USAID, HED, and other custom indicators set by the UF/UNA partnership. The various indicators are a good measure of the extent to which the program is moving towards its intended goals and objectives. “The standard indicators focus on issues related to higher education, for instance, short-term training, number of students trained, number and quality of curricular programs developed, etc. There’s no long-term training programs in Paraguay, since UNA-FCA does not do research. The main focus of the partnership is related to extension programs, access policies, and students’ enrollment at the university. From the beginning of the project, we’ve worked with a partnership management plan and an implementation plan— the program design included a baseline assessment to establish the indicators. The baseline allowed us to know where we were at the beginning of the project. We set our targets from the start of the program and tracked our progress every six months by looking at the indicators at present time in comparison to the baseline. We reported annually, and that’s when we could see if we had met the intended goals or not. We always have to verify the quality of the data reported. For instance, if we carry out a training workshop at the community, we need to report the number of hours and how many people participated in it; those numbers would have to match the people in the community. We monitor all these activities with our partners. We use the PRIME system to monitor the project—this tool allows us to enter project data in relation to target results, such as access policies. We collect the data and documentation that reflect the number of policies developed, for instance, that’s an indicator.” (Excerpts from interviews with the WLPP team in Asuncion, April 2015). The partners used a results-based management approach that allowed them to see what results were produced with how much effort. The partnership produced annual and biennial reports. These were based on the HED Evaluation Framework, which demands a careful analysis of how the program is been implemented. UF had an evaluator who processed all of the evaluation forms for the project. The internal M&E person is an UF employee who spent about 10 percent of his time on the WLPP. The project staff acknowledged that “processing all the evaluation forms is a major task, and we needed another person to help us.” Decisions were made while the initiatives were been implemented. Some of the initiatives may have taken more effort, in terms of time and resources than others. Two of the initiatives that show a high level of efficiency are the Mentoring and the AgroLeadership programs. These initiatives achieved more positive results, with less project resources, and show more potential for sustainability than the others. They were both new to UNA-FCA, but they engaged mostly the FCA students in extension and volunteer activities that had a multiplier effect—most visibly the support given to students at the agricultural schools. The WLPP team revised the implementation plan and programmatic activities in other to address local needs, cultural context, and existing capacity. Program implementation rested on collaborative efforts between the partners to design and implement eleven initiatives, each of them focusing on a specific outcome and linked to program objectives. Combined, the WLPP initiatives were designed to achieve the three main goals of the partnership (1) to promote and support women’s access to UNA/FCA with a focus on developing leadership skills; (2) to strengthen institutional capacity of UNA/FCA to produce strong female leaders through training in workforce leadership skills; and (3) to develop sustainable alliances between UNA/FCA, civil society, and the public and private sector that promote the emergence of female leaders. 30 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 The program design consists of eleven initiatives that are housed within existing UNA/FCA centers and programs; they are managed by WLPP staff in close coordination with UNA/FCA faculty and staff under the leadership of FCA’s Dean and Vice-Dean. The program design focuses on building the capacity of FCA to implement the various WLPP initiatives by providing human resources development through the implementation of a series of training workshops. The workshops aimed at strengthening the capacity of the Center for Leadership to produce strong female leaders and on raising awareness of gender-related issues among faculty, students, and stakeholders. The series of workshops carried out by WLPP staff sets the tone for the integration of gender in all FCA programs of study and the creation of new gender policies that would directly affect women’s access to UNA/FCA, gender equity and ultimately women’s empowerment in the agricultural sector. The decision-making process involved several actors. UNA/FCA faculty from the main campus and ‘filiales’ were invited to participate in collaborative meetings to discuss project implementation. Two faculty members in each UNA/FCA campus were appointed as site managers. Other potential partners were invited to participate in workshops and meetings, including MINMUJER, local foundations and NGOs. The WLPP staff relied on continuous feedback from units within UNA/FCA and evaluations of each workshop. “The workshops were very rigorous, including the feedback from people in human resources management, the agriculture sector, businesses and industry,” said a project staff person. Several consultative meetings were conducted with UNA and UF faculty members and staff, external partners, and government ministries. Besides the scheduled meetings and visits from the UF team, the WLPP coordinators from UNA and UF sides, maintained frequent communication via Skype. The WLPP office is strategically located at the core of the UNA/FCA with easy access to the Center for Leadership, Office of Extension, and the Dean’s Office. Frequent formal and informal meetings were conducted throughout the project in consultation with key players within UNA/FCA. As one FCA’s center coordinator said in an interview, “We had no choice, but to participate. We were engaged in the WLPP’s activities from the beginning. We held constant meetings and communication with the WLPP staff.” The WLPP coordinators maintain constant communication with the faculty and staff at UF-UNA. They have weekly staff meetings and Skype calls to UF. The staff uses the HED Results Framework and other project management tools to keep track of progress—referring to the indicators and target results for each of the initiatives being implemented. There were a few gaps in the flow of program implementation. Some staff members joined the team on the second year of the 3-year project. The project also experienced three changes in program coordinators at the UF side. UNA/FCA Dean and Vice-Dean are frequently consulted as well as the UF/WLPP program director. All project documents are reviewed by the UNA-UF directors. The UNA/FCA Dean authorizes all activity plans for events, workshops, travel, etc. Multiple feedback loops are necessary to coordinate all the activities implemented by the WLPP. Project staff also maintained informal communication and periodical meetings with the external partners. In the case of the agricultural schools, WLPP staff contacted the schools directors if they needed to communicate a specific case or report an activity. In the case of the FRECOPOD, with whom the program maintains a specific agreement, a staff member interacts with the WLPP as a member of the team and a professional mentor, working in close collaboration on the coordination of workshops and links to other organizations. Program staff communicates informally with other organizations to coordinate internship opportunities for FCA students and workshops on gender themes targeting women’s cooperatives. In general, the external organizations initiate the demand for support from WLPP. For instance, FRECOPOD—under a partnership with JICA and the National Institute of Cooperativism, conducted a baseline assessment to identify the needs of women’s leaders and the WLPP team addressed those needs in their leadership training workshops. 31 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 At the beginning of the program, WLPP staff did not believe that students would engage in volunteer work. For this reason, they coordinated with the division of Agricultural Extension to find ways to promote volunteerism. As a result, Extension now incentivizes students by giving them credit hours for extension activities, including volunteer work. This decision turn out to be very successful in all five of the FCA programs, leading to an increase in the number of students engaged in community projects in the agricultural sector. The Mentoring program also benefited from the decisions made at the beginning of the WLPP. The program started with the gender and leadership workshops preparing student-mentors that later became agro￾leaders serving at the agricultural schools. The mentors teach lower classes as tutors or teaching assistants in statistics, administration, and economics. A student mentor said that he teaches a class of 42 students as a volunteer for “pure pleasure and personal satisfaction.” The mentors and agro-leaders are well informed about the gender and access policies. They also help disseminate information about UNA’s entrance exam and internal scholarships for students from the agricultural schools. Surprisingly, students’ involvement in the Mentoring and AgroLeadership programs brought a lot of visibility to the program and helped multiply its effect. Student mentors helped disseminate program activities and attracted more student participation using social media and flyers. Some students created their own associations in Asuncion and Yataity. On the other hand, faculty engagement with the partnership and its programs was less effective. One of the challenges for the partnership was the lack of faculty members responsible for the coordination of the mentoring program in other campuses. Despite the efforts made by the partnership to increase the number of opportunities for female students, they are still faced with discrimination. A staff person said, “We cannot tell the organizations that they have to employ more women. In many cases, when we send students’ CVs for internships or jobs, the preference is usually to select the men. We try to change the mentality by creating spaces, like in our workshops, for people to change their ways of thinking.” This approach of creating spaces for people to change their ways of thinking about gender equity has been the trademark of the WLPP. When asked about how the partnership contributed to increasing female access to UNA and other career opportunities, the WLPP staff gave similar answers; they focused more on the efforts made by the partnership to educate the public via its numerous workshops, and less on the more concrete results, such as the number of rural women entering UNA/FCA. In terms of strengthening the capacity of the Center for Leadership, the WLPP team said that the center coordinators did not participate in the gender workshops, but through their collaborations and involvement with the program they were able to integrate gender into their activities. 6.3. EFFECTIVENESS OF PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION Program staff indicated that there is no M&E tool to monitor and evaluate project results at the beneficiaries’ level. There is a workshop evaluation tool that is collected at the end of each workshop; and the USAID Self￾Efficacy and Gender Agreement (GSE) tool. Both workshop evaluation and GSE tools cannot measure or predict the effect of training workshops on participants. Program reports indicate the number of workshops delivered; the number of people who attended each workshop; and the GSE scores at baseline and at the end of project. However, it is hard to know with certainty what effect the workshops may have on participants in the long run. What knowledge, skills, and attitudes have participants gained in each of those workshops? What will participants be able to do or demonstrate as a result of training? Answers to these questions remain elusive. There is a wealth of anecdotal data supporting the claims that the program has had a significant impact on the lives of women and men who report heightened self-esteem and confidence; changes in attitudes regarding gender issues; and acquired new skills in inter-personal communication, conflict resolution, and entrepreneurship. There’s also an increased engagement on the part of UNA/FCA female and male students in voluntary and other types of activities that require leadership skills, self-efficacy and gender awareness. The number of motivated students, both at UNA (i.e., mentors and agro-leaders) as well as at the agricultural schools taking leadership roles in their schools and communities is a good indicator of the program’s impact. 32 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 The Mentoring and AgroLeadership programs seem to show the most visible effects on students and faculty at UNA/FCA, as the mentors and agro-leaders are also able to multiply that effect as they work as volunteers, interns, and tutors at the agricultural schools and other organizations promoting women’s leadership in the rural areas of the country. Other schools within UNA, such as Chemistry, are also interested in adopting these programs in their academic departments. In terms of increasing women’s access to UNA/FCA, the program faced several barriers, including competition from private universities that facilitate the entrance of less qualified prospective students by not requiring an entrance exam. Also, the target population – disadvantaged females from agricultural schools, cannot meet the criteria for scholarships sponsored by Itaipu foundation. The partnership, with support from the UNA/FCA Dean’s Office, was able to provide tuition waiver and financial support to students emerging from agricultural high schools to enroll in the pre-entry program. This way, those less academically qualified students may have a chance to enroll at UNA if they pass the entrance exam with support from mentors and tutors. Many acknowledge that three years is not enough time to assess the full impact of the WLPP on UNA/FCA’s students and the program beneficiaries. “A program like WLPP should last five years to complete the full cycle of the undergraduate programs at UNA/FCA, and to follow a group of newly enrolled students from beginning to end.” (Excerpt from interview with UNA/FCA Dean and Vice-Dean, 5/8/2015) The WLPP staff’s strategy is to explore every opportunity where they have a chance to influence changes in attitudes and beliefs that many Paraguayans hold with regards to gender and women’s empowerment. Staff members have visited radio programs and utilized free spaces to communicate program’s goals. They also believe that a national media campaign to raise gender awareness targeting employers in the agricultural sector would have been effective, but the WLPP was not designed for that purpose. UNA faculty members who collaborated with the partnership are better prepared to integrate gender in the curriculum and change their attitudes about gender issues. Program directors and UNA/FCA faculty participated in workshops designed by UF faculty to provide information and to raise awareness about discrimination against women and the barriers to gender equity at various levels of society. The trainers applied participatory approaches and illustrated gender-based violence and discrimination by using current events, soap-operas, videos, role-playing, case studies (i.e., gender dynamics at home and work; labor laws; and cultural norms). Faculty and students who participated in gender and leadership workshops report changes in their way of thinking about women’s roles in society and a better understanding of what gender equity means. The program created a Facebook page that has more than 2,000 likes. WLPP manages the page; student groups at UNA published the page and uploaded to their mobile phones. The Center for Leadership webpage is very static with very limited interaction with the website. According to UNA/FCA’s Dean and Vice-Dean, “the partnership has been very productive because the WLPP left valuable human resources prepared to continue what the partnership initiated. We had a very positive experience coordinating efforts with the University of Florida; having the flexibility to change the initiatives according to the local context; the mentoring program and pre-entry course opened so many doors for the indigenous population; with help from the partnership, an indigenous woman was able to enroll at UNA/FCA.” The deans also emphasized the propitious moment to create gender policies at UNA/FCA: “The partnership gave birth to new gender policies, integration of gender themes in the curriculum, creating new courses in all five programs. The partnership met its goals and had a great impact. During its implementation, more than 200 UNA/FCA people participated in its activities, in addition to the external partners. Many female students felt the immediate benefits of the program. We also benefitted from the visits to the University of Florida. The partnership changed the organizational 33 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 structure at UNA/FCA—it changed the way the academic programs function. They now work in coordination with Extension to allow students to earn credit hours for their practical experiences with the mentoring program, internships and extension programs. These changes helped improve students’ skills and attitudes and forced us to focus on the immediate effects of the program that could become permanent over time. The major barriers for us to sustain the gains imparted by the partnership are the financial resources that we don’t have.” (Interview excerpts with UNA/FCA Dean and Vice-Dean, May 8, 2015.) According to the UNA/FCA leadership, some of the factors that contributed to the success of the partnership included: (1) the effective communication between UNA and UF about the vision and mission of the partnership; (2) decisions made by the UNA/FCA deanship to support the proposed WLPP initiatives and mobilize faculty and staff to work closely with the partners; and (3) having the Center for Leadership in Agriculture become part of the Division of Agricultural Extension. One of the survey questions asked respondents to rate the effectiveness of each of the WLPP initiatives on a 5-point scale (Figure 4). The key informants were purposefully selected from a pool of people who were involved with the WLPP and who could provide information regarding most of its initiatives. The same survey questions were sent to a pool of 36 people, 10 responded to the online survey and six responded to the questions during face-to-face interviews. Fifteen (15) of the responses were collected in Spanish and one in English. All responses were entered using the web-based tool SurveyMonkey.com. Key informants’ responses to online survey question #17 are related to the level of effectiveness of each of the eleven (11) initiatives implemented by the WLP-Paraguay. Despite the very small size of the sample, Table 3 shows the mean and standard deviation for each item. For instance, the mean for a group of 16 responses for "Initiative I" was 3.8 with a SD of 0.75 (<1) and the mean for "Initiative IX" was 3.6 with a SD of 1.62 (>1). The higher SD for reliability could indicate that responses for “Initiative IX" were very polarized. Similarly, the mean for responses to “Initiative IV” was 3.2 and the SD was 1.6 (>1). The distribution of responses is also an important point to consider. The variance in survey responses also coincide with the narrative in semi-structured interviews. For instance, in the case of “Initiative IV: Scholarship Program,” while some respondents considered this to be WLPP’s most effective and relevant initiative, others had the opposite opinion. Part of the explanation for the divergent responses may be associated with the way the respondents interpreted the question. Some respondents may have been looking at the program design, which considers access to higher education and the importance of having scholarships to help the most vulnerable populations have a chance to enroll and stay at UNA-FCA. Financial assistance was given to students emerging from agricultural schools, but not full scholarships. This was made possible by the UNA/FCA’s Dean’s office that provided 50 percent fee waiver for the pre-entry program. Other respondents may have been looking at the lack of a robust scholarship program for disadvantaged women enrolling at UNA-FCA, financed by external donors, such as Itaipu Foundation. Responses to the ‘scholarship’ item ranged from “not effective” to “very effective.” On average, all eleven (11) initiatives were considered effective with the most effective ones being VIII and X—the Mentoring and AgroLeadership Programs respectively. 34 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 3.73 3.13 3.47 2.73 3.73 3.13 3.80 4.40 3.33 3.93 3.67 0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 5.00 Initiative I: Incorporation of Gender in UNA-FCA… Initiative II: Gender Policy Development Initiative III: Strengthening UNA's Center for… Initiative IV: Scholarship Program Initiative V: Extension Education and Professional… Initiative VI: Communication Skills and Digital Media… Initiative VII: Pre-Entry Program for Female High-… Initiative VIII: Mentoring Program Initiative IX: Internship and Applied Practical… Initiative X: Agricultural Sciences Ambassador… Initiative XI: Career Development and Job Placement… The following questions are related to the level of effectiveness of the WLPP’s initiatives in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. How would you rate the overall effectiveness of each of the 11 initiatives implemented by WLP-Paraguay? Figure 3 - Responses to Survey Q17: Effectiveness of WLPP’s initiatives Table 3 - Key Informant Survey Q17: Basic Statistics Note: This table includes data from survey and interviews with 16 key informants. 35 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 6.4. IMPACT OF PROGRAM INTERVENTION The best way to measure the impact of the WLPP is by describing how each and every one of the program’s initiatives contributed to increasing women’s access to educational and economic opportunities; strengthening the capacity of UNA/FCA and its Center for Leadership to provide training and promote the emergence of women leaders; and engaging civil society, public and private organizations to provide practical experiences for UNA/FCA students in the agricultural sector. The eleven initiatives contributed to the achievement of partnership’s goals. By the end of the program, 12 new gender policies were created; 11 young people were enrolled in FCA/UNA to pursue a college degree; 136 extension activities were developed; 1,409 workshops and 63 leadership trainings were implemented; 5 academic programs providing internship opportunities have been strengthened; funds equal to USD 6,067 have been leveraged; 2 cooperative agreements were signed, and over 346 students have participated in the mentoring program. A total of 2,308 people were direct beneficiaries of the activities implemented by WLP￾Paraguay. 6.4.1. INITIATIVE I: INCORPORATION OF GENDER IN UNA-FCA CURRICULUM, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING The goal of the WLPP was to incorporate a holistic approach to capacity building and gender mainstreaming focusing on: a) gender and leadership training for faculty; b) curriculum revision and incorporation of gender sensitive approaches both in the core and elective courses; and c) creation of the necessary policy and structures to create a favorable environment for gender inclusion. The UF team developed workshops to train UNA-FCA faculty on gender approaches to improve their curriculum by incorporating appropriate gender components to particular courses. In Phase 1, the project team and their counterparts at UNA-FCA engaged in reviewing the existing Agricultural Sciences curriculum with the aim of developing appropriate curricula to prepare UNA-FCA female graduates to work in agriculture and related sciences with a focus on leadership and employability competencies. FCA/UNA, with the support from WLPP, has started an important process of mainstreaming gender into the curriculum. This brings into consideration issues such as needed follow-up around the sensitization process to effectively mainstream gender into the FCA curriculum and active involvement and participation of all faculty members. A sustained political will and the presence of a gender policy expert team are needed to support this process. In regards to the first requirement, political will, there has been a positive reaction from FCA leaders. For the second requirement, a proposal and strategy needs to be developed and implemented. The creation of a technical gender task force with faculty members from the 5 different career tracks that are also gender specialists, for example, would allow for structural changes in the curriculum and in the institutional culture in the medium term. An alliance with the Ministry of Women would also be strategic to make actions sustainable. In relation to the professional development and training initiative, FCA created the Center for Professional Development and Employment in 2014. This center has focused its actions in advising students to articulate professionals’ networks, training them in resume development, and supporting them with the preparation for job and internships interviews. "The support received from WLPP through the internship program has allowed us to improve our management activities and coordination with other actors. It has also given us the strength to continue to look to the future with hope." - Woman leader in San Pedro "Having the opportunity to work with WLPP allowed me, for the first time in my professional life, to work with women through the organizations that the cooperative serves. I've witness how this 36 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 alliance has allowed a sense of awakening among rural women members of the FECOPROD, and has promoted their participation and their ability to lead. "- Cluster Project Coordinator "The WLPP has allowed us to interact directly with social entities through the signing of agreements with several institutions. We have several agreements but our interaction with WLPP has strengthened them even more. We have gone directly into the field with our team members to carry out activities." - FCA Administrator This initiative’s sustainability can be viewed as guaranteed if it is linked to FCA’s Center for Leadership. To enable this, the Center would promote the formation of future graduates and professionals in a more comprehensive manner, and as part of an effort to strengthening leadership capacity. 6.4.2. INITIATIVE II: GENDER POLICY DEVELOPMENT A key component in this effort is the development of university policy that includes the necessary structures and resources for gender planning and implementation of institutional activities that lead to a long term, fundamental equality between men and women at UNA-FCA. WLPP’s personnel liaised with UNA-FCA faculty and administrators to help design such policies and to provide oversight and responsibility for gender issues at the UNA-FCA level. The aim of this initiative was (1) to create a climate of tolerance and support for women among UNA-FCA faculty, staff, and students; (2) to enable supportive mechanisms for female students pursuing careers in agriculture; and (3) to increase public awareness of the important roles of women in agriculture. Some of the major accomplishments of WLPP related to gender policy development include: (1) the development of a website that disseminates information to increase public awareness on why and how to integrate gender and women’s leadership into education, policies, and programs; (2) the establishment of an advisory board comprised of project stakeholders who provide guidance, support and direction to gender policy development. "Gender policies that support student access and retention will continue. This includes a tuition cost exemption of 50%" - FCA / UNA leader. A big step taken under the gender policy framework regarding UNA/FCA’ access and retention policies have been the approval of resolutions that underpin the legal framework: a) Resolution 574-00-2013 "Which approves Policies to support disadvantage students’ access and retention to higher education at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the National University of Asuncion" b) Resolution 607-00-2014 "Which approves modifications to support policies for disadvantaged students’ access to higher education at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences" and c) Resolution 623-00-2014 "Which approves policies to support access and retention of students who are Family Farmers and Urban and Peri-Urban farmers in the Agricultural Sciences Department." With this legal framework, the FCA has ensured the institutionalization of policies and mechanisms that promote access and retention of young men and women; particularly single mothers, indigenous women, and other women who are now able to become agricultural schools’ graduates. Similarly, young people’s enrollment has been promoted through awareness campaigns and guided tours to provide information about the different career tracks and degrees that FCA /UNA offers. 6.4.3. INITIATIVE III: STRENGTHENING UNA'S CENTER FOR LEADERSHIP This initiative builds on the work done by UNA’s Center for Leadership in cooperation with the Inter￾American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA). The Center for Leadership incorporates training and workshops adaptable for any group to enhance women’s participation and leadership in various spheres of 37 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 agriculture and decision-making. The Center for Leadership provided the foundation for the development of the UNA-FCA’s 5-year strategic plan. The Wedgworth Leadership Institute at the University of Florida provided support to UNA’s Center for Leadership to deliver relevant leadership training for female students of targeted agricultural high schools and to develop sustainable alliances that promote the emergence of women leaders. The Center for Leadership under the Agricultural Extension Department of the FCA /UNA has been the linchpin of the Partnership. The center has been a participant in the process from the program design to completion. The center’s objectives include leadership development among students, teachers, and producers that participate in its outreach programs. The Center’s philosophy is in line with WLPP’s objectives in terms of strengthening the human potential of students, teachers, and FCA/UNA faculty. The Center seeks to build connections between Family Farming and other sectors of civil society and college enrollment. The WLPP has facilitated the training and linkages for young leaders to enroll in UNA/FCA degree programs. Young people who have been trained under the program show significant changes in terms of leadership skills. This constitutes a breakthrough for the political development of young people and the exercise of their rights. Awareness raising and leadership training in the areas of self-esteem, gender, human rights, and other issues have unlocked young people’s potential and made FCA a friendly and communal environment to learn. Likewise, through this center, training for young women and men from private agricultural schools under the partnerships framework with the Paraguayan Foundation and the Foundation Moises Bertoni have been organized in the areas of gender and leadership. Sustainability of the initiative seems promising, if resources for the functioning of the center are secured. "Support that reinforces our Center obviously benefits the school with all its students, staff, and faculty given that we work with our society, including the producers with whom we partner for research projects. In this sense, I believe we are moving forward. It is a slow process, not as tangible as others give that we work with people’s qualitative aspects and personal beliefs which are the base for institutional values. This is what we are working on our strategic plan and I think WLPP is contributing to it. Given the large size of the School and its several subsidiaries, and the crosscutting nature of the Leadership Center, we need a program like this one to support us. I am aware that this is not an easy task. This is a slow process but we are making progress. We need to keep working because the outcomes for young people that participated in this process are evident.” – Center for Leadership, Coordinator "From the point of view of AgroLeaders the School had a separate section for the Center for Leadership in Agriculture. Today the Center is part of Extension. Thus, from a training point of view, sustainability is also ensured. – UNA/FCA Faculty member 6.4.4. INITIATIVE IV: SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM This initiative was designed to address the needs of disadvantaged women—single mothers, poor, indigeneous, from rural areas—and female students from agricultural high-schools to attend UNA-FCA. The WLPP intended to develop a merit and need-based full scholarship program for female students to attend UNA in collaboration with Itaipu, and other national and external funding partners. However, the external collaborations with Itaipu and other donors did not meet the expected results. Part of the problem is related to the selection criteria set by donors, such as Itaipu, and the terms of the scholarship program that WLPP and UNA-FCA had envisioned. On the other hand, the program was able to respond to the challenge by creating a different kind of scholarship through the UNA-FCA Dean’s Office. UNA-FCA waives 50 percent of the matriculation cost for students from agricultural high-schools to attend the Probationary Admission Course (CPI), a pre-entry level course at UNA-FCA. The scholarship program has been one of the most important initiatives that WLPP has incorporated in its design. Yet it has failed to reach its targets to ensure scholarships for young people through the partnership 38 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 with Itaipu Binational. Particularly it has failed to increase the number of young women graduates from agricultural schools that access university level, specifically the FCA/UNA. Those schools include: San Francisco, Belen, San Fernando (Paraguayan Foundation) and the Educational Center Mbaracayú (FMB). As previously explained, changes in government have affected institutional coordination. Articulation efforts with Itaipu were never effective despite the partnership proposal document that FCA/UNA presented to Itaipu. The partnership aimed to cover expenditure related to: enrollment for the probational access course; 50% of the tuition cost for the selected career tracks; 2/3 of food costs and transportation; and instructional materials. "So far all goals were achieved except for the scholarship goal that has so far been a challenge. The only scholarships that we were able to access were those targeted to vulnerable young women –to this date there are approximately nine (9) for women in different career tracks. Scholarships are in the form of financial aid and represent 50% of the program policies." WLP - Paraguay Personnel The Itaipu Binational scholarships would have enabled the inclusion of economically vulnerable women into tertiary education. However, UNA-FCA has favored both young men and women with partial scholarships. Access of students into the Probationary Admission Course (CPI) was facilitated by the policies developed by the Partnership. The students were exonerated from a percentage of the tuition costs (50%), as part of the framework for Support Policies for the Access and Retention of students. The students also received academic support through the Partnership's Mentorship Program. However, the cost of living in Asuncion and the distance from home and family still stand as barriers to female students coming from the rural areas of the country to remain at the UNA-FCA main campus. 6.4.5. INITIATIVE V: EXTENSION EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM WLPP revised the existing Extension education curriculum during Phase 2 of the program. The WLPP team provided access to curricular materials and UF’s Electronic Data Information System (EDIS) documents in order to revise formal coursework in methods of Extension education and to integrate applied practical experience in an Extension capacity. FCA’s extension has sought to strengthen the training program and college extension program in rural, urban and peri-urban communities. In this context, all opportunities and spaces created have been seized. Both men and women students have developed activities and workshops under the AgroLeadership initiative and established internship opportunities with producer associations, committees, cooperatives, agricultural schools, and community organizations were young people live. The mentoring program has facilitated the emergence of student leaders and has strengthened the university extension process. The partnership between the University of Florida and the FCA has strengthened the institutional framework through new management and organizational approaches for the university extension program at the Extension Department of FCA, which benefits all FCA career tracks and its subsidiaries (filiales). The initiative’s sustainability is secured. This has been one of the greatest innovations under the institutional framework and its services, and has been considered an unplanned result. "Now all career tracks have an extension coordinator in charge of managing student participation in internships programs and extension activities, in coordination with the new Extension Department. Within the Department we are recruiting faculty who only focus on Extension (not on teaching or research). This is a model adapted from the University of Florida which will enable us to respond to new challenges in the field of agriculture as FCA /UNA develops a greater prominence and visibility in the Paraguayan society.” UNA-FCA Administrator 6.4.6. INITIATIVE VI: COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND DIGITAL MEDIA PROGRAM The aim of this initiative was to enhance students’ leadership knowledge and experiences by infusing communication skills and methods throughout the students’ collegiate educational program. UF faculty provided the UNA-FCA faculty and students with hands-on workshops focusing on communication skills, 39 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 primarily the use of digital media-- from basic computer skills (MS Word and PowerPoint applications) to video development, social media, Web design, and print design. This initiative has focused on the construction and launch of a website and Facebook page to share the main activities promoted by the Career Center. The sites have become a space to bring information to students, professionals and stakeholders. This initiative needs to be included as part of the Department of Agricultural Extension so that it can be managed from the Center for Leadership. A link to the Facebook page could also be included in other UNA websites. Note: A link to the Facebook page can be found on the UNA-FCA’s Center for Leadership in Agriculture (https://es-la.facebook.com/pages/Centro-de-Liderazgo-en-Agricultura-Facultad-de-Ciencias-Agrarias￾UNA/250918011598270) Mention of the WLPP (PLEMP) or a link to its website or Facebook is missing from the UNA-FCA main website (http://www.agr.una.py). Also, under the list of partnerships (http://www.agr.una.py/Convenios.htm) there is no mention of the UNA￾UF partnership, and except for FECOPROD, the WLPP’s partners are not listed. The Facebook page for the Center for Leadership is: https://www.facebook.com/liderazgomujeres 6.4.7. INITIATIVE VII: PRE-ENTRY PROGRAM FOR FEMALE HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS The WLPP team implemented a pre-entry program for female students in the agricultural high schools of San Francisco, Belen, San Fernando and Mbaracayú with the purpose of supporting girls in secondary education to complete the application process for university admissions, and to encourage secondary school girls to opt for natural science subjects, when they attend university. Students emerging from rural schools do not perform well in the standardized exams required for admission at UNA. The Probationary Admission Course (CPI), a pre-entry level course at UNA-FCA, combined with the tutoring and mentorship program allows the students from agricultural high-schools to prepare themselves for succeding in the entrance exam – increasing their chances of meeting the academic requiremnets set by UNA. A total of fourteen (14) applicants who participated in the Probationary Admission Course (CPI), during the second academic semester of 2014, were admitted into a degree program at FCA/UNA: nine (9) women and five (5) men. One student who graduated from the Educational Center in Mbaracayú registered into one of the degree tracks at FCA/UNA. The WLPP team worked closely with UNA-FCA to establish an outreach and mentoring program that connects young people, especially girls, with community leaders, students and faculty from UNA-FCA to explore career opportunities. Even though the implementation plan included collaboration with staff, teachers, counselors, and administrators at the targeted agricultural high schools to make sure they had the necessary information to provide sound guidance to young people, this type of collaboration has been very limited. Most of the teachers and school directors at the agricultural schools reported no involvement with the program and suggested that “educational materials both print media and digital forms (videos, websites, social media, etc.) that could be distributed to students would have been helpful.” The training workshops have had a positive and widely favorable impact on the agricultural schools’ students. Positive changes in regards to behavior, relationships, communication, conflict understanding, autonomy, and leadership skills, are visible in young people. These traits are evident primarily in young women who carry a heavy psychological luggage and have expressed their previous situation of low self-esteem and marginalization 40 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 due to their family and social backgrounds. The topics addressed in the workshops, including self-awareness, self-esteem, gender equality, leadership, among others, have helped to foster new forms of autonomy, relationships, communication, and democratic participation that facilitated a more favorable learning climate and daily interaction at the schools. Yet, the weakness observed in this process has been the lack of inclusion and involvement of teachers. This omission could threaten sustainability efforts, mainly those related to the gender awareness. 6.4.8. INITIATIVE VIII: MENTORING PROGRAM The mentoring program is a new program established at UNA-FCA. Mentors are identified from faculty and practicing professionals and matched with the students’ goals and background so as to provide assistance in academic decisions, professional support and guidance throughout the students’ academic program. The WLPP provided training to UNA-FCA faculty mentors and university students enabling them to play a pivotal supportive role for mentoring women in academics and employment. The WLPP team also provided assistance to students participating in the applied practical experiences in Extension to recruit female students from the four targeted high schools to serve as “teacher’s aides” or project assistants for the Extension programming delivered. The Mentoring Program engages professional associations for various industries for the purpose of identifying potential internships, networking, and employment opportunities. The Mentoring and AgroLeadership Programs have become the most successful initiatives under the WLPP. Results from the mentoring trainings have been immediately visible in young people. These young people have become fully involved and emotionally open to the capacity building process. They have provided support to their peers and those students participating in the Probational Entry Course. Particularly, student mentors have taught challenging subjects such as physics, chemistry, Spanish language and others. "Young people who have participated in the mentoring program have had a marked improvement in their conditions, skills and attitudes. They were transformed during the process. These immediate effects force our school within the university to think about the continuity of those efforts. Mentoring actions will continue with or without the program’s human resources because the knowledge and know-how is now part of the student body. They will continue this task because it has been linked with the requirements of the Extension program, which demand students to meet a specific number of hours in their career track." - FCA Faculty "For us all workshops were very important, mainly those that addressed conflict and self-esteem. There was a lot of emphasis on skills to improve interpersonal relationships with classmates, self￾appreciation, leadership, and goal setting." – Excerpts from interviews with female student mentors and AgroLeaders. By participating in the mentoring program, young people rapidly strengthened their communication, relationship-building, and leadership skill in the academic context. Graduates from this program have become leaders who have excelled in the university political life and are now part of FCA’s Student Center movement. “The biggest indicator of women’s empowerment among young students has been the securing of a woman’s presidency seat for FCA’s Student Center. This is the first time in the history of FCA. The president received strong support from both young men and women leaders who participated in the WLPP.” – FCA Student The focus group with mentors and agro-leaders emphasized the importance of the program’s lessons. Participants mentioned their acquired leadership skills to engage in new initiatives on campus and well beyond the limits of the FCA with their communities and families. The program enabled participants to discover their capabilities, limitations, and potential. It allows them to build their self-esteem, which has been the most important strategy for participatory leadership building. 41 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 A teacher indicated that what he likes the most about the mentoring program is that… "Students identified themselves as mentors, and understand what that role entails. I tell them that this recognition process was due to the program. That mentor figure was missing from the university. I noticed something interesting, even young people who did not participate in WLPP have heard from others what it meant to be a mentor and associated this role with what they were already doing." The initiative’s sustainability is definitely secured. There’s political will on the part of the UNA-FCA administrators and a strong demand on the part of FCA students to continue with the Mentoring and AgroLeadership programs. 6.4.9. INITIATIVE IX: INTERNSHIP AND APPLIED PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE (IAPE) PROGRAM The IAPE program focuses on developing public/private sector partnerships with businesses and NGOs that will provide safe, educational experiences for female students to apply what they have learned in their collegiate agricultural courses in an authentic work environment. The WLPP team works with UNA-FCA, local foundations, and local employers to assess available internships. In addition to an internship, project team members assist in the development of “service learning” activities in courses where students complete service projects in their local communities while building their leadership skills. The project team also worked with staff at UNA-FCA to establish guidelines and policies for awarding academic credit for internships. The applied practical experience in Extension services focuses on female students mentoring female farmers in the communities of San Francisco, Belén, San Fernando and Mbaracayú. This program was also very successful as it allowed student interns to approach rural reality. The Forum of Women Leaders has been a space to hear the success stories of men and women leaders as well as those participating in the internship program. A woman leader believes the Artisanal Network changed. Mrs. Adriana Lopez Segovia, a member of the network says that her life has changed since they were able to organize and received the training from institutional actors, WLPP and its alliance with ACDI VOCA. These women artisans gained the skills that enabled them to make economic improvements and increase sales of Ahopoi handicrafts to support their families. The support that a student intern provided to her organization has improved its management. Don Cecilio from the Citricoop Cooperative in the Carlos Antonio Lopez district mentions that his organization, which started as a pre cooperative, has been strengthened with the Productive Paraguay USAID program. The participation of two women agro leaders from this cooperative in the WLPP program and its alliance with ACDI VOCA has enabled a continuation of support and follow-up. “We have had many opportunities but we have never received technical assistance from the state, so we appreciate the technical assistance that WLPP and ACDI VOCA are providing us.” Two young women have supported the WLPP computer skills training for the children of participating families. This has been a great contribution to the cooperative. “Education is fundamental for our development, and the program has provided this education for us” says Don Cecilio. These young women were part of the WLPP Internship Program in partnership with ACDI VOCA. Andrea, a student of Caazapá subsidiary did her internship at Citricoop Cooperative for 3 weeks where Don Cecilio is president. "I work with boys and girls and train young people in computer skills. I have lived in the community with families and this allowed me to deepen my understanding of the rural reality, the meaning of courage, and the work Paraguayan woman do." 42 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Maria Isabel says she has worked with the Network of Women Artisans for two weeks of her internship. Dona Adriana and her colleagues have given, with their embroidery work, their children the opportunity to study. "The internship has allowed me to witness the different roles rural women play starting early in the morning. My internship has allowed me to support them and look at my life differently." Doña Maria Nilda Quiñonez mentioned that, like other women, she has gone through many hardships and suffering; nevertheless, she has sought to overcome them. "It is very important to strengthen self-esteem and know our rights to be able to move forward. Today, I'm reaping the fruit of the organization that has allowed me to learn about other experiences in other countries, and I could not believe I was living through the same challenges. By organizing we can learn new skills and move forward. United women make a strong front, so training is very important. We need a public policy for rural women in our country. We need the support from other women in the form of training and technical assistance, we don’t reject men’s support but it is important that we work with other women. I would like to thank WLPP for giving us the opportunity to become strong leaders and take charge of our destinies."—Female coordinator from San Pedro. The internship program has the potential to become sustainable, especially if it’s coordinated through FCA/UNA’s Department of University Extension. 6.4.10. INITIATIVE X: AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AMBASSADOR (AGRO-LEADER) PROGRAM The Center for Leadership provides leadership development training to a selected group of dedicated students who become representatives or ambassadors of the School of Agricultural Sciences. This program allows students to develop their own leadership skills and then use those skills to conduct outreach, recruiting, and mentoring on behalf of the university. The UNA-FCA Agro-Leaders visit high schools and promote FCA’s programs. This program is directly related to the mentoring program. To become an Agro leader, the first requirement is to participate and pass the mentoring program. "The role of the agro-leader is being developed. The Job Placement Center is key in this context. These initiatives promote student participation. When the program started, students were seen as beneficiaries, but today they are emerging as agents of leadership, facilitating meetings and motivating people. They come with us to present the program overview and themes such as leadership. Young people also have their own activities through the Student Center and Careers." --FCA Faculty This initiative seeks to empower students and future professionals to initiate university outreach activities in their communities or in areas were social relations take place, promoting their professional development and graduating with experience in the practice of leadership. The UNA-FCA students who participated in focus-groups were either mentors or agro-leaders. All of them had participated in the eight workshops taught by the WLPP team. They reported that the workshops on conflict resolution and self-esteem really helped them get along with their colleagues, respect others and feel better about themselves; the leadership training also helped set their own goals while preparing them to lead other groups of students. They say that they can apply what they have learned in the workshops by teaching others, giving talks at schools, and also by behaving in different ways with their friends and families and working towards achieving their goals. “We feel good because our peers have been open to discuss gender issues while many people in Paraguay have not. In the beginning, it was hard to open up to these discussions but once we felt comfortable, we were able to speak and express our feelings.” - Female FCA student. 43 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 What they like most about the WLPP is the quality and the topics discussed in the workshops. The female students report the changes they see around them and within themselves. Both male and female students become aware of gender differences and also more confident and comfortable talking about gender issues. Both the content and methodology applied in the workshops were beneficial and effective. “The content was good, it encouraged participation, and it helped us make better decisions. We really liked the methodology which included group dynamics, videos, theater, drawings, and other engaging activities. WLPP allowed us to organize internships. This initiative did not materialize, but I believe it will be available in the future. Some of the topics discussed in the workshops included: human sexuality, physical and psychological differences between men and women, and overall gender issues.” – AgroLeaders “The gender workshops had a positive impact on our male classmates. This was surprising to us as many men do not want to talk about gender issues, but these men were open to discuss them. The discussions on human rights began with the understanding of basic concepts and moved to the understanding of international regulatory frameworks. We enjoyed learning about leadership. We are usually afraid to participate, but were able to overcome this fear in ourselves.” – FCA student The UNA-FCA students say that they can see changes in the university environment but are concerned that the positive changes they see around them may not be as easy to impart in the rural areas… “Discussing gender issues made us feel good. I particularly felt great. We were able to identify differences in our living arrangements and found that most of the clashing views were around current gender interaction practices: Men are uncomfortable with letting their boys play with girls. It is very important for women to lead. Women in my community are making managerial decisions and should have a representative voice in the municipality. In rural areas women that want to engage in politics are still frowned upon. Culture is the main barrier.”– Excerpts from interviews with student-mentors and AgroLeaders. The impact of the workshops goes beyond what the students learned about gender and leadership. They feel motivated and ready to participate in other programs and do volunteer work in their communities. “For example, I was able to learn what people expected from me. I feel motivated to become a leader in my community and here in the school. When I started my degree I had no understanding of what leadership meant. WLPP made us aware, enabled us to pay attention to leadership issues, and motivated us to volunteer.” – Excerpts from interviews with student-mentors and AgroLeaders. “My dad, for instance, has always been a Machista. Now I teach him how to appreciate my mom. I invited my family to participate, yet no one wanted to come. – Excerpts from interviews with student￾mentors and AgroLeaders. “Empowerment also means to truly reach the goal you are seeking: equality. For me, empowerment is witnessing women becoming aware of their worth and their power to set their own goals.” - Excerpts from interviews with student-mentors and AgroLeaders. “After participating in these workshops, I started working in the Student Center. I’m supporting the creation of a co-op in Carapeguá. There are many changes visible in our lives. We have developed a group in the School of Human Ecology where we support CPI students.” – Excerpts from interviews with student-mentors and AgroLeaders. The group of UNA-FCA student-mentors and AgroLeaders also had several suggestions to improve the program, including: 44 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015  If I were in charge of WLPP, I would increase program awareness efforts from early on. Many people did not know about the existence of the program. A marketing campaign would have been useful, as well as spaces for people to get information about the program.  Teachers should be involved and be aware of the program.  Promote a culture of communication. Several media outlets were used, yet dissemination was not sufficient. For example, there are many people ready to collaborate but program information and incentives to participate were lacking, mainly for teachers.  Expand the program to other schools within the university. It would be great to have the mentoring program in other schools besides FCA.  We enjoyed the discussions at the FCA. We also organized talks. I would like to expand the forum to other schools to encourage them to become mentors. 6.4.11. INITIATIVE XI: CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND JOB PLACEMENT CENTER This is a new initiative and a new concept as well that has been easily adopted by UNA-FCA with guidance from the UF Career Resources Center, which has been ranked #1 by the Princeton Review. The WLPP team in collaboration with UNA-FCA faculty created a basic career development and job placement center at UNA to centralize information about career planning and provide the tools to help students plan their career goals and take necessary steps toward achieving them in the context of Paraguay’s agricultural sector. The center is based on available resources at UNA-FCA (i.e., online resources, contacts with professional associations and employers, social media, etc.). The Center has been developed under WLPP for the training and development of FCA students. Its objective is to support FCA’s quality policy through personal and professional development by preparing professionals with the skills to confront the challenges of the workplace. 6.5. POTENTIAL FOR PROGRAM SUSTAINABILITY WLPP staff said that “The partnership implementers elaborated a sustainability plan that identified the available human and financial resources to continue the program efforts after the end of funding period.” According to program staff, the division of agricultural Extension, which coordinates the activities of the Center for Leadership, would be the most logical unit to sustain the most successful initiatives spearhead by the partnership. Other efforts to support program initiatives are still uncertain, such as coordination with MINMUJER, MAG’s Secretary of Youth, and NGOs sponsored by the European Union. Program staff suggested that, “The best strategy would be to pursue partnerships with organizations that already have agreements with UNA/FCA. There were some existing agreements between UNA and MEC, but not with the WLPP. There was an agreement between UNA/FCA and MINMUJER in 2012 that was not executed due to changes in government.” UNA/FCA leadership believes that the WLPP initiative could be sustained if they receive more government support and financial incentives to support staff and faculty to do what WLPP staff has done. UNA/FCA would also like to increase partnerships with the private sector and with organizations like FRECOPOD to create opportunities for faculty and students to have more practical experiences. It is expected that the internship and mentoring programs are likely to continue with the support from the division of Agricultural Extension that gives students credit for extension activities. Another challenge to the sustainability of the initiatives, besides the lack of financial incentives, will be to reach and train faculty who are not permanent members of UNA/FCA. There are many adjunct faculty teaching at the graduate level programs who were not involved in the new initiatives. Both UF and UNA/FCA agrees that the sustainability of results will depend on efforts made on the part of UNA/FCA deanship and faculty to support the implementation of gender policies and curriculum reforms introduced by the partnership. There’s goodwill on both sides of the partnership to continue collaborations between UF and UNA involving faculty and students. Some opportunities for UF students to be involved in internships supporting the WLPP initiatives have already been explored. 45 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 7. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS The Women’s Leadership Program in Paraguay not only designed and implemented relevant initiatives, it influenced the ways the academic units within UNA-FCA are managed, by engaging faculty and administrators in the design of new policies, creating new courses, and breaking some of the boundaries between the university and civil society organizations. Many of the eleven (11) WLPP initiatives were contextualized to fit the local reality by addressing the needs of faculty and students and available resources. Some others were created anew, such as the Career Center (Centro de Desarollo Laboral); the Mentoring and AgroLeadership programs; the internship opportunities for FCA students in coordination with public and private organizations; and the partnerships with agricultural high schools in the rural areas of the country. The mentoring program to support female students and create stronger linkages between the high schools, universities, and professional associations has been one of the most effective initiatives established by the partnership. The management system employed by the WLPP team allowed for synergies to emerge within the UNA-FCA. Each program initiative built on each other’s success creating a multiplier effect. The program was able to strengthen existing units, such as the Center for Leadership, to develop new programs and innovative ways of connecting faculty and students in efforts to promote gender equity and women’s empowerment, including a focus on helping vulnerable populations with the means to access UNA-FCA. One of the greatest achievements of UF-UNA/FCA partnership was the curricular revision of the five disciplines that make up the academic programs of the college of agricultural sciences. While this review has not impacted the curriculum across all sectors, a concrete achievement was the development of the gender policy, and the introduction of the ‘gender’ subject in each of those five disciplines, resulting in a new elective course: “Gender and Interculturalism,” listed in the UNA/FCA 2015 Course Catalog. (Guia Académico Año 2015– FCA/UNA) One of the pillars of the gender mainstreaming process occurring at UNA/FCA was the training provided by the team from the University of Florida to the WLPP team, FCA faculty and other invited guests. At the core of the partnership was a series of training workshops on gender and leadership themes that were implemented by the WLPP team in all target areas and institutions identified by the partnership. Training beneficiaries included FCA/UNA students, faculty and administrators; small producers and cooperative leaders; and agricultural high-school students. The WLPP designed and delivered a series of workshops with the aim of strengthening institutional capacity of UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences and the Center for Leadership to produce strong female leaders through gender and leadership training. The workshops targeted female and male faculty, students and administrators at FCA and students at four agricultural schools in San Pedro, Belen, Cerrito and Mbaracayú. These schools are managed by WLPP’s partners: Fundacion Paraguaya and Fundacion Moises Bertoni. Despite the advances made to date, WLPP still needs to strengthen the process of capacity building of different actors and institutional components through the implementation of a permanent training plan followed by continuous quality assessment to ensure the successful implementation of the gender policies and the curricular review to integrating gender in all disciplines at FCA. Involvement of teaching faculty at UNA/FCA in the various WLPP’s initiatives has been limited. Teachers and administrators at the agricultural high schools also reported no involvement at all with the WLPP, even though "The WLPP has contributed to changing the lives of many young people; it was a program of psychological support and self-esteem building. The change is evident in many men and women, particularly in the areas of self￾esteem and leadership skills.” - Agricultural School Director 46 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 the program has carried out many workshops for students at the four agricultural schools through partnership agreements. The partnership developed a program website and Facebook page for the Center for Leadership at FCA; however, the WLPP and UNA-FCA have not made optimal use of those tools to disseminate “gender and leadership” messages or to inform the public about the various program activities and initiatives via traditional media as well as social media channels. There has been no indication of any media campaign or institutional dialogues in which the Partnership engages stakeholders including civil society organizations, business and industry, and, most importantly, government institutions (e.g., MINMUJER, MAG, and MEC) that are already working on promoting gender equity in higher education and economic growth sectors. The WLPP fell short of its promise of providing scholarships for female students from agricultural schools through partnerships with Itaipu Foundation and other external donors. On the other hand, this gap helped generate ‘ownership’ on the part of UNA/FCA whose Dean’s Office established a new type of scholarship to support those students to enroll in a pre-entry college preparatory program. The scholarship pays for half the cost of matriculation into the Probational Entry Course. Students emerging from agricultural high schools receive 50% tuition support in addition to tutoring and mentoring. Together, the mentoring program and the scholarship for the Probational Entry Course seem to be the most promising in terms of sustainability. The UNA/FCA dean and vice-dean are also considering hiring new personnel to continue some of the efforts initiated by the WLPP. The WLPP program staff contributed in many forms to the success of the Center for Leadership—with the design and delivery of the gender and leadership workshops, recruitment and selection of mentors, matching of students and internship sites, etc. Both human and financial resources will be required to continue with current level efforts. UNA/FCA may not count with the same level of financial and human resources to duplicate what the WLPP program has developed. But the WLPP’s experience has the potential to motivate FCA faculty and administrators to maintain the level of effort, involving students and engaging private sector organizations in those efforts to promote gender equity and to sustain the new gender policies. Also, there was not much attention given to FCA/UNA Filiales/campuses. The Partnership has not developed the same type of activities nor provided the same level of support to the four campuses outside the main university campus in Asunción. Program reports indicate that there was limited time and human resources to develop, implement and monitor Partnership programs at each of the FCA/UNA campuses. The WLP-program has been successful in developing partnerships with the private sector, and has maintained formal and informal agreements with a dozen organizations, including foundations, business and industry. It would be beneficial for the UNA-FCA to continue this effort and develop partnerships with the public sector as well, more specifically with MINMUJER, MAG and MEC if they are to implement policies that target increased women’s access to UNA-FCA, potential exchanges with universities abroad, and the effective implementation of gender policies at the university level. The WLPP helped to improve students’ knowledge, skills and attitudes in relation to gender equity and women’s empowerment. In this sense, agency, capability and access—the three pillars of women’s empowerment have been achieved.  Agency: The gender agreement and self-efficacy tests may not be the best tool to measure program’s impact on participants. Despite the low test scores on these tests (current average score is 60% of ideal target score, compared to baseline at 48%), qualitative data show some positive changes on students from FCA and agricultural schools; female students report higher levels of self-esteem and confidence. FCA students also demonstrate leadership skills and engage in community projects as mentors, agro-leaders, or as volunteers. Female students from agricultural schools report changes in 47 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 behavior and more proactive participation in school and community projects, and better relations with friends and family.  Access: vulnerable populations and young women have increased educational and professional opportunities (internships for FCA students and 50 percent tuition waiver for Probational Entry Course to facilitate UNA’s application process for agricultural high school students).  Capability: Faculty and students who participated in the gender and leadership workshops report gains in knowledge, skills and attitudes in the various areas of training (i.e., gender, communications, self-esteem, conflict resolution, entrepreneurship, leadership, etc.). FCA students also gained applied knowledge and skills by tapping into internship and volunteer opportunities through the various partnerships with public and private organizations, including women’s cooperatives. Overall, the Partnership has successfully implemented most of the planned activities in a timely manner and met the needed percentage of target achievement by the end of the project. (See Annex IV: WLPP Summary Report) 8. DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS 8.1. STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONAL CAPABILTY One of the greatest achievements of WLPP was its participation in the curricular revision of the five disciplines that make up the FCA academic program. FCA offers five bachelor's degree programs: Agronomic Engineering, Forest Engineering, Human Ecology Engineering, Degree in Agricultural Management, and Environmental Engineering. The program has coincided with the period when the FCA was conducting its curricular revision, a traditional initiative occurring every seven years at the institution. While this review has not impacted the curriculum across all sectors, a concrete achievement was the introduction of the subject of gender and culture in each of those disciplines, resulting in a new elective course: Gender and Interculturalism, listed in the UNA-FCA 2015 Course Catalog. (Guia Académico Año 2015– FCA/UNA) "The WLPP has coincided with what we were doing, reviewing the curriculum. The content of courses is divided by units. Each class lasts for one hour. One or two courses include gender content; FCA faculty and instructors were trained to develop these themes in the five disciplines. It will take more than two years to see the results of the work done with the teaching faculty at UNA-FCA. Teacher [faculty] training should be ongoing and should incorporate the new visions.” - FCA Administrator It is expected that with the gender awareness campaign initiated by WLPP, which targeted faculty and students at FCA and affiliated institutions, the insertion of gender and interculturalism in the curriculum will broaden the perspectives of students graduating from those programs and will bring to the fore the importance of incorporating gender themes in the graduate profile. Faculty and students have also benefited from pedagogical approaches imparted by WLPP. The new elective course is expected to add to the knowledge and skills set related to intercultural aspects of social and economic development that impact women and men. It would be challenging for an FCA graduate to propose changes to sustain agricultural practices in Paraguay if he/she lacks the understanding of gender relationships in agricultural settings. “I think more training aimed at teachers is lacking…there have been workshops but not all attend, especially men, and that makes it harder… they don’t really understand what gender is.” – UNA/FCA faculty member One of the pillars of the gender mainstreaming process occurring at UNA-FCA is the training provided by the team from the University of Florida to the WLPP team, FCA faculty and other invited guests. The same series of training workshops were replicated by the WLPP team in all target areas and institutions identified by the UF/UNA partnership. 48 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Another initiative that contributed to institutional strengthening is the collaboration that has been developed between WLPP and the Center for Leadership in coordination with the Extension unit of UNA-FCA. Although the Center for Leadership already had its own strategic plan to implement each year, the collaboration with WLPP helped in the process of integrating gender in the curriculum, establishing new policies and implementing new activities and initiatives at UNA-FCA. For instance, the internship program has provided opportunities for students of different disciplines to strengthen their capacities as professionals in areas of great diversity. Through WLPP partnerships with ACDI VOCA, FECOPROD, and other organizations, FCA students were granted internships at cooperatives in various regions of the country, broadening the opportunities for practice and exposure to diverse populations, including working with women’s cooperatives. Despite the advances made to date, WLPP still needs to strengthen the process of capacity building of different actors and institutional components through the implementation of a permanent training plan followed by continuous quality assessment. The capacity building plan would need to define expected outcomes in relation to gender integration and mainstreaming at the university level; and the desired qualifications of faculty and instructors teaching the new gender and interculturalism course. A sustainable plan would also establish checkpoints for rewarding or re-directing individual and institutional behaviors with regards to gender equity (i.e. conduct mandatory or informative workshops on sexual harassment for faculty and staff, etc.), as well as develop periodic workshops to refresh the knowledge, skills and attitudes of faculty (including adjunct instructors), students and administrators. The proposed curricular revision and incorporation of gender policies at UNA-FAC must include some type of incentives for individuals participating in workshops and for institutional compliance with gender policies. In interviews with UF/UNA faculty and administrators, the issue of incentives or rewards for compliance with new policies was not mentioned. 8.2. GENDER AND LEADERSHIP TRAINING The WLPP designed and delivered a series of workshops (Table 4) with the aim of strengthening institutional capacity of UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences and the Center for Leadership to produce strong female leaders through gender and leadership training. The workshops targeted female and male faculty, students and administrators at FCA and students at four agricultural schools in San Pedro, Belen, Cerrito and Mbaracayú. These schools are managed by WLPP’s partners: Fundacion Paraguaya and Fundacion Moises Bertoni. TABLE 4 - WORKSHOPS IMPLEMENTED BY THE WLPP TEAM AT FOUR AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLS IN PARAGUAY Taller sobre Género (Año 2) Workshop on Gender (Year 2) Objetivos: Sensibilizar al estudiantado sobre la importancia de la igualdad de oportunidades entre varones y mujeres; Identificar características de varones y mujeres consecuentes de una construcción social Objectives: To sensitize the students about the importance of equal opportunities for men and women; and to identify characteristics of men and women as consequences of social constructs. Taller sobre Autoestima (Año 2) Workshop on Self-Esteem (Year 2) Objetivo: Reconocer las causas de una autoestima baja Identificar acciones que mejoren la autoestima Objective: To recognize the causes of low self-esteem; and identify actions to improve self-esteem. Taller sobre Autoconocimiento (Año 2) Workshop on Self-knowledge (Year 2) Objetivo: Brindar al estudiantado una metodología que permita reconocer características de la personalidad Objectives: Provide the students with a methodology to recognize personality traits. 49 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Taller en Derechos Humanos (Año 2) Workshop on Human Rights (Year 2) Objetivos: Analizar qué conocimientos poseen las jóvenes sobre sus derechos; Brindar información sobre los derechos humanos en Paraguay, y los derechos vinculados a la mujer. Objectives: Analyze what knowledge the youth have about on their rights; Provide information on human rights in Paraguay, and the rights of women. Taller sobre Participación Ciudadana (Año 2) Workshop on Citizen Participation (Year 2) Objetivos: Incentivar a las y los jóvenes a ocupar espacios de participación en la institución educativa, en la comunidad y en el país. Objectives: Encourage youth to occupy spaces of civic engagement and participation in schools, communities, and in the country. Taller en Emprendedurismo y Liderazgo (Año 2) Workshop on Entrepreneurship and Leadership (Year 2) Objetivo: Despertar en las y los jóvenes el deseo de autosuperación y el liderazgo para el logro de las metas. Objectives: Stir in the young people the desire for self￾realization and leadership to achieve their goals. Taller sobre Prevención y Manejo de Conflictos (Año 3) Workshop on Conflict Prevention and Management (Year 3) Objetivos: Concienciar a las y los estudiantes acerca de la prevención y el manejo de conflictos, con especial énfasis, en los conflictos interpersonales e intergrupales; Potencializar el autoliderazgo de los y las jóvenes. Objectives: Raise awareness among students about prevention and conflict management, with special emphasis on interpersonal and intergroup conflicts; and build their capability for leadership and self-confidence. Taller Valores para una Convivencia Armoniosa (Año 3) Workshop: Values for a Harmonious Coexistence (Year 3) Objetivos: Identificar valores y antivalores presentes en la convivencia entre el estudiantado; Reconocer el impacto de los valores y antivalores en la convivencia del estudiantado Objectives: Identify values and anti-values present in the coexistence among students; Recognize the impact of positive and negative values in the coexistence of students. In an interview with the director of the Agricultural School in Belén, we learned that she did not take part in any of the five workshops organized by WLPP, but she knows the program well and had helped to design the program while serving as the director of the school in Mbaracayú in 2012. She describes the impact of the workshops on students in Belén… “The initiative has enabled men to ask correctly and more often about women’s issues, such as menstruation. We have noticed an increased openness and willingness to talk about gender issues, and also an expressed need for more information with respect to reproductive health. The harmonic environment allows [men] to ask and participate more openly. Another big change has been the use of peaceful conflict resolution. The themes that WLPP has developed have been useful during meetings with men and women, whether they are together or separate. The training workshops are related to the real situations experienced by men and women—we can see how they impact women and girls… Both men and women come from a context of [gender-based violence] family-violence and also social. For example, here is the EPP zone—where the ‘marijuaneros’ [drug dealers] are—we have many girls being abused and raped on their way back home; and those girls came and left feeling supported [by the program] when learning about self-esteem. Without the WLPP, I dare to say that there would have been cases of suicide, abandonment, and pregnancies.” When asked about what kind of technical skills the students would like to develop, the school director’s answer was: 50 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 “The female students want to learn how TO BE; they want to be more independent, more secure, and more confident in themselves. And when it comes to technical skills, the girls like livestock, management of fruits and spices, nursery, horticulture, and skills such as hotel management and rural￾based activities such as agroindustry and revalorization of local practices. Both young men and women like the subject of entrepreneurship. The women who have their cooperatives have made plans to generate new projects.” The educational opportunities for Paraguayan girls are limited. Women and girls are at a serious disadvantage compared to their male counterparts. In general, families, schools and communities have different expectations from boys and girls, and most expect girls to be submissive. “Women are set apart from men. In their families for example, young women lack the family support that men often get. Culture has a strong impact by discriminating against women. Parents generally pay their son’s monthly school fees without any problem. This is not the case with girls. An intelligent woman is seen as a threat, because she can ‘confront her family’ and her parents want women to stay submissive.” – Agricultural School Director The impact of the WLPP workshops on male and female students is very positive and for many, life-changing. “There are visible changes in the lives of girls that have been victims of violence and sexual abuse. For instance, today they are leaders with significant confidence in themselves. There are also visible changes in the attitudes of students that used to be silent and are now group leaders.” – School Director Changes in students’ attitudes and behaviors were good indicators of what they were able to internalize and apply as a result of the WLPP workshops. The effect could have been multiplied if the program had invited teachers, administrators, community leaders, and other change agents to participate in workshops. In addition, carrying out some sort of gender awareness campaign in the communities where the students and their families live and work would have helped introduce the WLPP and its various initiatives. Teachers and administrators at the agricultural schools did not participate in the workshops and did not take part in the design and implementation of program initiatives targeting the agricultural schools in Belen, San Pedro, Cerrito and Mbaracayú. “There has been a lack of inclusion and training of [agricultural school] teachers on the gender theme to enable them to continue the process. It is very important for teachers to receive training, become sensitive to gender issues, so that they can become capable of integrating gender [gender mainstreaming] in the areas of agricultural livestock, horticulture, and in their own lives.”–School Director The WLPP workshops were praised for their success in communicating with students at their level; and for applying a learner-centered methodology, with engaging tools, hands-on methods and fun activities. However, it would be hard to duplicate the workshops without the appropriate materials. To date, the WLPP has not produced training materials, manuals, and modules for students on the eight areas of training. “I have never seen a single WLPP material. If they [materials] are not available, this is another weakness.” –School Director The students received some handouts during the workshops, but those consisted of exercises or self￾assessments tests. Each workshop lasted for about 1.5 hours, but there is no indication of follow-up activities such as the ones suggested by a school director… “What is missing from the program is to include a follow-up mechanism, at least via the Internet, given that all the agricultural schools have access to this technology. For example, the program does not follow-up their workshops with materials and messages to ensure that participants remember the 51 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 content of the trainings, which are too spaced out. Taking advantage of existing technologies in schools, which have not been developed by this project, is also key. For example, it would have been a great motivational experience to connect participants through Skype or teleconference with important leaders like the MINMUJER’s female minister, the US female ambassador, and Spanish-speaking teachers at the University of Florida, business leaders, teachers, and others that can encourage them and set an example.” – School Director Agricultural School directors, teachers, NGO staff, and FCA faculty identified some of the areas for program improvement. The following are excerpts from interviews with key informants. “The program needs to improve its monitoring system so that it can measure the impact on male and female students and provide feedback to them.” “Sexual education and human rights education are not part of the content areas, or are not mentioned in depth in the workshops. These are key topics that need to be included in the training program, mainly in the northern zone where the incidence of gender-based violence is high.” “More focus on vulnerability and violence situations is needed, including situational analysis from a rights-based perspective and personal development approaches, specifically for women and girls.” “Separate sessions for each men and women and then a joint session as a group were missing to discuss critical subjects. There is a great need to work with girls who face more barriers to their self￾development and tend to be more quiet, shy, and fearful. It is important to consider these issues. In group sessions, women did not show signs of self-worth. The program should focus on increasing affirmative actions towards women, given that they have been excluded from the system, mainly from the family system.” “The teachers were not involved in the process, and therefore, gender was not addressed as a crosscutting theme. Gender must not be addressed only with students, but also with teachers, and administrators who need to know the theme. This is new to the field, and changes to stop women’s discrimination need to be promoted. For instance, the program did not include the views of school’s male and female leaders to promote the participation of all in the educational family. Institutionalization has not been addressed from a gender perspective. School directors, administrators and teachers need to receive training in gender-related issues in order to institutionalize gender integration and ensure the sustainability of interventions. First we need to raise awareness of the issue at the school level. This has been missing and is very noticeable. This would be the only way to effectively link the graduates of agricultural schools with the university. Here is where the WLPP could be the bridge.” “For example, we must ensure girls’ access to higher education; provide them with scholarships, access to pre-entry courses for college admission, and the leveling process, which will not be easy for students coming from rural high schools. We must ensure equal access for the girls entering college and support them to stay in college by providing scholarships, financial support for housing, living expenses, and mentorship.” Suggestions to improve the efficacy of the gender and leadership training at the school level include the following:  Develop exchange programs between schools, include internships, and make use of existing technology and social media.  Take the students from agricultural schools to visit the university campus—this would motivate them to set their future goals.  Work with separate groups of males and females.  Provide follow-up to participants after the workshops. 52 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015  Include content related to sex education, reproductive health, gender-based violence and human rights.  The program should plan to spend more time at the agricultural schools to assess the needs and aspirations of students and teachers; and make sure to address gender issues in the specific context of the students.  Involve teachers and administrators in the design and implementation of gender and leadership training. 8.3. ALLIANCES, PARTNERSHIPS & AGREEMENTS Many partnerships have been facilitated by the WLPP, in particular with the private sector. FCA uses partnerships as a key strategy in its daily relationships and linkages with other actors. Leaders believe that WLPP has allowed them to approach the reality of the Paraguayan society in different areas by promoting other spaces with new players, both rural and urban. This has allowed a better understanding of the ways of life and scenarios where future graduates must make their proposals for agricultural development. Similarly, the partnerships allowed more FCA visibility in other sectors and with the target population of agricultural policies. WLPP has enabled bridge-building between FCA and civil society with partnerships including FECOPROD, ACDI VOCA, Paraguayan Tobacco (La Tabacalera), and the agricultural schools sponsored by the Paraguayan Foundation and the Moises Bertoni Foundation. As part of the mentioned alliances, some of the benefits that reached rural women include skill strengthening in the areas of leadership, self-esteem, and gender. The partnership trained FCA student mentors and volunteers to provide leadership training to women’s cooperatives. Significant gaps are evident in the context of public sector partnerships. Strategic alliances with WLPP could have been developed with institutions such as the Ministry of Women (MINMUJER), which is the lead agency for gender policies; and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) through the Gender and Rural Youth Department (DGyJR) under the General Planning Office. DGyJR is currently working to mainstream gender in agricultural policies, and in agricultural schools under the Office of Agrarian Education. These alliances could have been strategic to achieve synergies towards sustainable approaches to mainstream gender into FCA, and in the case of MAG, as a bridge for internships and support for family farming through university actions that could result in strengthening and improving the visibility of FCA’s Agricultural Extension Office and the Center for Leadership under this office. From its start, WLPP considered a partnership with Itaipu Binational for one of its key initiatives: the provision of scholarships. After the change of government, WLPP resumed contact with the new authorities and once again presented a partnership and coordination proposal with Itaipu Binational. Yet government shifts and its impact on public institutions have interrupted these actions. In this sense, and in the context of the evaluation process, when we sought the view of the Itaipu on WLPP, its new scholarship representative mentioned not knowing the program. At the beginning of the WLP-Paraguay, the University of Florida focused on developing partnerships and collaborations with UNA-FCA; the agricultural high schools of San Francisco, Belen, San Fernando and Mbaracayú; civil society, governmental agencies, and the public and private sector in Paraguay to promote, support, and advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in the agricultural sector. During the first year of WLPP implementation, UF-UNA/FCA faculty and staff reached out to target institutions including: Ministry for Women, Fundación Paraguaya, Fundación Moisés Bertoni, and Itaipu. The WLP-Paraguay has established multiple partnerships with private organizations, through formal and informal agreements or MOUs. According to the information provided by WLPP coordinator at the University of Florida, the program has agreements with eleven (11) organizations in the private sector. 1. ACDI-VOCA-Paraguay 2. Federación de Cooperativas de Producción (FECOPROD) 3. Fundación Paraguaya 53 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 4. Fundación Moisés Bertoni 5. Ayuda en Acción, Paraguay 6. Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura (IICA) 7. Proyecto Mujeres por las Cuencas Hídricas 8. International Young Leaders Assembly (IYLA), Paraguay 9. Agroeducación, Consorcio de Ganaderos de Experimentación Agropecuaria (CEA) 10. Centro de Altos Estudios del Paraguay (CAEP) 11. Compañia Agrotabacalera del Paraguay, SA The most prominent partnerships seem to be with Fundación Paraguaya and Fundación Moisés Bertoni, and the four agricultural schools under their tutelage in Belén, San Pedro, Cerrito and Mbaracayú. The latter is a girl’s school managed by FMB. The evaluators had a chance to interview the academic directors of three of the schools, and to conduct focus groups with students in all four schools. In addition, interviews were conducted with representatives at FP, FMB, and other partner organizations, such as ACDI-VOCA and FRECOPOD. Local program staff helped facilitate the scheduling and contacts with partner organizations in Paraguay for the purpose of the external evaluation. However, not all organizations listed above as partners were included in the contact list. Setting an appointment with FRECOPOD was only possible after the POR at USAID contacted the individuals also working on another USAID-funded project in the northern region. On the first year of the project, relationships were established with the Ministry for Women 14(MINMUJER) and Itaipu Foundation15. Due to changes in personnel within those institutions, those relationships were lost, and by the end of the program it does not appear that any agreement exists between WLPP and either MINMUJER or Itaipu. A common trait in Latin American countries is the so called “personalismo”—a preference for dealing with familiar persons or those with whom a business relationship has been established (Ramos-Mattoussi, 2009). Personalismo may alter the nature of relationships with partners when changes in personnel within partner institutions occur – as in the case of Itaipu Foundation and MINMUJER. In interviews with key informants, we found that little attempt has been made by the WLPP personnel or UNA-FCA to revive those institutional relationships or to follow up after the initial contacts and agreements were made. Table 5 - NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLS AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLS PARTICIPATING IN THE WLP-PARAGUAY NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLS 2013-2014 2015 Female Male TOTAL Female Male TOTAL Escuela Agrícola San Francisco de Asís (EASFA) Fundación Paraguaya 60 97 157 Escuela Agrícola Belén (EAB) Fundación Paraguaya 9 35 44 Escuela Agrícola San Pedro (EASP) Fundación Paraguaya 9 32 41 90 Centro Educativo Mbaracayú (CEM) Fundación Moisés Bertoni 112 N/A 112 N/A Total 190 354 14 The Ministry for Women (MINMUJER) is the governmental branch charged with regulatory leadership and the generation of strategic gender policies. 15 Itaipu Binacional, one of the largest hydroelectric power plants in the world, has a comprehensive and highly successful college scholarship program administered by the Fundación Parque Tecnológico Itaipu (Itaipu Technological Park Foundation) that provides academic and cost-of-living assistance to low income students who have demonstrated academic talent and will pursue priority areas of study for sustainable development. 54 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 In interviews with representatives from MINMUJER, we found that initial attempts at establishing some sort of agreement between the WLPP and the ministry were made in the first year of the project; however, the expectations on both sides diverged—the MINMUJER expected WLPP to provide logistical and financial support to continue the on-going project with the agricultural school for girls in Mbaracayú, while the WLPP had a plan to start a whole new set of initiatives in partnership with UNA-FCA with funding from USAID. We did not get involved with the [WLPP] program. About two years ago, the leaders of the WLPP – the coordinator and the director from the United States, came to MINMUJER and had two interviews in which we talked… They explained the program and we talked about our experience with the Mbaracayú Education Center…they wanted to see how they could take advantage of the experience that we, as the Ministry for Women already had. At that time we were looking for other projects to move on and explained to them that we would continue with the experience we already had and only needed their support and resources to mobilize, because our budget was already tied to a plan. They said they would come back with an answer to our proposal. But after that we did not hear anything from them, this was two years ago. At the MINMUJER, we went through a restructuring where I became responsible for the issue of rural women. Later, I was commissioned to go to an event in Carmelitas and that's where I participated in a presentation and saw that the WLP program was coming to an end—a very important closing. […] For us it’s a shame that having already worked on the issue, we have not been able to create synergies, because there is no need to start from scratch, our idea was to use the WLPP to build on our initial experiences…that was our idea. […] On the other hand, we had no official report on WLPP… we are sure that somehow the project made a contribution and that's important; we are from the state, but cannot report [the WLPP] on any of our international reports because we had no part in the project, and because we do not have the information – and that is a shame, because the farther we work on these issues, such as the agricultural schools the more important and significant it is for the state. - Excerpt from interview with two gender specialists at MINMUJER, May 25, 2015. Even though the WLPP and the MINMUJER shared common goals and target populations, they were not able to negotiate their different objectives and funding mechanisms. In the end, there was neither collaboration nor information sharing between the two entities. In many ways, the workshops implemented by WLPP at the agricultural schools are similar in content and approach to the projects supported by MINMUJER in Mbaracayú. MINMUJER worked with the students, teachers and staff at the Educational Center in Mbaracayú for three years till 2011. The work done by the MINMUJER was more extensive and inclusive than what the WLPP was able to implement in the last two years at the same school. "We had the opportunity to start and follow the graduation process of the first cohort of the Mbaracayú Center young women. Forty-nine technical bachelors obtained their degrees in Agro farming techniques which included a wide gender perspective for the length of 3 years." -Excerpt from interview with two gender specialists at MINMUJER, May 25, 2015. The MINMUJER team was faced with resistance on the part of teachers and other community members who were opposed to the way they taught sex education and reproductive health. Nevertheless, they considered the topic of reproductive health fundamental and strategic in girls’ education. Another important factor that helped the success of the program was the participation of the school administrators, teachers, and even the park rangers in the design of the program and the scheduling of project activities. "The first step of our job was to work with teachers—together we started designing how we would work ... They were involved in all the design process, including the length of the program. We made a point to adapt to their schedules and activities and design our topics while they were farming and milking cows. This extent of flexibility was possible because we stayed the whole week. [ ... ] The fact 55 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 that teachers and park rangers got involved, and actively participated in the process, was very important to disseminate and expand the effects of the program beyond the limits of the school." - Excerpt from interview with two gender specialists at MINMUJER, May 25, 2015. The work done by the MINMUJER in Mbaracayú paid off. Not only they observed the personal growth of the all-female students, but also contributed to create pathways for the girls to successfully pursue college education with support from scholarships. " [ ... ] We saw the awakening of the girls, a huge change from when we started the program. The best student for example, was able to obtain a scholarship to study Human Ecology in Costa Rica. Most of the young women went to college and found a way to reach a particular discipline.” -Excerpt from interview with two gender specialists at MINMUJER, May 25, 2015. Besides the work done with teachers and students at the school, the MINMUJER facilitators initiated information campaigns to create awareness of gender issues and to promote a safer environment for women and girls. The campaigns were about teen pregnancy, violence against women, and gender-based violence in schools; they developed the materials and worked for six months on each campaign. The materials were left with the girls at the school and later, the senior students became responsible for teaching the girls in grades one to three. MINMUJER worked on bringing visibility to the school and inviting other government organizations—such as MEC, to collaborate in support of girls’ education and gender equity. "We tried to make this center known. There was a major separation between the MEC and the center. We managed to have the first supervisors meeting in all Canindeyú there. Seventy-two supervisors of all educational levels and modalities attended the two workshops on violence, family violence, and violence between parents. Food and lodging was included for all participants. The Minister participated in the closure process. This was a ceremonial summit act that continued with the certification of all attendees." - Excerpt from interview with two gender specialists at MINMUJER, May 25, 2015. When asked about how the MINMUJER could support the gender integration and the implementation of gender policies at UNA-FCA, interviewees said that the MINMUJER had an agreement with UNA, but not a specific one; and they do not have the financial support and time to fully implement a plan that incorporates gender in the curriculum with the necessary materials and training for the faculty. They suggested that this could have been the role of WLPP: to provide the financial incentives and support for MINMUJER to help develop the curriculum, instructional materials and training to implement the gender policies at UNA-FCA. MINMUJER follows a model used by ISE (Instituto Superior de Educación Docente/ Institute for Higher Education’s Faculty Development ) and believe that “gender cannot be fully integrated in the basic curriculum unless it is incorporated at all levels, departments, and courses taught at the university, not just one elective course.” "Working with universities means addressing institutional culture and structures. To generate change, sustainability is needed as well as significant political will, and a profound change in attitudes.” - Excerpt from interview with two gender specialists at MINMUJER, May 25, 2015. The suggestion made by MINMUJER representatives is relevant to the future of the WLPP’s initiatives concerning strengthening the capacity of UNA-FCA to integrate gender in the university curriculum. The suggestion also implies that gender policies and integration of gender in the curriculum can only be successfully implemented if a more robust approach to their implementation is in place, including:  Formal agreements with government institutions such as MINMUJER, MAG, or MEC.  Financial and human resources allocated for the development of curriculum, instructional materials, and gender training targeting UNA–FCA faculty. 56 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015  Development of curriculum and establishment of required course/s focusing on gender.  Monitoring and evaluation of implementation to make sure gender perspectives are effectively integrated into the curriculum. " [ ... ] The issue at hand is to dive into the understanding of what teachers are made of, and be able to click with them. Our strategy at ISE (Teacher’s Institute for Higher Education) was first to develop a gender sensitization process through meetings with teachers. We worked on this for a whole year. The second year we reviewed in depth each area of the curriculum in order to mainstream gender issues. The third year we worked with the practical application team to support teachers that were scheduled to teach lessons that incorporated gender issues, and to monitor how effectively they were able to do so. We provided support and guidance throughout the process, from the incorporation to the implementation in classrooms, and followed-up with teachers for a year. Our strategy was based first on creating awareness, because everybody talked about gender mainstreaming, yet many people reject it. Thus it is paramount to make this a participatory process with appropriate methodologies to shift attitudes on the issue. [ ... ] We have an agreement with UNA but it is very general. Specificity on the themes that we will work on is needed. For example, using the ISE model to mainstream gender in the curriculum. To do this we need financial resources, materials, and supplies. This is a complex job that requires time and resources.” - Excerpt from interview with two gender specialists at MINMUJER, May 25, 2015. Both WLPP and MINMUJER acknowledge the difficulties they have had in the last two years due to changes in personnel at the MINMUJER. "Something very strange happened during the time that government changed. Many participants left the system and dropped out of the process. This translated into a loss of skills, and an important brain drain that affected the process, which has been documented." - Excerpt from interview with two gender specialists at MINMUJER, May 25, 2015. To date, the WLPP has not established any partnership or institutional agreement with governmental institutions in Paraguay. There are several units within the GOP, such as MINMUJER and MAG, which support the types of activities and gender policies promoted by the WLPP in Paraguay. In a letter addressed to the evaluators, the Director of Gender and Rural Youth Directorate at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) stated that: “The Gender and Rural Youth [unit within MAG] only participated in the WLPP activities as an invited guest. Apparently, it [WLPP] is a program that aims to strengthen and empower women specifically, and is worth mentioning that it’s a great opportunity to count with this type of program. A strategic partnership with the Gender and Rural Youth Directorate should have been established, considering that the MAG has this unit responsible for promoting policies that improve the quality of life and equal opportunities for women and men. You should take into account that if [the program] is supported and channeled through the institution responsible for these [gender] policies, you have the potential for this [program] to be institutionalized and sustainable, if not, it is only a temporary support and is not established within the institutions in charge.” The lack of institutional agreements and support from governmental institutions in charge of gender policies that affect several sectors of the economy, including agriculture, industry and higher education, is a legitimate concern regarding the sustainability of the initiatives and policies developed by the WLPP. Not only there’s no formal agreement with MINMUJER or MAG, the existing partnerships with the private sector organizations were established between the WLPP and the organizations—these are not cooperative agreements between UNA-FCA and those organizations. Despite the great strides the WLPP has made towards change in the direction of gender equity and women’s empowerment by creating new opportunities for disadvantaged youth, gender awareness and establishment of new gender policies within UNA-FCA, these 57 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 gains may not be sustained in the long term without the support from the GOP, through its various ministries and directorates in charge of such policies. It is important to note that the UNA-FCA has the capability to establish cooperative agreements with institutions in both the private and public sectors (See Annex IX: Description of Host Country Institution). “The FCA-UNA expands and enhances its relationships to develop joint research, internships, service provision, Graduate courses, training and extension activities through the signing of agreements with governmental and non-governmental institutions, national and foreign Universities, as well as non￾profit Organizations, Associations, Foundations, Unions and Institutes, among others.” It would be advisable to transfer existing agreements made between WLPP and the private sector organizations to UNA-FCA by the end of the project. UNA-FCA through its Center for Leadership could also pursue other agreements with MINMUJER, MAG or MEC to help sustain some of the initiatives implemented by the project, including the “Incorporation of Gender in UNA-FCA Curriculum, Professional Development and Training;” “Gender Policy Development,” and the “Scholarship Program.” 8.4. WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT AND GENDER EQUITY The Government of Paraguay has taken several measures to address gender discrimination and GBV as well as to provide safeguards to help protect the rights of workers and vulnerable groups in the country. These changes started with the 1992 Constitution and subsequent legislation, such as the 2002 Labor Code; 1996 Electoral Code; and the 2000 Domestic Violence Act. In 1999, the Government of Paraguay became a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and ratified it in 2001. In addition, MINMUJER has implemented two plans for equal opportunity. The most recent of these is the "Third National Plan for Equal Opportunities between Women and Men" (2008-2017), which prioritizes equal rights and participation for men and women; access to economic resources and work; equitable education; comprehensive healthcare; life free of violence; and effective decentralization. Yet, a culture of gender discrimination and pervasive gender-based violence (GBV) has continued to undermine Paraguay's potential for improved economic growth, democratic governance, natural resource management, and healthcare. The Women’s Leadership Program was implemented in Paraguay from 2012 to 2015 against a backdrop of policies and regulations created to protect women’s rights and to promote gender equity. Government institutions as well as NGOs sought to change the pervasive cultural norms that in many cases impinge on women’s rights by denying equal opportunities and access to education, economic resources and political power to women and girls. However, a three-year period is not enough time to create a visible impact on gender equity and women’s empowerment. Despite the narrow scope of the WLPP, the program has had a visible effect in the lives of many young women and men who benefited from the various initiatives implemented by the program. Most importantly, we cannot disregard the invisible effects of the gender and leadership workshops on the psyche of young men and women who reported increased self-confidence levels, ability to take on leadership roles and to act as change agents within their own families and communities. We have seen positive changes in attitudes related to gender equity and self-efficacy; reported increase in levels of self-confidence and improvement in intrapersonal and interpersonal relations and communication skills; and overall better understanding of gender issues and how sociocultural norms influence the socialization of boys and girls; increased knowledge of human rights and the necessity to combat gender-based violence and discrimination against women. WLPP has promoted women’s autonomy and gender equity through the provision of opportunities for young women, and the positive actions that have benefited rural young women. WLPP has strengthened women’s leadership capacity within the framework of partnerships with agricultural schools, ACDI VOCA, FECOPROP, and with Paraguayan Tabacalera SA. Similarly, trainings within FCA in the areas of leadership, self-knowledge, 58 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 self-esteem, and gender, have allowed access to equal opportunities for men and women. By mainstreaming gender equity into FCA/UNA’s courses and curricula, the program has strengthened students’ leadership skills and capabilities. Young people have also benefited from internships and scholarships that have allowed them to learn about the rural agrarian reality, as well as the entry requirements for FCA through the support received during the Probational Entry Course, the 50% tuition support, and mentoring program. The program has created many opportunities for university students to engage in community projects, develop their own projects, and learn from their field experiences either as mentors, agro leaders, or volunteers. Many are working as interns through partnerships with NGOs with women’s cooperatives and small farmers. Boys and girls at the agricultural schools begin to imagine a different future, and some of them have been provided the opportunity to enroll at UNA-FCA with the support of the UF-UNA partnership. In Year 3, the Partnership conducted 30 Leadership Development training workshops. Training beneficiaries include FCA/UNA students, faculty and administrators; small producers and cooperative leaders; and agricultural high-school students. Some of the trainings included: Coexistence and Empowerment of Women Leaders and Producers; Mentorship and AgroLeadership Programs; Self-Knowledge and Efficacy Workshops; Leadership Trainings led by FCA/UNA Student Interns for women agricultural cooperatives; Leadership and Conflict Management workshops; Gender and Self-Esteem and Efficacy Trainings; and the Workshops on the Values for Peaceful Coexistence. In addition, WLPP organized the Women’s National Conference on Leadership for the New Rurality which included FCA/UNA students, faculty and administrators; professionals from the public and private sectors; students from agricultural high-schools, and women producers and cooperative leaders from the rural Sector. UNA-FCA’s capability to integrate gender in the curriculum and develop new policies that broaden the opportunities for female students and faculty were also strengthened. 8.4.1. GENDER AGREEMENT AND SELF-EFFICACY (GSE) TEST SCORES The gender agreement and self-efficacy test was used to measure the proportion of females who report increased self-efficacy at the conclusion of USG supported training/programming. Even though self-efficacy is a good predictor of women’s empowerment, using the Self-Efficacy Test as an indicator of attitudinal changes occurring as a result of the WLPP was not a reliable measure. Baseline data were obtained through surveys and the results were expressed using the Generalized Self-Efficacy (GSE) scale. A total of 1196 surveys were applied in the 6 FCA-UNA campuses and the San Francisco High-School. Of those 1196 surveys, 470 corresponded to females, 635 to males and 91 were unidentified. Faculty, students and administrative staff completed the survey. Baseline data show the need for improvement on this indicator. Indicator Target End of project results Self-Efficacy: Proportion of females who report increased self￾efficacy at the conclusion of USG supported training/programming 70 44 (63% progress) Females age 10-29 28 Females age 30 and over 1 Women whose scores have improved over time 14 All women who participated in the relevant training/programming 29 Source: WLP-Paraguay FY2015 Annual Progress Report The WLPP team tried to track the changes on this indicator in participants that had a more frequent and/or more prolonged exposure to project activities. Thus, pre- and post-test data were collected from participants in long term activities (i.e. Mentorship Program, Agro-Leadership Program, and/or trainings at agricultural high￾schools). Self-efficacy is a complex and multidimensional construct that is also likely to be affected by numerous confounding factors. The WLPP team reported multiple problems implementing and collecting reliable results from the self-efficacy test. Difficulties reported by WLPP include the following: 59 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015  Evaluators were not able to match the pre- and post-test of participants. Respondents may have changed their codes from the pre- to the post-test or the people entering the data into the database may have changed one number or letter of the code by accident.  The data collected as baseline and during the first year of the project (i.e. more than 2,000 surveys in total) showed that the items included in the construct measuring this indicator do not seem to measure the same thing. The validity of the construct used to measure this indicator is questionable.  Conflicting data results make it hard to establish a valid way to measure progress made by the project on this indicator. The quantitative data shows a low positive change, however, qualitative data collected both formally and informally from Partnership program participants and authorities at FCA/UNA suggest a greater positive change on this indicator. The external evaluation team applied the same self-efficacy test following focus groups with students from the Agricultural Schools and one group from the Mentorship and Agro-Leadership Programs. The number of responses (54) is too small to be significant. It should not be compared to WLPP reported GSE scores. Reports from WLPP indicate that there was no increase in GSE scores from baseline results, even though the target percentage for self-efficacy was set at 70% and for gender agreement at 60%. The evaluators used the GSE test to duplicate the experience for the students and to ask them about the test itself. Nearly 75 percent of the respondents in our focus-groups who responded to the GSE had taken the test before and had participated in WLPP activities in the previous year. Results of GSE Test administered by evaluators - 2015 Baseline and WLPP Results - 2013 Self-Efficacy Score = 9.6 Self-Efficacy =8.04 Gender Agreement Score = 3.79 Gender Agreement = 2.54 Total = 13.39 (60%) 54 respondents Total = 10.58 (48%) 1196 respondents See Annex VIII: Evaluation Results and Responses to Self-Efficacy and Gender Agreement Test. The discrepancies between the GSE tests results and self-reported growth and personal development can be explained in different ways. One way of looking at the discrepancy may be related to differences in concepts of self-efficacy and self-esteem. Self-efficacy refer to people’s beliefs in their capacity to produce actions that are necessary for achieving desired outcomes –a belief that one has the capacity to mobilize the motivation, cognitive resources, and courses of action needed to exercise general control over events in one’s life (Bandura, 1997); self-esteem is the basic appraisal people make of themselves. Considering the fact that many of the female respondents are victims of gender-based violence, come from very poor environments and have been socialized to deny educational and professional opportunities, it is possible that those women and girls do not hold any belief in their ‘capacity and cognitive resources’ to attain desired actions, even when they feel ‘good’ about what they have learned through the WLPP workshops and report higher levels of self-esteem. The length and frequency of the gender and leadership activities may also be another influential factor. Respondents were exposed to a maximum of five workshops, each of 1.5 hours in length for a period of one to two years. At least at the agricultural schools, there were no print materials given to students or follow up to assess their progress or provide support to the most vulnerable population. Nonetheless, all responses collected from 54 students show a positive impression of the program. “WLPP is a space for growth and personal development – this program must be implemented at every school, ministry, and public organization in the country.” - GSE respondent, 2015 60 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 9. RECOMMENDATIONS In the context of the WLPP, it would be important to examine not only the cognitive content of the educational activities that focus on gender (i.e., UNA/FCA courses, workshops implemented at the agricultural high schools, short term training, etc.), but also how the cultural, ideological and emotional outcomes are reproduced by the partnership. To what extent are the partnership organizations challenging the status quo— expressed in the concepts of masculinity/femininity, the gendered nature of society and division of labor, and the sociocultural norms that may hinder gender equality and women’s empowerment? Education alone may not address issues of gender inequality and women’s empowerment, as two other simultaneous conditions must be present: “women’s participation and equal opportunity in the public sphere and women’s differential needs in the private sphere, particularly those concerning reproductive rights, childcare and the violence they may experience in domestic settings” (Stromquist: 2006, p 154; Singh, 1998). Research suggests that success of educational programs to empower women depends on the extent to which those programs take the multiple roles of women into account and how they help in alleviating the burden of sociocultural predictions and expectations of women as care givers—contributing to both production and reproduction (Ramos, 2007; Ramos-Mattoussi, 2009). Furthermore, in order to succeed, women’s empowerment programs must include certain components such as: promotion of gender awareness; integration of technical, entrepreneurial, cultural and communal aspects; information and lessons on politics; and provision of planning and thinking skills, among others. (Medel-Anonuevo & Bochynek, 1995) 9.1. IMPLEMENT GENDER POLICIES WITH SUPPORT FROM PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS The following recommendations are made to address current challenges to women’s empowerment and gender equity within the context of the Women’s Leadership Program in Paraguay. These recommendations address issues related to the implementation of gender policies at UNA/FCA and for improving coordination with the private and public sectors. The WLP-program has been successful in developing partnerships with the private sector, and has maintained formal and informal agreements with a dozen organizations, including foundations, businesses and industry. It would be beneficial for the UNA-FCA to continue this effort and develop partnerships with the public sector as well, more specifically with MINMUJER, MAG and MEC if they are to implement policies that target increased women’s access to UNA-FCA, potential exchanges with universities abroad, and the effective implementation of gender policies at the university level. Some suggestions for improving coordination with the private and public sectors include:  Establishing formal agreements with government institutions such as MINMUJER, MAG, or MEC.  Identify local expertise on gender (e.g., NGOs, women’s organizations, foundations, academics, research institutions, government ministries with particular emphasis to the MINMUJER) that can be called on to provide in-depth technical assistance.  Ensure equal access for girls entering college and support them to stay in college by providing scholarships, financial support for housing, living expenses, and mentorship.  Include training and selection of female agricultural extension agents by recruiting from UNA/FCA, NGOs, MINMUJER and MAG and providing flexible work arrangements that accommodate the domestic responsibilities of female agricultural extension agents.  Provide gender training to male and female agricultural extension agents, loan officers, and other technical staff working with male and female producers.  Integrate gender workshops into professional development training to sensitize both younger and older men and women to respect one another’s productive and reproductive roles, including issues such as sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence. 61 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015  Work with the GOP to include gender training and domestic violence training in government and school curricula. 9.2. BUILD UNA/FCA CAPACITY TO INTEGRATE GENDER IN THE CURRICULUM The following recommendations concern the capacity of UNA-FCA to integrate gender in the university curriculum. Gender policies and integration of gender in the curriculum can only be successfully implemented if a more robust approach to their implementation is in place, including:  Involving gender specialists from MINMUJER and adapt the model used by ISE (Instituto Superior de Educación Docente/ Institute for Higher Education’s Faculty Development) during the implementation of gender integration in the UNA/FCA curriculum.  Acknowledging that gender cannot be fully integrated in the basic curriculum unless it is incorporated at all levels, departments, and courses taught at the university, not just one elective course.  Allocating financial and human resources for the development of curriculum, instructional materials, and gender training targeting UNA/FCA faculty.  Developing curriculum and strategies for the integration of gender themes in required courses at UNA/FCA.  Conducting monitoring and evaluation of implementation of the UNA/FCA curricular revision to make sure gender perspectives are effectively integrated into the curriculum. 9.3. IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF GENDER AND LEADERSHIP TRAINING The following recommendations focus on improvement of program areas related to gender and leadership training, and engagement of Agricultural School directors, teachers, NGO staff, and UNA/FCA faculty in the promotion of gender equity and institutionalization of gender education.  Gender and leadership workshops must address the needs of students, teachers, and administrators at all levels of the program. School directors, administrators and teachers need to receive training in gender-related issues in order to institutionalize gender integration and ensure the sustainability of interventions.  Involve teachers and administrators in the design and implementation of gender and leadership training.  Improve the efficacy of the gender and leadership training at the school level; Provide follow-up to participants after the workshops; Plan to spend more time at the agricultural schools to assess the needs and aspirations of students and teachers; and make sure to address gender issues in the specific context of the students. This would require coordination with partners and frequent contact with teachers and administrators at each agricultural school.  Include subjects such as sex education, reproductive health and women’s legal rights with a focus on vulnerability and gender-based violence in the content of workshops addressed to students at UNA and agricultural high schools. These are key topics that need to be included in the training program, mainly in the rural areas where the incidence of gender-based violence is high. A situational analysis from a rights-based perspective and personal development approaches, specifically for women and girls, may also be applied.  Conduct workshops and gender-based training for men and women; but, provide separate sessions for each sex group to discuss critical subjects.  Consider increasing affirmative actions towards women, given that they have been excluded from the system and have suffered the consequences of labor discrimination, in addition to the limits imposed by family, school and community on women’s social and economic mobility. Provide special internship opportunities for female students.  Develop exchange programs between schools; Take the students from agricultural schools to visit the university campus—this would motivate them to set their future goals. 62 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015  Improve the monitoring and evaluation systems in order to measure the impact of gender and leadership training on students and provide feedback to them. 9.4. USE COMMUNICATION CHANNELS FOR RAISING AWARENESS OF GENDER ISSUES IN THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR.  Increase gender awareness efforts within UNA/FCA. A marketing campaign would be useful as well as spaces for people to get information about the various program initiatives.  Use social media and other communication channels for disseminating the program and for raising awareness of gender issues in the agricultural sector.  Reach out to UNA/FCA faculty and get them involved in the design and implementation of the program and its promotion.  Expand program initiatives to other schools within the university. 63 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 ANNEX I: EVALUATION STATEMENT OF WORK Higher Education for Development of the American Council on Education (HED/ACE) is seeking one candidate to conduct an evaluation of a higher education partnership between the University of Florida and the National University of Asuncion (UNA) in Paraguay. This candidate will be paired with an evaluation consultant located in Paraguay. About HED Higher Education for Development (HED), a program of the American Council on Education (ACE), operates with the advice and counsel of six U.S. presidential higher education associations and with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development to manage higher education partnerships that address global development challenges. Through these partnerships between higher education institutions in the U.S. and in developing countries, the expertise of higher education is mobilized to address development challenges in areas such as agriculture, the environment, economic and workforce development, education, and health. Through HED partnerships, higher education institutions work collaboratively to address faculty and student training needs, conduct applied research, improve academic program offerings, and engage the institutions in community outreach – all with the aim of improving the capacity of the host country higher education institution to contribute to local and national development goals. About the Partnership: Advancing Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Paraguay Under the Women’s Leadership Program (WLP), five universities in the United States were partnered with higher education institutions in Armenia, Paraguay, Rwanda, and South Sudan to promote gender equality and female empowerment. University of Florida and the National University of Asuncion (UNA) are engaged in a three-year higher education WLP partnership to train strong female leaders through leadership training, and emphasize the role of agricultural extension work as a means to provide students with applied learning opportunities. The objectives of the WLP-Paraguay partnership are 1. To promote and support women's access to the National University of Asuncion (UNA) with a focus on developing leadership skills 2. To strengthen institutional capacity of UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences to produce strong female leaders through training in workforce leadership skills 3. To develop sustainable alliances between the UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences, civil society, and the public and private sector that promote the emergence of female leaders Evaluation Purpose In order to synthesize lessons learned across its portfolio of partnerships and thereby better contribute to the body of knowledge about the role of higher education in development, HED has developed an evaluation framework. This framework, which will be shared with the consultants, identifies critical partnership variables and evaluation criteria against which the variables can be examined. Using this framework, the consultants will develop their own methods to examine 1. efficiency of management processes and systems, 2. relevance of program design, 3. effectiveness of program implementation, 4. impact of program intervention, and 5. potential for program sustainability. 64 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 More specifically, this evaluation will examine each of these items to generate knowledge about how higher education partnerships can contribute to the promotion of gender equality and female empowerment in agriculture. Evaluation Phases Work will be divided into four phases: 1) Desk Review 2) Design 3) Field Work and 4) Report Writing. Phase 1 - Desk Review: The consultants will conduct a comprehensive desk review of partnership materials and relevant literature to inform their understanding of the partnership and its objectives. HED will provide the consultants with partnership materials, as well as a document review checklist to guide the partnership review. In this phase the consultants also will conduct a literature review to identify relevant best practices of women’s leadership education. Phase 2 - Design: HED will share its evaluation framework and will make available to the consultants any relevant supporting materials. Based on the desk review of partnership materials and relevant literature, the consultants will develop evaluation methods and a data collection plan that aligns with HED’s evaluations needs. The consultants will submit their proposed methodology to HED for review prior to conducting activities in the field. Phase 3 -Field Work: The consultants will carry out the proposed methods in Asuncion, Paraguay. Field work will require travel and logistical preparation that will be coordinated with HED’s assistance prior to the trip. Phase 4 - Report Writing: After concluding data collection in the field, the consultants will return home to draft and finalize the evaluation report. Deliverables The consultants will submit jointly the following deliverables. A schedule for the completion of deliverables will be finalized in close consultation and coordination with HED. 1. A draft of the following sections of the report prior to field work: a. Overview of the partnership b. Review of relevant best practices in women’s leadership education c. Methods, including:  An evaluation methodology,  A proposed data collection plan, including sources of information such as key stakeholders, documents for review, and other data sources,  Draft data collection tools, such as questionnaires, interview guides, checklists, etc., and  A plan for structured data analysis and interpretation of findings. 2. A draft of the evaluation report: The consultants will submit a draft report on which HED and its partners can provide feedback. The report draft will include, at a minimum:  Executive summary  Introduction/Purpose  Partnership overview  Literature review  Evaluation methods and limitations  Findings  Discussion of findings  Recommendations for sustainability  Conclusion 3. Final report: The final report should be submitted in MS Word format. It should be formatted and include all relevant data, materials, and tools as appendices. 65 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 4. Data: Any data (interview recordings, survey data, etc.) collected as a part of the evaluation activities should be submitted. 5. Dissemination plan: The consultants also should provide a list of recommended individuals, organizations and mailing lists through which the report can be disseminated by HED. Timeline and Schedule Selection of the consultants will be made by November 14, 2014, and the evaluation will begin on March 2, 2015. All field work should be completed no later than April 24, 2015. Other activities, including the submission of all deliverables, should be completed no later than May 31, 2015. HED expects the U.S. Consultant to spend a total of no more than 25 working days and the local consultant total of 20 working days on this assignment, which includes up to 10 days of field work. Staffing Responsibilities The two consultants will work as a team, complementing each other’s disciplinary and evaluation expertise. Consultants will report to HED’s Senior Program Specialist Marilyn Crane (mcrane@hedprogram.org) and are responsible for maintaining frequent communication with HED. Desired Qualifications Preference will be given to candidates with the qualifications listed below. Knowledge and Skills  Demonstrated knowledge of trends in women’s leadership, agriculture education, higher education development, and/or program design and evaluation methodology  Strong foundation in designing and implementing rigorous evaluations and/or research activities using both quantitative and qualitative data  Excellent writing, analytical and communication skills in English  Ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders. Education Master’s or Doctorate degree in International Development, Higher Education, Statistics, Economics, or related field, preferably with an emphasis on evaluation and/or quantitative and qualitative research Experience  At least 8 years of experience working with USAID and/or other international donors on program design, monitoring and evaluation methodologies and frameworks, preferably with a focus on higher education  Work experience in Paraguay  Experience facilitating collaborative communication among multiple stakeholders  Experience designing evaluations, developing data collection instruments, and collecting data in an international setting 66 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Scope of Work for Local Evaluator in Paraguay The consultant in Paraguay will be responsible for performing the following duties:  Making internal travel arrangements, including lodgings and ground transportation, for the team members.  Providing a budget and plan for field visits in Paraguay.  Making appointments with individuals and groups of people for the team members to interview in locales to be visited (i.e., past and present participants, local partners, and other stakeholders.)  Providing technical area input, cultural and linguistic guidance, and logistical support to the expatriate evaluation consultant. o Serving as interpreter for local language (Guarani) as appropriate o Recruiting enumerators to assist during field visits o Providing a budget and plan for field visits in Paraguay  Conducting individual interviews and focus groups  Accompanying expatriate staff for site visits  Supervising work of individual enumerators; transcribing responses from interviews and focus groups; transmitting reports (Spanish) to the expatriate team leader.  Collaborating with expatriate team leader on the analysis of data and formulation of recommendations. 67 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 A note about the authors Dr. Flavia Ramos-Mattoussi is a Senior Research Associate at the Learning Systems Institute at Florida State University. She is an international education and development professional with over twenty-five years’ experience in program management, gender and development, program evaluation and assessment of education initiatives in multicultural, post-conflict and development settings. Dr. Ramos has been a consultant for governmental (U.S. Agency for International Development and U.S. Department of Labor) and non￾governmental organizations (UNICEF, World Learning, Institute for Training and Development) managing international projects and conducting research and training in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Prior to her appointment at the Florida State University, Dr. Ramos worked as a senior researcher at Juarez & Associates, Washington, DC; Assistant professor and director of the International Training and Education Program at American University; and visiting professor of International Education at the George Washington University. Dr. Ramos’ research focuses on the development of participatory research methods, including visual sociology, life histories and biographical approaches in research. She is the author of “The FotoDialogo Method©: A new approach for making meaning and building dialogue in multicultural community settings,” several training manuals, technical reports, book chapters and articles in refereed journals (International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education; Electronic Magazine of Multicultural Education, Chalkboard; SAGE Benchmarks in Social Research Methods Series; USAID Development Experience Clearinghouse; Institute for International Education; the World Bank, etc.). Dr. Ramos holds a Doctorate and Master’s degrees in International Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Dr. Ramos-Mattoussi is fluent in Portuguese, English and Spanish. Ms. Venus Caballero is an Engineer on Human Ecology with an academic background in Agricultural Sciences. She has extensive experience and training in the design and management of public policies; facilitating participatory methods of diagnosis, planning, monitoring and evaluation. Also, Ms. Caballero has held positions of leadership, promoting the empowerment of rural youth and indigenous women, as well as advocating for gender mainstreaming in policies of the Paraguayan Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. She has worked as a project manager for international NGOs and has served as consultant for international aid agencies such as IFAD, USAID, AECI, and FAO designing projects for family agriculture, including indigenous communities, where she has built strategies and incorporated gender perspectives. Ms. Caballero brings a vast experience in design and project management, and in diagnostics and participatory assessments in rural areas with a gender perspective. She has first-hand knowledge and understanding of rural women’s realities, farmers and indigenous groups in Paraguay as well as leadership, motivation, commitment, attitude to work and be part of an interdisciplinary team. Ms. Caballero is a graduate from the National University of Asuncion, where she obtained her Master’s Degree in Environmental Science and Public Policy, and her Bachelor’s in Human Ecology Engineering. Ms. Caballero is fluent in Spanish and Guarani. Venus Caballero and Flavia Ramos with group of students at Agricultural School for girls in Mbaracayu, Paraguay. 68 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Schedule of Activities & Deliverables WLP PARAGUAY - ACTIVITIES & DELIVERABLES START END Follow-up phone call with HED 13-Feb Email introduction to partners 22-Jan HED to share sub-criteria/suggested questions 15-Feb Desk Review of Documents 20-Feb 30- March Deliverable: Detailed methods/Draft submission 9-March HED feedback 11- March 16- March Preliminary Evaluation Design/Data Collection Tools 23-Feb 8-April Review of Design 16-Mar 20- March Flavia Ramos meets w/Jamie Salazar at HED Office in Washington DC 11- March Design and data collection tools [English] revised and finalized 16-Mar 20- March Mapping the field – selecting sites, key informants, and making arrangements for 1st round of site visits 16-Mar 27- March Design and data collection tools [English/Spanish] revised and finalized 27- March Copying/Printing of data collection instruments in Spanish Field work 8-Apr 25-May Fieldwork in Paraguay begins - Venus & Notetaker 8-Apr 15-April Fieldwork on U.S. side and site visit to UF (April 21, 2015)– Flavia Ramos 13-Apr 30-April Fieldwork in Paraguay – Flavia Ramos and Venus Caballero 4-May 16-May Transcription/translation of data collected in Guarani/Spanish – Venus Caballero 8-Apr 25-May Data management/analysis and translation into English- Flavia Ramos 25-May 5-June Review of first set of data collected and preparation for fieldwork phase 2 20-Apr 30-April Data Analysis and Report writing 22-May 12-June Draft report /Draft submission 5-June HED feedback 10-June Deliverable: Final Report 12-June Report Submitted 12-June HED feedback 17-June Report Revised and Re-submitted 13-July HED feedback 16-July Final Report Submitted 31-July 69 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 ANNEX II: HED EVALUATION FRAMEWORK Table 6 - HED Evaluation Framework HED Evaluation Framework: Case Study Methodology Evaluation Consultant Methods Sub criteria Guiding Questions Categories Sources of Data Data Collection Analysis NOTES: At a minimum, please consider these in your review of efficiency, relevance, effectiveness, impact and sustainability Consider, at a minimum, these sub￾questions to examine the sub-criteria related to efficiency, relevance, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability. You may seek information to answer additional questions. At a minimum, use these categories to code your findings. Identify which sources of data, including, but not limited to document review, interviews, focus groups, surveys, observation, to examine the efficiency, relevance, effectiveness, impact and sustainability. Groups, 4) Surveys, 5) Observation, Etc. How will you collect the data from each of these sources? You may say "see" survey questionnaire", "see focus group questionnaire guide", etc. Describe how you will analyze the sources of data. In addition to the categories in Column D, will you use additional codes or criteria against which to compare your data? Will you use specific software, such as Nvivo or SPSS to code and analyze the data? Etc. 70 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Efficiency Management Systems How did the partners make use of results-based management systems? Results-based management Decision Making processes How did the partnership make decisions regarding implementation? Did decision making processes contribute to efficient program implementation? Timeliness of activities Use of Resources (Human, Financial and Non-Financial) Feedback Loops Relevance Contextualization To what extent were program activities and interventions adapted for the local context? Local and national development priorities Responsiveness to beneficiaries needs Reflection of funder strategies Logic Did program design consistently link activities and outputs logically to program outcomes and objectives? Causal linkages in the results framework Single/multiple pathways Effectiveness Results To what extent have the intended outputs and outcomes been achieved or are likely to be achieved? How were the results affected by program fidelity? (Program fidelity may be defined as the extent to which delivery of an intervention adheres to the protocol or program model originally developed.) Progress vs. targets Program fidelity Impact Outcome level results What were the outcome results of implementation? To what degree are the outcome results attributable to Intended Unintended Positive Negative 71 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 implementation? Results directly attributable to intervention Results not directly attributable to intervention Expansive effects Is there evidence that outcome level results had a wider effect than anticipated? Consider strategic alliances, i.e., host country higher education institution -private sector partnerships Local ownership Regional institutions Businesses affected Government agencies Other entities outside HCI Sustainability Program effects Are program effects (development results and/or host-county and U.S. higher education partnership) likely to continue over time after funding has ceased? If so, what aspects of the program have the best chance of continuing? Financial resources management Non-financial resource planning and management Results based management Institutionalization Stakeholder engagement Continued relevance of program design 72 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 ANNEX III: WLP-PARAGUAY RESULTS FRAMEWORK Results Framework - Custom Partners: University of Florida Award Amount: $812,000 Start date: 10/01/2012 Host Country: Paraguay End date: 06/30/2015 Hierarchy of Results Indicators Assumptions Definitions Results statements capture the steps required to achieve the partnership’s ultimate goal. This chain of events – sometimes referred to as the “project logic” or “results chain” - clearly demonstrates direct links among the activities and the partnerships results. Indicators are dimensions or characteristics we measure to assess whether desired results are being achieved. Indicators must allow for a measure of progress over time and be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound). Each outcome and output may have more than one indicator if appropriate. Assumptions are factors or pre￾conditions that the partners believe will be present throughout project implementation. These factors or pre-conditions are often outside of a project manager's control, but understanding them is critical for project success. Goal To improve the ability of higher education institutions in Paraguay to advance women's leadership and employability skills Partnership Objective 1 Objective 1: Promote and support women's access to the National University of Asuncion (UNA) with a focus on developing leadership skills Outcome 1.1 Outcome 1.1: Increase the number of female graduates from the agricultural high-schools participating in leadership-focused university program Access - Policies: Number of new or improved policies and/or procedures that support increased access of underserved and/or disadvantaged groups to certificate and/or degree programs + Access - Students: Number of individuals from underserved and/or disadvantaged groups accessing tertiary education programs + Proportion of females who report increased self-efficacy at the conclusion of USG supported training/programming There is a large number of female students in agricultural high schools that can be interested and benefit from this program. Output 1.1.1 Output 1.1.1: Establish - in collaboration with Itaipu or another external funding partner - a merit and need-based full scholarship program for female students to attend UNA from the agricultural high-schools 1) Number of scholarships financed by non￾USG resources Economic factors are an important barrier limiting young female from pursuing higher education. 73 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 San Francisco, 2) Belen, 3) San Fernando, and 4) Mbaracayu Output 1.1.2 Output 1.1.2: Implement outreach and academic counseling program to: 1) increase awareness of existing scholarship opportunities and 2) provide support services for application processes and retainment Outreach / Extension Activities: Number of higher education institution outreach/extension activities in community Raising awareness on the availability of opportunities and the application process will enhance the number of applicants. Partnership Objective 2 Objective 2: Strengthen institutional capacity of UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences to produce strong female leaders through training in workforce leadership skills Outcome 2.1 Outcome 2.1: Facilitate UNA’s School of Agricultural Sciences to offer expanded and improved leadership development that complements the core curriculum Number of leadership development training programs or workshops offered by UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences + Number of tertiary institution faculty or teaching staff whose qualifications are strengthened through USG-supported tertiary education programs + Proportion of females who report increased self-efficacy at the conclusion of USG supported training/programming + Proportion of target population reporting increased agreement with the concept that males and females should have equal access to social, economic and political opportunities USG￾supported tertiary education programs Enhancing UNA's curricula will contribute to the long-term sustainability of this effort. Output 2.1.1 Output 2.1.1: Strengthen Center for Leadership’s ability to deli er leadership training Training - Short-term: Number of host country individuals (faculty and/or teaching staff, students, and administrative/other staff) affiliated with the host-country institution who completed short-term training programs + % Improvement in organizational capacity of the Center of Leadership (Score, in percent, of combined key areas of organizational capacity using the USAID Organizational Capacity Assessment / OCA) The Center for Leadership will play a key role implementing and enhancing the activities proposed in this project during and after the partnership activities have been implemented. 74 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Output 2.1.2 Output 2.1.2: Identify opportunities to incorporate gender-sensitive leadership skills training within the curriculum and department Curricula - New and/or Revised: Percent of curricula newly developed and/or revised with stakeholder input or based on market research Gender-sensitive leadership skills need to permeate across the different programs, groups, and processes at UNA. Outcome 2.2 Outcome 2.2: Facilitate UNA’s School of Agricultural Sciences to offer applied practical experience that reinforce 1) leadership and 2) academic training Proportion of females who report increased self-efficacy at the conclusion of USG supported training/programming + Proportion of target population reporting increased agreement with the concept that males and females should have equal access to social, economic and political opportunities Students need opportunities to learn by applying their knowledge and skills in real-life situations. This connection also will help to increase the number of students that are employable and the number of employers wanting to hire UNA's graduates. Output 2.2.1 Output 2.2.1: Enhance school’s rural￾community agricultural Extension Program Outreach / Extension Activities: Number of higher education institution outreach/extension activities in host-country community The extension program is an excellent venue for UNA to connect with the community, and students to gain real life experience. Output 2.2.2 Output 2.2.2: Strengthen internship program to 1) gain practical experience and 2) apply leadership and technical skills Experiential / Applied Learning: Percent of academic certificate and/or degree programs supported through the partnership that include experiential and/or applied learning opportunities A formal structure needs to be in place to systematically facilitate, assess, and modify the professional experiences of students. Output 2.2.3 Output 2.2.3: Create career development program with job placement services within the School of Agricultural Sciences Creation and/or strengthening of a Career Development Center Communication and interaction between students and potential employers need to be fostered. Partnership Objective 3 Objective 3: Develop sustainable alliances between the UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences, civil society, and the public and private sector that promote the emergence of female leaders Outcome 3.1 Outcome 3.1: Increase the number of acti ities that ad ance women’s leadership opportunities between: 1) UNA, 2) partner universities, 3) civil society, and 4) the public and private sector Proportion of females who report increased self-efficacy at the conclusion of USG supported training/programming + Proportion of target population reporting increased agreement with the concept that males and females should have equal access to social, economic and political opportunities Different students will have different interests and the program must try to offer as many opportunities as possible to help students develop their full leadership potential. 75 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Output 3.1.1 Output 3.1.1: Establish a mentoring program to: 1) support female students and 2) create stronger linkages between the high-schools, universities, and professional associations Outreach / Extension Activities: Number of higher education institution outreach/extension activities in host-country community + Number of female students participating in the mentorship program + Number of non-academic partners participating in the mentorship program Having a role model and someone to provide guidance and advice when needed will be invaluable for students. Output 3.1.2 Output 3.1.2: Leverage, through public-private alliances, support for: 1) a women’s leadership scholarship program, 2) an internship program, and 3) extension services Total public and private funds leveraged for investment in Women's Leadership Program objectives + Number of collaborative agreements signed and executed with public and private entities The long-term sustainability of the objectives proposed in this project will be heavily dependent on the active engagement of a variety of actors. These actors must clearly identify the value of this program and the importance of their active involvement for its success. 76 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 ANNEX IV – WLP-PARAGUAY PROJECT RESULTS (SUMMARY REPORT) Goal: To improve the ability of higher education institutions in Paraguay to advance women's leadership and employability skills Objective 1: Promote and support women's access to the National University of Asuncion (UNA) with a focus on developing leadership skills Outcome 1.1: Increase the number of female graduates from the agricultural high-schools participating in leadership-focused university program Output 1.1.2: Implement outreach and academic counseling program to: 1) increase awareness of existing scholarship opportunities and 2) provide support services for application processes and retainment Indicators Baseline Target End of project Number of scholarships financed by non-USG resources 34 15 5 Number of new or improved policies and/or procedures that support increased access of underserved and/or disadvantaged groups to certificate and/or degree programs 2 6 Number of individuals from underserved and/or disadvantaged groups accessing tertiary education programs 1708 Female 713 Male 995 6 Objective 2: Strengthen institutional capacity of UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences to produce strong female leaders through training in workforce leadership skills Outcome 2.1: Facilitate UNA’s School of Agricultural Sciences to offer expanded and improved leadership development that complements the core curriculum Output 2.1.1: Strengthen Center for Leadership’s ability to deliver leadership training Output 2.1.2: Identify opportunities to incorporate gender-sensitive leadership skills training within the curriculum and department Output 2.1.2: Identify opportunities to incorporate gender-sensitive leadership skills training within the curriculum and department Outcome 2.2: Facilitate UNA’s School of Agricultural Sciences to offer applied practical experience that reinforce leadership and academic training Output 2.2.1: Enhance school’s rural-community agricultural Extension Program Output 2.2.2: Strengthen internship program to 1) gain practical experience and 2) apply leadership and technical skills Output 2.2.3: Create career development program with job placement services within the School of Agricultural Sciences 77 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Indicators Baseline Target End of project Organizational Capacity: Score, in percent, of combined key areas of organization capacity 92.6 Number of leadership development training programs or workshops offered by UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences 34 30 Total # of planned curricula to be newly developed and/or revised with private and/or public sector employers’ input or on the basis of market research 5 100% Outreach / Extension Activities: Number of higher education institution outreach/extension activities in community 171 30 31 (103%) # of all tertiary education programs offered (5) # of tertiary education programs offered that include experiential and/or applied learning opportunities(5) 10 0 Number of existing academic degree programs with experiential/applied learning strengthened or enhanced through the partnership 0 5 Creation and/or strengthening of a Career Development Center 1 100% Number of Career Development and Job Placement Centers created 0 1 100% Number of job placements made through Career Development and Employment Center 0 5 Objective 3: Develop sustainable alliances between the UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences, civil society, and the public and private sector that promote the emergence of female leaders Outcome 3.1: Increase the number of activities that advance women’s leadership opportunities between: 1) UNA, 2) partner universities, 3) civil society, and 4) the public and private sector Output 3.1.1: Establish a mentoring program to: 1) support female students and 2) create stronger linkages between the high-schools, universities, and professional associations Output 3.1.2: Leverage, through public-private alliances, support for: 1) a women’s leadership scholarship program, 2) an internship program, and 3) extension services 78 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Indicators Baseline Target End of project  Number of individuals participating in the mentorship program 0 550 (Y2) 204 (Y3)  Total public and private funds leveraged for investment in Women's Leadership Program 0 $ 3,000 11,020.49 (367%)  Number of new collaborative agreements signed and executed between UNA with public and private entities (UNA, partner universities, civil society, and public and private sector) 0 7 5  Self-Efficacy: Proportion of females who report increased self-efficacy at the conclusion of USG supported training/ programming 8.04 70 44 (63%)  Equal Access Agreement: Proportion of target population reporting increased agreement with the concept that males and females should have equal access to social, economic, and political opportunities 2.54 60 33 (55%)  Number of leadership development training programs or workshops offered by UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences 20 30 (150%)  Number of job placements made through Career Development and Employment Center 2 (Y3)  Number of Host-Country Institution Individuals Who Completed Short-Term Training Programs 200 (Y3) 158 (79%)  faculty/teaching staff who completed short-term training (6)  administrative/other staff who completed short-term training (5) 11 750 (?) 79 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 ANNEX V: SITE VISITS & INTERVIEWS List of places visited and people interviewed (April-May, 2015) INSTITUTIONS VISITED CONTACTS LOCATION DATES INSTRUMENTS USED The Women’s Leadership Program in Paraguay (WLP-Paraguay) is a three-year (2012-2015) higher education partnership funded and supported by Higher Education for Development (HED), in cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID/Paraguay). Higher Education for Development (HED) Jamie Salazar, Program Specialist jsalazar@hedprogram.org 202-939-9484 One Dupont Circle NW, Suite 420 Washington, DC 20036-1193, USA 202-243-7680 March 11 Briefing Marilyn Crane, Senior Program Specialist mcrane@hedprogram.org USAID-Paraguay Jerry Marcus, POC jmarcus@usaid.gov Juan de Salazar 364, Avenida Artigas Asunción, Paraguay May 8 N/A The University of Florida is the managing partner of the WLP-Paraguay project. University of Florida (UF) Agricultural Education and Communication Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) Marta Hartmann, Ph.D., US Director – USAID/HED Women’s Leadership Program in Paraguay martah@ufl.edu http://aec.ifas.uf.edu University of Florida 117-D Bryant Hall PO Box 112060 Gainesville, Florida 32611-2060 U.S.A. Tel.: (352) 273-2574 Fax: (352) 392-0589 April 21 Key informant Interview Taryn Devereux, MDP, Program Coordinator taryndev@ufl.edu Key informant Interview Online Survey Ricky Telg, Agricultural Education & Communication Professor Key informant Interview Luciana Schwitzer, UF Student and Program Volunteer Key informant Interview 80 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Host-Country Institution: Universidad Nacional de Asuncion, Paraguay Institutions & Organizations Visited Contacts Location Dates Instruments Used Women’s Leadership Program in Paraguay (WLPP) Programa de Liderazgo y Empoderamiento de la Mujer Paraguaya (PLEMP) Alba Chaparro, Program Coordinator Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias/ UNA San Lorenzo - Paraguay May 6 Key informant Interview Survey/Questionnaire Focus Group –WLPP staff Eva Lopez, Leadership Specialist Veronica Rivas Poletti, Gender Specialist Manuel Mancuello, Coordinator of the Center for Professional and Workforce Development at UNA￾FCA Adan Oporto, Program Assistant UNA-FCA The School of Agrarian Sciences (FCA) is one of the 12 academic units of the National University of Asuncion (UNA). Currently, FCA-UNA has five Bachelor’s Degree Programs at the headquarters: 1.Agronomic Engineering 2.Forest Engineering 3.Human Ecology Engineering 4.Degree in Agricultural and Livestock Management 5.Environmental Engineering Miguel Ángel Ruiz Díaz, FCA Vice￾Dean and Director of WLPP The FCA headquarters is located on UNA's campus in the city of San Lorenzo, Central Department of Paraguay. May 8 Key informant Interview Lorenzo Meza, UNA-FCA Dean May 8 Survey/Questionnaire María José Aparicio, Docente Mentor May 9 José Ruíz Olazar, Director de la Carrera de Administración Agropecuaria April 29 Fidel Delgado, Director Académico May 6 Nestor Molinas, Director, Leadership Center May 6 FCA-UNA has four campuses located in the cities of Pedro Juan Caballero, San Pedro de Ykua Mandyyu, Caazapa, and Santa Rosa (Misiones). The Degrees offered in these campuses are: Agronomic Engineering and Agricultural and Livestock Management. One section of the Degree in Agricultural Administration is offered in the Chaco campus located in Cruce Los One faculty member from Santa Rosa (Misiones) responded to online survey. 1. Pedro Juan Caballero 2. San Pedro de Ykua Mandyyu 3. Caazapa 4. Santa Rosa (Misiones) 5. Cruce Los Pioneros May 14 Online Survey/Questionnaire 81 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Pioneros. AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLS Location Date Instruments San Francisco de Asís. Educación Escolar Básica Fundación Paraguaya Number of Students Interviewed: 12 Mujeres: 6 Hombres: 6 Cerrito, Dpto. Presidente Hayes May 7 Survey/Questionnaires Focus Groups GSE San Fernando. Colegio Técnico Fundación Paraguaya Number of Students Interviewed: 17 Mujeres: 7 Hombres: 10 Distrito de San Pedro de Ykuamandiyu, Dpto. de San Pedro April 16 Survey/Questionnaires Focus Groups GSE Belén. Colegio Técnico Fundación Paraguaya Number of Students Interviewed: 12 Mujeres: 6 Hombres: 6 Distrito de Belén, Dpto. de Concepción April 15 Survey/Questionnaires Focus Groups GSE Centro Educativo Mbaracayu- Educación Escolar Básica Fundación Moisés Bertoni Number of Students Interviewed: 11 mujeres Villa Ygatymi, Dpto. de Canindeyu. May 13 Survey/Questionnaires Focus Groups GSE Public/Private Partnerships Location Date Instruments Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería (MAG) Lourdes Morínigo, Dirección de Género y Juventud Rural de la DGP Humaita 673 entre O’Leary y 15 de Agosto, Asunción May 25 Key informant Interview Ministry for Women Ministerio de la Mujer (MINMUJER) Marta Melgarejo, Directora General de Igualdad y no Discriminación Edificio Ayfra Piso 13 bloque B y Planta baja. Presidente Franco esq. Ayolas, Asunción, Piso 13 T (595 21) 450 036/8 F (595 21) 450 041 May 25 Key informant Interview Selva Huber, Directora de Mujer Rural y Educación Key informant Interview Itaipu Binacional Bruno Hug de Belmont, Encargado Unidad de Becas (Scholarship Avda. Gral. Santos 472 España May 25 Key informant Interview 82 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Program) hugdebel@itaipu.gov.py Asunción, Paraguay T (595 981) 900 067 Fundación Moisés Bertoni Sonia Sanabria, Directora del Centro Educativo Mbaracayu Prócer Carlos Argüello N º 208 Asunción T (595 21) 608 740/2 T (595 21) 600 855 F (595 21) 608 741 May 11 Key informant Interview Fundación Paraguaya Midelaide Fernández, Coordinadora Académica-Escuela Agrícola de Belén Tel: (595 981) 498280 Manuel Blinder 5589 c/Tte. Espinoza. Asunción April 15 Key informant Interview Nancy Salinas, Coordinadora Académica Escuela Agrícola de San Pedro Tel: (595 982) 476994 April 16 Key informant Interview ACDI/VOCA Amelia Moro Miguel A. Alarcón 916 casi Tte. Rivas, Asunción May 11 Key informant Interview FECOPROD (Federación de Cooperativas de Producción Ltda.) Regina Guex, Gender Specialist Value Chain Project (Programa Cadenas de Valor Inclusivas) USAID/FECOPROD Sacramento Nº 2279 c/ Tte. Silverio Molinas, Asunción. (595 21) 297050/2 May 12 Key informant Interview Edgar Figueredo, CLUSTER Project Coordinator JICA/FECOPROD Key informant Interview AgroTabacalera del Paraguay Miguel Salinas, Research Manager Jefe del Área de Investigación Choré, San Pedro (595 986) 672 500 May 25 Key informant Interview 83 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 TABLE 7 – LIST OF DATA COLLECTED: INTERVIEWS, FOCUS-GROUPS, AND SURVEYS INTERVIEWS (transcripts/audio-files) 21-April Dr. Marta Hartmann, Director of WLPP, University of Florida 21-April Taryn Devereux, WLPP Program Coordinator, University of Florida 21-April Dr. Ricky Telg, Agricultural Education & Communication Professor, University of Florida 21-April Luciana Schwitzer, UF Student and Program Volunteer at the Centro Educacional Mbaracayú , University of Florida 13-May Edgar Figueredo, CLUSTER, Project Coordinator, JICA-FECOPROD 13-May Amelia Moro (former ACDI VOCA) at FECOPROD 6-May Ing. Agr. Fidel Delgado, UNA-FCA Academic Director 13-May Sonia Sanabria, Centro Educativo Mbaracayu-Fundación Moisés Bertoni 6-May Alba Chaparro, WLPP (UNA-FCA) Program Coordinator 8-May Dean and Vice-Dean (Vicedecano y Decano Ing. Lorenzo Meza) UNA-FCA 6-May Prof. Néstor Molinas, Coordinador, Centro de Liderazgo (UNA-FCA Center for Leadership) 9-May María José Aparicio, UNA/FCA Faculty/Mentor 15-Apr Celsa Acosta, Directora General de la Escuela Agrícola de Belén – Fundación Paraguaya 16-Apr Midelaide Fernández, Coordinadora Académica de la escuela Agrícola de Belén 16-Apr Nancy Salinas, Academic Director, Escuela Agrícola de San Pedro - Fundación Paraguaya 25-May Marta Melgarejo Directora General de Transversalización de la Perspectiva de Género(MINMUJER) 25-May María Huber, Directora de Mujer Rural y Educación Ministerio de la Mujer (MINMUJER) 25-May Lourdes Morínigo, Directora, Dirección de Género y Juventud Rural (MAG/DGP) 25-May Bruno Hug de Belmont, Encargado Unidad de Becas (Scholarship Program) at ITAIPU BINACIONAL 25-May Miguel Salinas, Jefe del Área de Investigación, Tabacalera Paraguaya S.A. FOCUS GROUPS (TRANSCRIPTS AND AUDIO FILES) 25-May Students at Agricultural Schools: coded focus groups with 4 schools 12-May Focus Groups: Students at Centro Educativo Mbaracayú-Fundación Moisés Bertoni 8-May Focus Groups: Students at Escuela Agrícola San Francisco De Asís De Cerrito, Fundación Paraguaya 16-Apr Focus Groups: Students at Escuela Agrícola De San Pedro- Fundación Paraguaya 15-Apr Focus Groups: Students at Escuela Agrícola De Belen (Escuela Hotel) Fundación Paraguaya 8-May Focus Group: WLPP staff in Asuncion, Paraguay (Equipo PLEMP) 29-Apr Focus Group: UNA-FCA Students (Agro-Leaders and Mentors) 84 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 RESPONSES TO ONLINE SURVEY: KEY INFORMANTS 14-May Jamie Salazar, HED 4-May Escuela Agricola de San Pedro (Fundacion Paraguaya) 5-May Taryn Devereux/UF 6-May José Luis Quiñonez Martinez, UNA-FCA Santa Rosa Misiones 11-May Edgar Adalberto Figueredo Ortega, FECOPROD Ltda. 11-May Amelia Moro, ACDIVOCA 13-May Regina Guex, Especialista en Género-FECOPROD 14-May Verónica Rivas, Especialista en Género, PLEMP 20-May Manuel Mancuello, Coordinador del Centro de Desarrollo Profesional e Insercion Laboral- UNA/FCA RESPONSES TO ONLINE SURVEY: INSTRUCTORS 9-May UNA/FCA Faculty/Mentor – María José Aparicio 8-May PLEMP/WLPP 10-May UNA-FCA 11-May PLEMP/WLPP 16-May PLEMP/WLPP 85 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 ANNEX VI: DOCUMENTS REVIEWED TABLE OF CONTENTS WLP DESK REVIEW MATERIALS - EXTERNAL EVALUATION 1. RFA  Design  LWA Objetive 1-RFAs Designed for HED  LWA Objetive 5-Technical Assistance Field Visits for HED  Paraguay - Final Gender Assessment  Problem Tree - WLP Paraguay  Secretaria de la Mujer - Summary Document  WLP Paraguay- Goal and Objectives  RFA Paraguay- Women's Leadership Program (2012) 2. Application materials  Florida-Paraguay WLP  U Florida ABSTRACT  U Florida PROJECT NARRATIVE  U Florida Result framework application 3. UF Subaward & Mods  Sub-Sub Award - UF and UNA - Fully Executed  U Florida - WLP Paraguay - Fully Executed Subaward with Attachments. HED & UF  UF- Mod 1 - Enhanced Whistleblower Protection -Executed. HED & UF 4. M&E Documents  Annual Implementation Plans:  UF-FY14-Annual Implementation Plan  UF-FY15-Annual Implementation Plan  UF - WLP Paraguay - BASELINE TOOL - 03082013  UF M&E Forms - Results Framework and PIP - FOR SUBAWARD 5. Progress Reports  FY13 Progress report by UF  Annual Progress Report (WLP) Oct. 1, 2012 to Sept. 30, 2013 – FINAL  UF - Semiannual Progress Report - April 2013  FY14 Progress report by UF  Annual Progress Report Oct. 1, 2013 to Sept. 30, 2014  UF Semiannual Progress Report (WLP) Oct 1, 2013 to Mar 31, 2014 6. Management  HED Webinars  WLP Summer Webinar - Presentation - July 28  WLP Webinar Draft- Nov 18th Final  WLP_Summer_Webinar_Summary 86 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015  Kigali_Partners_Meetings  WLP Meeting Evaluation Report Draft - Feb 2015  Womens Leadership Program Partners Meeting – Agenda  Women’s Leadership Program Partners Meeting - Participants List 7. Other relevant program documents  Some support docs. PRIME. Indicators  Access-Policies & Procedures  Improved Policies. Resolución 607-00-2014 Facultad Ciencia Agrarias UNA  New Policies. Resolución 623-00-2014 Facultad Ciencia Agrarias UNA  Curricula  Propuesta incorporación perspectiva de género 2013. FCA-UNA Custom Indicators  Custom indicators  Centro de desarrollo profesional e inserción laboral. Testimonio.  Draft de convenios entre FAC-UNA y otros  Material Centro desarrollo profesional e inserción laboral. FAC-UNA  Programa de Desarrollo Cooperativo. programa de pasantías.  Program level indicator  Ejemplo de resultado positivo para estudiantes generado por la alianza UF-UNA  USAID indicators.  FCA-Emp Mujer Paraguaya-Reporte anual_v5  Informativo 2 - Programa de Liderazgo y Empoderamiento de la Mujer Paraguaya - January 2014 87 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 ANNEX VII: EVALUATION TOOLS STRUCTURED INTERVIEW/QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TRAINERS, INSTRUCTORS, WORKSHOP FACILITATORS AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPERS The following questions are related to programs supported through the partnership that include experiential and/or applied learning; gender and leadership training; and the incorporation of gender in UNA-FCA curriculum, professional development and training. These questions will be used to elicit information from trainers, teachers, workshop facilitators, and curriculum developers regarding purpose, content, pedagogical approaches16, methods and materials used in courses, training and workshops under the WLPP that focus on gender and leadership skills. Moderator instructions: This interview/questionnaire should be conducted with an instructor, trainer, or faculty who has been involved in curriculum development, trainer of trainers, professional development and training related to the educational programs supported through the WLP- Paraguay partnership. Please conduct this interview/questionnaire orally in a location that is as private as possible. Moderator: Hello, my name is ________ and I am conducting an external evaluation of the WLP￾Paraguay (UF-UNA partnership) supported by HED with funds from USAID. The purpose of this evaluation is to learn how the partnership program and its various initiatives has helped (1) to promote and support women's access to the National University of Asuncion (UNA) with a focus on developing leadership skills; (2) to produce strong female leaders through training in workforce leadership skills; and (3) to develop sustainable alliances between the UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences, civil society, and the public and private sector that promote the emergence of female leaders. I hope that you are willing to share your thoughts with me regarding various aspects of the educational initiatives supported by the WLPP. I will not write down your name, and all your comments will be anonymous. You are free to decide whether or not you will participate, and you may always stop at any time. Do you agree to participate? After the respondent has consented, begin the discussion with the questions below. 16 Items related to the pedagogical approach and methods used in training and other educational activities are adapted from: Educate to Empower: An Asian Experience by Namtip Aksornkool (1995). 88 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 TEACHER/INSTRUCTOR/TRAINER – SURVEY/QUESTIONNAIRE Date: Start Time: End Time: Site/location : Title/position of interviewee: Interviewer: Please respond to the following questions honestly and to the best of your knowledge. Feel free to decline to answer any questions that you may not know the answer or do not feel comfortable responding. You may also provide comments to each and any question. Questions 1. Are you an UNA-FCA faculty member?  yes  no 2. Do you teach? What courses do you teach?  yes  no 3. Do you teach or facilitate gender and leadership training and workshops?  yes  no 4. Please indicate if you have been involved in any of these activities or facilitated any of these workshops at the agricultural schools. a) Workshop on Gender  yes  no b) Workshop on Self-Esteem  yes  no c) Workshop on Self-Knowledge  yes  no d) Workshop on Human Rights  yes  no e) Workshop on Citizen Participation  yes  no f) Workshop on Entrepreneurship and Leadership  yes  no g) Workshop on Conflict Prevention and Management  yes  no h) Workshop on Values for a Harmonious Coexistence  yes  no 5. Please describe the following: a) Program [name] b) Target Audience [participants/students] c) Content [agricultural or leadership skills] d) Subjects/Topics [specific areas of the course or workshop] 89 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 e) Learning objectives [what students are expected to learn: Desired knowledge, skills and attitudes] f) Materials/resources [human and material resources may include guest speakers, media, fieldwork, books, etc. 6. Do you try to integrate gender in your classes/workshops?  yes  no 7. If yes, how would you describe the teaching/learning environment created for the gender and leadership training workshops? 8. Are workshops participatory and non-threatening?  yes  no 9. Does the program provide a setting of safety and tolerance in which participants could question their attitudes, values and beliefs?  yes  no 10. Does the content of the program include confidence building and other survival skills, such as communication, management and problem-solving?  yes  no 11. To integrate work skills, do program developers draw on the expertise of specialists in relevant fields?  yes  no 12. What are the most popular among the [agricultural] skills sought by women and girls? 13. What are the pedagogical approaches most used for teaching ___________ [curricular content] and materials associated with them? For instance, the use of technology and hands-on approaches, particularly in farming, may be the most used in teaching farming tasks, such as plumbing and water pump maintenance. 14. Some of the pedagogical approaches may include the following. Please check all that applies to your teaching or training program. a) Lectures  yes  no b) Group discussion  yes  no c) Group work  yes  no d) Question and answer  yes  no e) Games and simulations  yes  no f) Creative work (e.g., songs and dances, drawing, story and poem writing)  yes  no g) Short talks, presentations  yes  no 90 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 h) Individual work and coaching  yes  no i) Case study  yes  no j) Analysis of sample materials  yes  no k) Preparation of actual materials/curriculum  yes  no l) Audio-visual materials and technology-based methods  yes  no 15. What training do instructors receive to teach gender and leadership courses or facilitate workshops at schools, communities and at the university level (UNA)? 16. What are the existing training methods and practices used in the WLPP? Please describe at least three of the most frequently applied training methods and practices used. 1.___________________________________________________________ 2.___________________________________________________________ 3.___________________________________________________________ 17. What do you consider to be the major strengths and weaknesses of those methods? 18. How effective are the various methods tailored to training on sensitive subjects such as gender issues? 19. What would be the evidence that the knowledge, skills or attitudes promoted by the WLPP will be useful in equipping learners to take actions for changes which will improve their status in society and lead to their empowerment? 20. How could innovative approaches be used to enhance the effectiveness of gender and leadership training? 21. Does the WLPP communicate with individuals that have had leadership and gender training to check if they play an optimal role at school, community, regional or national levels?  yes  no 22. In your opinion, what kind of support from WLPP could enhance participants’ output? 23. How to ensure that the best methods enter general practice? a) Program participants [students, trainees] are assessed… b) At the beginning of the program  yes  no c) At the middle of the program  yes  no d) Several times during the program  yes  no 91 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 e) At the end of the program  yes  no f) Sometime after they have completed the program  yes  no 24. How does the WLPP assess program participants’ ability to apply what they learn? 25. How does the WLPP assess the degree of participants’ involvement in disseminating or multiplying the product of a workshop? The following are statements related to methods and approaches usually applied in women’s empowerment and leadership programs. Please indicate if these statements apply to the gender and leadership training program developed by the WLP-Paraguay. Please check 'YES' if they apply and 'NO' if they do not apply to the approaches and practices in the WLPP. You may add your comments after each statement. 26. Gender issues are handled with care since they involve questioning one's own attitudes, values and beliefs, frequently the very essence of one's existence.  yes  no 27. Activities are planned to ensure that all opinions are respected. In this way, participants become open to reconsidering their values. The nature of the activities also plays an important role in creating a non-threatening climate.  yes  no 28. Group work in which peer support is clearly present is reassuring. Well-timed questions from peers also help participants entertain new views without feeling pressured into accepting them.  yes  no 29. Training materials are more varied, interesting and appealing than usual as they are to induce new attitudes.  yes  no 30. Use of media and audio-visual materials are most effective for the purpose because they present cases in which participants recognize their shortcomings without being directly challenged.  yes  no 31. Classroom activities include exercises that lead groups to reflect on their beliefs and reveal a lot without threatening anyone.  yes  no 32. Training participants are encouraged to re-examine their ways, consider new options, and adopt or reject them.  yes  no 33. Groups have come up with exercise models that intensify the scrutiny of gender issues by assigning a framework of action.  yes  no 34. Gender issues are interwoven with other activities for a more comprehensive and applicable treatment of the new concepts.  yes  no 35. Before participants [teachers, instructors] embark on preparing their own individual curricular units (courses, workshops, or learning programs), they develop their own "Profile of the  yes  no 92 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Empowered Woman." 36. The content of the program emphasizes skills that women want and need to know.  yes  no 37. Self-image and strengthening of women's self-confidence also receives due attention.  yes  no 38. Participants know which laws and legal processes treat women unfairly and seek to use their legal knowledge to protect their own and other women's rights.  yes  no 39. The contents of the program help women raise their awareness regarding their conditions and question the asymmetrical relations within the household and society.  yes  no 40. Workshops cover a host of topics from family planning and sharing of housework responsibilities to health and agricultural technology.  yes  no 41. Informal reports from participants indicate the degree of their involvement in disseminating or multiplying the product of a workshop.  yes  no 42. Leadership and gender training manuals and training guidelines which documents goals, objectives, learning activities, time and materials required have been produced and disseminated.  yes  no 43. Training programs are better received as a package of vocational skills, academic disciplines, gender orientation, and leadership training.  yes  no 44. Empowering women and raising their status requires more than changes in women alone. The same has to happen to men's attitudes and behavior. This is why training and materials produced should reach both men and women audiences.  yes  no 45. Discrepancies persist between the level of participants' background and experience. Trainers need to draw on the positive potential of this reality. Strong, advanced participants could be coaches for those who need help.  yes  no 46. Resource persons need to be particularly responsive to participants' individual needs and problems.  yes  no 93 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 SELF-EFFICACY SURVEY Self-efficacy is defined as people’s beliefs in their capacity to produce actions that are necessary for achieving desired outcomes/ attainments. The measure that will be used is the Generalized Self-Efficacy or GSE (Judge, Locke, Durham, & Kluger, 1998*), which includes the following items: 1. I am strong enough to overcome life's struggles. 2. At root, I am a weak person. (r) 3. I can handle the situations that life brings. 4. I usually feel that I am an unsuccessful person. (r) 5. I often feel that there is nothing that I can do well. (r) 6. I feel competent to deal effectively with the real world. 7. I often feel like a failure. (r) 8. I usually feel I can handle the typical problems that come up in life. Respondents will be asked to indicate the extent of their agreement with each item, using the following scale: -2 = Strongly Disagree -1 = Disagree 0 = neither Agree nor Disagree +1 = Agree +2 = Strongly Agree Items with an “r” are to be reverse-scored. In other words, those items followed by an “r” that have a score of -2 should be recoded as a score of +2, -1 should be recoded as +1, +1 as -1 and +2 as -2. For example, for item 2 (“At root, I am a weak person), a response of ‘strongly agree’ would be re￾coded as “- 2” and a response of ‘strongly disagree’ would be re-coded as “+2.” Responses on each item should be added to yield a score between -16 and +16. A higher score indicates more positive feelings of self-efficacy. This indicator will be used to gauge the effectiveness of USG efforts to promote gender equality by measuring changes in target population attitudes about whether men and women should have equal opportunities in social, political, and economic spheres. 94 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 PROGRAMA DE LIDERAZGO Y EMPODERAMIENTO DE LA MUJER PARAGUAY: CUESTIONARIO DE AUTO-EFICACIA GENERALIZADO Es muy importante para nosotros conocer las opiniones de los distintos participantes del Programa de Liderazgo y Empoderamiento de la Mujer Paraguaya para poder incrementar aun más la calidad de las actividades que realizamos. Le pedimos que dedique unos minutos para completar esta encuesta. Sus respuestas son muy valiosas y le agradecemos su cooperación. Su participación es totalmente anónima y confidencial. Sin embargo es necesario que podamos comparar las respuestas de individuos antes y después de participar en las actividades de mentorias, embajadores, y pre-ingreso. Para ayudarnos a hacer esto sin tener que identificar al participante, por favor conteste las siguientes tres preguntas. 1) Cuáles son los dos últimos dígitos de su año de nacimiento? (ej. 86 para 1986) _____ /______ 2) Cuáles son las primeras dos letras de su ciudad de nacimiento? (ej. AS para Asunción) _____ /______ 3) Cuáles son los últimos tres dígitos de su cedula de identidad? (ej. 856 para 3.2450.856) _____ /______/ ______ Por favor responda a las siguientes preguntas marcando una X: 4) Cuál es su sexo?  Femenino __  Masculino__ 5) Ha respondido antes a este cuestionario?  Sí__  No__  No se__ 6) Durante el último ano, ha participado usted en alguna actividad del Programa?  Sí__  No__  No se__ 7) Si ha participado, en cuantas actividades?  1__  2-3__  4-5__  5 o mas__ 8) Use la escala proporcionada para indicar que tan de acuerdo o en desacuerdo está usted con las siguientes afirmaciones. 95 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Totalmente en desacuerdo En desacuerdo Ni en acuerdo ni en desacuerdo De acuerdo Totalmente de acuerdo 1. Soy lo suficientemente fuerte para superar los problemas de la vida. 2. En el fondo soy una persona débil. 3. Puedo manejar las situaciones que la vida presenta. 4. Por lo general, siento que soy una persona fracasada. 5. A menudo siento que no hay nada que yo pueda hacer bien. 6. Me siento competente para enfrentar eficazmente el mundo real. 7. A menudo me siento como un fracaso. 8. Por lo general, siento que puedo manejar los problemas típicos que se presentan en la vida. 9. Las mujeres deben tener iguales derechos que los hombres y recibir el mismo trato que reciben los hombres. 10. En general los hombres son mejores líderes políticos que las mujeres y por lo tanto deben ser electos en lugar de las mujeres. 11. Cuando los trabajos son escasos, los hombres deben de tener más derechos a estos que las mujeres 96 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Para finalizar, por favor díganos un poco más acerca de usted: 1. Cuál es su ciudad de nacimiento? Ciudad:_____________ 2. Seleccione la respuesta apropiada para cada una de las siguientes tres afirmaciones:  Actualmente soy un Mentor en este programa: Si__ No__  Fui un Mentor del programa durante el 2013: Si__ No__  Actualmente soy un Embajador en este programa: Si__ No__  Fui un Embajador del programa anteriormente: Si__ No__ 3. Cuál es su edad? ___ anos 4. Cuál es el nivel máximo de estudios que usted ha completado?  Educación básica  Bachillerato  Estudio universitario  Especialización  Master  Doctorado 5. Cuál es su ocupación?  Profesor(a) universitario __  Profesor(a) de bachillerato __  Estudiante universitario __  Estudiante de bachillerato __  Personal administrativo __  Otra ocupación __ (por favor especifique)_________________________ Use el espacio proporcionado a continuación para anotar cualquier comentario o sugerencia que quiera compartir con nosotros: Muchas gracias por sus respuestas! 97 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 PROGRAMA DE LIDERAZGO Y EMPODERAMIENTO DE LA MUJER PARAGUAY: INDICADORES ADICIONALES DE USAID Indicador GNDR-3. Proporción de mujeres que reportan incremento de auto-eficacia al terminar la capacitación o programa que apoya USG. Fuente de información y frecuencia de reporte: La información para este indicador será recolectada mediante una encuesta, una vez al inicio de la capacitación o programa que apoya USG y una segunda vez al final de la capacitación o programa. La encuesta será leída a los beneficiarios del programa que sean analfabetos. Cada COTR o AOTR (por sus siglas en inglés) será responsable de asegurar que los implementadores de la capacitación o el programa recojan esta información. Las medidas que se utilizaran son El cuestionario de Auto-Eficacia Generalizado o GAE (Judge, Lock, Durham, and Kluger, 199817) que incluye los primeros 8 ítems descritos en la pregunta 4) también a continuación: 1. Soy lo suficientemente fuerte para superar los problemas de la vida. 2. En el fondo soy una persona débil. 3. Puedo manejar las situaciones que la vida presenta. 4. Por lo general, siento que soy una persona fracasada. 5. A menudo siento que no hay nada que yo pueda hacer. 6. Me siento competente para enfrentar eficazmente el mundo real. 7. A menudo me siento como un fracaso. 8. Por lo general, siento que puedo manejar los problemas típicos que se presentan en la vida. Quienes respondan a la encuesta deberán indicar el nivel de acuerdo con cada ítem usando la siguiente escala: -2 = Totalmente en desacuerdo -1 = En desacuerdo 0 = Ni en acuerdo ni en desacuerdo 1 = Totalmente de acuerdo Los ítems con una “r” deben de ser calculados con un puntaje inverso. En otras palabras, los ítems con una “r” que tienen un puntaje de -2 deben ser registrados como un puntaje entre +2,el puntaje de -1 como un puntaje de +1 y los puntajes de +1 como -1 y +2 como -2. Por ejemplo, para el ítem 2 (En el fondo, soy una persona débil), una respuesta de Totalmente de acuerdo deberá ser registrada como -2 y una respuesta de Totalmente en desacuerdo deberá ser registrada como +2. Respuestas desglosadas en cada ítem deben ser agregadas para resultar en un puntaje entre -16 y +16. Un puntaje más alto indica sentimientos más positivos de auto-eficacia. La proporción de participantes que cuentan con un puntaje que ha incrementado a lo largo del tiempo deberían estar reportadas como una fracción, con el número total de participantes capacitados como denominador. 17 Judge, T. T., Locke, E. A., Durham, C. C., & Kluger, A. N. (1998). Dispositional effects on job and life satisfaction: The role of core evaluations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83, 17-34 98 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 INTRODUCTION TO FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION [Moderator: Introduce yourself and the purpose of the focus group discussion or interview.] Moderator: Hello and welcome to our session. Thanks for taking the time to join us to talk about your experiences in the WLP-Paraguay. My name is _________ and assisting me is _________. We're both consultants for Higher Education for Development (HED). We are conducting an external evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay (UF-UNA partnership) supported by HED with funds from USAID. The purpose of this evaluation is to learn how the partnership program and its various initiatives have helped (1) to promote and support women's access to the National University of Asuncion (UNA) with a focus on developing leadership skills; (2) to produce strong female leaders through training in workforce leadership skills; and (3) to develop sustainable alliances between the UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences, civil society, and the public and private sector that promote the emergence of female leaders. We are having discussions like this with several groups around the country. You were invited because you have participated in some of the WLPP’s programs. In this focus group discussion, there are no wrong answers but rather differing points of view. Please feel free to share your point of view even if it differs from what others have said. Keep in mind that we're just as interested in negative comments as positive comments, and at times the negative comments are the most helpful. You've probably noticed the microphone. We're tape recording the session because we don't want to miss any of your comments. People often say very helpful things in these discussions and we can't write fast enough to get them all down. We will be on a first name basis today, and we won't use any names in our reports. You may be assured of complete confidentiality. The reports will go back to HED and the results will be disseminated to the WLPP staff to help them plan future programs. I hope that you are willing to share your thoughts with me regarding various aspects of the educational initiatives supported by the WLPP. I will not write down your name, and all your comments will be anonymous. You are free to decide whether or not you will participate, and you may always stop at any time. Do you agree to participate? [Moderators: After all participants have consented, begin the discussion with the questions below.] Well, let's begin. We've placed name cards on the table in front of you to help us remember each other's names. Let's find out some more about each other by going around the table. Tell us your name and where you live. 99 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 FOCUS GROUP WITH TEACHERS/INSTRUCTORS Women’s Leadership Partnership Program – Paraguay FGD Identification Code: Date: _________________ Start Time: ______________ End Time: _______________ Site/location : Type of Participants : Teachers Female Students Male Students Program Staff Moderator:_______________ Note taker:_______________ Number of participants: ___ (total) Male __ Female ___ Sample recording sheet Codes Notes Observations Guiding Questions: 1. How have you been involved in the WLPP? 2. How would you describe your role in this program? 3. How would you describe your experiences teaching [gender and leadership] or facilitating workshops? 4. How would you characterize your students? 5. What do you think was the hardest thing for your students to do or to learn? 6. What changes have you noticed in your students as a result of the course/workshop you taught? 7. Think back over the last three years that you've participated in this program and tell us what you consider to be your greatest achievement? 8. What support have you received to do what you did? For instance, what training have you received, if any, to integrate gender in the curriculum, teach new courses or facilitate gender and leadership workshops? 9. What resources are available to you for teaching these workshops or developing new curriculum? 10. What went particularly well? 11. Who supported you the most? 12. What needs improvement? 13. What suggestions would you have to better promote gender inclusion and women’s empowerment in your organization (school, center, college, etc.)? 14. Suppose that you were in charge and could make one change that would make the [WLPP] program better. What would you do? 15. Is there anything else that you would like to share with us regarding the WLPP? 16. Do you have any questions about this evaluation? 100 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 GRUPO FOCAL CON PROFESORES/INSTRUCTORES FGD Código de identificación: Fecha: _______________ Hora de inicio: _____________ Hora de Finalización: _________ Sitio / Lugar: Tipo de participantes: Moderador:_______________ Enumerador:_______________ Número de participantes: ___ (total) Hombre ___ Mujer ___ hoja de registro Códigos Notas Observaciones Preguntas guía: 1. ¿De qué forma han estado involucrados en el PLEMP? 2. ¿Cómo describirían su papel en este programa? 3. ¿Cómo describirían su experiencia enseñando [género y liderazgo] o facilitando los talleres en el sector agrario? 4. ¿Cómo describirían a sus estudiantes? 5. ¿Qué creen que fue lo más difícil que sus estudiantes hicieron o aprendieron? 6. ¿Qué cambios han notado en sus alumnos/as como resultado del curso/taller que ustedes han enseñado? 7. Cual consideran que ha sido su mayor logro durante los últimos tres años de participación en este programa? 8. ¿Qué apoyo han recibido ustedes para facilitar los talleres? Por ejemplo, ¿han recibido capacitaciones para integrar el tema género en el plan de estudios, enseñar los nuevos cursos, o facilitar talleres de género y de liderazgo en el sector agrario? 9. ¿Qué recursos están disponibles para facilitar la enseñanza de estos talleres o para desarrollar nuevos planes de estudio? 10. ¿Cuál de los talleres (el tema) fue el que mejor resultado obtuvo? 11. ¿Quién les brindo el mayor apoyo? 12. ¿Qué aspecto de los talleres necesita mejorar? 13. ¿Qué sugerencias harían para promover una mejor inclusión del tema de género y empoderamiento de las mujeres en su organización (escuela, centro, universidad, etc.)? 14. Supongan que tuviesen la capACDIad de hacer un cambio en el programa [PLEMP] para mejorarlo. Qué harían? 15. ¿Hay algo más que les gustaría compartir con nosotros con respecto a el PLEMP? 16. ¿Tienen alguna pregunta sobre esta evaluación? 101 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION WITH MALE STUDENTS Women’s Leadership Partnership Program – Paraguay FGD Identification Code: Date: _________________ Start Time: ______________ End Time: _______________ Site/location : Type of Participants :  Teachers  Female Students  Male Students  Program Staff Moderator:_______________ Note taker:_______________ Number of participants: ___ (total) Male ___ Female ___ Sample recording sheet Codes Notes Observations Guiding Questions: 1. (Warm up) [Reconocimiento del programa] ¿En tu localidad se desarrollaron actividades del programa PLEMP? ¿Te informaron sobre los objetivos del programa y las entidades que formarían parte de él? 2. ¿Participaste en los talleres realizados por el PLEMP? 3. What courses have you taken so far? 4. Have you participated in any of the workshops at the agricultural schools? 5. For instance, have you participated in any of the following? 1) Taller sobre Género 2) Taller sobre Autoestima 3) Taller sobre Autoconocimiento 4) Taller en Derechos Humanos 5) Taller sobre Participación Ciudadana 6) Taller en Emprendedurismo y Liderazgo 7) Taller sobre Prevención y Manejo de Conflictos 8) Taller Valores para una Convivencia Armoniosa 6. What did you like the most about [title] this workshop? 7. What did you like the least about [title] this workshop? 8. What have you learned from it? 9. What knowledge or skills would you consider most useful to you? 10. How would you apply what you have learned to your life and relationships with others? 11. How do you feel about discussing gender issues or women’s rights? 12. Do you think men should be concerned about these issues? 13. How relevant is the content of the workshops to your present and future job situation? 14. How relevant is the content of the workshops to your present and future relationships? 15. What are the methods most frequently used by your instructor to discuss topics such as gender equity, conflict management, and leadership? 16. Have you done any group work, activities, or projects? [Moderators: if yes, ask for examples] 17. Who has influenced you the most in your choice of career/studies? 18. Do you have a role-model? If yes, who is your role-model? 19. What do you admire the most about this person? 102 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 20. What do you consider to be the most valuable leadership skills? 21. Could men and women develop the same leadership skills? What might be some of the barriers to men or women’s leadership development? 22. How has this program helped you to understand some of the different challenges men and women might have in their professional development and personal growth? 23. Would you do anything differently now, after taking these courses, compared to the ways you did before? 24. ¿El haber participado del programa generó cambios en tu vida? En tu familia, escuela y cominidad , ¿Cambió la imagen que tenían de ti? 25. Do you think the content and activities in [workshops] will be useful when you are [job title]? How? 26. ¿Perteneces a algún grupo (organización)? ¿A qué grupo (organización) perteneces?¿Hace cuánto perteneces al grupo?¿Cuál es el principal beneficio por el cual participas en este o estos grupo(s)? 27. Have you been involved in any school committee, community organization, or participated in any type of association or community effort in you region? If yes, please describe your role and level of participation. 28. ¿Por qué razones no participas en grupos? 29. ¿En los últimos 12 meses trabajaste con otras personas para hacer algo en beneficio de su localidad?¿Cuáles fueron las tres principals actividades en las qué participaste? 30. ¿Qué instituciones conoces que trabajen en el tema de derechos humanos de la mujer? ¿Conoces algunos de los derechos de la mujer en tu pais? Menciona los derechos que conoces. 31. ¿Conoces en tu localidad instituciones que den oportunidades de empleo o [internships] para los/las jovenes? ¿Cuáles instituciones conoces? 32. Are you involved in any other WLPP initiative? Which one? 1) Scholarship Program 2) Internship and Applied Practical Experience (IAPE) Program 3) Career Development and Job Placement Center 4) Pre-Entry Science Program for Female High-School Students 5) Mentoring Program 6) Agricultural Sciences Ambassador Program 7) Communication Skills and Digital Media Program 8) Extension Education and Professional Development Program 33. Suppose that you were in charge and could make one change that would make the [WLPP] program better. What would you do? 34. Is there anything else you would like to say about your experience in those workshops that we have not asked? [Moderator: Thank you for sharing your opinions today. This information will be useful as we consider how to improve programs like this in the future.] 103 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION WITH FEMALE STUDENTS Women’s Leadership Partnership Program – Paraguay FGD Identification Code: Date: _________________ Start Time: ______________ End Time: _______________ Site/location : Type of Participants : Teachers Female Students Male Students Program Staff Moderator:_______________ Note taker:_______________ Number of participants: ___ (total) Male ___ Female ___ Sample recording sheet Codes Notes Observations Guiding Questions: 1. (Warm up) [Reconocimiento del programa] ¿En tu localidad se desarrollaron actividades del programa PLEMP? ¿Te informaron sobre los objetivos del programa y las entidades que formarían parte de él?¿Participaste en los talleres realizados por el PLEMP? 2. What courses have you taken so far? 3. Have you participated in any of the workshops at the agricultural schools? 4. For instance, have you participated in any of the following?  Taller sobre Género  Taller sobre Autoestima  Taller sobre Autoconocimiento  Taller en Derechos Humanos  Taller sobre Participación Ciudadana  Taller en Emprendedurismo y Liderazgo  Taller sobre Prevención y Manejo de Conflictos  Taller Valores para una Convivencia Armoniosa 5. What did you like the most about [title] this workshop? 6. What did you like the least about [title] this workshop? 7. What have you learned from it? Please tell me at least one thing you’ve learned. 8. What knowledge or skills would you consider most useful to you? 9. How would you apply what you have learned to your life and relationships with others? 10. How do you feel about discussing gender issues or women’s rights? 11. Do you feel comfortable to express your thoughts and opinions? 12. Have you been able to share your own experiences with your peers and instructor? 13. Do you feel your thoughts and opinions are heard? How so? 14. How relevant is the content of the workshops to your present and future job situation? 15. How relevant is the content of the workshops to your present and future relationships? 16. What are the methods most frequently used by your instructor to discuss topics such as gender equity, conflict management, and leadership? 17. Have you done any group work, activities, or projects? [Moderators: if yes, ask for examples] 18. Who has influenced you the most in your choice of career/studies? 19. Do you have a role-model? If yes, who is your role-model? 20. What do you admire the most about this person? 104 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 21. What do you consider to be the most valuable leadership skills? 22. Could men and women develop the same leadership skills? What might be some of the barriers to men or women’s leadership development? 23. How has this program helped you to understand some of the different challenges men and women might have in their professional development and personal growth? 24. How would you describe ‘women’s empowerment’? What does it mean to you? 25. What kind of person would you be as an empowered woman? 26. Would you do anything differently now, after taking these courses, compared to the ways you did before? 27. ¿El haber participado del programa generó cambios en tu vida? En tu familia, escuela y cominidad , ¿Cambió la imagen que tenían de ti? 28. A partir del programa, en tu localidad ¿Las mujeres jovenes son invitadas a los espacios de participación? 29. Do you plan to go to UNA? What kind of support would you need? 30. What kind of support do you have now that would help you enrol in an academic program at UNA? 31. Do you think the content and activities in [workshops] will be useful when you pursue a career or university program? How? 32. ¿Perteneces a algún grupo (organización)? ¿A qué grupo (organización) perteneces?¿Hace cuánto perteneces al grupo?¿Cuál es el principal beneficio por el cual participas en este o estos grupo(s)? 33. Have you been involved in any school committee, community organization, or participated in any type of association or community effort in you region? If yes, please describe your role and level of participation. 34. ¿Por qué razones no participas en grupos? 35. ¿En los últimos 12 meses trabajaste con otras personas para hacer algo en beneficio de su localidad?¿Cuáles fueron las tres principals actividades en las qué participaste? 36. ¿Qué instituciones conoces que trabajen en el tema de derechos humanos de la mujer? ¿Conoces algunos de los derechos de la mujer en tu pais? Menciona los derechos que conoces. 37. ¿Conoces en tu localidad instituciones que den oportunidades de empleo o [internships] para los/las jovenes ? ¿Cuáles instituciones conoces? 38. Have you been involved in any school committee, community organization, or participated in any type of association or community effort in you region? If yes, please describe your role and level of participation. 39. Are you involved in any other WLPP initiative? Which one?  Scholarship Program  Internship and Applied Practical Experience (IAPE) Program  Career Development and Job Placement Center  Pre-Entry Science Program for Female High-School Students  Mentoring Program  Agricultural Sciences Ambassador Program  Communication Skills and Digital Media Program  Extension Education and Professional Development Program 40. Suppose that you were in charge and could make one change that would make the [WLPP] program better. What would you do? 41. Is there anything else you would like to say about your experience in the WLPP that we have not asked? [Moderator: Thank you for sharing your opinions today. This information will be useful as we consider how to improve programs like this in the future.] 105 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEWS NOTE TO INTERVIEWERS In the context of project evaluations, key informant interviews are in-depth interviews of a select (nonrandom) group of experts who are most knowledgeable of the project or organization being examined. Key informant interviews “are qualitative, in-depth interviews of 15 to 35 people selected for their first-hand knowledge about a topic of interest. The interviews are loosely structured, relying on a list of issues to be discussed. Key informant interviews resemble a conversation among acquaintances, allowing a free flow of ideas and information. Interviewers frame questions spontaneously, probe for information and takes notes, which are elaborated on later.”18 A key informant refers to the person with whom an interview about a particular aspect of the project is conducted. In a sense, the key informant is a proxy for her or his associates at the organization or group. In-depth interviews of program planners and managers, service providers, host government officials, and beneficiaries concerning their attitudes and behaviors about a USAID activity can help explain its successes and shortcomings. Key informant interviews can provide the how and why of what happened.19 Before conducting key informant interviews, the evaluation team will need to consider the following. Selection of Key Informants:  First, identify the groups and organizations from which key informants should be drawn—for example, host government agencies, project implementing agencies, contractors, and beneficiaries. It is best to include all major stakeholders so that divergent interests and perceptions can be captured.  Second, select a few people from each category after consulting with people familiar with the groups under consideration. In addition, each informant may be asked to suggest other people who may be interviewed. Interviews might be held with individuals from the following groups:  Project staff: Interviewers should interview senior members of the management and technical assistance team and the concerned USAID Mission staff.  Government officials: Evaluators should interview government officials to learn about their views on the implementation, achievements, and failures of the project and the factors explaining them, and to seek their recommendations. The potential key informants are likely to be the officials of the ministries of women, labor, industry, and education who were connected with the project. 18 Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Tips. USAID Center for Development Information and Evaluation, 1996, Number 2 Washington, DC. 19 Performance Monitoring & Evaluation Tips: Conducting Key Informant Interviews (2011). This publication is a supplemental reference to the Automated Directive Service (ADS) Chapter 203. Available at: http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/pnadw102.pdf 106 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015  Actual and potential women participants: Women may be the most important interviewees. Every effort should be made to ensure that women (i.e., female staff members, faculty, students, and community leaders) who constitute the target population for the project are interviewed.  Outsiders: Outsiders may be interviewed to assess the impact of government policies, regulations, economic infrastructure, economic climate, and cultural traditions and values on the implementation and effects of the project. These informants may include local and community leaders, representatives of business organizations, officials of banks and credit institutions, NGOs and local experts. During the Interview:  Establish rapport. Begin with an explanation of the purpose of the interview, the intended uses of the information and assurances of confidentiality.  Use probing techniques. Encourage informants to detail the basis for their conclusions and recommendations. For example, an informant’s comment, such as “The WLPP has really changed things around here,” can be probed for more details, such as “What changes have you noticed?” “Who seems to have benefitted most?” “Can you give me some specific examples?”  Interviewers should take notes and develop them in detail immediately after each interview to ensure accuracy.  If the interviewer wants to tape the interview, the permission of the key informant should be obtained beforehand. Even if the informant agrees, the use of the tape recorder should be discontinued if there is any indication of discomfort. After the Interview:  At the end of each interview, prepare a 1-2 page interview summary sheet reducing information into manageable themes, issues, and recommendations.  Each summary should provide information about the key informant’s position, reason for inclusion in the list of informants, main points made, implications of these observations, and any insights or ideas the interviewer had during the interview. Analysis of data:  Responses will be organized and categorized using descriptive codes.  Coding involves a systematic recording of data. While numeric codes are not appropriate, descriptive codes can help organize responses. These codes may cover key themes, concepts, questions, or ideas, such as sustainability, impact on income, and participation of women. A usual practice is to note the codes or categories on the left-hand margins of the interview text. Reporting findings from key-informant interviews:  A summary report of the findings might be shared with the respondents, along with a request for written comments.  Ask the key informants for feedback on major findings. Often a more practical approach is to invite them to a meeting where key findings are presented and ask for their feedback. 107 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 KEY INFORMANT SURVEY QUESTIONS Introduction We are conducting an external evaluation of the Women’s Leadership Program (WLPP) in Paraguay. The WLP-Paraguay is a three-year (2012-2015) higher education partnership funded and supported by Higher Education for Development (HED), in cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID/Paraguay). HED is working with EGAT/ED and USAID/Paraguay under the Women’s Leadership Program to support the partnership between the National University of Asuncion (UNA) School of Agricultural Sciences (FCA), in Paraguay and the University of Florida (UF) in the United States. We have designed this survey to collect information about how higher education partnerships can contribute to the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment. The purpose of this survey is to provide an overview of the program and its various initiatives. To achieve this objective, we request that you take a moment to complete this survey by May 5, 2015. Your responses will be kept confidential to the extent allowed by law. If your responses are reproduced in publication or presentation, your identity will be kept anonymous with no identifying links between responses and individual respondents. Participation in any part of the study is voluntary and there are no penalties for non-participation. You may elect to terminate your participation at any time during the process. For any questions or need for further clarification, please email Dr. Flavia Ramos-Mattoussi, the external evaluation consultant for HED, at framos@lsi.fsu.edu Thank you! 1. Type of organization you represent: university partner funding agency non-governmental organization or foundation Other (please specify) 2. Name of Institution: 3. Your job title: 4. Address 5. What is your gender? Female Male 6. What has been your involvement with the USAID-funded WLP-Paraguay? 108 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 7. Please describe your overall experience with the WLP-Paraguay program. 8. What have you hoped to accomplish as a result of the UF-UNA partnership? 9. What would you consider to be the WLPP’s greatest achievement? 10. In your opinion, what initiatives are most valuable and why? 11. In your opinion, what initiatives are most likely to continue? 12. What did you find to be the most beneficial aspect of the project? 13. What do you think has helped the success of this activity? 14. What did you find to be the least beneficial aspect of the project? 15. What do you think has hindered the success of this activity? 16. Suppose you were asked by a government agency whether or not they should sponsor a program like this. What would you say? What arguments would you give to support your opinion? 17. The following questions are related to the level of effectiveness of the WLPP’s initiatives in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. How would you rate the overall effectiveness of each of the 11 initiatives implemented by WLP-Paraguay? I don't know not effective somewhat effective effective very effective Initiative I: Incorporation of Gender in UNA-FCA Curriculum, Professional Development and Training Initiative I: Incorporation of Gender in UNA￾FCA Curriculum, Professional Development and Training I don't know Initiative I: Incorporation of Gender in UNA￾FCA Curriculum, Professional Development and Training not effective Initiative I: Incorporation of Gender in UNA￾FCA Curriculum, Professional Development and Training somewhat effective Initiative I: Incorporation of Gender in UNA-FCA Curriculum, Professional Development and Training effective Initiative I: Incorporation of Gender in UNA￾FCA Curriculum, Professional Development and Training very effective Initiative II: Gender Policy Development Initiative II: Gender Policy Development I don't know Initiative II: Gender Policy Development not effective Initiative II: Gender Policy Development somewhat effective Initiative II: Gender Policy Development effective Initiative II: Gender Policy Development very effective 109 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Initiative III: Strengthening UNA's Center for Leadership (Focus on Women) Initiative III: Strengthening UNA's Center for Leadership (Focus on Women) I don't know Initiative III: Strengthening UNA's Center for Leadership (Focus on Women) not effective Initiative III: Strengthening UNA's Center for Leadership (Focus on Women) somewhat effective Initiative III: Strengthening UNA's Center for Leadership (Focus on Women) effective Initiative III: Strengthening UNA's Center for Leadership (Focus on Women) very effective Initiative IV: Scholarship Program Initiative IV: Scholarship Program I don't know Initiative IV: Scholarship Program not effective Initiative IV: Scholarship Program somewhat effective Initiative IV: Scholarship Program effective Initiative IV: Scholarship Program very effective Initiative V: Extension Education and Professional Development Program Initiative V: Extension Education and Professional Development Program I don't know Initiative V: Extension Education and Professional Development Program not effective Initiative V: Extension Education and Professional Development Program somewhat effective Initiative V: Extension Education and Professional Development Program effective Initiative V: Extension Education and Professional Development Program very effective Initiative VI: Communication Skills and Digital Media Program Initiative VI: Communication Skills and Digital Media Program I don't know Initiative VI: Communication Skills and Digital Media Program not effective Initiative VI: Communication Skills and Digital Media Program somewhat effective Initiative VI: Communication Skills and Digital Media Program effective Initiative VI: Communication Skills and Digital Media Program very effective Initiative VII: Pre-Entry Program for Female High￾School Students Initiative VII: Pre-Entry Program for Female High￾School Students I don't know Initiative VII: Pre-Entry Program for Female High￾School Students not effective Initiative VII: Pre-Entry Program for Female High￾School Students somewhat effective Initiative VII: Pre-Entry Program for Female High￾School Students effective Initiative VII: Pre-Entry Program for Female High￾School Students very effective Initiative VIII: Mentoring Program Initiative VIII: Mentoring Program I don't know Initiative VIII: Mentoring Program not effective Initiative VIII: Mentoring Program somewhat effective Initiative VIII: Mentoring Program effective Initiative VIII: Mentoring Program very effective Initiative IX: Internship and Applied Practical Experience (IAPE) Program Initiative IX: Internship and Applied Practical Experience (IAPE) Program I don't know Initiative IX: Internship and Applied Practical Experience (IAPE) Program not effective Initiative IX: Internship and Applied Practical Experience (IAPE) Program somewhat effective Initiative IX: Internship and Applied Practical Experience (IAPE) Program effective Initiative IX: Internship and Applied Practical Experience (IAPE) Program very effective Initiative X: Agricultural Initiative X: Initiative X: Initiative X: Initiative X: Initiative X: 110 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Sciences Ambassador Program ("Agro-leader") Agricultural Sciences Ambassador Program ("Agro￾leader") I don't know Agricultural Sciences Ambassador Program ("Agro￾leader") not effective Agricultural Sciences Ambassador Program ("Agro￾leader") somewhat effective Agricultural Sciences Ambassador Program ("Agro-leader") effective Agricultural Sciences Ambassador Program ("Agro￾leader") very effective Initiative XI: Career Development and Job Placement Center Initiative XI: Career Development and Job Placement Center I don't know Initiative XI: Career Development and Job Placement Center not effective Initiative XI: Career Development and Job Placement Center somewhat effective Initiative XI: Career Development and Job Placement Center effective Initiative XI: Career Development and Job Placement Center very effective 18. How is the partnership transforming organizational practices by integrating gender training and bringing heightened awareness of unequal gender relations to the agricultural sector? 19. How are the initiatives, such as the mentoring program and leadership training supporting women and indigenous minorities to build their self-efficacy potential? 20. How are current activities implemented by the WLPP contributing to increase women’s access to the National University of Asuncion (UNA)? 21. How are current activities implemented by the WLPP contributing to increase women’s access to the workforce? 22. To what extent and how is the WLP-Paraguay strengthening institutional capacity of UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences and the Center for Leadership to produce strong female leaders through training in workforce leadership skills? 23. How is the WLP-Paraguay developing sustainable alliances between the UNA's School of Agricultural Sciences, civil society, and the public and private sector that promote the emergence of female leaders? 24. List the most relevant public and private partnerships established as a result of the program: public/government private/foundation private/business multinational corporation 25. What role do civil society organizations play in addressing gender inequity and social exclusion? 111 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 26. What role do government and ministries play in addressing gender inequity and social exclusion? For instance, what allocations the state offers for important services and enforcement mechanisms around issues central to gender equity? 27. What have the partners done to increase awareness of gender inequality and integrate gender in the UNA-FCA curriculum? 28. What does the partnership do to ensure that women have the chance to know their rights and what to do in the event that they are denied information or services? 29. What contributions (positive and negative) have the WLPP made, if any, to the empowerment of women and the advancement of gender equity? 30. What evidence are there that WLPP’s initiatives promote more interdependent and accountable relationships between women and the key people and institutions they engage in pursuit of their needs and rights? 31. What evidence (pro and con) exists regarding the link between (a) WLPP’s approaches and principles, (b) WLPP’s internal gender equity and diversity practices and (c) the advancement of gender equity and empowerment? 32. What types and mixes of these programmatic and internal interventions seem most effective to promote gender-equity and women’s empowerment? 33. What types and mixes of interventions seem least effective, or counter-productive, in their impact on gender-equity and women’s empowerment? 34. What evidence are there that WLPP’s initiatives promote more interdependent and accountable relationships between women and the key people and institutions they engage in pursuit of their needs and rights? 35. Are there any additional comments you would like to add? 112 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 ANNEX VIII: EVALUATION RESULTS Letter from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Direccion de Genero Y Juventud Rural -MAG) RE: Programa de Liderazgo y Empoderamiento Económico de la Mujer Paraguaya-PLEMP generojuventudmag@hotmail.com Fri 5/29/2015 11:33 AM Buen Día: 1) La Dirección de Género y Juventud Rural solo participó en las actividades que el PLEMP invitó a esta dependencia como participantes. 2) Aparentemente es un programa que pretende fortalecer y empoderar a la MUJER específicamente y es oportuno mencionar que es una necesidad contar con este tipo de Programas. 3) Se debería establecer una alianza estratégica con esta Dirección teniendo en cuenta que el MAG cuenta con esta instancia encargada de promover políticas que mejoren la calidad de vida de mujeres y varones en igualdad de oportunidades. 4) Que tengan en cuenta de que si apoyan y se canaliza a través de la institución encargada de este tipo de políticas tienen posibilidad de que esto se instale y sea sostenible, si no, es solo un apoyo temporal y no queda instalado en las instituciones encargadas. Hubiese sido mejor que sea una entrevista personal y no por correo. Espero sea de utilidad. Favor acusar recibo Slds Lic. Lourdes Morínigo, Directora Dirección de Género y Juventud Rural Dirección General de Planificación MINISTERIO DE AGRICULTURA Y GANADERÍA Humaitá N° 673 c/ O´leary Telef.: (021) 494 120 113 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Responses to Self-Efficacy and Gender Agreement Test 114 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 115 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 116 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 117 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 118 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 119 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 120 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 121 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 122 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 123 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 124 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Table 8 – Results of Self-Efficacy test External Evaluation of The Women’s Leadership Program in Paraguay (WLPP) Self-Efficacy and Gender agreement Tests Results (Aggregated score = 13.39>baseline=10.58) (Highest possible score=22 points) Average response rate: 60% of ideal self-efficacy score Survey respondents by level of education Survey respondents by sex Number Percentage Number Percentage Agricultural schools* 50 93% Female 30 56% University** 4 7% Male 24 44% Total 54 100% Total 54 100% * Includes students currently in high school (secondary education) ** Includes students from UNA/FCA (tertiary education) Self-efficacy Test (Aggregated score = 9.6) Totalmen te en desacuerd o En desacue rdo Ni en acuerdo ni en desacuer do De acuerd o Totalm ente de acuerdo Total Weigh ted averag e Soy lo suficientemente fuerte para superar los problemas de la vida. 2% 2% 6% 38% 53% 100% 1.38 1 1 3 20 28 53 En el fondo soy una persona debil. 20% 41% 22% 12% 6% 100% 0.57 10 21 11 6 3 51 Puedo manejar las situaciones que la vida presenta. 4% 0% 2% 38% 56% 100% 1.4 2 0 1 17 25 45 Por lo general, siento que soy una persona fracasada. 52% 28% 9% 9% 2% 100% 1.2 24 13 4 4 1 46 A menudo siento que no hay nada que yo pueda hacer bien. 38% 31% 13% 13% 6% 100% 0.81 18 15 6 6 3 48 Me siento competente para enfrentar eficazmente el mundo real. 0% 4% 6% 37% 53% 100% 1.39 0 2 3 19 27 51 A menudo me siento como un fracaso. 55% 31% 6% 4% 4% 100% 1.29 28 16 3 2 2 51 Por lo general, siento que puedo manejar los problemas tipicos que se presentan en la vida. 0% 2% 4% 31% 63% 100% 1.56 Total Responses (Percentage ) 21% 17% 8% 23% 31% 100% 9.6 125 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Gender Agreement (Aggregated score = 1.92) Totalmente en desacuerdo En desacuer do Ni en acuerdo ni en desacuer do De acuerdo Totalme nte de acuerdo Total Weight ed average Las mujeres deben tener iguales derechos que los hombres y recibir el mismo trato que reciben los hombres. 0% 0% 2% 15% 83% 100% 1.81 0 0 1 8 44 53 En general los hombres son me ores lideres politicos que las mujeres y por lo tanto deben ser electos en lugar de las mujeres. 63% 15% 8% 6% 8% 100% 1.21 33 8 4 3 4 52 uando los traba os son escasos, los hombres deben de tener mas derechos a estos que las mujeres 50% 15% 12% 8% 15% 100% 0.77 Responses (number) 26 8 6 4 8 52 Responses (percentage) 38% 10% 7% 10% 36% 100% 1.92 59 16 11 15 56 157 Total 142 85 44 105 178 554 Responses (percentage) 26% 15% 8% 19% 32% 100% Self-Efficacy Score= 9.6; Baseline score=8.04 Gender agreement score = 3.79; Baseline = 2.54 Total= 13.39 (60%); Baseline= 10.58 (48%) 126 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Table 9 - Self-Efficacy and Gender Agreement – Baseline Results Baseline Information Elements and Data Values [Data shall be collected and reported at the level of analysis.] Description of method(s) and source(s) for baseline data values Explain answer choice in previous column. Describe any resulting actions needed to implement activities and ensure data collection. Females' "self￾efficacy" score (in percent) before training/programming begins Females 10-29 7.67 Females 30 and over 10.56 Overall 8.04 Data were obtained through surveys and the results were expressed using the Generalized Self-Efficacy (GSE) scale. A total of 1196 surveys were applied in the 6 FCA-UNA campuses and the San Francisco High-School. Of those 1196 surveys, 470 corresponded to females, 635 to males and 91 were unidentified. Faculty, students and administrative staff completed the survey. Baseline data show the need for improvement on this indicator "Opportunity" score (in percent) for persons who participated in training/programming (i.e., agreement with the concept that males and females should have equal access to social, economic, and political opportunities) before training/programming begins Males 1.66 Females 3.76 Overall 2.54 Data were obtained through surveys. A total of 1196 surveys were applied in the 6 FCA￾UNA campuses and the San Francisco High￾School. Of those 1196 surveys, 470 corresponded to females, 635 to males and 91 were unidentified. Faculty, students and administrative staff completed the survey. Baseline data show the need for improvement on this indicator Total = 10. 58 127 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Results of online Survey: Responses from UNA/FCA faculty, instructors, and workshop facilitators The online survey for “instructors” was sent to UNA-FCA faculty serving as mentors to students in the Mentorship and Agro￾Leadership programs; and to WLPP personnel responsible for teaching or facilitating gender and leadership workshops. The survey questions targeted pedagogical approaches applied in the WLPP and UNA-FCA training workshops. All respondents have taught a course, facilitated a leadership workshop or served as a faculty mentor; 40% of the responses came from WLPP personnel and 60% from UNA-FCA faculty. 75% of respondents are female and 25% male; 50% of respondents earned a bachelor’s degree and 50% a master’s degree or higher. Q1. What’s your age group? Q2. What’s your sex? 128 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Q3. What’s the highest level of education or degree you have received? Q4. What institution or organization do you represent? Q5. In the last two years, have you taught any course or facilitated any workshop? Q6. What courses have you taught or what workshops have you facilitated in the last two years?  Taller sobre Derechos Humanos, Participación Ciudadana, Liderazgo, Emprendedurismo, Manejo y Prevención de Conflictos, Autoestima, Valores para una Convivencia Armoniosa, Gestión de Conflictos, Liderazgo y Rol del Docente, Planificación Estratégica, Economía Social y Solidaria. 129 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015  Sociología y Extensión Rural, Introducción al Desarrollo Rural.  Taller sobre: Autoestima y liderazgo personal, Comunicación no violenta, Trabajo e equipo, Como hablar bien público.  Gestión ambiental , antropología, sociología, metodología de la investigación, técnicas de investigación social, manejo de áreas protegidas. Q7. How likely are you to integrate gender in your classes? Q8. How would you describe the teaching/learning environment created for the gender and leadership training workshops in which you participated within the last two years? Answer Options Response Percent Participatory ( everyone's voice is heard) 100.0% Attractive ( facilitators invite the participants to share their thoughts and opinions ) 100.0% Open ( people consider different perspectives on the same subject ) 100.0% Formal ( teachers / facilitators talk more than listen ) 0.0% Flexible ( There is no " right" or "wrong " way to express one's ideas) 75.0% Comfortable ( facilitators treat everyone with respect) 100.0% Nonthreatening (students / participants can express disagreement without fear of being judged ) 50.0% Intimidating ( facilitators give the impression that they know everything and the students know nothing ) 0.0% Interactive ( facilitators make use of games and dynamic ) 100.0% Risky (some topics should not be discussed in a large group ) 25.0% 130 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Q9. Does the program provide a safe and tolerant atmosphere for participants to question their attitudes, values and beliefs? Answer Key: always 75%; most of the time 25%; sometimes 0%; rarely 0%; never 0% 131 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Q10. Does the content of the program helps to build confidence and life skills, such as communication, management and problem solving? Answer Key: Yes [100%] No [0%] Q11. To integrate job skills, the program designers rely on the expertise of specialists in the relevant fields. Answer Key: Always [33%]; most of the time [33%]; sometimes [33%]; rarely [0%]; never [0%]; I don’t know [0%] 132 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Q12. What are the agriculture and entrepreneurship skills most in demand by women and girls? Answer: En el sector rural: horticultura, manejo de animales menores, elaboración de alimentos, turismo rural y ecológico. Q13. In general, what are the three pedagogical approaches and instructional materials more frequently used by UNA￾FCA for teaching [curriculum]? pedagogical approach 1 pedagogical approach 2 pedagogical approach 3 formal, academic constructivist Presentations - Discussions Team work Analysis of the sample materials group work Games Case studies class demonstrations, but they do not reach a deep level of reflection or discussion of the issues; the teachers give subjects topics and they present the topics in seminars Transfer approach - banking education, from top to bottom Practice (Fieldwork) Q14. Some of the pedagogical approaches may include the following. Please check all that apply to your own teaching or training program. Answer Options Response Percent  Lectures 75.0%  Group Discussion 100.0%  Group work 100.0%  Questions and answers 50.0%  Games and Simulations 100.0%  Creative work ( for example , songs and dances , drawing, story and poem writing) 50.0%  brief conversations , presentations 75.0%  Individual work and coaching 50.0%  Case Study 50.0%  analysis of the sample materials 50.0%  development of materials and study plan 50.0%  Audiovisual materials and technology-based methods 100.0% 133 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Q15. What training do instructors / facilitators / agro-leaders receive to be able to offer courses in gender and leadership and facilitate workshops in schools, communities and at university level? Answers:  Talleres en Género y Liderazgo donde se visibilizan las discriminaciones existentes en la sociedad y muchas veces invisibilizadas, se exponen los objetivos perseguidos con la igualdad de género, se presentan aspectos claves a considerar para la incorporación de género en proyectos e iniciativas. Se promueve el liderazgo basado en valores, se consideran los principios de un buen lider/esa. Se fundamenta la importancia y necesidad de contar con más lideresas en la sociedad paraguaya  Formación en autoestima, autoliderazgo y liderazgo a través de herramientas de interacción social, que les permitan relacionarse fácilmente con quienes deseen llevar adelante un taller.  Taller de capacitación  No todos asisten a los talleres que han dado , necesita mas , especialmente para los profesores varones mas grandes 134 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Q16. What are the existing training methods and practices used in the WLPP workshops? Please write three training methods most frequently applied and used in practice. See table below Q17. What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of these methods? See table below Methods Strengths Weakness Trabajos grupales participativo, parte de su realidad insume mucho tiempo Visualización de audiovisuales muy ilustrativo y representativo de la realidad Análisis reflexivos y críticos de la realidad mayor aprendizaje insume mucho tiempo Construcción colectiva del conocimiento Se aprecia el saber de todas y todos (el reconocimiento) Lleva mayor tiempo por el nivel de participación que se busca Aprender a través de la práctica: dinámicas de interacción, cohesíón grupal y reflexión La revalorización de todas y todos, la cooperación, la resolución en equipo Debilidad: La riqueza de la discusión (reflexión) depende del nivel de madurez de las y los participantes La riqueza de la discusión (reflexión) depende del nivel de madurez de las y los participantes Trabajos colectivos y creativos Sentido de pertenencia y resoluciones creativas Existe el riesgo de que no todos tomen acción dentro del grupo Taller Participación proactiva Mentoría Escuchar Coaching Escuchar Talleres Hay tiemp para trabajar en grupos pequeños realmente holograma a ser suficiente para cambiar actitud con relación a cuestiones de género Charlas Lo mismo Foro y seminarios Lo mismo Q18. In your opinion, what are the most effective training methods for addressing sensitive issues, such as gender? Answers:  Todos los citados en el item 16, en donde se pueda enfatizar en que las construcciones sociales pueden representar barreras en el desarrollo humano, no solo para la mujer sino también para el varón. Realizar análisis critico sobre el impacto negativo de las construcciones sociales. Hacer visibles los factores que construyen nuestra identidad de género  En mi opinión, sería "Aprender a través de la práctica"  Talleres y coaching  Creo que tienen hacer métodos de abajo para arriba, grupos pequeños, trabajo de proceso , que se pued haces sesiones sistemáticas al largo de un tiempo que invite mas a la percepción de la vida cotidiana Q19. What would be evidence that the knowledge, skills and attitudes promoted by the program help students (male and female) to take action in making changes that will improve their position in society and lead to women’s empowerment and gender equity? 135 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015  La apertura y el interés hacia el tema, denotados al finalizar las capacitaciones. El interés por seguir profundizando y los frecuentes comentarios sobre el tema que surgen entre los mismos luego de participar en las capacitaciones.  Como evidencia están los testimonios de las y los jóvenes que una vez sensibilizados por el PLEMP asumieron el compromiso de llegar a más personas, internas y externas a la FCA/UNA. Ejemplos claros de ello son Rossana Ibañez (Agrolideresa), Alicia González (Mentora) y Andrés Benítez (Agrolíder), quienes se sintieron seguros de replicar la experiencia de los talleres facilitados por el PLEMP a otros grupos. Otros ejemplos son las y los agrolíderes que a través de las herramientas de interacción que hemos brindado, se sintieron seguros de acompañar las visitas a las escuelas agrícolas para poner en práctica sus conocimientos y habilidades de liderazgo.  Reportes de actividades, fotografias y testimonios.  Los cambios de compartamiento entre los compañeros, cambio de conducta, de respecto , de comprensión , mas que todo con los estudiantes; tenía que desarrollar instrumentos especiales para este fin Q20. How could one use innovative approaches to improve the effectiveness of gender training and leadership?  Con materiales audiovisuales que presenten situaciones más acordes con nuestra realidad  Disponer y aplicar diversos enfoques para que las y los participantes (estudiantes/docentes/productoras) reciban la capacitación a través de diversos métodos de formación, ya que no todas/os aprendemos de la misma manera y somos diversos.  Renovar siempre las metodologías.  Necesita cambios en la estructura del sistema , incorporar a docente dentro del Program, el programa se inserto paralelo al resto , docentes deben estar inseridos en el manejo del Program en conjunto con el staff de PLEMP y estudiantes,. Principal cuestión el Program es percibido como a lleno a la universidad , muy corto el tiempo para un cambio profundo. Necesita mas tiemp, innovaciones van ser producto del proceso Q21. Does program staff communicate with leadership and gender training participants to see if they are playing a leadership role at the school, community, regional or national level?  A nivel Nacional y en la comunidad con organizaciones como FECOPROD y ACDI VOCA, se realiza una retroalimentación con los referentes a cerca de las actividades realizadas conjuntamente. En las escuelas se realiza una retroalimentación con los directores de las escuelas y con los y las estudiantes participantes  En cierta manera sí, principalmente con quienes tenemos contacto directos como las y los estudiantes del Programa de Mentoría y del Programa de Agroliderazgo de la FCA/UNA.  En algunos casos creo que si.  La comunicación es buena mas falta mas acercamiento para reflexionar a los puntos y para ver se se apuntan los objetivos. Q22. In your opinion, what kind of support could increase the effect of gender and leadership training on program participants?  Facilitar mayores espacios de capacitación y de interacción, a las y los participantes del Programa de Mentoría y Agroliderazgo, y estudiantes de las escuelas agrícolas. Crear nuevos espacios para la práctica del liderazgo de las y los jóvenes. Incentivar a las y los estudiantes a practicar la autogestión, la cogestión y la proactividad.  Seguimiento a los mentores y agrolideres  Formando un grupo de consulta, un espacio para que podamos dialogar con ellos e entre nosotros como profesores Q23. How to ensure that ‘best practices’ and training methods are incorporated into practice in general?  Realizando un seguimiento a través de la Dirección Académica  Los mejores métodos se incorporarán a la práctica una vez que haya capACDIad instalada, y para ello, debe haber una buena base de formación.  Generando talleres o actividades en las que se puedan implementar continuamente uno y mas métodos.  No hay como asegurar, solo con el compromiso de la gente; vinculado a comprensión del programa en todas sus dimensiones , criar un espacio institucional, tenga remuneración económica como incentivo 136 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Q.24 When are workshop participants [students / faculty ] evaluated to measure their learning?  At the beginning of the program  In the middle of the program  Several times during the program  At the end of the program  At some point after they have completed the program Q25. How does the program assess the capacity of participants (students and faculty) to apply what they learn? Answers:  No existe una metodología de evaluación, se ofrece un acompañamiento y asesoramiento a los participantes que se encuentran interesados/as en aplicar lo aprendido  La evaluación se da a través de las oportunidades prácticas o de pasantía facilitadas a las y los estudiantes,también contamos con las hojas de evaluación de los talleres, donde comentan sus testimonios y lo que han aprendido o para qué les servirá.  Aplicando evaluacion al final de algunas actividades o talleres.  No se Q26. How does the program assess the degree of involvement of workshop participants (students and faculty) in the dissemination of what they learn in the WLPP workshops? Answers:  No existe una metodología de evaluación, se ofrece un acompañamiento y asesoramiento a los participantes que se encuentran interesados/as en aplicar lo aprendido  Mediante el seguimiento a las actividades que realizan las y los participantes a través del diálogo y testimonios de los mismos (en reuniones).  No se Q27. What has been the involvement of UNA-FCA faculty and teachers at the WLPP target agricultural schools? 137 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015  Principalmente en caracter de mentores/as  Han participado como docentes mentores en el Programa de Mentoría, en los talleres de género y en la incorporación de género en el currículum (docentes de la FCA/UNA)  Bueno  Ha sido mucho menor que el deseado en general, debe haber mas comunicación, no conozco los otros docentes mentores Q28. Have you participated in the development of the WLPP training plan for agricultural schools? Q29. Has there been any assessment of students’ needs and interests to incorporate them in the content of training workshops? Q30. Based on your experience, what aspects of the WLPP need to be strengthened or improved?  Reestructuración de las iniciativas, priorizando las más demandadas a nivel institucional (Programa de Mentoria, Capacitaciones en Desarrollo Personal y Profesional, Liderazgo con compromiso social) La posibilidad de contar con recursos financieros que garanticen la finalización exitosa de sus carreras por parte de mujeres en situación de desventaja. Mayor apropiación de las iniciativas a nivel institucional. 138 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015  Mayor involucramiento de un equipo de la FCA/UNA (sea de la Dirección de extensión o del Centro de Liderazgo, u otro) para las iniciativas llevadas a cabo por el PLEMP, principalmente aquellas iniciativas que involucre a estudiantes de la FCA/UNA.  Se necesita acompañar el ritmo academico propio de la FCA-UNA  Vincularlo a los grupos de docentes permanentes que conocen el tema, porque en ecología humana lo hacemos hace 20 años, pero no se utilizó los docentes que ya manejaban esta información Q31. In your opinion, how does the content of the program developed by WLPP convey with the vision and objectives of the UNA-FCA or Agricultural Schools?  Considerando la Visión, la Misión y los valores promulgados en la FCA en la formación de profesionales con proyección social y compromiso en el desarrollo agrario sostenible del país. En las escuelas agrícolas contribuyendo al desarrollo humano del estudiantado  Los contenidos desarrollados se complementan con los objetivos de la FCA/UNA o escuelas agrícolas porque se trabaja principalmente el Desarrollo Humano de las y los jóvenes, y por otro lado el fortalecimiento institucional, y el empoderamiento y acceso de la mujer a la educación superior.  Se articulan mediante el plan curricular academico y del plan del Centro de Liderazgo e Agricultura  Si vinculan totalmente, es un programa muy importante, relevante para cumplir con la visión y misión de la institución, los perfiles profesionales. Creo que es un programa fundamental y necesario. Los que no ayudo fue como se inserto el programa en la institución, el hecho de que un varón en vicedecanato y director da la institución sin formación en términos de género lo influyó en una manera fundamental el logro que si pudiera haber tenido. El profesor que esta a cargo nomás ja el tema, lo hizo de una manera más política que técnica. Esto crió mucha resistencia, mucha… Q.32 In your opinion, what were the changes observed in the participants as a result of the training workshops? Consider the following: attitudes, knowledge, practices, and behaviors. Attitudes Knowledge Practices Behaviors Mayor solidaridad y compromiso social Actitud positiva y proactiva Compromiso personal Mas abiertos a nueva información , abiertos a hablar sobre el tema de género Identificación de las discriminaciones existentes en la sociedad, Identificación de paradigmas y creencias sin fundamento, reconocimiento de actitudes de un buen lider/esa Manejo del liderazgo y género No se Apoyo a otros estudiantes mediante la mentoría y como Agrolideres/esas Mayor participación de las mujeres Facilitando o cofacilitando actividades El tema de mentoria, funcionan como agentes multiplicadores en la mentoria Respeto a las diversidades, cuidando en no hacer comentarios discriminativos u ofensivos Sensibilidad en el involucramiento de las mujeres en diversas actividades y espacios. Proactividad Abiertos a ayudar a otras personas, escuchar Q.33 Was there a monitoring & evaluation system developed jointly by the WLPP and the Agricultural School? What was it? How could it be improved? Existió una constante retroalimentación de las actividades realizadas por el PLEMP con los referentes de las escuelas agrícolas. La evaluación será realizada al final del programa. Se podría mejorar estableciendo un instrumento de evaluación más adecuado y comprensible para el estudiatado de estas escuelas. Se utilizó la hoja de evaluación de la actividad al término de cada taller. No es una herramienta de evaluación elaborada conjuntamente con la escuela agrícola. Lo que se hace es compartir los resultados con los directivos de la escuela y analizamos en reunión. No se Q34. What suggestions do you have to ensure the sustainability of the program? 139 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015  Establecer formalmente que cada iniciativa tenga una contraparte a nivel institucional comprometida a continuar con las mismas  Un equipo humano con capACDIad instalada, por parte la FCA/UNA para llevar adelante las iniciativas que la Facultad considere de mayor impacto.  Que la FCA con algunas dependencias y sus recursos humanos pertinentes puedan llevar la posta.  El espacio de trabajo conjunto con los profesores que están de manera permanente Q35. The following are statements related to methods and approaches usually applied in women’s empowerment and leadership programs. Please indicate if these statements apply to the gender and leadership training program developed by the WLP-Paraguay. Please check 'YES' if they apply and 'NO' if they do not apply to the approaches and practices in the WLPP. You may add your comments after each statement. 1. Gender issues are handled with care since they involve questioning one's own attitudes, values and beliefs, frequently the very essence of one's existence. yes no 2. Activities are planned to ensure that all opinions are respected. In this way, participants become open to reconsidering their values. The nature of the activities also plays an important role in creating a non-threatening climate. yes no 3. Group work in which peer support is clearly present is reassuring. Well-timed questions from peers also help participants entertain new views without feeling pressured into accepting them. yes no 4. Training materials are more varied, interesting and appealing than usual as they are to induce new attitudes. yes no 5. Use of media and audio-visual materials are most effective for the purpose because they present cases in which participants recognize their shortcomings without being directly challenged. yes no 6. Classroom activities include exercises that lead groups to reflect on their beliefs and reveal a lot without threatening anyone. yes no 7. Training participants are encouraged to re-examine their ways, consider new options, and adopt or reject them. yes no 8. Groups have come up with exercise models that intensify the scrutiny of gender issues by assigning a framework of action. yes no 9. Gender issues are interwoven with other activities for a more comprehensive and applicable treatment of the new concepts. yes no 10. Before participants [teachers, instructors] embark on preparing their own individual curricular units (courses, workshops, or learning programs), they develop their own "Profile of the Empowered Woman." yes no 11. The content of the program emphasizes skills that women want and need to know. yes no 12. Self-image and strengthening of women's self-confidence also receives due attention. yes no 13. Participants know which laws and legal processes treat women unfairly and seek to use their legal knowledge to protect their own and other women's rights. yes no 14. The contents of the program help women raise their awareness regarding their conditions and question the asymmetrical relations within the household and society. yes no 15. Workshops cover a host of topics from family planning and sharing of housework responsibilities to health and agricultural technology. yes no 16. Informal reports from participants indicate the degree of their involvement in disseminating or multiplying the product of a workshop. yes no 17. Leadership and gender training manuals and training guidelines which documents goals, objectives, learning activities, time and materials required have been produced and disseminated. yes no 18. Training programs are better received as a package of vocational skills, academic disciplines, gender orientation, and leadership training. yes no 19. Empowering women and raising their status requires more than changes in women alone. The same has to happen to men's attitudes and behavior. This is why training and materials produced should reach both men and women audiences. yes no 20. Discrepancies persist between the level of participants' background and experience. Trainers need to draw on the positive potential of this reality. Strong, advanced participants could be coaches for those who need help. yes no 21. Resource persons need to be particularly responsive to participants' individual needs and problems. yes no 140 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 141 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Figure 4 - EFFECTIVENESS OF THE WLPP’S INITIATIVES IN PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY AND WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT 142 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Results of online Survey: Responses from Key Informants RESPONSES TO ONLINE “KEY INFORMANT SURVEY” 20 20 The survey/questionnaire consists of 35 items. Some of the items and responses containing demographic data and individual information were excluded in order to protect the identity of respondents. 143 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Q6: ¿De qué forma se ha involucrado con el PLEMP- Paraguay financiado por USAID? Showing 9 responses Fui contratado para crear y coordinar el Centro de Desarrollo Profesional e Inserción Laboral de la FCA/UNA. 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers Especialista en Género del PLEMP 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers Coordinacion Interinstitucional 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers A través de la creación de programa de pasantías 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers A través de la creación de programa de pasantías 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers A través de una alianza estratégica 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers Coordinador del programa en la Filial Santa Rosa - Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias/UNA 5/6/2015 8:08 AM View respondent's answers I was hired to be Program Coordinator in November, 2014, after having been recommended by the Director of my graduate department for the job. 144 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 5/5/2015 10:15 AM View respondent's answers NEXO ENTRE EL PLEMP Y LAS ESCUELAS PARA AGENDAR LAS CAPACITACIONES 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q7: Por favor describa su experiencia general con el programa PLEMP Showing 9 responses Mi experiencia ha sido muy enriquecedora. Una de las principales contribuciones del programa a mi desarrollo personal y profesional es lo relacionado a la perspectiva de Género en los programas, la Igualdad de oportunidades, el contacto con personas en necesidad y por sobre todo la oportunidad de contribuir en el mejoramiento de la calidad de vida de estas personas. 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers Desarrollo de capacitaciones y talleres en Género destinados a Docentes, estudiantes de la FCA/UNA y Escuelas Agrícolas, Elaboración de Políticas de acceso y permanencia a la FCA/UNA; Incorporación de Género al Currículum 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers La Coordinacion (entre programas) favoreció la inclusion de aportes enriquecedores sobre contenidos y abordajes metodologicos participativos a todos los niveles de interacción 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers Fue un ejemplo de coordinación de alianzas estratégicas para lograr la implementación de conocimientos da las estudiante de la UNA a las cooperativas agrícolas 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers Fue un ejemplo de coordinación de alianzas estratégicas para lograr la implementación de conocimientos da las estudiante de la UNA a las cooperativas agrícolas 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers A través de una acuerdo firmado hemos podido obtener resultados muy significativos que el proyecto buscaba. 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers A traves de las actividades desarrollada dentro del programa me ayudo a fortalecer el espíritu de solidaridad y el compartir conocimientos con los demás, aumenta la motivación al sentirse acompañado por un equipo que lidera el programa. Brinda la oportunidad de crecer en el aspecto humano fomentando los valores y principios como también el desarrollo profesional y de talento. 5/6/2015 8:08 AM View respondent's answers I have been Program Coordinator for over 5 months. I work predominantly out of the UF offices but have made two trips to the offices in Asuncion. 5/5/2015 10:15 AM View respondent's answers Lamentablemente no pude participar de las diferentes capacitaciones realizadas en las distintas escuelas. Pero por los comentarios de las directoras y coordinadoras de las mismas, se que fueron experiencias muy validas para los estudiantes en los temas que han venido desarrollando 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q8; ¿Qué ha esperado alcanzar como resultado de la alianza entre la UNA-FCA y la UF? Showing 9 responses Principalmente el Know-How de la Universidad de Florida y sus colaboradores en aquellas iniciativas que fueron nuevas para mí, como la mentoría a estudiantes, el apoyo a los estudiantes para su inserción laboral, etc. 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers El intercambio de experiencias entre ambas universidades que se ha logrado de manera interesante, sin embargo, podría adjudicar al idioma como una barrera importante para fortalecer aún más los lazos 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers Favorecer el acceso de jovenes varones y mujeres del segmento de la Agricultura Familiar Campesina a la educacion terciaria y en ese proceso de sensibilizacion a los diferentes niveles de accion del PLEMP instalar las bases y avanzar procesos para politicas publicas incluyentes de los aspectos de 145 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 igualdad/equidad de Género visibilizados sobre todo en la asignacion presupuestaria de los recursos publicos, privados, tanto nacional como de los apoyos de nivel Internacional 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers Se ha logrado alcanzar la sostenabilidad del programa de pasantías 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers Se ha logrado alcanzar la sostenabilidad del programa de pasantías 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers pasar los conocimientos de los profesionales del PLEM a las mujeres rurales asistidas por el Proyecto 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers Desarrollar la capacidad de servir a los demás e intercambiar experiencias. 5/6/2015 8:08 AM View respondent's answers I think both institutions stand to learn from one another, and that this Partnership has resulted in the strengthening of our respective departments. 5/5/2015 10:15 AM View respondent's answers De contar con capacitaciones sobre temas puntuales para un aprendizaje integral de los estudiantes de nuestras escuelas. 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q9: ¿Cuál considera que es el mayor logro del PLEMP? Showing 9 responses La incorporación del tema de Género y el acceso de la mujer a la educación superior en la agenda de la Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers La reivindicación de la cultura de la solidaridad en la FCA/UNA a través del Programa de Mentoría y Agroliderazgo que ha permitido una mayor cohesión social entre el plantel de docentes y entre el estudiantado de diversas carreras, clases sociales, niveles socioeconómicos sumado al incremento de la percepción de las discriminaciones muchas veces invisibilizadas y una mayor sensibilidad de las demandas sociales resultante de los talleres y capacitaciones ofrecidos por el Programa 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers Practicamente haber logrado capitalizar los esbozos anteriores de procesos de inclusion de aspectos de Género en la Curricula de la FCA-UNA y avanzar la instalacion institucional de la perspectiva ademas de la proyeccion de su accion a la Sociedad Civil con Instituciones Publicas y Privadas y en esa alianza llegar a las Mujeres Rurales avanzando procesos de instalacion de capacidades con el logico fortalecimiento de la autoestima de todas y cada una de las personas involucradas a todos los niveles. 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers El acceso y la inclusión de mujeres estudiantes y productoras para lograr mayor participación 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers El acceso y la inclusión de mujeres estudiantes y productoras para lograr mayor participación 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers haber logrado alcanzar los objetivos con las mujeres rurales a traves de capacitaciones como Liderzg, empoderamiento y Autoestima 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers Juntar a las personas con vocación de servicio en un equipo y ayudar a los edemas. 5/6/2015 8:08 AM View respondent's answers The ripple effect that its program has had in Paraguay. Students who have been involved in various initiatives have gone on to apply this knowledge / experience in their own communities. 5/5/2015 10:15 AM View respondent's answers Que hayan podido motivar y dar mayor conocimientos para los estudiantes en temas de liderazgo y sobre los derechos de las mujeres 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q10: En su opinión, ¿Cuáles son las iniciativas más valiosas y por qué? Showing 9 responses 146 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Creo que las iniciativas más valiosas del PLEMP son el programa de Mentoría y Agroliderazgo. Así como el Centro de Desarrollo Profesional e Inserción Laboral, porque responden a necesidades concretas y actuales de las y los postulantes y estudiantes y porque contribuyen a superar sus limitaciones y lograr sus metas personales y profesionales. 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers El Programa de Mentoría y Agroliderazgo, porque ha permitido reivindicar la cultura de la solidaridad entre el estudiantado y el plantel de docentes y promover un liderazgo basado en valores. Por otro lado, la Incorporación de Género al currículum, que a través de las capacitaciones en género ha permitido que estudiantes y docentes tengan la capacidad de realizar el análisis de una situación desde una perspectiva social, promoviendo una visión más compleja y asertiva de las realidades 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers Haber instalado la tematica de inclusion como un derecho humano (de todos/todas) tanto de Género como de etnia, haber influido en el logro de una atencion personalizada a los estudiantes (entre pares) posibilitando el desarrollo de capacidades en ambos actores del proceso, (tutor/a/tutoreado/a), desafiar las estructuras socio culturales instaladas (sicologicamente y emocionalmente incluso fisicamente) en el estamento educativo a todos los niveles incluso traducido en la busqueda incesante de estrategias convincentes para avanzar los procesos, y haber trascendido hasta las bases mismas de las sociedades tradicionalmente excluidas como son las familias campesinas y principalmente las mujeres y jovenes varones y mujeres del sector agropecuario. 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers Las pasantías con UnA y cooperativas 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers Las pasantías con UnA y cooperativas 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers buscar el Empoderamiento de las Mujeres Rurales, porque son un pilar muy importante dentro de cada comunidad. 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers Capacitar y dar oportunidad a las personas con interés de ayudar a los demás porque por medio del eso se fortalece el espíritu de servicio y todos se sienten motivado ya que el trabajo se desarrolla en equipo 5/6/2015 8:08 AM View respondent's answers All of the initiatives are valuable to the program because they inherently fit together. In particular, I think the Mentorship and AgroLeadership Programs, as well as the Center for Professional Development and Job Readyness, have made a significant impact. 5/5/2015 10:15 AM View respondent's answers De acuerdo a los comentarios de los docentes sobre los temas que abordaron en estas capacitaciones, permite a los estudiantes a que conozcan un poco de si y de sus derechos y obligaciones como personas 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q11: En su opinión, ¿Qué iniciativas tienen la mayor posibilidad de continuar? Showing 9 responses Los programas de Mentoría y el Centro de Desarrollo Profesional e Inserción Laboral 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers Las políticas de acceso y permanencia de grupos vulnerables (que incluye también el Programa de Mentoría) ya que han sido institucionalizadas y porque existe una constante demanda de las mismas. 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers La acción de PLEMP se ha instalado con fuerza en la Institucionalidad Universitaria pero considero que el proceso aun siendo exitoso puede sufrir regresiones importantes sin el apoyo externo, es necesario reconocer que las estructuras socio culturales requieren minimo de un decenio para afectarlas incluso depende del recambio de actores dentro de las estructuras. 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers Las pasantías 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers Las pasantías 147 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers intercambio de experiencias y trabajo conjunto que ayuden a mejorar la calidad de vida de las mujeres rurales 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers Las capacitaciones para fomentar el liderazgo y participación de la mujer en las actividades del programa. 5/6/2015 8:08 AM View respondent's answers The incorporation of gender mainstreaming into the FCA/UNA curriculum will most likely continue on. Other program initiatives are being currently reviewed and adapted to ensure a sustainable impact. 5/5/2015 10:15 AM View respondent's answers Siempre la de capacitación y entrenamiento tanto a hombres y mujeres Ya que en nuestras escuelas cada año tienen una movilidad de alumnos y alumnas con el interés de aprender 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q12: ¿Cuál le pareció que fue el aspecto/actividad más beneficioso/a del programa? Showing 8 responses La actividad más beneficiosa del programa considero que fue el programa de Mentoría por la cantidad de personas a las que involucró y por su alcance. 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers El aspecto más beneficioso del Programa ha sido la creación de espacios de reflexión sobre temas relacionados al desarrollo personal y social en la comunidad educativa tanto de la FCA/UNA como de las Escuelas Agrícolas 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers El grupo de profesionales que integro el equipo tecnico que tuvo la habilidad para generar e implementar estrategias que posibilitaron la instalacion del tema y el avance del proceso a todos los niveles. 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers Pasantías. Interacción entre estudiantes y productores y intercambio de información entre estudiantes y productoras 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers Pasantías. Interacción entre estudiantes y productores y intercambio de información entre estudiantes y productoras 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers las Capacitaciones y Talleres realizados 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers Las capacitaciones. 5/6/2015 8:08 AM View respondent's answers Las capacitaciones 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q13: ¿Qué cree que ha contribuido al éxito de esta actividad? Showing 8 responses A) El hecho de construir el programa de Mentoría sobre prácticas solidarias de servicio y voluntariado que ya se venía desarrollando de manera informal entre compañeros de facultad. B) que la participación en el programa era por méritos, experiencias previas y voluntad. C) los estímulos como certificados de participación, invitación a los talleres de desarrollo personal y profesional D) el reconocimiento en medios de difusión, E) la gestión de la coordinadora del programa y la F) la aceptación y apoyo de las autoridades de la FCA/UNA a la iniciativa. 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers La necesidad del estudiantado y del plantel de docentes de complementar las actividades estrictamente académicas con temas vinculados a la realidad social y al crecimiento personal y profesional 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers El contar con un presupuesto propio y el influir en las asignmaciones presupuestarias de aliados coyunturales y/o permanentes 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers 148 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 La excelente coordinación y articulación de las organizaciones involucradas 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers La excelente coordinación y articulación de las organizaciones involucradas 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers la buena preparacion de los profesionales encargados de pasar los conocimientos a las mujeres rurales. 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers El interés que demuestra los coordinadores del programa y el apoyo institucional. 5/6/2015 8:08 AM View respondent's answers El conocimiento y la disposición de las facilitadoras para atender las inquietudes de los estudiantes 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q14: ¿Cuál le pareció que fue el aspecto/actividad menos beneficioso/a del programa? Showing 6 responses El Programa de Becas 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers El Programa de Becas ya que no ha sido posible acceder al financiamiento por parte de instituciones u organismos 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers Tal vez mayor difusion de los resultados hacia las OSC 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers No se 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers No se 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers quizas el corto tiempo en que desarrollan sus capacitaciones 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q15: ¿Qué cree que ha impedido el éxito de esta actividad? Showing 6 responses El primer paso para lograr este tipo de apoyo es crear confianza. Creo que la poca visibilidad del programa en el país influyó negativamente. Las personas e instituciones no depositan su confianza y dinero a personas o instituciones que no conoce o es nuevo en el mercado. 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers Considero que una de las limitantes resulta el corto plazo de duración del Programa teniendo en cuenta que una estudiante requerirá de al menos 5 años para la finalización de su carrera. Por un lado la presencia de un Programa de esta naturaleza representa un importante complemento durante el proceso de acompañamiento a una estudiante becaria durante su carrera, pero a la vez genera cierta desconfianza en cuanto a la efectividad de la beca en ausencia del Programa. 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers Las estructuras socio culturales excluyentes instaladas en las personas y a traves de ellas operativizadas en el funcionamiento Institucional. 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers No se 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers No se 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers no tengo observación 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q16: Si una agencia de gobierno le preguntase su opinión para continuar apoyando este tipo de programas, ¿Qué respondería usted? ¿Qué argumentos daría para respaldar su opinión? Showing 8 responses El Programa debe contar con apoyo para continuar porque a) las necesidades están a la vista. Según datos del Censo (2008), casi la mitad de la población rural del país está compuesta por mujeres y una de 149 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 las principales necesidades de estas mujeres es el acceso a la educación. Paraguay posee la población más joven (0-39 años) de toda la región, siendo esta el 75% de la población total, el nivel de desempleo existente es del 5,6%, la tasa de pobreza alcanza al 32,4% de las y los paraguayos y pobreza extrema al 18%. b) porque vale la pena invertir en las personas, en este caso en grupo de mujeres en situación de vulnerabilidad, han habido resultados tanto cuantitativos como cualitativos de las iniciativas de apoyo a estos grupos. C) Y porque algunas iniciativas no se han consolidado lo suficiente para continuar sin apoyo externo. 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers El estudiantado de la FCA/UNA es un reflejo de las amplias inequidades presentes a nivel nacional, el mismo está compuesto de jóvenes provenientes de los estratos sociales más altos y más bajos. El Programa promueve acciones tendientes a disminuir estas brechas de acceso a las oportunidades, estableciendo medidas de acción positivas para estudiantes en desventaja y creando relaciones sinérgicas en las cuales los estudiantes que han recibido un nivel educativo de mayor calidad pueden transferir estos conocimientos a otros estudiantes que no tuvieron las mismas oportunidades. Se establece de esta manera un intercambio de experiencias de individuos con diversas realidades generando una mayor cohesión social. Como punto fundamental se invierte en cambios culturales y actitudinales que parten desde las políticas institucionales y que se extiende a la formación de futuros agentes de desarrollo del país, lo cual garantiza resultados más sostenibles a largo plazo. 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers La Inclusion de todos/todas es un Derecho Humano, tanto de Género, como etareo, como etnico, facilitar este proceso se hace necesario sobre todo en el proceso de lucha contra la pobreza sobre todo en paises con sociedades aun con estructuras identitarias fuertemente patriarcales como resultado de procesos socio historicos propios. Tambien se debe considerar que existe un proceso de sensibilizacion que hasta ahora ha impactado en la sociedad paraguaya relacionado con el empoderamiento prograsivo de la mujer a todos los niveles pero esto es bajo las costas personales y es necesario fortalecer las incipientes estructuras de cambio en proceso de instalacion, los cambios son practicamente generacionales y los procesos sufren regresiones importantes si no son acompañados de voluntad politica de los actores en el nivel de toma de decisiones. 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers Efectivamente si, el programas es una herramienta para dar oportunidad a las minorías. Mujeres indígenas. 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers Efectivamente si, el programas es una herramienta para dar oportunidad a las minorías. Mujeres indígenas. 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers que si es necesario continuar o trabajar. ya que se direccionan actividades que sirven para apoyar al area género. 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers Sí. porque a traves de este programa se brinda la oportunidad a los jóvenes de seguir creciendo en valores y principios que contribuyen a a mejorar la calidad de vida de los demás a través de la ayuda mutua. 5/6/2015 8:08 AM View respondent's answers Que seria bueno continuar ya que desarrollan temas muy puntuales que son de gran ayuda para los jóvenes campesinos que llegan a las escuelas con poca preparación. 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q18: ¿Cómo se está desempeñando la alianza en su tarea de transformar las prácticas organizacionales al integrar las capacitaciones de género y concientizar sobre las relaciones desiguales de género en el sector de la agricultura? Showing 7 responses De muchas maneras. Los resultados visibles de las iniciativas de integrar las capacitaciones en género y concienciar sobre las desigualdades hoy por hoy se observan en: a) cuando una empresa solicita curriculums de egresados a la FCA/UNA se envían mitad de varones y mitad de mujeres. b) En los 150 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 eventos los directivos durante sus intervenciones utilizan un lenguaje inclusivos, c) Hay un fuerte compromiso de la institución que se traducen en acciones proactivas a fin de incluir a grupos de mujeres vulnerables a la educación superior, d) el tema de género en muchas de las asignaturas son transversales. Los temas como el machismo, igualdad, equidad y otros temas más se tocan con frecuencia en di ersas asignaturas… 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers Se hace especial hincapié en las relaciones desiguales de poder en las familias y las comunidades rurales, analizando los roles de género y sus consecuencias en el desarrollo humano y social, de esta manera, los participantes son capaces de visibilizar barreras culturales y sociales para el desarrollo e identificar nuevas estrategias basadas en los principios de equidad e igualdad 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers Los cambios percibidos son importantes sobre todo visibilizados en la mayor capacidad de la mujer para generar ingresos y con ello redistribuir el poder en la familia 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers Hubo impacto de las secciones de entrenamiento , y el impacto que queda en las cooperativas después de las secciones y talleres en género 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers Hubo impacto de las secciones de entrenamiento , y el impacto que queda en las cooperativas después de las secciones y talleres en género 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers se estan desempenando con un papel muy importante ya que las mujeres a traves de las jornadas pueden obtener conoccimientos sobre sus derechos y trabajos. 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers Hay mayor apertura por parte de los técnicos y técnicas, docentes y del mismo alumnado. 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q19: ¿Cómo las iniciativas del programa de mentores o las capacitaciones de liderazgo están apoyando a las mujeres y las minorías indígenas a desarrollar su potencial de liderazgo y auto￾eficacia? Showing 9 responses En primer lugar trabajando su autoestima a fin de que ellas mismas vean su potencial. Animándolas no solo a recibir (como mentoradas) sin a dar de sí a los demás como (mentoras). Gestionando pasantías y oportunidades prácticas donde desarrollen sus cualidades de liderazgo. Durante los mismos talleres dándoles oportunidades para facilitar dinámicas, colaborar como co-facilitadoras, etc. 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers El grupo de mentoras/es participa de jornadas de capacitación y sensibilización sobre las situaciones de discriminación presentes en la sociedad, instando además a expresar actitudes inclusivas, de respeto a la diversidad y de revalorización de la autoestima y las capacidades de las y los jóvenes que están recibiendo apoyo a través de la mentoría. Se insta a los mentores/as a realizar no solo un apoyo académico, sino también emocional. 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers Esta iniciativa ha posibilitado la inclusion al iniciar y fortalecer la relacion entre iguales y como iguales en el estudiantado. 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers Atraves de crear consciencia sobre la importancia de la equidad de género por medio de talleres y charlas , produce material que está relacionado con género, diferencia de role 24 horas, instrumentos que usan 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers Atraves de crear consciencia sobre la importancia de la equidad de género por medio de talleres y charlas , produce material que está relacionado con género, diferencia de role 24 horas, instrumentos que usan 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers NA 151 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers Capacitado a los actores 5/6/2015 8:08 AM View respondent's answers Both of those programs put special emphasis on including both women and indigenous minorities, as well as students who come very especially low-income backgrounds. They are connected to professors, other students, and PLEMP team members that can help bolster their sense of self and help students develop the skills needed for leadership and self-efficacy. 5/5/2015 10:15 AM View respondent's answers Lamentablemente en la Escuela Agricola de San Pedro no contamos con grupo indigenas 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q20: ¿Cómo están contribuyendo las actividades que implementa el PLEMP a aumentar el acceso de las mujeres a la UNA-FCA? Showing 8 responses Hay un mayor interés de estudiantes de algunas escuelas agrícolas, gracias al programa de pre-ingreso donde estudiantes de la FCA/UNA visitan a fin de hablar de sus carreras, de la FCA/UNA e inspirarles a ponerse como metas una carrera universitaria. Estas iniciativas se complementan con la exoneración de las matriculas del Curso Probatorio de Ingreso y el programa de Mentoría. 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers A través de las políticas de acceso y permanencia en la FCA/UNA y con el Programa de Pre ingreso desarrollado en las Escuelas Agrícolas. 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers La informacion de mayor calidad sobre las oportunidades educativas terciarias preferenciales para mujeres han llegado hasta las mujeres del campo tanto urbanas como rurales desde las filiales de la FCA-UNA. y esto ha permitido el acceso a mejores oportunidades de desarrollo profesional. 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers Atraves de la inclusión de género en la malla curricular, que antes no pasaba 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers Atraves de la inclusión de género en la malla curricular, que antes no pasaba 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers NA 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers La contribución mas importante es la de dar participación a las mujeres en igual condiciones de los varones para participar en las organizaciones y actividades. 5/6/2015 8:08 AM View respondent's answers Como es una escuela que apenas un año y medio aun no contamos con graduadas por eso no podemos responder.esta pregunta 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q21: ¿Cómo están contribuyendo las actividades que implementa el PLEMP a aumentar el acceso de las mujeres al mercado laboral? Showing 8 responses Las egresadas que de alguna manera han recibido el apoyo del Centro tienen una mayor confianza en sí mismas, están mejor preparadas para buscar empleo de manera estratégica (se informan e investigan sobre sector agropecuario, aprovechan las redes profesionales, se presentan a través de una carta de presentación, elaboran CV atractivos y preparándose para la entrevista de trabajo). Además aprovechan cada oportunidad para construir redes profesionales, como las pasantías, la participación en eventos, congresos, foros, etc. 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers El Centro de Desarrollo Profesional e Inserción Laboral brinda asesoramiento a las estudiantes, reivindicando sus capacidades como futuras profesionales, realizando prácticas de elaboración de Curriculum Vitae, prácticas adecuadas para las entrevistas de trabajo, actitudes emprendedoras etc. lo cual repercute en una mayor autoconfianza en sus capacidades. Por otro lado se insta a las estudiantes a reclamar las situaciones de discriminación laboral experimentadas. 152 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers Las mujeres profesionales acceden a una oferta laboral aun restringida por cuestiones socio culturales y aun cuando ella este preparada aun falta caminar un proceso de mediano plazo para hacer igualitario entre varones y mujeres el acceso al mercado laboral. 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers No se 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers No se 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers muy bien ya que a traves de temas u orientacionan las mujeres pueden obtener un enfoque mas general. 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers A través de las capacitaciones brindadas y la promoción del programa 5/6/2015 8:08 AM View respondent's answers Como es una escuela que apenas un año y medio aun no contamos con graduadas por eso no podemos responder.esta pregunta 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q22: ¿Cómo se está desempeñando el PLEMP en su tarea de fortalecer la capacidad institucional de la Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y del Centro de Liderazgo para producir liderezas mediante las capacitaciones en habilidades de liderazgo laboral? Showing 8 responses La contribución de los expertos de la Universidad de Florida que han visitado el país y han entrenado al plantel docentes y funcionarios administrativos ha sido de mucho beneficio para fortalecer la capacidad institucional. Así también el trabajo conjunto del PLEMP y el Centro con las áreas de Extensión Universitaria, Coordinación de Pasantías, Centre de Liderazgo y otros más. 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers Los miembros del Centro de Liderazgo han participado en jornadas de capacitación sobre género y empoderamiento de la mujer, manifestando un cambio positivo en cuanto a la percepción de la importancia de promover el liderazgo de la mujer. Por otro lado, se han facilitado capacitaciones para docentes y funcionarios/as de la institución en donde son expuestos los principios que fundamentan la importancia de lograr el empoderamiento y el liderazgo de la mujer en los espacios públicos. El Programa ha acompañado además el desarrollo de contenidos programáticos de asignaturas que requieren abordar el tema. Por otro lado, estudiantes con participación activa en los movimientos estudiantiles de la FCA/UNA han formado parte de las iniciativas del Programa que promueven el liderazgo de la mujer 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers Considero que los proceso estan en marcha, los mismos deben fluir en el mediano y largo plazo aun es inmediatista una evaluacion sobre el tema. 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers Se desempeñan de manera eficaz , muchos de la universidad conecten el Program PLEMP 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers Se desempeñan de manera eficaz , muchos de la universidad conecten el Program PLEMP 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers NA 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers El desempeño es muy bueno porque se tienes capacitaciones constantes para fortalecer las iniciativas de participación de la mujer en las organizaciones 5/6/2015 8:08 AM View respondent's answers No puedo responder por que no estoy al tanto de estas actividades 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q23: ¿Cómo se esta desempeñando el PLEMP en su tarea de consolidar alianzas sustentables entre la Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias de la UNA, la sociedad civil y el sector público y privado para promover el liderazgo de las mujeres? 153 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Showing 8 responses Muy bien. Se han concretado alianzas mediante convenios con varias organizaciones que han contribuido a la participación de la mujer en espacios que contribuyen su liderazgo, como las pasantías, oportunidades prácticas, participación en congresos, talleres, foros, etc. Así también se han concretado alianzas para contribuir en actividades puntuales (son convenios) que han redundo en beneficio del desarrollo personal, profesional y de liderazgo de las estudiantes. 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers El Programa ha concretado importantes alianzas tendientes a este objetivo mediante convenios firmados con diversas organizaciones con amplia cobertura en el sector rural. En el proceso de ejecución de estas alianzas, el Programa se ha constituido en un catalizador de las acciones tendientes a promover el liderazgo de la mujer, denotando un importante cambio en la percepción de la importancia del liderazgo de la mujer por parte de actores claves de dichas instituciones y su público meta. Para el último año, se pretende establecer alianzas con organizaciones fuertemente vinculadas al liderazgo y empoderamiento de la mujer, que garantice la continuidad de las acciones implementadas por el Programa en la FCA/UNA 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers Hasta ahora en mi experiencia personal ha influido positivamente con experiencias muestras muy interesantes que requieren del incremento en las asignaciones presupuestarias de cada uno de los estamentos para implementarlas masivamente. 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers Se esta desempeñado excelentemente 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers Se esta desempeñado excelentemente 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers EXCELENTE, mucha apertura para la realizacion de alianzas estrategicas 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers Muy bueno, porque se brinda la oportunidad de intercambiar experiencias entre la sociedad y la institución 5/6/2015 8:08 AM View respondent's answers No puedo responder por que no estoy al tanto de estas actividades 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q24: Mencione las alianzas públicas y privadas más relevantes que se han establecido como resultado del programa: Answer Choices– Responses– Responses Público/gubernamental 0.00% 0 Responses Privada/fundación, ONGs 100.00% 9 Responses Privada/negocios 22.22% 2 Responses Corporación multinacional 0.00% 0 Q25: ¿Cuál es el papel de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil en atender el tema de la inequidad de género y la exclusión social? Showing 7 responses El papel de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil es monitorear, alzar su voz y exigir medidas que garanticen la equidad e inclusión social. 154 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers El papel de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil es fundamental para lograr los cambios enfocados a la igualdad de oportunidades, sin embargo existen barreras para lograr mayor participación e incidencia por parte de estas organizaciones (barreras culturales como: aislamiento, sobrecarga de trabajos, inseguridad, falta de motivación y barreras financieras: medios masivos de comunicación para llegar a un mayor número de personas) 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers El tema de inclusion es/debe ser una opcion personal, para avanzar hacia una practica cotidiana, para desde esta praxis vital traducirse en comportamientos personales en las Instituciones. 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers La organización tienen un rol de catalizador y consciente zar sobre el tema 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers La organización tienen un rol de catalizador y consciente zar sobre el tema 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers Fomentar la participación en las organizaciones la igualdad de condiciones entre el hombre y l mujer 5/6/2015 8:08 AM View respondent's answers De ser facilitadores y a su vez controladores de este tema durante en el desarrollo de estos temas. 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q26: ¿Cuál es el papel del gobierno y de los ministerios en atender el tema de la inequidad de género y la exclusión social? Por ejemplo, que tipo de asignaciones ofrece el estado para servicios y mecanismos de cumplimiento entorno a los temas centrales de la inequidad de género? Showing 7 responses El papel del gobierno y los ministerios es establecer las políticas de equidad e inclusión social. Como también promover y velar por el cumplimiento de las mismas. 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers La inequidad de género sigue representando un tema secundario dentro de la agenda del gobierno paraguayo, denotado en uno de los presupuestos más bajos a nivel Nacional destinados al Ministerio de la Mujer. La baja capacidad institucional de dicho Ministerio no permite permear las políticas de igualdad de manera efectiva a muchos estamentos, instituciones y organizaciones del país. Por otro lado sigue arraigada la fuerte creencia de priorizar esfuerzos que redunden en beneficios mercantilistas, dejando rezagados los esfuerzos para lograr cambios culturales que promuevan la inclusión social y la igualdad de oportunidades. No obstante existen importantes avances en cuanto a la inclusión de presupuestos y políticas con perspectiva de género que sin embargo no lograrán efectividad si no se garantiza la incidencia ciudadana como contralora a través de mecanismos de rendición de cuentas transparentes y participativos. 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers Las voluntades politicas deben traducirse en asignaciones presupuestarias que favorezcan la inclusion, que posibiliten el acceso a servicios a todos los niveles que se traduzca en la mejora de la calidad de vida por acceso a ingresos, entre otros. 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers No hay políticas fuertes de parte del gobierno. Las empresas del sector privado tienen mas iniciativas sobre estés temas 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers No hay políticas fuertes de parte del gobierno. Las empresas del sector privado tienen mas iniciativas sobre estés temas 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers NA 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers Es importante ya que son estos organismos lo que deben implantar las políticas de genero y sus mecanismos de cumplimiento de los mismos. 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers 155 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Q27: ¿Qué han realizado los aliados y miembros del PLEMP para aumentar las prácticas de concientización sobre la inequidad de género e integración del tema de género en el currículo dela UNA-FCA? Showing 8 responses A lo largo de todo el Programa se han realizado encuentro con docentes de la FCA/UNA a fin de visibilizar la inequidad de género y sensibilizar a los participantes. Así mismo se han organizado espacios de intercambio de experiencias donde se exponen las realidades de inequidad de género y la integración del tema género en el Currículo. 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers Se han establecido espacios de reflexión y concienciación sobre dichas problemáticas tanto con la comunidad educativa de la FCA/UNA y las Escuelas Agrícolas como con representantes de otras instituciones públicas o privadas. Se han establecido además temas concernientes a la igualdad de género en los contenidos programáticos de asignaturas claves dentro de las Carreras ofrecidas por la FCA/UNA, y metodologías que abordan el análisis desde la perspectiva de género y la importancia del abordaje de las situaciones desde la perspectiva social y ecológica. Se ha incidido de manera efectiva en la incorporación de una Asignatura optativa denominada Género e Interculturalidad, ofrecida en todas las Carreras. 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers Se ha capacitado en la tematica con abordajes metodologicos convincentes, se han llevado adelante acciones de impacto estructurales (como ser el programa de mentoria) por citar algunas acciones relevantes. 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers Ellos realizarán talleres de capacitación y materiales audio visuales con memorias de su. Trabajo, charlas, uno de representante fue a una filial para dar capacitación sobre las cuestiones de género 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers Ellos realizarán talleres de capacitación y materiales audio visuales con memorias de su. Trabajo, charlas, uno de representante fue a una filial para dar capacitación sobre las cuestiones de género 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers NA 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers Capacitaciones y juntar las opiniones e inquietudes de los miembros de la comunidad educativa. 5/6/2015 8:08 AM View respondent's answers En nuestro caso, entiendo que las capacitaciones que han venido realizando en las Escuelas Agricolas de la Fundación 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q28: ¿Qué hace la alianza (PLEMP) para asegurar que las mujeres tengan la oportunidad de conocer sus derechos y como proceder en caso de que se les niegue información o servicios? Showing 8 responses El Programa ha promovido el conocimiento de los derechos de igualdad y equidad de género, mediante talleres dirigido a estudiantes de varias escuelas agrícolas. 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers Se crea un nivel de conciencia para el reconocimiento de las injusticias sociales. Se insta a las mujeres a reclamar sus derechos y se ofrece orientación para acompañar este proceso. Se sitúa tanto a varones como a mujeres como agentes de cambio y contralores sociales con capacidad de incidir en el cumplimiento de roles como ciudadanos y ciudadanas. 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers Facilita el acceso a informacion sobre instancias institucionales de servicio. 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers Talleres informativos, nada mas, materiales audiovisuales 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers Talleres informativos, nada mas, materiales audiovisuales 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers brindar orientaciones y capacitaciones. 156 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers Informar sobre los derechos a través de charlas y capacitaciones 5/6/2015 8:08 AM View respondent's answers Capacitarla y entrenarlas en temas de sus derechos. Ademas, de facilitarla de toda la información sobre el mismo. 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q29: ¿Qué tipo de contribuciones (positivas o negativas) ha realizado el PLEMP para empoderar a la mujer y promover la equidad de género? Showing 9 responses Algunas de las contribuciones positi as fueron: a) isibilizarlas mediante Pol ticas, Foros, etc. “Si no te en, no existes”. b) ha promo ido espacios donde las mujeres se apropien y empoderen y lo visibilicen a través del voluntariado, las pasantías, las oportunidades prácticas, etc. 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers La comprensión del significado, la importancia y el alcance de la palabra empoderamiento, haciendo especial énfasis en la necesidad del empoderamiento de la mujer y por otro lado, la formación de una masa crítica capaz de identificar las situaciones de injusticia social principalmente hacia la mujer y finalmente la exposición de fundamentos que permiten dimensionar la conveniencia de lograr la igualdad de género en la sociedad. 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers Ha facilitado Alianzas entre Instituciones facilitando la armonizacion de inversiones logrando llegar a varios niveles para influirlos y facilitar el empoderamiento. 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers El PLEMP como un programa hace una iniciativa para crear consciencia sobre género principalmente en el área rural -- en adciVOCa entran temas de abuso sexual y otras cosas 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers El PLEMP como un programa hace una iniciativa para crear consciencia sobre género principalmente en el área rural -- en adciVOCa entran temas de abuso sexual y otras cosas 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers alizanas estrategicas y realizacion de capacitaciones 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers Dar oprtunidad a la mujer para participar en las organizaciones en igual oportunidad que el hombre 5/6/2015 8:08 AM View respondent's answers Through its diverse program initiatives, PLEMP had addressed gender inequality in Paraguay. Direct feedback about our program has told us students - both men and women but particularly women - have walked away after participating in our programs with a new sense of empowerment. 5/5/2015 10:15 AM View respondent's answers Entiendo que dándole toda la información posible sobre sus derechos y motivarlas a tener liderazas sobre sus propias vidas. 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q30: ¿Qué evidencia existe para respaldar que las iniciativas del PLEMP promueven relaciones interdependientes y de rendición de cuentas entre las mujeres y personas/instituciones claves con las que ellas interactúan para suplir sus necesidades y conocer sus derechos? Showing 8 responses El Programa ha promovido las relaciones interdependientes desde sus inicios involucrando y trabajando de manera coordinada con otras áreas de la FCA/UNA como la Dirección de Extensión, el Centro de Liderazgo en Agricultura, el vicedecanato y otras dependencias internas. Asimismo trabajos colaborativos con organizaciones externas a la FCA/UNA compartiendo responsabilidades y gastos. 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers xxx 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers 157 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 La instalacion de capacidades en las mujeres sobre sus derechos y con ello el fortalecimiento de su autoestima es evidente y esto conlleva un proceso de mayor transparencia en el funcionamiento de las Instituciones de la sociedad civil sobre todo. 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers La FCA hace mas ese trabajo 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers La FCA hace mas ese trabajo 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers NA 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers Programa de rmentoria y las capacitaciones 5/6/2015 8:08 AM View respondent's answers El de ser facilitadores y de dar las capacitaciones en estas acciones. 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q31: ¿Qué evidencia (a favor o en contra) existe en relación al nexo entre (a) los principios y metodologías del PLEMP, (b) las prácticas internas del PLEMP sobre equidad de género y diversidad, y (c) la promoción de la equidad de género y el empoderamiento? Showing 7 responses Las Políticas de apoyo al Acceso de grupos vulnerables a la FCA/UNA, Estudiantes y Egresadas seguras de sí mismas y con habilidades profesionales que les permiten salir a conquistar el mundo profesional. 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers xxx 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers Creo que PLEMP ha sido coherente en su accionar aun cuando estrategicamente esto tiene costos en el proceso de instalar cambios socio culturales (implicando ello regresiones) 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers La inclusión de género en la malla curricular, en las carreras universitarias 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers La inclusión de género en la malla curricular, en las carreras universitarias 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers NA 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers El cambio actitudinal y de responsabilidad de los estudiantes en relación a estos temas 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q32: ¿Qué tipos de intervenciones programáticas e internas parecen ser las más efectivas para promover la equidad de género y el empoderamiento de la mujer? Showing 8 responses Aquellas actividades que incluyen a los varones como los programas de Mentoria, Agroliderazgo, los talleres, foros, etc. 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers El Programa ha identificado como estrategia más efectiva la inclusión de varones y mujeres en la mayoría de las iniciativas ofrecidas, así como trabajar con organizaciones/instituciones que inicialmente no contemplaban de manera prioritaria el enfoque de género en sus acciones. Una vez iniciadas las acciones conjuntas se ha incidido para instaurar los temar referentes al género, logrando de esa manera importantes cambios en otras comunidades. Por otro lado, el establecimiento de espacios de análisis y reflexión sobre el tema, exponiendo las situaciones de discriminación invisibilizadas en prácticas cotidianas de la sociedad paraguaya y analizando el impacto de las mismas en el desarrollo individual y de la sociedad han resultado muy efectivos 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers La capacitacion en Género constante con un abordaje metodologico participativo, el programa de mentoria, la llegada a los sectores agropecuarios desde la FCA-UNA, los procesos encaminados para la 158 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 elaboracion e instalacion de politicas publicas incluyentes, la sensibilizacion sobre la inclusion de Género a los Programs y Proyectos tanto Publicos como privados y en general a las OSC. 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers Talleres informativos 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers Talleres informativos 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers NA 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers Programas de liderazgo 5/6/2015 8:08 AM View respondent's answers El trabajo con los grupos sociales y con las mujeres en particular. 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q33: ¿Qué tipos de intervenciones programáticas e internas parecen ser las menos efectivas para promover la equidad de género y el empoderamiento de la mujer? Showing 7 responses 33. Las menos efectivas son aquellas que excluyen a los varones. 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers Las intervenciones deben contar con un plazo de tiempo mínimo de 4 horas con el público meta. De lo contrario, el impacto puede resultar negativo en la audiencia y crear un efecto contrario a los objetivos perseguidos. Por otro lado, la afirmación explicita de acciones sesgadas a la mujer genera una situación de rechazo en el público en general que desconoce de los fundamentos de la perspectiva de género y los objetivos perseguidos. 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers Acciones poco participativas y unidireccionales excluyentes de los aportes de otros/otras. 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers No se 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers No se 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers NA 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers capacitaciones y entrenamientos. 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q34: ¿Tiene algún comentario adicional que quisiera agregar? Showing 7 responses Ninguno 5/20/2015 10:52 AM View respondent's answers Como consecuencia de las construcciones sociales y la formación académica fuertemente sesgada al ámbito productivo/mercantilista, los temas sociales históricamente no han sido considerados prioritarios o relevantes para la comunidad educativa, por este motivo, considero que para lograr cambios a mayor escala es necesario establecer políticas institucionales normadas por los estamentos jerárquicos más altos (Rectorado), que garanticen la participación de todos los docentes, estudiantes y/o funcionarios/as en los espacios de concienciación. De esta manera se asegurarán mayores impactos en el corto plazo. 5/14/2015 12:03 AM View respondent's answers El PLEMP constituye un aporte Institucional y del personal a cargo a la inclusion de mujeres e indigenas y de personas varones y mujeres con dificultades para insertarse en el estamento educativo terciario con el abordaje metodologico incluyente y participativo y por ello "atractivo" par la poblacion estudiantil.Como profesional me siento identificada con sus logros sobre todo de proceso. 5/13/2015 8:22 AM View respondent's answers Que seria bueno una extensión del programa para lograr sostenir las iniciativas que empezaran. 5/11/2015 3:22 PM View respondent's answers 159 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 Que seria bueno una extensión del programa para lograr sostenir las iniciativas que empezaran. 5/11/2015 3:19 PM View respondent's answers ninguna 5/11/2015 3:00 PM View respondent's answers El que se pueda ir generando mayor acercamiento a los estudiantes sobre este y otros temas similares que son de formación para su vida cotidiana. 5/4/2015 2:29 PM View respondent's answers Q17: Las siguientes preguntas están relacionadas al nivel de efectividad del PLEMP para promover la equidad de genero y el empoderamiento de la mujer. ¿Cómo calificaría la efectividad general de las siguientes iniciativas? 160 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 161 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 162 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 ANNEX IX: DESCRIPTION OF THE HOST-COUNTRY INSTITUTION: UNA-FCA Partnership Title: Women's Leadership Program in Paraguay Primary Development Sector: Education U.S. Institution(s): UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA Host-Country Institution(s): SCHOOL OF AGRARIAN SCIENCES-NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF ASUNCION Host-Country Partnership Director(s): MIGUEL ANGEL RUIZ DIAZ Email: vdecano@agr.una.py Telephone: 59521-585-606 Address: Campus Universitario, San Lorenzo, Paraguay USAID/Host-Country Contact: Darren Manning Email: dmanning@usaid.gov The School of Agricultural Sciences (FCA) has 1 headquarters and 5 campuses over the country. FCA offers 5 Bachelor's degree programs: Agronomic Engineering, Forest Engineering, Human Ecology Engineering, Degree in Agricultural Management, and Environmental Engineering. Target population:  Underserved and/or disadvantaged groups were defined as students from indigenous communities.  host-country institution's faculty and/or teaching staff  host-country institution's administrative / other staff  students enrolled in academic degree programs at the host-country institution DESCRIPTION OF THE HOST-COUNTRY INSTITUTION The School of Agrarian Sciences (FCA) is one of the 12 academic units of the National University of Asuncion (UNA). The FCA headquarters is located on UNA's campus in the city of San Lorenzo, Central Department of Paraguay. Currently, FCA-UNA has five Bachelor’s Degree Programs at the headquarters: Agronomic Engineering, Forest Engineering, Human Ecology Engineering, Degree in Agricultural and Livestock Management, and Environmental Engineering. Each program has its own Departments which are engaged in teaching, research, extension, and service activities. Graduate courses are also offered in areas such as: Plant Health, Territorial Rural Development, Soil Science, Environmental Management, Project Evaluation, and University Teaching, among others. FCA-UNA has four campuses located in the cities of Pedro Juan Caballero, San Pedro de Ykua Mandyyu, Caazapa, and Santa Rosa (Misiones). The Degrees offered in these campuses are: Agronomic Engineering 163 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 and Agricultural and Livestock Management. One section of the Degree in Agricultural Administration is offered in the Chaco campus located in Cruce Los Pioneros. FCA-UNA has more than 4,000 students and 3,500 graduate professionals. The faculty is composed by 400 highly qualified professors in various disciplines; 197 are research faculty dedicated to teaching and research at the FCA. FCA-UNA has laboratories for Chemistry, Botany, Seeds, Plant Pathology, Entomology, Biotechnology, Soils, Apiculture, Taxidermy, Wood Technology, and Nutrition and Food Processing. Research is conducted geographically, in different Departments of Paraguay such as: Central (in the cities of San Lorenzo and Julian Augusto Saldívar), Cordillera (Piribebuy City), Amambay (Pedro Juan Caballero City), San Pedro (San Pedro del Ycua Mandyyu City), Caazapá, Misiones (Santa Rosa City), and Presidente Hayes (Central Chaco region). Research activities are carried out in experimental fields located in the different FCA campuses. Research is also conducted through specific agreements between cooperating institutions and private producers. The Bachelor’s Degree in Agronomic Engineering of the FCA-UNA has an accreditation and re￾accreditation by the University Degrees Regional Accreditation System of Mercosur (ARCUSUR). Similarly, the Degree in Agronomic Engineering of the headquarters and the San Pedro del Ycuamandyyu campus are accredited by the National Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Agency (ANEAES) under the National Model of Paraguay. TEACHING FCA-UNA is characterized by continuous review and updating of the undergraduate and graduate academic programs allowing the formation of professionals with capabilities and abilities sufficient to meet the requirements, as well as professionals with ethical and social formation. GRADUATE EDUCATION FCA-UNA has a Graduate Direction to review, design, implement, evaluate, and coordinate higher education courses. These courses are organized in different levels: Post-degree courses (refresher and training courses), and Graduate courses (Specializations, Masters, and Doctorates). The current Graduate programs are: Master’s degree and Specialization in Territorial Rural Development, Master’s degree and Specialization in Soil Science and Land Use Planning, Master’s degree and Specialization in Natural Resource and Land Environmental Management, Master’s degree and Specialization in Plant Health, Specialization in University Teaching, and training courses in Environmental Impact Assessment, Environmental Audit, and Extension and Rural Development. RESEARCH The Research Direction aims to strengthen the scientific production through the development of research works with technological impacts in the agricultural and livestock, forestry, environmental, and socioeconomic sectors. The strategies are: i) to promote and strengthen research culture on college students; ii) to interact with research groups at the local, regional, national, and international level; iii) to promote and strengthen social, scientific, technological, and innovation research projects; and iv) to promote the development of research aptitudes and skills in students. 164 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 UNIVERSITY EXTENSION The University Extension Direction aims to establish links with society, through relationships with companies, public and private institutions, individuals, and formal or informal groups, by exchanging services and the results of scientific research conducted by faculty and students, as well as the products of experiential activities and knowledge acquired by society. SERVICES The FCA-UNA provides services on diagnosis, design, implementation, and evaluation of projects related to the rural sector. Several studies have been developed to evaluate and implement Rural Development projects in Paraguay. Similarly, other services are soil testing and recommendations, plant diseases and insect’s identification, seed testing, virus-free citrus plants, among others. The FCA-UNA is also qualified to provide agronomic efficacy testing of agricultural pesticides, fertilizers, and others, as well as cultivar evaluations. PUBLICATIONS FCA-UNA has publications in various areas such as fruit growing, technical writing, human nutrition, gardening, plant pathology, nematology, meteorology, medicinal plants, agricultural crops, and forest species. Institutional publications are highlighted as the Thesis Manual, the Academic Guide, and the two scientific journals: Agricultural Research and Ka’aguy, and periodical publications as the “e-Gacetilla” and “elboletinfca”. AGREEMENTS The FCA-UNA expands and enhances its relationships to develop joint research, internships, service provision, Graduate courses, training and extension activities through the signing of agreements with governmental and non-governmental institutions, national and foreign Universities, as well as non-profit Organizations, Associations, Foundations, Unions and Institutes, among others. CONGRESSES The FCA-UNA organizes congresses at the national and international level. Some highlighted congresses are: the National Congress of Agrarian Sciences conducted biannually since 2010, the Forestry Congress of the South America’s Gran Chaco (2011), the FCA is co-organizer of the Chaco Park Tri-national Network (since 2008), and the International Congress of Beef since 2005. 165 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 ANNEX X- DEFINITION OF GENDER TERMS The following is a list of terms and definitions used in the social sciences literature related to gender equality and women’s empowerment programs. Table 10 – Definition of Terms TERM DEFINITION AGENCY In the social sciences, agency is the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices. By contrast, structure is those factors of influence (such as social class, religion, gender, ethnicity, customs, etc.) that determine or limit an agent and his or her decisions. One's agency is one's independent capability or ability to act on one's will. This ability is affected by the cognitive belief structure which one has formed through one's experiences, and the perceptions held by the society and the individual, of the structures and circumstances of the environment one is in and the position they are born into21 . EMPOWERMENT Empowerment is about people -both women and men- taking control over their lives: setting their own agendas, gaining skills, building self-confidence, solving problems and developing self-reliance. No one can empower another: only the individual can empower herself or himself to make choices or to speak out. However, institutions including international cooperation agencies can support processes that can nurture self￾empowerment of individuals or groups22 . GENDER Gender refers to the roles and responsibilities of men and women that are created in our families, our societies and our cultures. The concept of gender also includes the expectations held about the characteristics, aptitudes and likely behaviors of both women and men (femininity and masculinity). Gender roles and expectations are learned. They can change over time and they vary within and between cultures. Systems of social differentiation such as political status, class, ethnicity, physical and mental disability, age and more, modify gender roles. The concept of gender is vital because, applied to social analysis; it reveals how women’s subordination (or men’s domination) is socially constructed. As such, the subordination can be changed or ended. It is not biologically predetermined nor is it fixed forever.23 GENDER ANALYSIS Gender analysis is the collection and analysis of sex-disaggregated information. Men and women both perform different roles. This leads to women and men having different experience, knowledge, talents and needs. Gender analysis explores these differences so policies, programs and projects can identify and meet the different needs of men and women. Gender analysis also facilitates the strategic use of distinct knowledge and skills possessed by women and men.24 GENDER EQUALITY Gender equality means that women and men have equal conditions for realizing their full human rights and for contributing to, and benefiting from, economic, social, cultural and political development. Gender equality is therefore the equal valuing by society of the similarities and the differences of men and women, and the roles they play. It is based on women and men being full partners in their home, their community and their society.25 21 Barker, Chris. 2005. Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice. London: Sage. ISBN 0-7619-4156-8 p448 22 Baseline definitions of key concepts and terms (2003). UNESCO’s Gender Mainstreaming Implementation Framework available at: http://portal.unesco.org/es/files/11483/10649049699Definitions.doc/Definitions.doc 23 http://portal.unesco.org/es/files/11483/10649049699Definitions.doc/Definitions.doc 24 http://portal.unesco.org/es/files/11483/10649049699Definitions.doc/Definitions.doc 25 http://portal.unesco.org/es/files/11483/10649049699Definitions.doc/Definitions.doc 166 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 GENDER EQUITY Gender equity is the process of being fair to men and women. To ensure fairness, measures must often be put in place to compensate for the historical and social disadvantages that prevent women and men from operating on a level playing field. Equity is a means. Equality is the result.26 GENDER INTEGRATION Gender integration means taking account of both the differences and the inequalities between men and women in program planning, implementation, and assessment. The roles and activities of men and women affect who does what in carrying out an activity, and who benefits. Taking account of the inequalities and designing programs to reduce them should contribute not only to more effective development programs but also to greater social equity. GENDER MAINSTREAMING Gender-mainstreaming is a process rather than a goal. Efforts to integrate gender into existing institutions of the mainstream have little value for their own sake. We mainstream gender concerns to achieve gender equality and improve the relevance of development agendas. Such an approach shows that the costs of women’s marginalization and gender inequalities are born by all.27 UN ECOSOC describes gender mainstreaming as “the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programs, in all areas and at all levels. It is a strategy for making women’s as well as men’s concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmers in all political, economic and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality.”28 GENDER SENSITIVITY AND GENDER AWARENESS Gender awareness is the recognition that the life experiences, expectations, and needs of women and men are different, that many times they involve inequity, and that they are subject to change.29 Gender sensitivity is considered the beginning stage of gender awareness. The latter is more analytical, more critical, and more "questioning" of gender disparities. Gender awareness is the ability to identify problems arising from gender inequality and discrimination, even if these are not very evident on the surface or are "hidden" (i.e., not part of the general or commonly accepted explanation of what and where the problem lies). GENDER-BASED CONSTRAINTS Gender-based constraints are factors that inhibit either men's or women's access to resources or opportunities of any type. They can be formal laws, attitudes, perceptions, values, or practices (cultural, institutional, political, or economic)30 . SEX Sex describes the biological differences between men and women, which are universal and determined at birth.31 Sex-Disaggregated Data is data that is collected and presented separately on men and women.32 26 http://portal.unesco.org/es/files/11483/10649049699Definitions.doc/Definitions.doc 27 http://portal.unesco.org/es/files/11483/10649049699Definitions.doc/Definitions.doc 28 ECOSOC Agreed Conclusions 1997/2 29 http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001320/132034e.pdf 30 http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/cross-cutting_programs/wid/gender/gender_analysis.html 31 http://portal.unesco.org/es/files/11483/10649049699Definitions.doc/Definitions.doc 32 http://portal.unesco.org/es/files/11483/10649049699Definitions.doc/Definitions.doc 167 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 WORKS CITED Aksornkool, Namtip (1995), Educate to Empower: An Asian Experience in Women, Education and Empowerment: Pathways towards Autonomy edited by Carolyn Medel-Anonuevo. 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The Theoretical and Practical Bases for Empowerment, in Women, Education and Empowerment: Pathways towards Autonomy edited by Carolyn Medel-Anonuevo. UNESCO Institute for Education Studies 5, 1995: Hamburg, Germany 168 External Evaluation of the WLP-Paraguay 2015 U.S. Agency for International Development 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20523