November 20, 2015 Volume 4

November 25, 2014

November 25, 2014
November 25, 2014

INSPIRING CHANGE
AECOMs Bi-Annual Gender Bulletin Showcasing Our
Commitment to Advancing Gender Equality
Included in this Bulletin
Women and Youth Access Land for
Forage Production: Making Land
Tenure a Reality for Women

Highlighting Female Leadership and

its Impact on Water Security:
Showcasing Female General Managers
Supported by the Be Secure Project

Launching AECOM mCircles in

Kosovo REPower Project: Promoting
Female Leadership and Mentoring

Local Artisan and Womens

Advocate: A Look at How TEPS is
Impacting Womens Economic and
Social Empowerment

Support to Womens Organizations

in Peru and Colombia: Identifying
Ways to Increase Access to Information
about Climate Change Adaptation

Inspiring Change at AECOM: Facilitating Womens

Empowerment
Bi-annually, we circulate the AECOM Gender Bulletin, Inspiring Change, which
highlights the work we are doing to holistically address gender and social
inclusion across our programming. I am pleased to circulate this fourth edition
highlighting accomplishments from some of our AECOM projects, some of which
have yet to be featured.
Women face many social challenges, whether it comes to the constraints women
face in securing land to grow forage as we have seen in our project in northern
Mali; to the difficulties women have faced in managing large teams in a socially
conservative region as we have seen in our project in the Philippines; or
womens efforts to try to get ahead professionally in a male dominated sector,
such as energy, in our project in Kosovo. In an effort to address these
challenges and others, our teams focus on implementing strategies that support
female empowerment it relates to women gaining power and control over their
own lives. We understand that empowerment comes from within and that women
empower themselves. However, as an organization committed to addressing
gender equality through our programming, we try to identify those opportunities
that can support the necessary inputs to promote the empowerment of women.
We identify those opportunities and employ strategies that allow women to

articulate their needs and priorities, and can also take a more active role in promoting these interests and needs.
I am pleased to see our AECOM programming across the globe continues to grow even more committed to addressing gender
and social inclusion holistically; and going the extra mile to implement targeted efforts that make a difference amongst more
vulnerable populations with whom we work. Our projects continue to plan early on for dedicated gender assessments to gain a
much more comprehensive understanding of mens and womens unique needs. In turn, we have been highly successful in
designing gender-sensitive interventions that are responsive to the context efforts such as awareness raising, building selfconfidence, expanding choices, increasing access to and control over resources and initiatives that help transform institutions
which reinforce and perpetuate gender discrimination and inequality.
Finally, I am happy that our AECOM programs understand that womens empowerment cannot be achieved in a vacuum; men
must be brought along in the process of change. For example, as we see in our L4G Project in Mali, men are equally as
important to increasing access to an important resource as the women who are advocating for the very resource. Without careful
consideration of gender dynamics in each respective context where we work, we can run the risk of overlooking important
opportunities to strengthen gender relations and achieve even higher gains. It is for this reason that it is so important that we
identify gender champions, both men and women, in an effort to continue to push forward and have a lasting impact.

Dina M. Scippa, AECOM Gender Adviser

Email: Dina.Scippa@aecom.com

Women and Youth Access Land for Forage Production

Making Land Tenure a Reality for Women through Support from the Mali Livestock for Growth (L4G)
The lack of forage resources in the Sahelian region of Mali is
a major constraint to livestock production and food sufficiency.
Feeding and forage related needs are often cited as one of
the primary challenges faced by agro-pastoral communities of
the region, particularly given that prices for livestock products
have fluctuated and grain costs are much higher. In addition,
changing climate patterns impact the quality and availability of
land to produce forage to meet growing demands. The result
is that forage is more valuable than it has ever been, and
improving forage management has the potential to yield
significant financial dividends.
However, producing forage requires access to land. In Mali,
men play a primary role in raising and selling livestock; and
thus do not have time to also grow forage. Alternatively,
women do have the time to dedicate to this important activity,
but are traditionally prevented from holding or accessing land,
as this is considered a male domain. In efforts to counteract
traditional perspectives on womens access to land, the L4G
Gender Team visited with traditional leaders, village elders,
and male landowners to discuss with them the long term
benefits to the community for vulnerable groups to acquire
land for the purpose of producing forage. After four months of
visits and debate with decision-makers at the village level, the
L4G supported Livelihood Business Platforms have
successfully lobbied to obtain 34.25 hectares of land in fifteen
L4G villages. This acquisition will benefit 519 youth and 1,509
women, with 12.25 and 22 hectares of land, respectively.
Yaoumou Togo, age 29, President of the Womens Group in
Don Village shared: Womens and youth roles in agrolivestock production are extremely important, but in our culture
the merit is given to the male head of household. This is why

AECOM

Signature of a land-on-loan protocol agreement by the

Deputy Mayor of Koporona Commune, Koro District

the Livestock for Growth Program has helped us so much to

seek out land for ourselves. Today we have in hand signed,
legally-binding, land-on-loan documents and an engagement
protocol with the landowner that guaranties our rights to use
the land.
To further support women and youth to profit from their land
acquisitions, the L4G Program will support them with starter
kits of quality forage seeds and small amounts of fertilizer,
teaching them fertilizer micro-dosing, and technical
assistance.

Highlighting Female Leadership and its Impact on Water Security

Showcasing Female General Managers Supported by the Philippines Be Secure Project
network of social institutions including universities,
NGOs and youth groups.
Project staff works with the mayors of Isabela and
Zamboanga Cities, the governor of Basilan
Province and three general managers (GMs) of
water utilities examples of female leaders across
Mindanao. Specifically, the three female GMs,
Rachel Beja in Cagayan de Oro City, Leonora
Nora Gaudiano in Cotabato City and Aleli Lexcy
Almodovar in Isabela City, manage public water
utilities composed primarily of male engineers and
are willing to risk their lives (some have received
numerous death threats); and still, succeed in
running efficient organizations with a vision to the
future.
GM Rachel Beja is a young civil engineer with a
masters degree in environmental engineering and
her PhD in public administration. She is
spearheading
a program to significantly reduce her
Female General Managers from Water Districts supported by the Be Secure
utilitys
water
losses,
which are currently about
Project. From left to right: GM Rachel Beja (Cagayan de Oro City); GM Lenora
Gaudiano (Cotobato City); and GM Aleli Almodovar (Isabela City)
50%, with technical assistance funded by Be
Secure and the Coca-Cola Foundation, a grant
The Island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines is home to
from Japan, and a loan from the government.
numerous indigenous Muslim groups known for their fierce
GM Nora Gaudiano from Cotabato City has a masters degree
independence in the face of western colonialism and national
in public administration but has mainly worked in accounting
rule from Manila. Perhaps less well known is that there are
and finance. With support from Be Secure, a feasibility study
many women working in high-level government positions there
was conducted in collaboration with her water district to
despite traditional Asian and Muslim values that focus on
identify new water sources and is now exploring establishing a
womens primary role in the family and home. The USAIDreservoir. A grandmother of five, she says, I took the job
funded Be Secure Project, which is implemented by AECOM,
because I wanted to prove I was worthy of being promoted to
is working with many of these key female leaders to bring
this position, and I give my best to it.
improved water supply and sanitation services to people in
four areas of Mindanao where years of armed conflict and
underdevelopment have left many without access to these
basic services.
Specifically, the Be Secure Project has sought out
opportunities to support women who are currently in
leadership positions in training initiatives and consultation
fora, making it a priority for the project to ensure that men and
women benefit from equal participation, have opportunities to
influence decision-making, and that women (both in planning
and water use) are empowered to make their own choices.
AECOM staff of the USAID-funded Be Secure project are
providing technical assistance in four of the largest cities of
Mindanao, Cotabato City, Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro and
Isabella City in Basilan. AECOM also works closely with Local
Governments and Water Districts of these cities and with a

AECOM

GM Lexcy Almodovar, also a grandmother and a professional

administrator, has perhaps the most difficult circumstances as
Basilan is one of the most violence-prone areas of the
country, with kidnappings, crime and political disputes that are
often settled with weapons. Despite these circumstances, she
has successfully brought her water utility from the verge of
bankruptcy to a profitable state, increased the number of
service connections, and is the first in Mindanao to set up a
septic tank management program with technical assistance
from AECOM.
All three GMs prove that facing challenges in Mindanao is not
a problem for women with a strong vision and the
determination to see it through. AECOMs Be Secure Project
is proud to be working with them.

Launching mCircle Framework to Encourage Professional Development for Women in Energy

Institutions
Supporting Mentoring and Leadership under the Kosovo REpower Project
AECOM, through its implementation of the USAID-funded
REpower project, is providing technical assistance to the
transition to other sources of renewable energy in Kosovo.
Throughout this transition, AECOMs team is looking for
opportunities to ensure that benefits are generated equitably
for both women and men. One of the primary constraints
highlighted in the projects Gender Assessment conducted
earlier this year was the lack of professional development
opportunities for women in energy institutions.

Regulatory Office (ERO), and the Ministry of Economic

Development (MED).

By working with key energy stakeholders in Kosovo, REpower

has devoted technical assistance to helping our partners
provide increased opportunities for women in leadership,
management, and professional development opportunities by
launching the AECOM mCircles in each of the five primary
institutions with whom we work. The selected institutions will
include: Kosovo Energy Distribution Services (KEDS),
Kosovar Electricity Transmission, System (KOSTT), Energy

AECOMs Mentoring Circles (mCircles), originally

developed by AECOMs Global Womens Council, have
worked to advance gender diversity through mentoring,
networking, skills development, and career management.
The mCircle framework provides a forum in which mentees
can seek and receive constructive advice to support their
career growth from other mentors. Through collaboration
and shared insight, this framework will be used to link
women currently employed in the energy sector to be linked
with mentors within the selected institutions to provide an
opportunity for professional development and growth. We
look forward to following the progress made by employing
the mCircle framework to highlight this as a best practice in
future programs.

Local Artisan and Womens Advocate: Reaching Out to Empower Other Women
A Look at How TEPS is Impacting Womens Economic and Social Empowerment
Amira Ahmed has been an avid supporter of womens
empowerment, particularly in her home of Blue Nile State.
Amira first participated in a handicrafts workshop back in
1984, and quickly learned her passion for volunteerism and
handicrafts and saw this as an excellent opportunity to help
women from Blue Nile State. Under USAIDs new Toward
Enduring Peace in Sudan (TEPS) program, more women like
Amira will benefit from social and economic empowerment
projects to positively impact their own lives and that of their
communities. TEPS is currently working to strengthen and
empower 150 economically active grassroots women through
vocational training and in-kind support to improve their
livelihood opportunities and contribute to peace and
development efforts in Blue Nile State.
In 2013, Amiras passion and skills put her on the international
stage. As part of the womens cooperative group Tabaag Al
Salaam (Peace Plate) Amira joined a USAID supported
project which provided training on small business
management and provided basic equipment and tools to 160
women through 10 registered womens cooperative groups,

AECOM

and advocated with the local authority to specify places for the
women to sell their products in the local market.
Thereafter, Amira was also chosen as a womens peace
ambassador to participate in a USAID supported project which
selected 40 of the strongest women leaders in Blue Nile State
and provided them with substantive skills training on conflict
mitigation, mediation, and peaceful coexistence messaging.
Remarking on the impact of the trainings on her life, Amira
says, USAID [has] helped to increase my knowledge about
opportunities that are available for womens empowerment by
participating in training and workshops, and also by sharing
personal experiences with other women.
Amira plans to work with other women from Blue Nile State
to cultivate the 15-acre lot of land she acquired through an
award by the Best Arabic Productive Families Award,
sponsored by the Princess of Bahrain. She intends to build a
womens development center, with sorghum using zerotillage technology. She also plans to produce groundnut oil
using the oil press which was provided to her cooperative
group.

Speaking on her life and remarkable achievements so

far, Amira says that, my awareness has been raised
about searching for new ideas that may help to
generate new job opportunities and teaching women
new skills to increase their positive role in the Blue 4
Nile community.

Support to Womens Organizations in Peru and Colombia

Identifying Ways to Increase Access to Information about Climate Change Adaption on PARA-Agua
Gender, is targeted to all CoP participants. This portal
shares information about gender issues in the context of
climate change adaptation and water management. The
second newly added group, the Water Communicators
Network brings together water communicators from ChiraPiura; and was formed as a result of a capacity building
workshop of the Communications Network. This portal
focuses on gender-specific approaches in water resource
management, as implemented in the context of the Piura
watershed

The USAID-funded Partnering for Adaptation and

Resilience (PARA-Agua) project based in Colombia and
Peru has concentrated on leveraging the understanding
women have of their immediate environment, their
experience in natural resource management. Through
targeted gender analyses of each watershed basin, the
PARA-Agua staff has a comprehensive understanding of
the diverse roles that women play - roles go far beyond
caregivers and nurturers in the project region
demonstrated in the form of strong social networks within
their communities, initiatives that strengthen their
collective management of risks posed by climate change,
and strategies employed to influence decision-making
processes that they have traditionally been excluded from.
PARA-Agua has been very successful in increasing
access to information as it relates to gender and climate
change, has helped raise awareness, and build
competency across womens social networks in Peru and
Colombia. One of the ways the project has worked to
increase gender awareness is through the online Science
for Adaptation Community of Practice (CoP) (www.paraagua.net), which continues to attract a wide audience
monthly. The CoP serves as an ongoing forum for
communication and collaboration between climate
scientists, researchers, and decision makers involved in
watershed management. Over the last quarter, PARAAgua added two groups to the projects funded
Community of Practice (CoP). These two online portals
have a gender-specific focus, targeted at disseminating
more information on the gender-climate change nexus to
the scientific research and policy community. The first
online portal group, for Climate Change Adaptation and

AECOM

PARA-Aguas support to the network of communicators

and journalists is an example of where the project seeks
to maximize opportunities of existing project activities to
expand support for gender integration. Given that this
communicators network is active in all regions of the
Chira-Piura watershed, they have direct access to
different communities across the watershed and they can
play an active role in increasing access to information
about water resources management. The Water
Resources Council is particularly interested in their
accreditation and using them as a spokesman for the
Councils actions as well as implementation of the
management plan for the basin.
The use of communications products developed through
the capacity building workshop, which included five (5)
radio and television spots, will be produced in cooperation
with our mediao outlet partner, Radio Cutavulu. Nontraditional roles for women and men on water resources
management are featured in these communication
products; and demonstrate how issues such as family
environment, emotional support, and household
management are linked to water resources. The
Communicators Network is an excellent example of how
to increase awareness of information about climate
change adaptation strategies, particularly to vulnerable
groups such as women.
.

New Opportunities at AECOM to Integrate and Address Gender

Recent Win! AECOM is extremely pleased with the recent award of the USAID-funded Strengthening
Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development (SEED) program in Egypt. This U.S. $22.9 million contract supports
USAIDs goal in Egypt on strengthening the development of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and
entrepreneurship. This very important project provides a unique opportunity to support women and youth in the context of
SME development. Given the fact that it is estimated that just 20% of Egyptian businesses are owned by women, the
target for services delivered to women must increase this share to higher than 20% to contribute to reduced gender gaps.
SEED will provide BDS to MSMEs, with an emphasis on those that are female-owned, employ a majority of women,
and/or have the potential to hire significant numbers of women. The project will devote particular attention to assure
equitable participation and economic empowerment of women in all program activities. Technical guidance and support
provided by AECOMs Gender Adviser in order to ensure that both womens and youth issues are analyzed and program
activities are designed to maximize womens economic empowerment and decision-making, access to productive
resources, and opportunity to increase household incomes.

Live BD Opportunity! The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Australias international development aid
agency, has recently announced a solicitation for a project called Investing in Women, a $30m project to be carried out
over three years, with a potential four year option period. Investing in Women is a long-term approach to improving
womens economic participation, building markets for women, and influencing the private and public sector environment to
promote womens economic empowerment. The Governments new aid paradigm makes clear that the role for Australian
aid is to catalyse economic growth and poverty reduction, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. A strong and active private
sector is a key to strong economies and small medium enterprises are an engine for economic growth. This new aid
paradigm gives increased attention to empowering women and girls as a central objective in the aid program, recognising
the significant benefits that flow to whole communities and economies from womens participation. The overall goal of
Investing in Women is to contribute to womens economic empowerment in South East Asia with the understanding that
this will, in turn, contribute to continued inclusive economic growth in the region. This builds on the premise that continued
growth depends upon harnessing all resources available. AECOMs Gender Adviser is working with our colleagues in our
URS Australia office on this exciting opportunity, and is looking to leverage past performance and unique AECOM tools in
the context of this proposal.

New Resource! AECOM is committed to advancing gender equality through it diverse development portfolio. In
December 2015, AECOMs Gender Adviser will be releasing the AECOM Gender Integration Framework Manual, with
an initial training roll-out to the Arlington office. The purpose of this manual is to provide guidance to AECOM staff around
the world on how to meaningfully integrate gender into the implementation activity cycle. This manual provides useful
tools for carrying out gender analysis, guidance on how to operationalize commitments to integrate gender, and explains
the AECOM methodology of incorporating gender into our work. This manual also features materials and tools that have
been used in our own AECOM projects.

AECOM