Training and consciousness-raising for rural women: fifth international seminar of the International Liaison Committee for Food (CILCA) in cooperation with the Union of Malian Women (UNFM) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Anonymous
La formation et l' animation des femmes rurales cinquieme journees internationales du Comite International de Liaison du Corps pour l' Alimentation CILCA en cooperation avec l' Union des Femmes du Mali UNFM et l' Agence Canadienne de Developpement International ACDI: 121
1984
Document Number: 313710
The seminar was held in June 1983 in Bamako, Mali, its objectives being to exchange experiences and further define the content and methodology for training and consciousness-raising programmes for Malian rural women in their role as food producers. The report reproduces 13 papers presented at the seminar, plus speeches, commission reports and a summary report of the seminar. The conclusions covered the importance of listening to the needs of rural people, flexibility of goals according to changing circumstances; acquiring an intimate knowledge of a district or village, including its human resources potential, before embarking on projects; the long term nature of any consciousness-raising or informational programmes; the importance of training, especially the criteria for the selection of rural development workers and their motivation; the nature of the training given and the necessity of motivating the recipients to carry on activities and projects independently thereafter. Functional literacy should also be integrated into the training programmes. The importance of cooperatives in response to a perceived need on the part of the population, of follow-up and evaluation activities, of appropriate transfer of technology and of coordination between the various services concerned with rural women are stressed. The seminar drafted four recommendations on the above themes and expressed the hope that foreign aid could be used for agricultural implements and for an emergency fund in times of unfavourable climatic conditions.