The Gender Responsive Equitable Agriculture and Tourism (GREAT) Program had disbursed nearly $240,000 in sponsorship to its projects in northern Lao Cai and Son La provinces as at early May.
Photo: Aus4Equality
The program is a flagship initiative funded by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and managed by DFAT-appointed Managing CowaterSogema Int., Inc in the 2017-2021 period. The provincial people’s committees of Son La and Lao Cai are the program’s key counterparts. A Vice Chair of each committee is a member of a joint GREAT Steering Committee that approves the annual work plan and budget and meets formally every six months to discuss program progress.
There are now 15 signed agreements, totaling $8.94 million in co-investment from the private sector, for business opportunities for 40,000 women and 4,000 new jobs with a focus on ethnic minority women, engaging in agriculture and tourism markets in the two provinces.
Over five years, the GREAT Program aims to impact the lives of 10 per cent of the adult female populations in Son La and Lao Cai, such as: Increase self-reported confidence, enthusiasm, and self-esteem of 80 per cent of women beneficiaries (or 32,000 women beneficiaries); Increase the number of women leading or co-managing formal businesses by 15 per cent; Increase women’s profile and roles in policy, management, strategic decision-making, and resource allocation in the agriculture and tourism market sectors; Achieve measurable improvements in gender equity and roles and norms within the families of GREAT beneficiaries; Ensure that 80 per cent of agriculture and tourism stakeholders confirm that sector plans and strategies adequately address issues that are critical for inclusive sector growth; and
Contribute to significant progress in five or more provincial policies or guidelines in the agriculture and tourism sectors.