A BASELINE SURVEY FOCUSED GROUP DISCUSSION HELD ON 22 ND JUNE 2020 AT AKURAO

PARISH MAGARA VILLAGE TOROMA SUB COUNTY KATAKWI DISTRICT

Focus Group: For Men Only

Focus Group (Identification Name): Numbers 1 – 8
Number of Participants: 8
Date: 22nd June 2020
Facilitator: OTWOROT ALFRED (P.O GBV)
Note taker: ALFRED JOHN OPOLOT (P.O LAND PROTECTION)
Observer: MR. GEORGE ORUKA (PROJECT COORDINATOR)
a) ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
 Qn); How do different family members participate in a given activity (roles) and what
are their different responsibilities? Who does what in care, domestic in productive
work and in community engagement and why? (Girls, Boys, Women, Men)
Resp 9; Women do more of domestic chores than the men and these include; cooking,
welcoming visitors, taking care of children, washing clothes, fetching firewood, and cutting
grass used for thatching houses. Resp 1: Added that women do a lot of garden work especially,
weeding of crops, harvesting, drying and threshing

Resp 2; Men do more community engagement like serving the clan and community in different
roles, looking after animals and looking for money. Why? Resp 3; Just like you men are here
serving us but you left your women at home and they will pay you, therefore these are gender
roles that we know. The participants also cited culture which puts men on a dominating side
and women as subordinates. Resp 8; pointed out that women are weaker generally and that
certain roles such as digging a latrine can not be done by them.

 Qn); Which categories of people (Women and Men) are involved in community
decision making processes/structures such as the household, local government
bodies, village development committees and why? What roles do they play and how
do these roles differ?
Resp 2; Men are mostly involved in all decision-making processes and structures including in the
households, villages and local government. Resp 2; It is because men are wiser and more
energetic. Secondly, our culture tells us that women are inferior to men. It is also nature that
women are not brave, they are more fearful. Resp 1: Men make critical decisions in the house
hold on the acquisition and sale of properties, what to cultivate in a given season and how to
utilize the household resources. At village and community in general, men dominate the
decision-making processes for example, in Magara Village out of a committee of 11 people in
the LC 1, there are only four (4) and yet this is a key development planning committee in the
village. In the Parish Development Committee of Akurao parish, there are only 3 women out of 9
members.

Why? Resp 2 cited that this happens the way it does because women are restricted in terms of
movement and that they miss most of the meetings where such decision-making structures are
instituted. Women also tend to shy a way from taking up certain key roles in decision making
for example, in the previous LC 1 elections, only one woman showed interest to contest for LC 1
in the whole parish of Akurao.
What roles do they play?

Resp 8: Women in most cases play roles of secretary, treasurer and members in key decision-
making structures. For example, most of the VSLAs in our community have women as treasurers
and yet the chairpersons are dominated by men

 Qn) Who makes decisions about the use of resources available to the family like land?
Resp 1; It’s the men that make decisions about use of resources in the family not only land but
all other resources including food and animals. For the case of land, the men dominate decisions
on its use because the land belongs to the men. Resp 5 pointed out that in some families, men
consult with their spouses on the use of land especially on what to plant where

b) STRATEGIC CHOICES
 Qn) Has the family/household made any large changes in the past year or two, such as
the purchase or sale of property, or decision regarding the family/economic activities?
How was the decision made? Who was consulted? Who has a say?
Resp 1. There is change in the past two years. How? My parents died when I was a big boy and
left us with gardens which I had to divide amongst my brothers and each got a portion. In
consultation with my uncles and brothers, we came up with a decision of dividing land. The land
was equally divided among the children of the late.

Resp. 6. My household has been engaged in agricultural production in the last two years with a
focus on cereals (Sorghum and millet). This has enhanced our income levels as a family and we
were able to purchase so far two cows and three goats. We reached at this decision after
several failures on ground nuts and when my wife suggested that let us try out cereals, I did not
object and that is why we achieved what we have been able to achieve

c) ACCESS TO, CONTROL OVER AND OWNERSHIP OF RESOURCES

 Qn) Who has access to what services (e.g. agriculture extension services, credit,
healthcare, legal aid etc.) and why?
Resp 7. I and my wife get access to services and there is gender balance in these services

Resp 1; There are a number of services as provided by government and Non-Government

Organization such as education, healthcare, water among others. Their access is not limited to
any gender group and there is no discrimination as opposed to sex, disability or geographical
location. However, men some times tend to shy away from certain services such as HIV/AIDS
counselling and testing services.

Resp 3. There are certain services that are biased and favor and the rich most women for
example credit services tend to favor the rich in the community who can provide security and
women who are seen as credit worthy.

 Qn) Who has ownership of which resources and why? And who obtains and controls
additional resources when they become available (e.g. land, housing, water supply,
equipment, money, government handouts, food)
Resp 8. Men own resources because they are wise and they have a right to obtain and control
all resources. Resp 7. Most of the household resources are owned by men since they are the
household heads, they are the ones also who do the planning in the household and in most
cases, men are the ones that go out there to look for resources so as to provide for the family

 Qn) who decides on the use and distribution of resources, including land, money,
equipment, training opportunities, agricultural produce and education
Resp 4. A man has all rights to make a decision in a home

 Qn) what are the sources of income and which member earns the income? Who
makes decisions about the use of household income and spending?
All Resps – fishing, harvesting crops, growing crops, rearing animals, doing small scale
businesses

d) ACCESS TO MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION

 Qn) in what spaces and decision-making structures are decisions related to any
project/programme areas made?
All Resps – LCI Office, GIZ NGO, Action Aid, Teso Initiative for Peace (TIP), SOCADIDO, Savings
0groups, REFLECT cycle, Environment Committees.

 Qn) within these spaces and structures, is decision making transparent and how open
is the process
Resp 5. Sometimes the structures are transparent depending on the issues being handled. For
example, some LC1s connive with perpetrators of Child abuse especially defilement, and thus
causing those girls to get married early.

e) RIGHTS, RULES AND SOCIAL NORMS

 Qn) what cultural practices and norms are prevalent in this community e.g. customs
affecting gender equality – both positive and negative, such as early marriage, harmful
traditional practices such as widow inheritance etc.?
All Resps – a man must be superior to a woman, a woman’s only roles is to cook and do house
chores, only men should rear animals, early marriages as a result of school drop outs, women
must bow before their husbands, women should serve men big pieces of source (meat, fish etc.).

 How do societal expectations (e.g. Doctors are men while nurses are women,
household chores are for women, ownership and inheritance of property like land is
for men/boys, heirs should be men or boys etc.) about what it means to be a
woman/man/boy/girl strengthen or worsen power relations.
Resp 6. This brings about gender imbalance especially on the side of women and girls, for
instance women cannot dig a pit because they are lazy. It is also true that women are fit to be
nurses because they need less work, and if a woman owns property then she may have very
many men surrounding her.

 Can you think of any situations in which those expectations prevented women from
accessing and influencing decision- making or from participating in a process?
Resp 8. In Alere Village, one of our own has on several attempts tried to contest for the position
of Toroma Constituency Member of Parliament a position that is traditionally seen to be for
men. For three attempts now, she has not made it. Sad to note is that even within our parish
where she hails from, she has not received support. This is attributed to the fact that the
community thinks that directly elected member of Parliament is a position that is meant for
men. On several occasions, people have advised her to vie woman MP because that is where she
belongs. This in away has barred her from participating in decision making.

Resp 5. One of my relatives who happens to be a single mother of three ventured into Boda
Boda riding as a means of survival and providing for her family. She however received numerous
criticisms from the community who waged lots of insults on her for having engaged in an
activity that is purely meant for men. This greatly demoralized her and she eventually withdrew
from this engagement more so because most of the potential customers shunned away from
her in preference for her male counterparts. This in a way prevented her from participating in
an economic activity that would have brought change to her and her family.

 What social norms change processes are already underway? Who is leading these and
how are they impacting on women?
Resp 4. Presence of NGOs like GIZ and TIP which train and sensitize community members on
GBV.

Resp 3. Clan leaders also usually sensitize the community

Resp 6. The LCI acts as defense of the community and a referral pathway for especially GBV
issues

Resp 7. Savings groups also act as a way of curbing poverty

Facilitator. Thank you so much for the little time that you have spent with us, and let us
applaud ourselves…………., however if anyone has a question or an issue, please raise it up
and we can respond in a minute.
 Resp 3. One of the causes of our poverty in this community is lack of hoes for digging
and we cannot borrow, can you as SOCADIDO help and provide us with hoes?
Facilitator. Well, thank you for that question, as you are all aware that this is a new project that
is focusing on GBV and land rights, therefore as the project moves on, and as we implement it in
liason with you community members, we shall discover what really causes GBV and land
disputes, and if this becomes one of the strongest causes, then we shall present it to
management for appropriate action. But we are aware that a happy family can thrive
economically so easily. So when we address the GBV issues, families can be able to plan
together, work together and therefore address the different socio-economic problems that may
arise and again.
Thank you for your time, stay well stay safe, and please abide by the SOPs as guided by the
Ministry of Health in leadership of H.E the President of our Country. Good bye!
 A BASELINE SURVEY FOCUSED GROUP DISCUSSION HELD ON 22ND JUNE 2020 AT APUUTON
PARISH AKISIM AND APUUTON VILLAGES TOROMA SUB COUNTY KATAKWI DISTRICT

FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS FOR WOMEN ONLY SPACE

Focus Group (Identification Name): Number 1 – 11
Number of Participants: 11
Date: 22nd June 2020
Facilitator: Awici Sarah (P.O.L.P)
Note taker: Acom Jane Teddy
Observer: Aanyu Jane

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. How do different family members participate in a given activity (roles) and what are
their different responsibilities? Who does what in care, domestic in productive work and
in community engagement and why? (Girls, Boys, Women, Men)
Men
 Resp 4. Taking animals for grazing
 Resp 4. Cultivating land using ox ploughs
 Resp 3. Constructing houses
 Resp 2. Providing medical attention to the family members.
 Resp 5. Taking children to school
 Rep 2. Buying / hunting for food
 Resp 6. Representing the households in meetings
 Resp 3. Selling harvests
 Resp 9. There are usually leaders in the clan system
Women
 Resp 3. Preparing daily meals food
 Resp 4. Bathing children
 Resp 3. Gathering grass for construction
 Resp 7. Washing clothes
 Resp 1. Sweeping the house
 Resp 2. Taking care of children at home
 Resp 6. Weeding the gardens, harvesting food from the gardens, gathering firewood,
Fetching water
Why
Men
Resp 8, 1, 3. Generally men have the all the freedom to do what they feel like and because
they’re the ones who pay dowry for women.
Women
Resp 7. Some work is hard to do and it needs the male power. Also, women do work because it
is the culture and norms known to them.
2. Which categories of people (Women and Men) are involved in community decision
making processes/structures such as the household, local government bodies, village
development committees and why? What roles do they play and how do these roles
differ?
 Resp 2, and 4. Men are much more considered to give in their opinions and make
decisions in all meetings/gathering because they always have bright ideas, Only those who
are married and leaders in the community have strong voices, The flow usually are left for
those who are 30 years and above.
 What roles do they play and how do these roles differ?
Resp 3, 6, and 5. Men contribute in meetings while women listen or prepare food for the rest
of the members.
 Who makes decisions about the use of resources available to the family like land?
Resp 7, 4, 5 and 8. A man.

STRATEGIC CHOICES

2 Has the family/household made any large changes in the past year or two, such as the
purchase or sale of property, or decision regarding the family/economic activities? How
was the decision made? Who was consulted? Who has a say?
Resp 6. Yes. How? My husband wanted to sell 8 goats so that he can buy one bull because our
household had only goats so when he consulted me, I gave him a go ahead. The man has a say
and even influenced my decision.
ACCESS TO, CONTROL OVER AND OWNERSHIP OF RESOURCES

3 Who has access to what services (e.g. agriculture extension services, credit, healthcare,
legal aid etc.) and why?
Resp 3 and 6. Both men and women have access to all services in the house hold because
both are in the same family.

 Who has ownership of which resources and why? And who obtains and controls
additional resources when they become available (e.g. land, housing, water supply,
equipment, money, government handouts, food)

Resp 4 and 1. Men have ownership of land, animals at home because they are the heads of
the families, they also obtain and controls additional resources.

 who decides on the use and distribution of resources, including land, money,
equipment, training opportunities, agricultural produce and education?
Resp 2, 7 and 5. Men

 What are the sources of income and which member earns the income? Who makes
decisions about the use of household income and spending?
 Resp 6. Agricultural products
 Resp 3. Domestic animals and birds (cattle, goats, pigs, turkeys, hens)
 Resp 8. Small scale businesses
 Resp 6. Village savings and Loan associations.
 Resp 4. Fishing

ACCESS TO MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION

4 In what spaces and decision-making structures are decisions related to any

project/programme areas made?
 Resp 7, 2, 5, and 8. Both men and women are involved though women may not
contribute their ideas.
 Resp 6 and 3. LC3 court, NGO TIP, Action aid, saving groups.
 Within these spaces and structures, is decision making transparent and how open is the
process
Resp 1-8. Depending on the issue at hand but at most cases all ideas are shared openly.
RIGHTS, RULES AND SOCIAL NORMS

5 What cultural practices and norms are prevalent in this community e.g. customs
affecting gender equality – both positive and negative, such as early marriage, harmful
traditional practices such as widow inheritance etc.?

Positive
Resp 4, 8 and 3. When a man marries, his father is meant to show him his share of land.

Negative
 Resp 2. Only a boy child has rights to inherit customary land and girl child no.
 Resp 1. When a woman is married, she has no right of land in her maiden home
 Resp 6. Men are superior to women
 Resp 4. Women must kneel while greeting and serving food to her husband or an elder
 Resp 7. Women prepare meals during clan meetings.
 Resp 3. The chairpersons of the clans should always be men.
 Resp 8. Clans are known to be the owners of land rather than the households.
 Resp 2. A man is never wrong.
 How do societal expectations (e.g. Doctors are men while nurses are women, household
chores are for women, ownership and inheritance of property like land is for men/boys,
heirs should be men or boys etc.) about what it means to be a woman/man/boy/girl
strengthen or worsen power relations.
 How it worsens power relations.
 Resp 6. It gives women to think that they can never do work that men do.
 Resp 3. It has made men to think that they are to be superior to women.
 Can you think of any situations in which those expectations prevented women from
accessing and influencing decision- making or from participating in a process?
Resp 4. An example is in this very community, to be Local council 1,2 and 3, people think
that its apposition for only men, during the time for nomination last year, women refused
that they cannot manage but one lady who stood and contested with a man, was able to
win the man.
 What social norms change processes are already underway? Who is leading these and
how are they impacting on women?
Resp 8. Men are superior to women
 Resp 8. The church structures in our community has always encouraged men to treat their
women as their helpers not slaves at home and that both are equal before God, in so
saying women have also started contributing ideas in community gatherings.
Resp 3. Girl child early marriage
 Resp 3. The government has been so serious on issues of parents pushing their daughters
to marry when still below the age of 18 years, this has enabled girl children to also be at
school as long as their parents can afford.