Mechanisms to promote the advancement of women
National Machinery. The Department of Women Affairs (DWA) was established in 1990 in the Office of the President with the mandate to: facilitate the inclusion of gender issues into national development, advocate for policies and legislation which are gender-sensitive, coordinate the gender-related activities of government ministries, and provide a point of contact between government, NGOs and donors promoting gender issues. It has been successful in including gender sector by sector in the National Development Plan for 1995-2000, rather than as a separate section on Women in Development. The Department is constrained, however, by a small budget and staff, lack of representative or observer status in the Cabinet, and an insufficient capacity to fully address the priorities of rural women in development policy and planning.
WID Units or Focal Points in Technical Ministries. At present, there are no focal points in the Ministry of Agriculture or other technical ministries for promoting gender concerns, yet plans exist to facilitate an interministerial network on gender issues, composed of individuals from the line ministries.
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Recognizing that women's interests are not often addressed in many rural organizations, some NGOs are encouraging women to form separate associations and co-operatives. A number of church-related organizations, in which women are very active, run development projects for rural women.
