While implementing STIBs (Socio-technical Innovations Bundling) approach towards establishing Livestock Learning Labs to empower rural women of West Bengal state in Eastern India, we followed Theory of Change (ToC) methodology. It has been a gender-transformative approach, wherein, we designed our interventions based on the proper study of the contexts and diagnosing the underlying causes of gender inequalities rooted in discriminatory social norms & social institutions. As such, the STIB has been a gender transformative approach aiming to address the discriminatory gender norms, attitudes, behaviours and practices, that create and perpetuate gender inequalities. While using ToC:
- We could create a common narrative and vision among all stakeholders
- We could think critically in advance about how our initiative will bring about change
- We could develop and implement impactful change by having a systematic approach against which to test action and ideas against desired outcomes
- We were clear about the boundaries of the system we were aiming to influence
- We found ToC quite iterative in setting the assumptions associated with outcomes.
- We found ToC truly a people centred approach that includes mapping social networks to understand lines of influence, which is useful in changing behavior. This is what we tried in West Bengal state.
For details:
Theory of Change: Gender Equality NARRATIVE REPORT West Bengal - Livestock Learning Lab, CGIAR Initiative on Gender Equality (HER+) Harnessing Gender and Social Equality for Resilience in Agri-food Systems
https://cgspace.cgiar.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/fb330719-ef16-4cc6-b55e-b839d6732d7b/content
Dr. Mahesh Chander