2 minute read
Day 2: CLE – Path to Sustainable Social Business
CLE – PATH TO SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL BUSINESS
Hosts: Lucia Di Poi, Max-Prosper Fortuna, Esther Chrysostome
The CLE team presented the Pathway Tool that was introduced to the first cohort of Fanm Angaje fellows, consisting of 25 women, during their initial training. The tool serves as a roadmap and helps identify what is needed to accomplish a defined goal, including technical capacity, resources, obstacles and challenges, support and strategy, and objectives. One participant explained it as, “if you want to know your future, look at your present.” She described her experience using the tool to help plan her organization’s goal to provide access to oral health care over a 10-year period. The organization is building its capacity, and contributing to gender equality through its board members, consisting mainly of women in the health sector. Having developed her pathway in the Fanm Angaje program, she can take it back to her organization and community for input. The design of the graphic made it interesting and understandable.
Learning forum participants discussed the Pathway Tool, and assessed each element by applying the tool to their own contexts. In addition to the tool’s help with building capacity, it was recognized as useful for developing a baseline to identify resources and skills and monitor progress, and for monitoring and evaluation.
DEEPENING GENDER LEARNING
Esther described awareness raising activities by going to where people meet, such as churches. Young women are often not seen as leaders in the community. It is important to support women who may have leadership potential since, “I see women getting lost in the process and systems in place…Perhaps coming from our generation, we feel we can create something on our own without working for someone else. Serve with passion, and inspire others to follow suit.” Nahomi noted the importance of recognizing gender equality as a big pillar for social and economic development, and there is an important opportunity for promoting change in the broader business sector.
NEW QUESTIONS TO EXPLORE
Regarding the capacity building aspect, group discussions explored the different ways knowledge can be shared, and resource people identified. This led to more questions about the role of mentors, colleagues and friends. What is the role of organizations that can provide training support, as well as mentors, and informal supports such as colleagues and friends? People who have experienced hardship have learned skills to overcome them, how is that knowledge valued and shared?
There was great interest in sharing and adapting the pathway tool. How can the tool be:
• Used as projects progress and evolve and adapt to unforeseen roadblocks? • Adapted for use with SACCOs? • Used for progressive and personal learning? Gender equity is the way of doing business. That is what we want business in Haiti to know. - Nahomie
