Supporting Oxfam in Bringing Change for Gender Equality

Oxfam is a nonprofit organization that is fighting inequality to end poverty and injustice. They brought Instellar on board to implement the Gender Transformative and Responsible Agribusiness Investments in South East Asia (GRAISEA) project in Indonesia. The project aims to improve the livelihoods of small-scale producers in the agriculture sector through inclusive value chains and responsible business practices by implementing Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE). Run in five countries with different focuses, the Indonesian project centers on the shrimp supply chain.

Our Approach

With GRAISEA project, Oxfam had one key objective:

To implement Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) to promote women’s rights and voices in the workplace in SMEs in aquaculture industry

We engaged five social enterprises to participate in GRAISEA: JALA, KWN Fatimah Az-Zahra, Pictafish, Mina Ceria Nusantara, and Fistx. Our main objective was to implement WEE in ways that were easy to adopt, tailored to their business, and could improve their business operations.

Before implementing WEE, we measured the level of WEE in said social enterprises. To support this, we formulated our own self-assessment tools tailored to GRAISEA consisting of 19 indicators. Once measured, we assisted the social enterprises in determining aspects of their operations that could be improved.

Outcomes

✔ Integrated gender equality policy in JALA’s operations
✔ Supported KWN Fatimah Az-Zahra’s members to strengthen their leadership skills
✔ Mapped Pictafish and Fistx’s long-term vision with regards to gender equality
✔ Incorporated gender-related policy in Mina Ceria Nusantara’s operations

Initially only assessed cultivation productivity to determine prospective farmers to work with, JALA has now adapted gender lens in their operations. They added gender-related policy in their assessment criteria as well as improving their internal policy regarding gender equality. KWN Fatimah Az-Zahra agreed to improve its members’ leadership skills and technical skills in financial management and market-oriented production development. Several members participating in the project managed to earn sales of 2.1 million rupiahs and branched out from production activity to promotion and delivery activities. After conducting a self-assessment and participating in several workshops, Pictafish and Fistx were eager to map their long-term vision with regards to gender equality.

With GRAISEA, we assisted social enterprises in adapting WEE that’s tailored to the social enterprises’ business. We came up with a plan and strategy to ensure a seamless transition in incorporating WEE (e.g. providing period or maternity leave, adopting non-discrimination policy during recruitment process) in their operations.

After participating in self-assessment activity and workshops, Mina Ceria Nusantara recognized the importance of adapting gender lens in their operations. They went to incorporate gender-related policies in the organizations, such as maternity leave, menstrual leave, and women’s representation in management.