About FDC
The Foundation for Development Cooperation is an independent, not-for-profit international development organisation. Through alliances and partnerships, FDC undertakes a range of initiatives which seek to improve the lives of poor people in developing countries.
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Governance and Gender Leadership
FDC is seeking to improve livelihoods through good governance and gender leadership.
People in developing countries face varied governance and gender challenges which can include systemic corruption, underrepresentation of women in leadership positions, and lack of transparency in election processes. In line with FDC's mandate, FDC is engaging with governance and gender issues by supporting projects that strengthen democratic institutions, promote human rights,
and ensure the participation of all groups in democratic processes. More specifically, FDC aims to increase women's leadership skills and knowledge of governance in the Asia-Pacific region by empowering them through participatory capacity building activities and grass-roots initiatives.
The governance and gender leadership activities FDC is involved in include:
- Conducting governance and gender leadership capacity building activities such as training of trainers (TOT) and customised training for women in the Pacific.
- Carrying out mentoring activities to support bottom-up governance and gender leadership projects initiated and implemented by women in their local communities.
- Developing and providing access to an e-learning and knowledge platform which provides a series of online and mailout training programs in governance and gender leadership to help women familiarise themselves with such issues.The e-learning and knowledge platform also serves as an extensive information cache consisting of news and journal articles, in the areas of gender, leadership and governance, for participants and general public access.
- Producing and publishing an Impact Assessment of Poor Women Participation in Microcredit Programs. This impact assessment reported on the effects participation in a microfinance program had on the lives of a group of poor women in the Philippines.
- Developing and publishing guidance papers and articles on gender mainstreaming for development practice. This includes highlighting the need for equitable and inclusive development to be sustained through the institutionalisation of gender equity.
- Empowering women, particularly in the poorest regions of Asia, by supporting existing income generating activities and building capacity in areas where additional and/or complementary earnings can be created to better provide for their families and local economies.