ເລື່ອງຂອງ ນາງແພງຢາງ ຜູ້ທີ່ໄດ້ເຂົ້າຮ່ວມການຝຶກອົບຮົມກ່ຽວກັບການຫຼຸດຜ່ອນວຽກໜັກຂອງແມ່ຍິງ Story from Ms. Pengyang attends Women Workload Reduction training

ນາງແພງຢາງ, ອາຍຸ 25 ປີ, ຢູ່ບ້ານຫ້ວຍປຸ່ງ, ເມືອງບຸນເໜືອ, ແຂວງຜົ້ງສາລີ. ນາງມາຈາກຊົນເຜົ່າ ອາຄ່າ ແລະ ໄດ້ແຕ່ງງານແລ້ວ ແລະ ລູກນ້ອຍ 3 ຄົນ (ເດັກຍິງສອງຄົນ ແລະ ເດັກຊາຍນ້ອຍຜູ້ ໜຶງ). ທຸກໆມື້ລາວຕ້ອງຕື່ນແຕ່ເຊົ້າເພື່ອເຮັດວຽກເຮືອນເຊັ່ນ: ແຕ່ງອາຫານເຊົ້າ, ລ້ຽງສັດຂອງຄອບຄົວ ແລະ ເບິ່ງແຍງເດັກນ້ອຍ. ເພື່ອຫາເງິນລ້ຽງຊີບ, ນາງໃຊ້ເວລາສ່ວນໃຫຍ່ຂອງນາງເຮັດວຽກຢູ່ໃນສວນອ້ອຍ ແລະສວນຢາງພາລາ - ໂດຍສະເພາະໃນຊ່ວງເກັບກ່ຽວ ແລະ ລະດູເກັບກ່ຽວ. ໃນໄລຍະ 6 ເດືອນທີ່ຜ່ານມາ, ນາງແພງຢາງໄດ້ມີໂອກາດເຂົ້າຮ່ວມການຝຶກອົບຮົມກ່ຽວກັບການຫຼຸດຜ່ອນວຽກໜັກຂອງແມ່ຍິງໃນບ້ານຂອງນາງ.

“ຫຼັງຈາກການຝຶກອົບຮົມ, ຂ້ອຍໄດ້ແບ່ງປັນຄວາມຮູ້ບາງຢ່າງກັບຜົວຂອງຂ້ອຍກ່ຽວກັບການແບ່ງປັນວຽກ. ຕັ້ງແຕ່ນັ້ນມາ, ຂ້ອຍໄດ້ເຫັນຜົວຂອງຂ້ອຍຊ່ວຍຂ້ອຍ ໃນການເຮັດວຽກເຮືອນ. ຍົກຕົວຢ່າງເຊັ່ນ, ໃນເວລາທີ່ຂ້ອຍຄາແຕ່ງອາຫານເຊົ້າໃຫ້ທຸກຄົນໃນຄອບຄົວ, ລາວກໍ່ຊ່ວຍ ລ້ຽງໝູ ແລະ ໄກ່. ລາວຍັງຊ່ວຍເບິ່ງແຍງເດັກນ້ອຍຊ່ວຍຂ້ອຍນຳ, ໃນເວລານີ້ຂ້ອຍຍັງລ້ຽງລຸກນ້ອຍ ສະນັ້ນສອງຜົວເມຍຂ້ອຍໄດ້ແບ່ງວຽກກັນ ໃຫ້ເຮັດວຽກເບົາ ແລະ ຜົວຂອງຂ້ອຍ ກໍ່ຮັບເອົາວຽກໜັກທັງໝົດ ເຊັ່ນຕັດອ້ອຍ ເກັບຢາງພາລາຈາກສວນ, ເຊິ່ງຖືວ່າເປັນວຽກທີ່ໜັກ ແລະ ຫຍາ່ກ.” ນາງຍັງກ່າວອີກວ່າ: "ໃນອະນາຄົດຂ້ອຍຢາກເຫັນຜູ້ຊາຍຫຼາຍຄົນສະໜັບສະໜູນພັນລະຍາຂອງເຂົາເຈົ້າໃນການແບ່ງປັນວຽກ ແລະ ໃຫ້ແມ່ຍິງມີສ່ວນຮ່ວມໃນການຕັດສິນໃຈ, ປຶກສາ ແລະ ວາງແຜນຄອບຄົວນຳກັນ. ຄວາມໄຝ່ຝັນຂອງຂ້າພະເຈົ້າແມ່ນຢາກເຫັນລູກຂອງຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຮຽນຈົບມັດທະຍົມຕອນປາຍ ແລະ ໄປຮຽນຕໍ່ຊັ້ນສູງໃນວິທະຍາໄລວິຊາຊີບ ຫລື ມະຫາວິທະຍາໄລ. ຫຼັງຈາກຮຽນຈົບຂ້ອຍຢາກເຫັນພວກເຂົາມີວຽກທີ່ແຕກຕ່າງ ແລະ ດີກ່ວາຂ້ອຍ.”

Ms. Pengyang, 25 years old, lives in Houaysoung village, Boun Neua district, Phongsaly province. She is from the Akha ethnic group and is married with three children (two girls and one little boy). Every day she has to get up early in the morning to do household chores such as cooking breakfast, feeding the family’s animals and taking care of the children. To earn a living, she spends most of her time working in the sugar cane and rubber plantations – especially during cropping and harvest seasons. Over the past six months, Ms. Pengyang has had the opportunity to attend a Women Workload Reduction (WWR) training in her village.

“After the training, I shared some knowledge with my husband about sharing the workload. Since then, I have observed my husband helping me with household chores. For example, when I am busy cooking or preparing food for our breakfast, he helps with feeding the pigs and chicken. He also helps look after the children for me. At the moment I still have little children, so my husband sets me the lighter tasks of weeding the sugar cane and he works longer hours gathering rubber product from the plantation, which is considered to be harder and heavier work.” She also says: “In the future I would like to see more men support their wives in sharing the workload and involve more women in decision-making, family consultations and family planning. My dream is to see my children complete secondary school and go for higher education in vocational college or university. After graduation I would like to see them have a different and better job than what I have.”

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ຄວາມເປັນມາ Background: 

ຄວາມບໍ່ສະເໝີພາບລະຫວ່າງຍິງ - ຊາຍແມ່ນສິ່ງກີດຂວາງທີ່ສຳຄັນຕໍ່ການປັບປຸງວຽກງານໂພຊະນາການ ແລະ ສາທາລະນະສຸກ. ແມ່ຍິງບໍ່ພຽງແຕ່ຕ້ອງການຄວາມສາມາດໃນການປະຕິບັດເພື່ອປັບປຸງສະຖານະພາບທາງໂພຊະນາການຂອງເຂົາເຈົ້າ ແລະ ລູກຂອງເຂົາເຈົ້າ, ແຕ່ຍັງຕ້ອງການ ການສະໜັບສະໜູນຈາກຜູ້ເປັນຜົວ, ຄອບຄົວ ແລະ ຊຸມຊົນທັງໝົດ. ເພື່ອປັບປຸງວຽກງານສະເໝີພາບລະຫວ່າງຍິງ - ຊາຍ, ການເພີ່ມບົດບາດ ການຕັດສິນໃຈຮ່ວມກັນ ຜູ້ຊາຍ ແລະ ແມ່ຍິງໃຫ້ເທົ່າທຽມກັນ, ແລະ ສົ່ງເສີມຄວາມເປັນຜູ້ນຳຂອງແມ່ຍິງຂອງ- ໂຄງການ SCALING ໄດ້ດຳເນີນການຝຶກອົບຮົມສາມຄັ້ງກ່ຽວກັບການຫຼຸດຜ່ອນວຽກຂອງແມ່ຍິງ, ການເຈລະຈາລະຫວ່າງຍິງ - ຊາຍ ແລະ ທັກສະຄວາມເປັນຜູ້ນຳ ຂອງແມ່ຍິງໃນການຮ່ວມມືຢ່າງໃກ້ຊິດກັບສະຫະພັນແມ່ຍິງລາວ (LWU). ນອກຈາກນັ້ນ, ສະມາຄົມເງິນຝາກປະຢັດ ແລະ ກູ້ຢືມບ້ານ (VSLA) ສຳ ລັບແມ່ຍິງແມ່ນໄດ້ຖືກພັດທະນາຢູ່ໃນບ້ານທີ່ຖືກຄັດເລືອກເພື່ອສ້າງຄວາມເຂັ້ມແຂງໃຫ້ແກ່ເສດຖະກິດ.

Gender related inequalities are a key barrier to improving nutrition and health care practices. Women require not only the capacity to take action to improve their and their children’s nutritional status, but also the support of their partners, family and the community at large to do so. To transform gender relations, increase joint decision making by men and women, and foster women’s leadership, SCALING is facilitating three training workshops on women workload reduction, gender negotiation and women’s leadership skills in close cooperation with the Lao Women’s Union (LWU). In addition, Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) for women are developed in selected villages to strengthen economic empowerment.

Objectives:

The overall objectives: Gender norms enable improved care and feeding practices, women’s decision-making, reduced workload, and control over resources and health

- Specific objective1: To conduct women’s empowerment training workshops to transform gender relations, increase joint decision making by men and women, and foster women’s leadership

- Specific objective2: To conduct women’s workload and women workload reduction discussion help women to understand their workload burden

Specific objective3: To support women groups in forming and facilitating Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) in the target villages

Results: 

- 12,660 couples, and 8240 women trained in 422 villages: Men and women sharing responsibility for improving women’s and children’s nutrition; women’s increased engagement in community leadership

- 211 VSLAs set up in 4 provinces with an estimated 4,220 members

Facts and Figures:

- 8,228 women and 1,392 couples in 228 villages have participated in Women Workload Reduction training

- 293 women have attended the women leadership skills training

- 91 VSLA have been formed and functioning on regular basis

Through this project, EU funding enabled SCALING to conduct Women Workload Reduction workshops in all target villages for approximately 20-25 women per session. Discussions on women’s workload and WWR discussion help women to understand their workload burden. The women make a plan for improved workload sharing with their husband and other family members to challenge the existing gender norms. After the workshops formal and informal follow-up sessions are organized with 10-15 self-selected couples per village. SCALING is facilitating training or workshops on WWR in close cooperation with the Lao Women’s Union (LWU).

Partners: 

Ministry of Health (MOH), Provincial Health Office (PHO), District Health Office (DHO), Save the Children International (SCI), CARE, ChildFund (CFL) and Comité de Coopération avec le Laos (CCL)