How to Write Gender-Focused Success Stories This tip sheet is designed to help create powerful and engaging success stories with a gender focus that can be shared with colleagues, peers and donors. n all its programs, Land O'Lakes is deeply committed to addressing the constraints that women and girls face around the world. We proactively partner with women on the ground to ensure their inclusion in the development process and, cognizant of the fact that change is a collaborative process, we aim to engage men at every stage. Our programs analyze how cultural attitudes and norms that revolve around gender impact agricultural practices, household decision-making and access to services. Land O'Lakes also seeks to identify other gender-related factors that influence the success or failure of food security programs. We have effectively empowered and inspired individuals and communities to take control of their economic futures by intentionally increasing women’s participation in key value chains — such as agriculture, health and nutrition, and education. As a result of our work, households and entire communities are rethinking traditional gender roles and increasing their incomes, food security and nutrition. By facilitating these positive outcomes, Land O'Lakes' projects are contributing to the global evidence base that supports engaging women and men on gender issues as an essential component of effective development work, particularly when an aim of this work is to increase agricultural productivity, food security, and nutritional outcomes. We hope you feel pride in being part of an organization that understands the important role gender plays in all aspects of our work. Now, let’s make sure that the stories behind our efforts are documented and shared! Tips to Help You Get Started ≥ Use a Gender ‘Lens’: Look at all aspects of a program: ≥ Teach a lesson about the impact of gender how does it impact women and girls, and men and boys, integration: Some people, including many local especially in relation to health and nutrition? How could government officials or members of the private sector, do the program affect them in the future? What is the project not see the need to invest time or resources in women’s doing to change traditional views? What is it doing to empowerment or gender equality. However, if we can challenge traditional gender roles and norms? show that integrating gender considerations improves ≥ Successes can happen in groups, too!: Success outcomes for individuals and groups, and enhances stories don’t have to center on just one person. Rather, economic development, this will raise interest and demand think creatively about the ways that a project is increasing for these activities. Wherever possible, stories should women’s decision making abilities at the village level. demonstrate that integrating gender into programming Are women becoming active leaders in cooperatives benefits value chain performance. (Continued on the next or associations? Is a community speaking out against page.) gender-based violence? ≥Create awareness among project staff: ≥ Find the men!: When looking for success stories Technical staff are often the best resource for identifying about gender, don't just seek out women and girls! Be gender-focused success stories. They are in direct contact careful not to overlook men and boys who are involved in with individuals we work with and witness the programs' or supportive of challenging gender norms. While these impacts firsthand. Take time to inform technical staff that stories may be less common, some of the most powerful collecting ideas for success stories is a priority. Make sure ones can be found by taking a closer look at how a program they have a contact for sharing their story ideas. is reaching out to men. This can particularly true of health ≥Include quotes and photos: To attract more and nutrition-related programs. How is it helping to attention to a success story, incorporate a few good quotes change their attitudes and practices? Is it training boys to and high quality photos. These are especially important be advocates for their mothers and sisters? for stories that are submitted to donors. We all know that ≥ Contact the Gender Task Force!: We have a great quotes and photos make a story more interesting to read! network ready to support and guide your efforts. Members of the Task Force are available in most offices. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask questions. What is the Gender Task Force? The Gender Task Force (GTF) is a diverse group of men and women from our field and headquarters offices. The GTF is comprised of staff from multiple departments and practice areas, and provides strategic direction and thought leadership in this area. The task force is open to all staff who wish to participate in the group. How can you join the GTF, get more information, or solicit assistance from GTF members? Contact Mara Russell at MARussell@landolakes.com. To submit a gender-focused success story, contact Gender Task Force Member, Ashley Rajaratnam, at SARajaratnam@landolakes.com. Examples of Impactful Gender-focused Success Stories To read one of the stories listed below, simply click on the link. You can also read more examples of success stories on the IDD website by visiting http://www.idd.landolakes.com/HOME/SuccessStories/default.aspx. ≥ Mary Rono: A Cooperative Leader Advancing Food Security and Gender Equity ≥ Helen Usiri: Leading Women Everywhere She Goes ≥ Water: The Milk of Life ≥ Empowering Women through Dairy Development ≥ Working her Magic to Become a Top Yielding Farmer ≥ Delighting in Time with Her Daughters (Read an excerpt from this story below.) Success Story: Delighting in Time with Her Daughters eethai Velayutham, a widowed mother of three girls, once struggled to have time with her daughters, since she was forced to spend so much time working in local rice paddies to make ends meet. But, when she got a small grant from Land O’Lakes through the USAID-funded Dairy Enhancement in Eastern Province (DEEP) project, she was able to add one improved breed cow to her small herd. She also learned how to improve production thanks to DEEP’s training modules, which enabled her to refocus her livelihood and how she spent her time. “I’m now getting 10 liters a day,” said Seethai. She also joined a cooperative formed through DEEP and she’s earning more than $111 per month from dairy compared to $13.88 a month before — which makes a tremendous difference in her quality of life. “Now I’m able to spend more time with my daughters, and make sure they grow up right. And I don’t have to beg from anyone to achieve my dreams.” Seethai on her dairy farm in Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province, where she improved her dairy management skills that enabled her to enhance her quality of life and spend more time raising her children.