SUNCASA | Man and woman writing on flip chart during GESI workshop in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. (Photo: Hararghe Catholic Secretariate)
Deep Dive

Challenging Gender Discriminatory Norms, Practices, and Beliefs in Sub-Saharan Africa

SUNCASA held a series of training sessions to support women and other underrepresented groups in overcoming the barriers preventing their access to natural resources and meaningful participation in nature-based solutions governance. 

By Ana Balanean, Ayushi Trivedi on January 27, 2025

“Before the training, we didn’t know if our men could be engaged in a domestic role, such as cooking and baking. Now we know, and we will practice after the training.”

A woman participant from Hareall Kebele, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia

“I don’t care if other men laugh at me while I’m supporting my wife with household chores! I know what I’m doing and how my family will benefit from that.”

A man participant from Gasabo District, Kigali, Rwanda

“We all have the same or similar problems and life challenges, so it is important to solve them together.”

A woman participant from Johannesburg, South Africa

Socially and culturally constructed gender norms are widely recognized as a major obstacle for women and other underrepresented groups in achieving social and economic empowerment and participating in political processes. The pressures of domestic and caregiving responsibilities, along with restrictive norms that suppress the voices, agency, mobility, and earning potential of these groups, often prevent them from engaging in paid, productive work. These barriers also limit their involvement in local leadership and community governance, amplifying deep-rooted inequities.

To address these challenges in sub-Saharan Africa, the SUNCASA  project was designed with a clear mandate of reducing barriers to the participation of women and other underrepresented groups in planning, implementing, and monitoring urban nature-based solutions (NbS) in Dire Dawa (Ethiopia), Kigali (Rwanda), and Johannesburg (South Africa).

In addition to ensuring that at least 50% of the project’s participants are from these marginalized groups, SUNCASA, in collaboration with local gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) organizations, has designed a series of activities to enhance the protection and promotion of the human rights of women and other underrepresented groups. These efforts seek to challenge harmful and discriminatory social beliefs, gender norms, and practices that limit their access to resources and meaningful participation in NbS activities.

From October 2024 to January 2025, SUNCASA’s local partners—the Association of the Widows of the Genocide (AVEGA Agahozo) in Kigali, the Hararghe Catholic Secretariat (HCS) in Dire Dawa, and Women for Climate Justice Southern Africa (Gender CC) in Johannesburg—held training sessions for community members with two related goals:

  1. Challenge social norms and gender biases within communities, enabling equitable participation in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of NbS.
  2. Facilitate participatory discussions among couples to promote equitable division of labour and inclusive household decision making and to support NbS efforts.

The training sessions were attended by 694 community members, including women, men, youth, elders, local leaders, and people with disabilities, creating a foundation for more inclusive and sustainable NbS in the three cities. The workshops triggered discussions on the root causes of historical marginalization, exclusion, and gender-based violence related to NbS and climate change adaptation. It also started conversations on positive or negative gender and social norms and how individuals or families can shift them.

One of the training program outcomes was to provide participants with a deeper understanding of concepts related to gender equity, including how societal norms shape gender roles, as noted by a young woman from Kigali: “I always thought gender was just another word for sex, especially when we talk about ‘gender balance’ as a way to support women’s rights. Now I see that gender is something we learn from society and is not the same as being a woman.”

By engaging in participatory and interactive exercises, participants were also encouraged to recognize the importance of the equitable division of labour between men and women within their households. The activity created a safe space for men and women to openly share their challenges, acknowledging that both face societal pressures. As a man participant from Dire Dawa said, “If men are engaged in culturally ascribed women’s roles, neighbours and the community give names that ridicule men and that discourage and shame them to engage.” 

Amid a conversation on the shifting roles of men and women in society, an elderly man participant from Kigali shared, “In the past, we used to have women’s roles and men’s roles, but with the development and the cost of living becoming expensive, it’s no longer the case! Men cook food and care for kids, which was not the case in the past.”

Similarly, in Johannesburg, a young man told a personal story about subverting cultural expectations. “I was left alone to look after my niece, and I could not change a diaper, and nobody could teach me as both parents were at work! But guess what I did: I went on Google and learned how to change a diaper, and these days, I am so close to my niece, as I know how to look after her and feed her.”

Acknowledging the success of the GESI sessions, a woman from Dire Dawa highlighted that “Before the training, we didn’t know if our male [family members] could be engaged in the domestic role, for example, cooking and baking. Now we know, and we will practice that after the training.”  Building on this sentiment, an elderly couple from Ejaneni Kebele emphasized the broader impact of the training, particularly the couples’ demonstration training. “Though we are old to engage in the various activities assigned to males and females based on their gender, still the training enables us to teach and advise our children and kids.”

While the program advanced SUNCASA’s GESI goals of raising awareness and bringing forward positive stories of change, participants also acknowledged that meaningful change is a long-term effort. As one local leader from Kigali pointed out, “The world cannot be just unless all barriers related to gender are addressed.”

The training sessions kick-started fundamental discussions about the diverse roles that different community members play in climate action. As participants shared their experiences and committed to challenging societal norms, it became clear that achieving equity in NbS requires collective action and continuous dialogue.

With the conclusion of the training program, many participants will focus on sharing the lessons learned during the sessions within their communities. For example, in Kigali, the takeaways from interactive discussions among 45 trained couples will play a vital role in this effort. These couples will engage in meaningful dialogues and receive practical homework assignments to implement at home, challenging social norms and fostering positive change within their families and neighbourhoods. Over the course of 5 months, this initiative aims to inspire transformative shifts in attitudes and behaviours, shaping future strategies to ensure that everyone—regardless of gender or other social factors—can actively contribute to and benefit from NbS for climate change adaptation initiatives.

Furthermore, the GESI experts from SUNCASA will focus on strengthening the capacity of local governments, as duty-bearers, to foster and practice enhanced gender-responsive policy-making processes.

SUNCASA is a 3-year NbS project delivered by IISD and the World Resources Institute (WRI), in collaboration with a wide array of local partners, with funds from Global Affairs Canada.  

 

* We greatly appreciate the dedication and competence demonstrated by our GESI expert colleagues from the three cities—Bertha Chiroro (Gender CC), Cleopatre Cyezimana (AVEGA), Emebet Belete (HCS), Gisele Umuhoza (AVEGA), Hadas Temesegen (HCS), Ndivile Mokoena (Gender CC), Patrick Shyaka (AVEGA), Rediat Tassew Mezgebu (HCS), and Theogene Niyirora (AVEGA)