Thank you so much, Lindsey, for this helpful summary of Batliwala's article and for your own key takeaways. I love the contribution of this "Make it Practical" series. What a needed and valuable resource. I for one am really looking forward to following it. Your insights on Batliwala's sage analysis of the cooptation of the concepts of empowerment and feminism really resonate with me. Now I wonder what are most needed actions at the Global North donor and practioner levels. It is a common popularized saying, for example, that we're going to "empower women" or "empower girls" in this program. This language always leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Women's rights groups that I have worked with in countries like Ghana, India and Peru have rightly reminded me and others over the years that Global north entities cannot "empower" anyone. That empowerment is a complex process that must be claimed, evolved through and collectively brought to action by the individuals - and even better social groups and networks - that have been most marginalized. The big question for me is What needs to happen to shift the understanding of this truth with the US government, other bilateral governments and those of us who help implement their programs? We've tried for so many years to reform US foreign aid, for example, and it seems that we have barely moved the needle. What will it take for the United States Government and practitioners like me to fully see, respect and value the existing power and strengths of people around the world and revolutionize the way in which we partner? I don't think it can ever be fully done within the existing US foreign aid system. I believe it needs to be torn down and completely built back up.
Thanks for this, Elise! I'm generally of the same mind. I also think one small thing that we COULD be doing more of is shifting more money and resources, with fewer strings attached, to community-based/grassroots orgs led by and for the communities they are working to help/serve/empower/etc (aka global south, women's rights orgs). I don't think the US government will ever willingly do this, because it is against its own interests. But the NGOs and advocacy groups they fund do have some power in the way they do procurement and passthrough grants. The fact that projects still tend to view women's orgs as "beneficiary organizations" and not vendors and subcontractor partners is part of the problem.
Thank you so much, Lindsey, for this helpful summary of Batliwala's article and for your own key takeaways. I love the contribution of this "Make it Practical" series. What a needed and valuable resource. I for one am really looking forward to following it. Your insights on Batliwala's sage analysis of the cooptation of the concepts of empowerment and feminism really resonate with me. Now I wonder what are most needed actions at the Global North donor and practioner levels. It is a common popularized saying, for example, that we're going to "empower women" or "empower girls" in this program. This language always leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Women's rights groups that I have worked with in countries like Ghana, India and Peru have rightly reminded me and others over the years that Global north entities cannot "empower" anyone. That empowerment is a complex process that must be claimed, evolved through and collectively brought to action by the individuals - and even better social groups and networks - that have been most marginalized. The big question for me is What needs to happen to shift the understanding of this truth with the US government, other bilateral governments and those of us who help implement their programs? We've tried for so many years to reform US foreign aid, for example, and it seems that we have barely moved the needle. What will it take for the United States Government and practitioners like me to fully see, respect and value the existing power and strengths of people around the world and revolutionize the way in which we partner? I don't think it can ever be fully done within the existing US foreign aid system. I believe it needs to be torn down and completely built back up.
Thanks for this, Elise! I'm generally of the same mind. I also think one small thing that we COULD be doing more of is shifting more money and resources, with fewer strings attached, to community-based/grassroots orgs led by and for the communities they are working to help/serve/empower/etc (aka global south, women's rights orgs). I don't think the US government will ever willingly do this, because it is against its own interests. But the NGOs and advocacy groups they fund do have some power in the way they do procurement and passthrough grants. The fact that projects still tend to view women's orgs as "beneficiary organizations" and not vendors and subcontractor partners is part of the problem.