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“Gender” refers to the socially constructed roles assigned to males and females that define how men and women should think, act and feel. Unlike sex, which is the biological distinction between males and females, gender is an acquired identity referring to socially learned behavior and expectations that distinguish between masculinity and femininity.
In approaching all phases of theproject cycle, CHF International seeks to remove gender-related barriers to social and economic development.
CHF's approach to gender and development has three major components:
1) Identifying and addressing women's particular needs and disparities and access to resources;
2) Making support for gender equality a key element of dialogue with stakeholders; and
3) Recognizing the importance of healthy, respectful gender relations as foundations for positive economic, social and political change.
Building on these three components, our programming seeks to empower women and men by reducing inequalities and addressing the needs of men and women equitably. This is facilitated through understanding and recognizing gender-based roles, responsibilities and relations, and the interaction of these factors with the development process.
Our approach to gender mainstreaming takes into account the particular circumstances of each group that we work with, recognizing differences in culture, economic circumstances, age and resources. Through institutionalized processes, CHF International incorporates a gender and development approach into project design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.