Dimitra Clubs in Ecuador: a community vision of the future in rural areas

9 DECEMBER 2022

FAO is promoting sustainable and inclusive development through the Dimitra Clubs approach in Ecuador, a gender transformative approach implemented for the first time in Latin America to promote community engagement for the wellbeing of women, men and youth in rural areas.

In September 2022, in the framework of the JP GTA, FAO launched its flagship gender transformative approach, the Dimitra Clubs, in the parishes of San Antonio, Canuto and Boyacá, in the canton of Chone, province of Manabí in Ecuador.

The Dimitra Clubs are informal groups of women and men of all ages that capitalize on the interest of their members in actively participating in a space that offers solutions to collective needs through access to information, communication and dialogue. Topics of interest identified by the groups include gender equality, infrastructure, education, nutrition and food security, for example.

During the launch event of the Dimitra Clubs approach in Manabí on 19 September 2022, FAO’s Representative Agustín Zimmermann presented the JP GTA and explained that the Dimitra Clubs are being implemented for the first time in Latin America. Contributing to SDGs 1 and 2 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to eradicate poverty and hunger, the Dimitra Clubs approach seeks to empower rural women and men to become agents of change in rural areas of Manabí.

Miriam Vera, Acting Mayor of Chone, underlined the importance of investing in rural women and promoting their role and participation in political mechanisms. The Director of Analysis and Institutional Coordination at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), Sumak Bastidas, called for rural women’s participation in processes that enhance the visibility of their work in rural areas, in particular through the Rural Women's Roundtable (“Mesa Mujer Rural”) implemented in the framework of the National Agricultural Strategy for Rural Women (ENAMR) of the MAG.  

FAO selected the Fondo Ecuatoriano Populorum Progressio (FEPP), a local non-governmental organization, for the implementation of the Dimitra Clubs approach, in collaboration with the Undersecretariat of Family Farming of the MAG and local governments of Chone. So far, FEPP with support from FAO and the local governments has raised awareness of the Dimitra Clubs approach among more than 200 families. Luis Hinojosa, Director of FEPP, underscored that “this approach contributes to promoting food security and nutrition as well as inclusive and sustainable development in Ecuador”.

Christiane Monsieur, Global Coordinator of the Dimitra Clubs, and Andrea Sanchez, Community Engagement and Empowerment Specialist at FAO, guided and accompanied the development of the approach in Ecuador from its inception. In addition, they facilitated the first action-learning training on the approach targeted at FEPP staff. Christiane Monsieur stressed that this initiative seeks to “help communities and rural parishes in Chone to improve their status, especially in terms of women’s participation in decision-making, and to solve different types of problems related to their local context”.  

One of the participants, Cruz María Macías, is 38 years old and takes care of the household and her family farm. Now that she is part of the Dimitra Club in her community ‘El Capricho’ in Boyacá parish. She says she is grateful for the creation of a space that invites reflection on the participation of women and youth in decision-making processes at the community level. “We women must build our capacities and have confidence in ourselves,” said Cruz María, seeking to promote unity among colleagues to give visibility to their contributions in society, with a view to increasing the welfare of their parish.

Manabí is one of the provinces with the highest number of cases of gender-based violence against women in Ecuador. Gender-based violence is not only physical, but can include other violations of women's human rights, including barriers to participation in community decision-making processes. Wilton Alcívar from the community of Cucuy in the parish of Eloy Alfaro has participated in the Dimitra Clubs since the beginning and shared his experience with his community. He said: “This methodology promotes cohesion among the residents of the parish, giving visibility to the potential of our ideas and improving quality of life for all”.

Estefania García, one of the FEPP facilitators in charge of the day-to-day implementation of the Dimitra Clubs approach in the province of Manabí, commented: “The community meetings have allowed us to identify a lack of motivation, empathy and individuality in the communities during the last three years. As a result, the Dimitra Clubs approach has managed to revive and inspire more than 300 participants. They have expressed their interest in incorporating ideals that promote the sustainable development of their communities through equal and inclusive participation, based on communication and empowerment of women, men and youth in the rural parishes surrounding Chone.”

For the next year, the Dimitra Clubs approach is likely to reach more than 500 participating families through around 20 Clubs in seven areas. Members of the Clubs are expected to become community promoters and agents for change who can facilitate collective action to transform entrenched beliefs and social norms that perpetuate gender inequalities and poverty.  

Contact:

• JP GTA: [email protected]