Programmes

WOFAN has a number of core activities it pursues in support of its mission statement, goal and objectives. These are:

•  Sourcing credit funds and operating a micro-credit AND PROVIDE CREDIT IN KIND TO small scale farmers groups and affiliate groups in the rural areas.

•  Training for its target groups across a wide range of matters, including: leadership development, business management, food processing and preservation, improved agricultural technology, HIV/AIDS awareness, functional literacy programmes, Early childhood development programmes and socio= economic empowerment or the rural farmers groups and their communities.

Approach:

WOFAN is participatory and responsive in its approach. It works at the community level, with self – selection groups. WOFAN through the use of PRA/PLA exercise, assists rural groups to identify their needs and draw up action plans for intervention. Each group chooses its own leaders, including president, secretary and treasurer, and it is responsible for implementing WOFAN-assisted projects.

 
 
 

 

Membership

Membership in WOFAN is open to individuals and groups who believe in the organization's vision, goal and objectives and are willing to work together for their own development.

WOFAN generally involves the household in its activities with the aim of improving gender relations by encouraging the involvement of men and women in project intervention at all levels. Group members range in size from 10 to 20. The groups are unisex and members tend to be involved in similar economic activities. Presently, there are 150 rural groups, about 75% of which are women groups and 25% men and youth groups, registered with WOFAN, with over 2,250 individual members.

To benefit from the services of WOFAN, a community group must be together for a minimum of six months and demonstrate good leadership and unity within themselves. During this period, group members would have undergone some training to build their capacity.

Though WOFAN's strength is in building the capacities of the rural women groups, 25% of its support goes to youth organizations and men to assist in promoting good gender relations and effectiveness of the projects, as is the case in this proposal.

WOFAN groups are mostly illiterates who are helped to attain literacy during the course of its projects with them. In recognition of this, WOFAN has designed a curriculum called the “community women curriculum” which is a functional literacy program to be completed within two years. Also included in this is training on basic health issues, vocational training, gardening, good governance, economic empowerment and information and communication management.

                      
  


 

 

 

Management and Organization Structure

WOFAN has:
•  A Board,
•  A Management secretariat, and
•  The groups.

It has a six-member Board whose members are drawn from different sectors of the country. The Board meets two or three times annually to review the general activities of the organization provide both technical and advisory support for the smooth running of the organization. WOFAN's management secretariat is divided into

•  The Administration and
•  Program departments.

The Administration department handles the general day-to day running of the organization, including staff management, transportation and publicity.

The program department is divided into projects and consultancy. Four program officers and the Coordinator/founder are involved in the general projects in WOFAN.

WOFAN retains a number of professionals that it draws upon, in addition to its own staff, to provide consultancy services to other organizations.

WOFAN recognizes the community groups with which it works to be the main decision making body of the organization. The groups have their own leaders, who are elected every two years. Group members hold bi-weekly meetings on their activities and meet with WOFAN staff monthly. In each community there are at least two committees:

•  Project Advisory Committee (PAC) made up of a representative of the District head, the local government, women group, and WOFAN monitoring team. They meet quarterly to review projects or as the need arises.

•  Project Implementation Committee (PIC) made up of group preventatives, village head, and WOFAN monitoring team. They twice a month to track on-going projects and community members give feedback monthly on the progress of their projects.

Organisation Capacity:
WOFAN has a relatively well-developed secretariat, divided into Administration and program departments, some paid staff. The secretariat is lightly furnished for smooth running of its operations. It has some vehicles, including a bus, which is used for community activities and income generation.

Its project staff university graduates or holders of higher diplomas, and the board members are all experienced people in their respective field who actively contribute to the organization's operation.

WOFAN has provided training and capacity building to other NGOs in the region. The UNDP, British Council, World Bank have also drawn on WOFAN expertise for consultancies and training services in community development.