Context: Why is this project important?
Ongoing marginalisation of women in mainstream development practice has long been recognized. Despite recent attention given to the digital divide, there exists overwhelming evidence that the gender dimension of such a divide remains relatively under-examined. Recent Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) initiatives geared toward the 'gender digital divide' include advocacy, policy design at national and global levels, and the collection of baseline sex-disaggregated data on ICT access, adoption and usage. There is a pressing need to understand better the developmental impact of such initiatives through sound monitoring and evaluation exercises.

The Project: How does this initiative address the development problem?
The overarching goal of Gender Evaluation Methodology (GEM) Phase II is to strengthen gender evaluation practice among key actors in the field of ICT for development. This will be accomplished through research in identified themes, the development of gender evaluation resources, the formation of a sustainable practitioners network, and the training of evaluators in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe and Latin America. GEM Phase I explored the territory and developed a tool with which to navigate it - the tool can be accessed on line here. This phase built the capacity of an emerging network of navigators and mapmakers and inspired a diverse range of practitioners to examine their projects from a gendered perspective.

GEM II will build on this process by adapting the tool, applying it, building capacity and providing support and resources, working with established projects and processes. The current proposed phase will test if this is achievable in the broader ICT4D community, and if it can be achieved in practice, working with an end-to-end approach in four specific areas of ICT4D practice: telecentres, localization, ICT projects in rural communities and national ICT policy processes. The three-year project aims to develop and offer an integrated suite of knowledge, resources and services that can support the full cycle of implementation, from project development to policy making, to capacity building, implementation and evaluation and monitoring.

Objectives:
To strengthen gender evaluation practice among key actors in the field of ICT for development. More specifically, the project aims to:

• Adapt GEM, through evaluations of ICT projects, in the four thematic areas, and strengthen the GEM tool's usefulness for practitioners by capturing lessons in new GEM resources;
• Form and sustain a learning community of practitioners that will exchange experiences in gender evaluation practice, provide peer support for ongoing needs, and share knowledge and resources to broaden the use of GEM in various contexts;
• Develop high quality GEM consultancy services with well trained facilitators in Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and Latin America, conducting project evaluation, workshop facilitation, training GEM users, and bringing in a sustainable income stream for the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) Women's Network Support Programme (WNSP); and
• Advocate commitment to gender evaluation of ICT projects through the promotion of GEM tools and resources, good practice in the use of GEM, and strengthening gender sensitive programming.

Development Impact
As the project has just recently started, its development impact cannot be assessed at this time.

Outputs
All publications and materials related to this project will be listed here as they become available.

Key Words*

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | TELECOMMUNICATIONS | PROJECT DESIGN | PROJECT EVALUATION | GENDER ANALYSIS

* All terms are drawn from the OECD Macrothesaurus 1998.