
What we do
The Gender Responsive Equitable Agriculture and Tourism (GREAT)
Program is a flagship initiative funded the Australian Government and
managed by Cowater International. The first phase of GREAT ran from 2017-22 and the second phase (GREAT 2)
will run from 2022-27 with a total investment from the Australian Government of
AUD 67.4 million.
The Provincial People’s Committees of Son La and Lao Cai
provinces are the Program’s key counterparts. Within each province, a Project
Management Unit (PMU) works collaboratively with Cowater International to
provide an essential coordination and liaison role for program implementation.
The expected program outcomes for GREAT 2 are:
1. Women, particularly ethnic minority women living in Son La and
Lao Cai, have improved economic benefits.
2. Women, particularly ethnic minority women living in Son La and
Lao Cai, have increased confidence and social status, including more balanced
workloads and greater decision-making within the home, workplace, and
community.
3. Women, particularly ethnic minority women and household members
living in Son La and Lao Cai, benefit from more gender-responsive, inclusive,
and effective provincial and national policies, plans, strategies, and
programs.
GREAT has adopted a multipronged approach to stimulating change
in partnership with the private sector, government and civil society
organisations in the tourism and agriculture markets.
Women’s Economic Empowerment
We are working to enable women to access economic opportunities,
determine their own path, be recognised for the value of their contributions
and receive equitable economic returns. Our approach to women’s economic
empowerment focuses on:
Reach: Engaging women in all project activities and addressing
barriers to participation.
Benefit: Improve women’s access to assets, financial services and support
services.
Empower: Strengthen the ability of women to make strategic life
choices and put these into action.
Fostering Inclusive Market Systems
We work with partners to identify and implement solutions that
improve the way markets function and elevate the ability of women to
participate more actively and equally.
Importantly, GREAT works to facilitate change in market systems
without becoming embedded in it. This approach promotes sustainability by
helping long-term system actors affect changes they have a stake in – providing
an incentive to maintain any new practice. We aim to tackle the underlying
causes of market failure and poverty, rather than just addressing the
superficial symptoms.
Understand, Adapt, Innovate
Inherent to our approach is a cycle of constant learning. If
something is not working, we adapt and seek alternative solutions.
This approach fosters innovation as we encourage the pursuit of
solutions to specific market problems and/ or women’s participation. It also
provides us with a body of practical knowledge and evidence, which we share
with relevant agencies and policy-makers to advocate for sector governance and
policy change.