Webzine

KOICA’s Strategy for Gender Equality Embodied in the Project for Prevention and Treatment of Obstetric Fistula in Côte d'Ivoire

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KOICA s Strategy for Gender Equality Embodied in the Projectfor Prevention and Treatment of Obstetric Fistula in C te d'IvoireMarch 8 is International Women s Day, which was designated by the United Nations in 1975 to improve the status of women around the world. A consensus has been reached in the international community that the achievement of gender equality is an essential factor not only for the improvement of women s status, but also for achieving the universal goals of development cooperation. Thus, KOICA is introducing the gender equality strategy while carrying out this project to enhance the quality of life and human rights of women who are suffering throughout the world. KOICA s Mid-term Implementation Plan for Promoting Gender Equality and Empowering Women and Girls (2019-2021)KOICA Supports the Silently Suffering Women of the C te d'Ivoire Project for Prevention and Treatment of Obstetric Fistula in C te d'Ivoire

Rohingya, Wounded by a Terrible Pain, Sees Sparks of Hope with KOICA

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Rohingya, Wounded by a Terrible Pain,Sees Sparks of Hope with KOICAHere exist people who are not welcomed anywhere, living in perpetual darkness.The Rohingya People.The Rohingya people are a Muslim minority group, most of whom are living in northern Rakhine State of western Myanmar, with about 2.2 million living throughout the world. After the genocide of the Rohingya people in Myanmar in the autumn of 2017, over 700,000 refugees were driven into Cox s Bazaar in Bangladesh, where there currently exist 33 temporary camps, shelters, and officially registered refugee camps. Over 900,000 Rohingya refugees are living in these camps, however this number does not take into account the refugees staying outside of the host communities and camps. It is difficult to know the exact number of Rohingya refugees who might be suffering outside the camps.The Rohingya refugees are facing several difficulties including food insecurity, lack of hygiene, and human rights violation. WFP is providing these individuals with food two to three times a week, but due to a lack of cooking utensils and fuel, it s almost impossible to cook the food, forcing them to eat raw or partially uncooked rice.Refugees who are in need of firewood go into the forest to cut down trees. The area of Cox s Bazaar, which was once lush with green trees, has become devastated since the refugee camps were established. Southeastern Bangladesh, where the camps are concentrated, is a region that sees abundant rainfall. As the demand for firewood has devastated the mountains near the refugee camps, it is highly likely that landslides will be caused by the heavy rainfall. During the rainy season from July to October, concerns about drinking water, hygiene, malnutrition, as well as waterborne diseases such as cholera, will rise.What matters is not only deforestation, but also the devastated bodies and hearts of young girls.The Rohingya children, who walk 6-7 kilometers for several hours with bare feet to gather firewood, are often victims of sexual harassment or rape. The lack of fuel does not only cause the problem of cooking food, but it also leads to the dangers of gender-based violence. As the culture and society of the Rohingya people are fairly conservative, the activities of women have traditionally been limited to the inside of the house. For this reason, it has been hard for them to get information and support from the outside. The illiteracy rate of Rohingya women amounts to 73%, making face-to-face communication the only way to communicate with these women. In the camps, there are leaders who collect people s opinions, but as they are all male, the opinions of Rohingya women are seldom reflected.Supplying Gas Burners to 100,000 HouseholdsIn order to help the Rohingya people who are currently facing many difficulties, KOICA has teamed up with the Join Together Society (JTS). WFP Cox s Bazaar office requested support in the form of gas burners for supplying fuel. Accordingly, from August to December last year, 100,000 Rohingya households in the Cox s Bazaar refugee camp received gas burners, which was the largest form of aid among public-private partnership projects that have supported the Rohingya refugees.Priority was given to households with female breadwinners, single parents, or persons with disabilities. WFP, in charge of food distribution in Cox s Bazaar, distributed the gas burners based on SCOPE, its own online food supply management system.The gas burners were customized to meet the standards of the UN LPG project. They were made strongly, with consideration paid to the local food customs, which consists of the use of heavy pots in order to prevent damage. Training on the use of gas burners and the safety guidelines were also provided to recipients. Afterwards, a program for those who had completed the training was provided, and they became personnel for the conducting of regular inspections. The project was overall an effective collaboration, with KOICA and JTS responsible for the manufacturing and delivery of gas burners, and WFP responsible for the distribution of its fuel and providing the training on its use. With gas burners, Rohingya refugees can now boil water and fully cook food. The boiled water will help the prevention of waterborne diseases and the cooked food will provide the people with sufficient nutrients. Now, the refugees do not have to fear while walking long distances to get firewood. The trees in Cox s Bazaar will also grow bigger every day to form a dense forest, as before.In addition, various education sessions and programs will be provided to Rohingya women to enhance their self-esteem and build capacity, and to expand their network by building a women s community. A psychotherapy program for children will also be conducted to restore their psychological and social stability, which had deteriorated from traumatic events.Unwelcomed elsewhere, the lives of Rohingya refugees were plummeting into endless darkness amid indifference from the global community. We hope KOICA s effort will be delivered to the hearts of people all around the world to become the sparks of hope.

Happiness for Women and Girls All Around the World, Gender Equality Achieved by KOICA

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Happiness for Women and Girls All Around the World, Gender Equality Achieved by KOICAMarch 8 is International Women s Day, which was designated by the United Nations in 1975 to improve the status of women around the world. After the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted, a consensus was reached in the international community that the achievement of gender equalityEN is an essential factor, not only for the improvement of women s status, but also for achieving the universal goals of development cooperation. Thus, KOICA puts emphasis on the importance of gender equality, along with peace, human rights, and democracy, as a few of the ten priorities for innovation, while making efforts to achieve gender equality in every stage of discovering and pursuing projects. Let us examine the results related to gender equality of KOICA s projects, while sending warm thoughts and hopes to every woman and girl in the world that they can have the abilities to pursue their dreams without gender-based discrimination.KOICA S Projects on Gender Equality (In General)Status of Women s Participation in Education by RegionEducation Projects with Over 1,000 Females Participants Per YearGender Marker Projects by Project Field(project found by KOICA in the last five years)

Happy New Year from KOICA Indonesia!

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Happy New Year from KOICA Indonesia!Hello All! My name is Halimatusyadiah(Helly). I ve worked with KOICA Indonesia for 26 years. Almost half of my age and my life, I ve spent with KOICA Indonesia. It'ss like my family that I ve grown up with. The office was established in 1992 and until now it has carried out various programs such as project assistance, dispatching experts and volunteers, scholarships, disaster relief assistance, and CSR, and so on. I would like to express my sincere thanks to KOICA because it has given me an opportunity to work. I am grateful to be involved with this esteemed organization. I have gained much experieces and knowledge here. Indeed, KOICA has contributed greatly to supporting the development of Indonesia through its various programs, and I was impressed every time we added a new page to the history of KOICA. One of the most memorable projects is establishing Korea-Indonesia Friendship Sport Center (POPKI) in 2003. I lived near the center and I used to join sports exercise with others there every Sunday. This center was also used for social events of KOICA and other special occasions - including the international handball match of Asian Game 2018. I also place a high value on KOICA s scholarship program and master s degree program that train many Indonesian civil servants through various theoretical and practical courses in Korea. I have heard great news from the civil servants who participated in KOCIA s capacity building programs, that they were able to reach high level positions afterwards.This year, KOICA also helped areas in Lombok to recover from the earthquake damage, in partnership with Indonesian Red Cross (PMI). We provided additional assistance for the earthquake and tsunami happened in Palu, Sulawesi. We all worked very hard to extend humanitarian aid in Indonesia. Over the last 26 years, I ve learned so much in KOICA while sharing knowledge, and experiences, and building friendship with Korean colleagues. I always enjoyed working in the office where there are Koreans and Indonesians working together. My special gratitude goes to KOICA for its contribution to Indonesia for the last 26 years. I wish someday, Indonesia could also establish an honored aid agency like KOICA that contributes to making a better world together. Season s Greetings! Remembering KOICA s colleagues at the end of the year fills my heart with joy. I wish you a happy new year filled with love and happiness.Terimakasih, Kamsahamida(Thank you)!Warm Wishes,Helly