Gender Action Learning System (GALS) is a community-led empowerment methodology which aims to give women and men more control over their lives, catalyze and support a sustainable movement to improve the relationship. This also enables family members to plan and work together, achieve more gender equitable workload, increase economic productivity and leadership of women. Illustrations, signs, symbols and drawings are used in GALS for setting common family vision for overall well-being of the family members. And helps to analyze the dynamics and relationships in the family to understand areas to be improved for a happy and prosperous family.
The methodology is implemented across the world in different development contexts like value chain, rural finance, rural livelihood, food security among others. GALS is proven as a successful approach in providing solutions for an inclusive rural transformation. In Nepal this methodology is promoted through Joint Program on Accelerating Progress toward Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment (JP- RWEE) a global programme managed by 4 UN agencies - FAO, IFAD, WFP and UN WOMEN.
Rural Enterprises and Remittances Project (RERP) a joint initiative between Government of Nepal - Ministry of Industry, Commerce & Supplies, and International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) are implementing GALS in Madesh Province since 2019 in a collaborative manner. The methodology is scaled up with learnings in Agriculture Sector Development Programme (ASDP) a joint initiative of Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development and International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) in Karnali Province.
With the evidences of changes demonstrated in the field, interest to understand the results, its process and approaches is being increased by different stakeholders. A Learning route was organized by RERP with technical backstopping of JP-RWEE and Heifer Nepal. Achievements and learnings of GALS and its contribution in agriculture value chains was organized for a number of Members of Parliament from Agriculture and Land Management Committee of Madesh Province and other stakeholders.
Provincial parliament members including former Minister of Internal Affairs and Law, Madhes Province Hon. Gayendra Yadav, Hon. Chameli Devi Das, Hon. Jagtaran Devi, Hon. Gauri Narayan Sah and elected members of wards visited the groups. During interaction with women and men who have practiced GALS, changes were visible in their behavior, actions and increasing their own income through vegetable and livestock enterprises in Gausala Municipality of Mahottari.
The team also visited women and men of Baluwa of Kolhavi Municipality, Bara with additional provincial parliament member Hon. Bachha Lal Yadav and former Mayor Bharat Bahadur Bhandari of Kolhavi Municipality. The team noticed that farmer members were bringing transformative changes in their life, productivity, production of fish and with other diversified enterprises like goat, poultry and restaurants business.
Since the GALS has been materialized as credible approach to assist high-risk families in the rural households. Those municipalities where Cluster Development Funds(CDF) is generated with the support of RERP have allocated their budget for GALS activities. The CDF have been implemented in Kolhabi, Gujara, Dhangadhimai, Sahidnagar municipalities of Madesh Pradesh where GALS related activities are reflected in local government's yearly plan and budget.
