Thailand National-Level Workshop Announcement

Learn, share and network at this workshop for economic and gender-based violence staff from governments, donor agencies, and NGOs in Thailand to acquire knowledge and hands-on skills necessary to implement and evaluate economic and household energy programs that will reduce displaced women’s vulnerability to gender-based violence. The workshop is limited to 25 participants.

Building on the Women’s Refugee Commission’s Regional Livelihoods Workshop on August 11-13, 2009 and on a series global workshops on safe access to firewood and alternative energy in humanitarian settings (SAFE), the Women’s Refugee Commission with support from the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration is conducting a participatory four-day national-level workshop on operationalizing protection into livelihood and household energy programs for refugees in urban, in-camp, and other settings in Thailand.

A lack of safe access to household energy and insufficient livelihoods options are key sources of vulnerability to gender-based violence, particularly among displaced and conflict-affected populations. As such, this workshop will engage participants in developing market-oriented, context-specific approaches and protection strategies for designing safe and self-reliant livelihood and household interventions.

Participants will become familiar with best practices identified and developed from the Women’s Refugee Commission’s long-standing research projects on livelihoods and household energy programming in refugee, IDP, and returnee settings. In order to facilitate participants’ operationalization of safe livelihoods and household energy programs as a tool for reducing vulnerability to gender-based violence, the workshop will include practice sessions, adapt participant project work plans, and develop a joint action plan to support collaboration and coordination between participants. Participants will have continued access to the Women’s Refugee Commission’s technical staff for technical support through 2011.

WORKSHOP FEE: There is No fee for this workshop. Participants will be required to cover their own travel expenses, including board.

Apply here before December 16, 2009.

For Questions, please contact Dena Batrice, denab@wrcommission.org.