Informed to Influence: Increasing Ethnic Minority Women’s Access to Information for Improved Governance and Development

The Informed to Influence project aims to enable civil society organizations to legitimately represent ethnic minority communities to enhance government transparency and accountability for promoting ethnic minority rights.

Background

Access to public information is necessary for development. Good governance practices show that when vulnerable groups, particularly ethnic minorities, can access information and raise their voice, it will help improve the law implementation and the very policies that address their needs.

Through the Informed to Influence project, CARE enables civil society organizations to legitimately represent ethnic minority communities to enhance government transparency and accountability for promoting ethnic minority rights. The project is implemented by CARE and NorthNet, a network of over 10 local civil society organizations (CSOs) in the mountainous region of northern Vietnam.

Objective of Informed to Influence

Key objectives:

Civil society organizations have strengthened their capacity to represent ethnic minority women’s interests.
Ethnic minority women have increased access to information on ethnic minority-related policies and programs that impact them.
Lawmakers and authorities are more supportive of ethnic minorities’ right to access information.

Informed to Influence’s approach

Capacity development & awareness raising

Provide advanced training on human rights-based and evidence-based advocacy for NorthNet members.
Provide small grants for NorthNet members to implement their own ‘Right to Information’ activities.
Establish Livelihoods and Rights Clubs (LARC).
Provide training on leadership and communication for LARC leaders, and governance training for communal authorities and village leaders.

Promoting openness & access to information

Share information and experiences among NorthNet members.
Develop and test new channels of information sharing between local authorities and ethnic minority women.
Provide documentation on access to information gaps and strategies.
Strengthen links with other networks, alliances, and media for joint advocacy.

Enhancing governance, accountability & legitimacy of civil society organizations

Increase internal network capacity, representation, and legitimacy.
Support the organization of policy dialogues and consultations at national and provincial level

Participants of Informed to Influence

30,000 women, men, boys, and girls from ethnic minorities in target locations