Annex D Preparation of the report.

The report was prepared in a highly participatory manner, jointly with the federal government and in close consultation with and under the guidance of regional governments as well as nongovernmental stakeholders. In addition, the women's affairs bureaus and the bureaus of planning actively participated in some regions. During a workshop to discuss the concept paper, it was agreed that the regional committees active in some regions would prepare the background work for the sector report. NGOs and donors will have an opportunity to discuss the findings of the report, as they did the concept paper. The process of preparing the report, in itself, strengthened gender-sensitivity at the regional levels, increased the capacity of regional partners to conduct participatory appraisals, and expanded the Bank's awareness of and sensitivity to constraints facing women in Ethiopia.

The lack of region-specific data, both on the intergovernmental arrangements as well on the status of women, posed a significant constraint. In order to understand regional variations, consultants prepared 10 background reports on implementation of the women's policy at the regional level, with the second set of papers focusing on the delivery of services. These background papers are in Bank files.

In addition, participatory rural appraisals, conducted in all five regions, sought information on customary laws and practices affecting the economic lives of men and women. Consultants, including a national coordinator, were trained by international consultants for this purpose. Participatory rural appraisals were completed in five of these regions, although in two, the information generated was relatively weak. Summary regional reports are provided in annex B. In addition, two participatory rural appraisals were conducted in Addis Ababa to understand the constraints facing female entrepreneurs and the access to legal remedies for divorced women.

Participatory rural appraisals were conducted by a team of local consultants, who attended a two-week training course facilitated by two international trainers and qualified Bank staff. Final reports were prepared by the national coordinator for the participatory rural appraisal, assisted by an international consultant. All the detailed reports are in the task files. A number of tools were employed, with the key focus being on customary practices that regulate the economic rights of women. The participatory rural appraisals did not focus on health, education, and other factors because this was covered under the household survey conducted for the social sector note, which is being prepared separately. The women's affairs office and the local government structures--namely the bureaus of women's affairs and planning and wereda officials--introduced the team of local consultants to the community. However, because the appraisals were conducted by different teams, the depth of coverage is not consistent across regions.

An NGO, the Ethiopian Women Lawyer's Association, prepared the background papers on matters related to gender and law. Additionally, it provided research on select gender and legal issues.

In the two surveys conducted in Addis Ababa, participatory processes were also used. Focus discussion groups were carried out with different categories of women--food vendors and vegetable vendors, including single, married, divorced, and widowed women. This information was supported through direct observations and informal conversations and later strengthened with secondary materials.