Same, Same but Different : -a Minor Field Study of the Future Red Cross Women´s Project, Malindi Branch, Kenya.

Sammanfattning: Same, Same, but Different -a Minor Field Study of the Future Red Cross Women’s Project, Malindi Branch, Kenya. In May 2005, we received a scholarship from the Swedish International Development Agency, SIDA, to conduct a Minor Field Study about the future women’s project at the Malindi Red Cross branch, Kenya. The branch has since May 2002 been involved in a Twinning cooperation with the Swedish Red Cross Southeast Region. The aim of this thesis is by using the Logical Framework Approach and the Intersectional perspective, to examine the situation for women in Malindi and the work of the Red Cross branch, in order to propose guidelines for the future Red Cross women’s project. The questions asked were: How can the guidelines for the women’s project be formulated in order for the vision of the Red Cross to be reached? What changes within the individual, societal and political sphere have to be accomplished in order to meet the needs and interests of different women in Malindi? The work of the Red Cross is in a political science perspective interesting as it through its role of a humanitarian organisation and NGO, plays an important role in the Kenyan civil society, performing activities and providing services that originally should be supplied by the government. We have found that it is not possible to talk about the woman in Malindi, due to the fact that women’s backgrounds, problems, needs and interests are different. Therefore it is of great importance that the Red Cross in order to accomplish its vision, i.e. to reach the most vulnerable, includes a gender and an intersectional approach into its activities and outreaches. There is a desire in Kenya to politicize the gender issue, however the future will show the will to actually implement these laws and reforms needed for the empowerment of the women. Moreover, different gender structures can only be achieved through the questioning of the traditional gender roles from both men and women and in this process we have recognised the Red Cross as an important moulder of public opinion. Finally we also want to suggest an inclusion of the gender- and the intersectional perspective into the method of LFA, since the traditional model is not sufficient in considering the different needs of different people.