Capacity Building and the development of a training curriculum for integrating gender in ecosystem fisheries management and electronic catch documentation were two of the strategies developed as interventions in raising awareness of sectors involved in a perceived male-dominated tuna industry on gender equality and women empowerment.  Capability building was achieved through gender-based trainings, workshops, and seminars/lectures. Gender-sensitive training is a “transforming” tool through which people in general and value chain players, enablers and other stakeholders in particular developed new attitude and learn new knowledge and skills.  It initiates change at the individual, organizational, social and policy levels which encourages gender-responsive sustainable development. A training for trainers was likewise necessary for the sustainability of capacity building intervention.  It is a tool to create a common language for getting people together for greater bonding towards a common goal of developing and enhancing their gender lens and skills in integrating gender in future programs, projects and activities.

A gender-sensitive curriculum served as guide in turning a seemingly gender-blind program into a gender-responsive one, thus, session modules were crafted taking into consideration certain requirements such as men and women’s participation, utilization of sex disaggregated data, use of gender-analysis, inclusion of GAD statements in goals, objectives, outcomes and outputs, activities that respond to identified gender issues, gender-sensitive monitoring and evaluation tools and indicators, adequate budget and resources and coordination with the agency’s GAD agenda.

The project has engaged approximately 200 participants from various sectors in General Santos City and Sarangani province through group discussions of gender-based research results, conduct of gender-based training and  workshops relevant to attaining the project goal of raising their awareness on the concepts of gender equality and women empowerment in their households, community and most specifically in the fisheries industry. All of these strategies were utilized for gaining major steps in the pursuit of gender equality and women empowerment especially in the implementation of an engendered Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) program and electronic Catch Documentation Traceability (eCDT) system.