Growing A New Leadership Model
Meryl Williams Fellow Dr Daovy Kongmanila is challenging gender stereotypes in villages and boardrooms across Laos.
In rural Laos, most girls go to primary school in their village. They are expected to marry, have children and care for their families, and many struggle to convince their parents of the merits of high school, let alone university. And so it was for Dr Daovy Kongmanila.
As the youngest of six children, and the only female, the odds were firmly stacked against her.
"In the past, the boys in a family in my culture generally had better opportunities to access higher education," Daovy says. "It was the same for me. It was possible for my brothers to go to evening English classes while I did not."
However, Daovy can be very persuasive, and she is ambitious. These are traits that have stood her in good stead during the past 20 years, as she has repeatedly broken gender stereotypes in her field of scientific expertise.
After completing a Bachelor of Science in Livestock and Fishery from the National University of Laos, Daovy did her PhD in Animal Nutrition and Management at the Swedish University of Agricultural Science, before gaining a scholarship to study her Masters in Tropical Livestock Systems and Biology. She's now a lecturer in the faculty of agriculture at her alma mater, where she has spent more than 10 years conducting research and teaching in livestock sciences, farming systems and management. And she is relishing the opportunity to apply the leadership lessons she is learning through the Meryl Williams Fellowship every day.
"There are only a small number of female researchers in agricultural science in Laos and very few females researching goat nutrition and management like me," says Daovy, who is confident that goat production has a vital role to play in the future health and financial prosperity of many smallholder farmers, especially women. However, it has not been easy.
"Most of the small landholders I work with are men," Daovy says. "Last year, all five of the students I supervised were men. Sometimes it can be really hard for me and challenging to tell them what I want them to do, and for them to adapt.
"Goats are a big source of income for farming families in Laos. They cost less to buy and are smaller than cattle, and can be cared for by women and students. In my experience, women are sympathetic and love the goats.
"In most families it is the women who are most concerned about income, food and education. Food security, nutrition and income are interconnected. If they have more income, women have a better life and feel stronger. They don't need to go out and work so hard.
"When women know more about the goats they keep, this results in higher production and means a higher income for the family. So I have made women a priority with my research."
Another of Daovy's passions is the Lao Women's Union (LWU). Established in 1955 by the Lao People's Revolutionary Party as a campaign tool, it has grown into a national bi-partisan vehicle to support the ambitions and rights of women. Now recognised under the Laos Constitution and boasting a membership of more than 1,000,000 women nation-wide, the LWU promotes the development, status and roles of women, and advocates for them on gender issues in government and non-government sectors.
Daovy joined a junior branch of the LWU in 1997, at high school, and is thrilled to now be having input into its strategy and policy at a much higher level. "The union is very important to me because it seeks to give women equal access to opportunities for personal and professional development," she says. "I like to learn, and look at what successful women are doing, so I can develop myself. I am also trying to be the best example I can be for my students and colleagues. When women join the union, we feel we have protection and support, and we are part of a strong network."
The National University of Laos has its own LWU committee, of which Daovy is a member. She has also led her faculty's LWU chapter since 2014 and, most recently, took up a prized appointment at the ministerial level. "It is an honour to help other women and be involved in these decisions," she says. "All the work aims to help women to be good people, to support the development of other women and to maintain respectable families.
"I would like to help women have better access to education and knowledge; the higher their education, the better their knowledge. I would also like to see more women doing research, in administrative positions and making decisions for our country. It requires many steps."
Although women make considerable contributions to the Laos economy, many are still denied basic education, and poverty can translate into limited access to health care and social opportunities. Membership of the LWU provides access to labour, legal and business information, which Daovy hopes empowers women to better understand their capacity, and to realise it.
In her own household, there are none of the impediments that Daovy experienced herself as a child. The intimate mentoring she is receiving as part of the Meryl Williams Fellowship is informing and energising her at work and at home. "Supporting the education of my son [aged 11] and daughter [aged 6] is my priority," she says. "But women still face many challenges and limitations. I teach my daughter that women should be strong and must develop themselves as much as they can. Men and women are equal. I encourage my daughter all the time."
Written by Amanda Burdon for GEAReD.
Team Laos! Dr Daovy Kongmanila poses with the other two Meryl Williams Fellows from Laos - Dr Phonevilay Sinavong and Chanthaly Syfongxay.
The prestigious Meryl Williams Fellowship is funded by ACIAR and supports female international agricultural researchers and scientists across the Indo-Pacific to improve their leadership and management skills. The Fellowship contributes to more productive and secure food systems in developing countries by providing women with greater access to resources and decision making. Learn more about the Fellowship here.