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FINAL Narrative Report:

The Power of Peer Support

October 2018 – June 2019

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Contact Information

Grant ID: AWDF/2129/1

Organisation Name: Voice of Women Uganda (VOWU

Contact Person: Tumukunde Meldah, Coordinator

Present Address (Postal and Physical): Plot 2294 Ssenge Kawanda Rd, off

Hoima Rd P.O Box 26257 Kampala Uganda

Country: Uganda

Type of report: Final

Grant Information Project Title: Awareness and Prevention of Gender Based Violence in Wakiso

District

Purpose of Grant as stated in the grant agreement:

- To mobilise and empower women to address the issue of VAWG in

Wakiso district

- To create awareness using the ‘SASA’ methodology to help change the

negative attitudes that feed incidents of VAWG

- To create support of survivors and building linkages between various

stakeholders such as health service, police and legal aid services to

support survivors

Any change to the agreed purpose of grant?: None

Total amount received: $20,000

Project: Start-up date: 1st October, 2018

Completion date: 30th June, 2019

Project objectives

- Increasing community awareness and understanding of gender based

violence

- Encouraging women and men to adopt non-violent behaviours and peaceful

means of resolving conflicts

- Raising awareness on relevant laws and policies and the roles of existing

agencies towards reduction of gender based violence

Project deliverables

- More women and girls aware of and can exercise their rights to bodily

integrity and freedom from violence

- More women and girls access necessary support and services that respect

their diverse needs and identities

- Public increasingly support ending violence against women

Direct (Primary) Beneficiaries (Total number of direct beneficiaries): A total of

458 beneficiaries

o how many benefited directly per activity

o Community mobilisation and awareness raising - 876 with 638

women and 153 men 85 girls.

o Capacity building of women and girls - 458 with 395 women

and 63 girls

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o Psycho and social support – 329 survivors/victims, 327 women

and 2 men benefitted.

Living with HIV – 53

Domestic violence (abusive relationships) – 91

Single mothers due to separation– 49

Family Neglect – 12

Disability related violence – 13

Child labour and abuse – 6

Widows experiencing land grabbing by relatives- 23

Old age and lack of care- 17

School drop outs – 19

Girls who are in school – 44

Men - 2

Indirect (Secondary) Beneficiaries

The indirect beneficiaries include; Local Councils - 33, Police (at posts and

stations) - 8, Probation office - 1, CDOs - 2, Sub-county chiefs and Town Clerks -

2, Religious leaders (imams and priests) - 4, Collaborating NGOs - 18, Political

leaders - 7. A total of 75 people benefited.

Please provide summaries of the following: Project Background (The importance of the project)

Women quietly experience gender based and domestic violence due to lack of

knowledge of their human rights, for fear of social acceptance, stigma, triggering

more violence and lack of skills of negotiating safe means of resolving conflicts.

As a result, they tend to be submissive especially when confronted with violence

related incidents. Victims and survivors of violence lack information on where to

go and what do to overcome the situations. Unfortunately, the trauma a violence

survivor experiences goes beyond her own suffering, rendering great effects on

her family and the entire community. This becomes an obstacle in achieving

gender justice as well as economic growth and peace in the nation as a whole.

In October, 2018, Voice of Women Uganda received news of approval of a grant

of $20,000 from African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) to implement a

project titled; Awareness and Prevention of GBV in Wakiso District. The goal of

the project is to equip women with information on their rights, educate

communities about their role in preventing violence, and restore hope of the

victims and survivors of violence by providing coping mechanisms.

The project targeted three communities of Kasengejje and Najjemba in Wakiso

Town Council and Banda Central in Mende Sub County respectively. However,

survivors and victims came from different parts of Wakiso and other surrounding

areas including Kampala district. In total, 876 people have been reached 638

women, 153 men and 85 girls. This report gives an overall assessment of the

implementation of the project and the impact created.

What were the planned project activities for this grant?

2.1 Community mobilization and awareness on GBV and gender related rights

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2.2 Capacity building of women and girls to be able to defend themselves or avoid

acts that make them vulnerable to abuse, violence and exploitation.

2.3 Advocacy and lobbying to enable peace and decision makers and service

providers to understand the vulnerabilities and situations that women and girls

so through so that they can adequately offer immediate assistance

2.4 Psycho and social support to victims and survivors of violence to enable them

cope and/restore their lives

2.5 Community outreaches to keep in touch and also accompany the survivors in

their recovery/coping process

2.6 Monitoring progress and changes in the lives of the survivors and the entire

community practices and attitudes towards women

2.7 Designing, packaging and sharing information for personal empowerment as

well as advocacy

3 What activities did the project carry out? Please give details

2.1.1: Conduct community awareness workshops on gender related issues

Efforts were invested in educating communities about GBV and its effects. Through

community meetings and gatherings,

community members were able to discuss

ways of ending violence against women. In

total, 9 meetings involving a total of 876

participants were held. The SASA

methodology helped in making

interconnections on such issues HIV, power

imbalance, poverty, communication techniques

and how these contribute to violence against

women.

2.1.2: Organise drama and music productions to enhance public awareness on

gender based violence

On realising that communities positively respond to music and drama, survivors were

mobilized to

package

information

on GBV,

HIV/AIDS,

women’s

rights, power

imbalance in

form of songs

and drama.

Three drama

groups were

formed; two

in one

community

Community meeting in progress at Banda

Drama group presentations at Najjemba

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Najjemba and one in Kasengejje respectively. On several occasions, community members

were invited to watch the drama as they were at the same time entertained. This greatly

motivated community members to open up, make open judgements, arguments and critic

some of the actions they watched in the drama or listened to in songs. Watching drama

did not only excite or annoy the individuals but also acted on them psychologically.

Drama has proved to be a powerful education tool because of its entertainment effect.

Two of the groups have gone as far as performing at the public events such as World

AIDS Day and other activities organised by stakeholders. This has not only exposed the

group but also spread the gospel of ending violence against women and also increased

VOWU’s visibility.

2.1.3: Engaging local leaders and authorities for effective management of GBV

related cases

Project staff continuously engaged with local leaders especially local councils on what

needs to be done for them to

effectively handle violence

related cases. Among the

issues discussed was the

need to simply the laws to an

understandable language

since most laws are written

in legal language and can not

easily be understood or interpreted by local people.

Besides, a few of the local council members can

speak or are able to express themselves or read

English. We have in the MOU signed with Justice

Centres Uganda agreed to train the local leaders and

authorities in gender related laws and their

interpretation and application. We had scheduled a joint

stakeholders meeting but this did not take place due to shortage of funds and time as well.

Bringing all stakeholders together will help in creating a common understanding of the

issues at hand.

2.2.1: Conduct empowerment sessions

for women and girls

Empowerment sessions were continuously

organised to educate women and girls about

Local leaders presenting GBV issues

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their rights as well as empowering them with self-defence skills and related knowledge.

Twelve (6) empowerment sessions for women and girls were organized in December,

January, February, March, April and June respectively in the three communities. In total,

458 participants (395 women and 63 girls) benefited from the sessions such as; parenting

skills, managing conflicts in families, in relationships and techniques of preventing

violence, power, rights and justice, sexual reproductive health rights, awareness and self-

defense for young girls, review and sharing of testimonies. Thank you to the facilitators

for the very useful sessions. The session on GBV in the legal context: importance of laws

and policies in ending violence against women were not conducted as they were to be

facilitated by Justice Centres Uganda as part of the MOU.

2.2.2 Train role model survivors (peer mentors)

Nine (9) survivors were identified as mentors

(Seeds of Hope) and trained in skills of

helping their peers to avoid and/or cope with

the violent acts and conflicts. The mentors

were taken through a 3-days training where

they acquired theoretical, practical and

technical aspects of rendering protective and

remedial services to survivors. In this training,

emphasis was put on elimination of gender

bias, discrimination, stigmatisation and

promotion of gender equity. The Seeds of

Hope appreciated the mentoring and pledged

to ensure privacy, confidentiality and respect while providing peer support to fellow

survivors.

2.2.3 Organise sensitisation foras for men on gender related rights (white ribbon campaign on GBV)

We have made great strides in involving men in the dialogue to win their support in

promoting and advocating for women’s

rights and access to justice. VOWU

engaged men in dialogues to deeply

reflect on factors that contribute to

violence against women. From the

discussion, issues such as poverty,

cultural practices, religion, upbringing

of children have greatly contributed to

power imbalance. Men have

appreciated the sessions but were

concerned that the sessions were few

and needed more time to engage. Men who have so far engaged in the sessions have

appreciated the knowledge gained and have pledged to practice what they have learnt.

We are now witnessing a declining trend in the perceptions and attitudes especially

among men who believe that mistreating women is acceptable. Of course, some men still

feel that they hold more power over women and women are expected to be subordinates.

Seeds of Hope (Mentors) in demonstrations

Men's dialogue in progress in Najjemba

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‘when we refer to the bible, a woman was not created but was just removed from the

man’s rib, this already tells us that women are subordinates to men and they are

supposed to listen to them’ one participated said during the dialogue with men.

2.3.1: Secure gender related laws and policies

We have identified several laws that are gender related, however, these could be studied

due to shortage of funds. We have included this activity in the new application.

2.3.3: Hold advocacy meetings with law enforcement bodies and authorities

We have engaged police officers at Kasengejje, Banda central and Ssenge police posts

and Wakiso police station respectively to help

us in addressing violence related crimes. In

this engagement, we have learnt that police

handle and keeps records of all types of cases;

murder, theft, kidnapping, property and land

related or other disputes and fights including

domestic violence. Particularly the Children

and Family Affairs Unit handle issues of

violence. We further observed that police

only handles cases that are referred to them.

The discussion with the respective officers pointed out the following challenges and gaps

that need to be paid attention;

Several cases are not reported to police

Victims out of fear and suspicion tend to provide inadequate information when

recording statements at police, yet police officers lack the requisite skills and

financial support to further investigate reported cases.

Justice is frustrated by inadequate number of critical facilities like shelters where

victims can be accommodated to receive counseling and other support before

returning home as well as absence of specialized courts where it is safe for

women to report cases.

The child and Family Protection Unit of the Uganda Police Force is understaffed

with 645 police officers countrywide. This makes it hard for the police to respond

to the numerous reported cases that requires proven evidence to be provided

before any judgement is made.

Whereas there are specialized courts on corruption, environment, terrorism and

other cases, there are no such courts at police stations to handle cases related to

violence against women. Violence related cases are handled generally.

The following was agreed:

- Police stations will pay particular attention to violence cases reported by women and

ensure that they are adequately handled

A police officer in a discussion with the PO

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- VOWU should empower women and children desks at Wakiso and other police stations

in the district with the same knowledge and working tools such as reporting and referral

forms, information on where to refer, so that cases do not only end at police stations or in

courts

- VOWU should create linkages with the lawyers that offer pro bono legal services to be

able to support the survivors who would wish to pursue their cases in courts of law for

fair hearing and justice to prevail.

- A community policing system where police work with the communities in preventing

and addressing crimes within a given community should be emphasized. This includes

joint efforts in vigilance, surveillance and investigations on reported cases.

- Police officers should be trained in data recording and vulnerability assessment to

ensure that GBV related cases are easily traced

- Survivors need immediate response whenever they report as the perpetuators can easily

harm them. Police should designate special rooms where violence victims can be kept as

they do with prisoners.

- VOWU will continuously dialogue with police and other security agencies for better

understanding of the issues raised.

2.3.4 Map out organisations and service providers working on GBV

VOWU has through our

networks and stakeholders

identified and linked with

organisations and service

providers working on gender

related issues. As an output of

this activity, a directory of

stakeholders and service

providers has been created to

guide the referral and

partnership building process

2.3.5: Build/strengthen relationships with the identified networks and organisations

Out of the several organisations and service providers identified under (activity 2.3.4), we

have managed to and are also still in the process of building working relationships as

follows;

- Raising Voices on the use of SASA methodology – they are open to work

with VOWU once we secure a long term project

- Wakiso Health Centre IV, a government

aided heath centre to conduct community

health camps in the three communities to

offer an opportunity to community

members to test for HIV, provide family

planning services, HPV vaccination for

girls, 9-12 years, follow up with those who

Some of the members of Nansana Civil Society Network.

VOWU inclusive

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have tested HIV positive, infant immunisation as well as health education to

all community members. 3 outreaches have been held.

- Justice Centres Uganda, a government body working on legal aid, counseling

and mediation matters, we have signed an MOU spelling out the roles and

responsibilities of each (see attached). JCU provides legal aid to vulnerable

people who are experiencing violation of their rights.

- GBV Prevention Network on networking and fundraising, we are now

recognised as a member of the Network and benefit from information on

funding opportunities

- Youth in Action – we are in the process of negotiating a memorandum of

working together to use their Film Van in community mobilisation and

awareness on violence issues using films and movies.

- Resonate, a social enterprise in East Africa (based in Rwanda) using story

telling as a tool to empower women to overcome fears, build confidence and

nurture a belief in themselves. Resonate trains women to tell their own unique

stories, learn to believe in themselves and overcome doubt and fear of failure.

We have agreed to work together effective January 2020

- Action Aid International GBV Shelter, open to receive victims and survivors

of violence referred by VOWU, terms to be agreed on case by case basis

- Nurture Africa, an NGO on HIV and maternal health related outreach, they

have received and handled our referred cases related to HIV and other medical

issues. In our discussion with the Management, we agreed that since we are all

members of the Nansana Civil Society Network, we can always work together

without necessary signing an MOU.

2.3.6 Participate in national and international events

We have mobilised women and girls to participate in national and international events

such as World AIDS day, International Women’s day, legal aid clinics, 16 days of

activism against GBV, exhibitions and sharing days.

- 20 women living with HIV were mobilised to

participate at the World AIDS Day celebrations on

6th December, 2018 at Kajjansi Clays Play Ground

under the theme: ‘Know Your HIV Status’.

- 12 girls were mobilized to participate in the

activities to mark 16 days of Activism against

gender based violence at Makerere University

under the 2018 theme: ‘ending violence against

women (VAW) in the world of work, continuing

to challenge powerful institutions’. The dialogue

focused on ending sexual harassment in institutions of learning and places of work.

- 14 women participated at the international women’s day celebrations held in

Bunyangabu District and also at Nansana Division under the theme; Empowering Women

through Innovative Approaches to Social Protection: A Pre-requisite for Inclusive and

Sustainable Development” prior to this day, VOWU also made a statement which was

shared on the social media:

International Women’s Day is a global day where we celebrate the strides that

women everywhere have made and also call for more action to realise gender

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justice and dignity. Unfortunately, to some of the women, this is not the case.

Many are out there quietly experiencing untold violence and cannot imagine what

the world ahead holds for them. Others have lost lives in the hands of their

spouses, the so-called friends and fiances and other heartless people who rejoice

in shedding innocent blood. As we celebrate this day in 2019, let us remember

that such women need out helping hand to be able to cope and/or restore their

lives. Voice of Women Uganda appeals to men and women to be careful not to

hurt each other. Let us understand that it’s not about being a man or woman that

differentiates us but the way we deal with situations that surround us, Women

must be safe from FEAR and safe from VIOLENCE. Together we can create a

Gender Balanced World.

Happy International Women’s Day celebrations to you all!!!

- One of the drama groups was invited and performed at the community legal aid clinic

in Kawempe Division, Kampala district. Several legal aid practitioners were present

and appreciated VOWU for talking about an issue that most people ignore.

2.3.6 Hold panel discussions and debates on gender related issues

This activity was to be conducted with the help of Justice Centres Uganda as part of the

MOU. It has been included in the new application.

2.4.1: Identify, support and/or refer women and girls whose rights are violated for

intervention and justice.

On a daily basis, the Project officer receives and interacts with women who visit our

offices to report cases, for counseling, to seek support and to follow up with their

reported cases. We have handled a number of GBV related cases during the

empowerment sessions, one-on-one counseling, community visits and referrals. We have

conducted community outreach visits to follow up with the survivors and get to

understand their daily realities and felt needs. We feel that these visits help to reduce on

the social stigma and also instill confidence in survivors.

2.4.2: Establish Survivor Support Groups

(SSG)

A number of survivors have been identified and

categorised as; living with HIV, married but

living in abusive relationships, single mothers

due to separation, child headed families,

disability related condition, family neglect,

widows experiencing land grabbing by relatives,

old age and lack of care, girls experiencing

violence in schools. The survivors based on

their needs and interests are involved in

activities such as; back yards farming (growing

vegetables such as cabbage, egg plants, green

pepper, okrah, Nakati, tomatoes and carrots).

Others are involved in drama, crafts work

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(making mats, shoes), knitting and tailoring, saving groups (SITUKA in Kasengejje and

BIYINZIKA in Najjemba), others have started individual stalls, charcoal making. Others

especially the victims need continuous help to establish their abilities and interests.

2.4.3: Provide continuous psychosocial counseling and mentoring for GBV survivors

A total of 329 survivors/victims have received counselling, referral and support as well as

coping skills from the Project Officer, the Seeds of Hope and also at referral places such

as shelters and probation office. We will not mention their names in this report for

confidentiality purposes. We have compiled their stories and these are accessed on

request.

2.4.4: Establish a support fund for GBV victims and survivors

We have provided support to victims who were found in a poor state. The support was in

form of seedlings, antibiotics for HIV survivors (Septrin), materials for craft, sanitary

materials, costumes, transport to health centres, PEP for the defiled children, facilitating

the police officers to carry out investigations on scenes of crime and also taking

statements from witnesses etc.

2.4.5: Identify and refer perpetrators for rehabilitation and behavior change (if they

are willing to transform)

Two cases of alcoholism were referred to Serenity Centre for rehabilitation and UDEL

for drug addicts respectively and the recovery process is ongoing. Most men who

approached us or we approached, have settled their grievances with their wives through

mediation and counseling. In 2 cases, men remained stubborn and we left the cases

unsolved despite involving all stakeholders and relatives.

2.4.6 Develop reporting, referral and feedback systems for victims and survivors to

be able to access medico-psycho-social services

The reporting, referral and feedback forms were designed and are being used in

identification, reporting and referral of survivors and victims

2.4.7 Follow up with the referred cases

We always followed up with the cases that we refer for support. In some cases, the

Project Officer accompanied the survivor to ensure that immediate help is provided.

Cases have been referred to the police, probation office, the health centres for PEP and

other diagnosis and tests, courts of law, Justice Centres Uganda for legal aid, health

centres for HIV tests, GBV Shelters for further counseling and probono legal aid support

among others. Of 29 cases referred for legal aid and other support, 17 were resolved, 12

cases are pending.

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5.1: Develop and share GBV information and advocacy materials and messages

Several materials have been

designed and packaged for use by

the beneficiaries. These include;

guideline on counseling survivors

and victims of violence, directory

of organisations and service

providers, GBV poster, translated

GBV booklet (in Luganda).

however, some have not been

printed due to shortage of funds.

The materials are useful in

publicity as well as information sharing.

6.1: Collect baseline information

The baseline survey report was finalized but the findings were not shared due to shortage

of funds.

6.2: Hold in house review meetings

Two in house review meetings were held involving staff, BOD representatives and

representatives of beneficiaries.

6.3: Conduct monitoring visits/outreaches to assess community response towards

ending GBV

The Project Officer

regularly visited the

communities to follow

up with the individual

response. She has also

provided information as

well as counseling to

survivors and victims.

Some couples have reconciled, some men have apologized to their wives. We know that

norms cannot change in a day

however, we have started seeing some

community members who reason

differently. We will continue to

monitor this change.

A mediation session at VOWU offices

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8.1 Hold Quarterly Committee meetings Two EC meetings have been held in November 2018 and March 2019 respectively

especially to fulfill their constitutional mandate and also provide guidance to staff.

3 Please describe any exceptional successes and provide two or three examples

Men have started gaining interest in gender

related discussions as one participant

commented: ‘We are dealing with a very

sensitive issue that involves changing some

of the perceptions we acquired at

childhood, Voice of Women Uganda

should seriously think about a programme

that will stay longer than a year to enable

us tackle these issues at length’

One of the leaders commented: ‘I know

there are some men who may be willing to

change the way they behave but how and

where should they do it from? Can VOWU

design a rehabilitation programme

specifically for them?’

4 What strategies did you adopt/use?

The strategies have been indicated under each implemented activity. These include

among others;

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- Community participation and involvement

- Drama and music

- Working with the local leaders

- Outreaches and home visits

- Partnership building and referrals

- One to one counselling sessions

What were the main challenges you faced in carrying out this project or in your

program? What actions were taken to address these challenges?

- Women still have challenges in making reproductive health decisions independent of

their husbands or partners. Such issues as family size, child spacing, family planning and

use of reproductive health services are decided upon by men. We engaged with men to

change this mindset.

- Poverty is another big challenge to the extent that some participants expect VOWU to

meet all their household needs including school fees, medical bills, family feeding, house

rent and other basic needs. We continuously elaborated on the objectives of the project.

- Some survivors especially those experiencing domestic violence fear to report their

spouses as they will be negatively judged by the community members, families and

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relatives. They also fear that the perpetuators will become more violence so, they opt to

endure the situation. The capacity empowerment sessions have helped a great deal. The

Seeds of Hope (role model survivors) have also helped to provide peer counselling and

support.

- Facilitating police officers to carry out investigations or visiting the scene of crime is a

challenge victims face as they do not have money.

- As we handle cases that are domestic, the victims still remain under the custody of the

perpetuators which puts them at greater risk of being further harassed or abused. Besides,

the victims are not willing to relocate to shelters as they do not want to leave their

children behind. This is still a challenge but we will continue to refer to the shelters for

those who wish to be rescued.

- Closing down of the community radio (megaphone) in Kasengejje as this was a swift

means of mobilising the communities and also relaying information to individuals. We

are not certain of the reasons as to why the community radio were stopped. We have

continued use other means of reaching out to the beneficiaries.

- The policies and laws as they are, are not user friendly especially by the local leaders,

majority of whom do not speak, read or understand English. The laws need to be

simplified and where possible translated into local languages for easy interpretation and

use. This may need more time and funds to do. We have continued to use the laws in the

current format but helped to interpret for the local leaders.

- Although police and the local councils endeavour to work together, the reporting

structure is not clearly streamlined. For instance, the local councils are not mandated to

refer cases to police nor is police mandated to refer cases to local councils. This is

confusing to the victims who at times fail to know which case to report where. The

parallel structure for women is non-functional and lacks powers to take decisions and also

where to refer leave alone the capacity to handle cases. We tried to make the different

structures cooperate and work together in the prevailing circumstances.

- The Government has not yet responded to the issue of Spetrin (Centrimoxazole 960mg

Cyprus tabs), an antibiotic for HIV survivors, the beneficiaries still place their demands

on VOWU.

-The short term tenure of the project. Participants greatly appreciated the project

interventions but are however concerned that the interventions are short-lived. For

instance, women had outlined several issues to learn about in their empowerment sessions

but we had to prioritise. On announcing that the project was coming to an end,

beneficiaries expressed disappointments and urged the Coordinator to try and ensure that

the project is continued.

Was the project completed as scheduled? If no, please give reason(s) for the delay in

completion.

Yes, the project was implemented as planned with the exception of activities such as

the study on the laws which was not implemented due to time and shortage of funds

and the panel discussions. These activities were to be facilitated by Justice Centres

Uganda and part of the MOU. They have been included in the new application.

What measures have you put in place to ensure sustainability of the project?

- We have worked with and involved community and local leaders

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- We have trained role model survivors (Seeds of Hope) to continue supporting

the survivors

- We have created community awareness and alertness on issues of violence

against women

- We have mobilised survivors into groups although these groups still need to

be nurtured

What are the main lessons you learned during the implementation of the project?

We have learnt that:

- Almost every woman has experienced some form of violence that is gender

based, this calls for continuous awareness on human rights and gender related

aspect of life

- Changing community norms is possible though it requires more time,

commitment and dedication of individuals involved in the process.

- Several cases of violence occur in communities but are not reported due to

social acceptance, fear of stigma and abuse, fear of triggering more violence

from the partners, lack of strong penalties among other reasons.

- Local leaders play a vital role in community acceptance and participation in

project activities.

- Survivors are confident and willing to disclose when accompanied. Those

survivors who are doing some economic activity or are employed approach

violence differently (have some level of confidence to report or disclose) than

those who are completely dependants.

- Drama has proved to be a powerful tool in community mobilisation and

awareness because of the entertainment aspect.

- Some perpetuators commit violent acts due to disperacy or in defence but they

are willing to transform if supported, therefore behaviour change strategies are

crucial in this case.

- Culture and social norms and practices have greatly contributed to power

imbalance, that is why we would like to pay more attention to this especially

as we engage men

- Men’s interest in the dialogues raised our hopes that change will be realised.

What are the future plans of your organization?

- We have submitted a follow up proposal to AWDF and it is our prayer that

this proposal is considered to enable us consolidate our interventions.

- We are also continuing to source for funds else where

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Outcomes/Change realized

What was the outcomes/change the project achieved, please describe to what extent the

project activities had an effect /influence in the following aspects:

i. What impact did the project have in your community and organisation as a

whole?

In the community

- We have, using the SASA methodology created awareness on gender related

rights and GBV and community members now understand the concept of

GBV and are able to point out practices that contribute to violence in their

respective homes, and the entire community. Social norms and perceptions

that cause violence are now known.

- Communities originally considered only wife beating as violence and not

other forms. We are happy that the concept of GBV is now well understood.

Communities are now aware of what violence is, what causes it, how it can be

avoided. We would like to intensify this awareness by implementing the other

three phases: Awareness, Support and Action.

- We have empowered community leaders especially the local councils and

accompanied them in the process

of managing and handling GBV

related cases. Each of our target

community has a local council

court that sits once a week to

listen to cases from the

community members. The cases

differ but majority are about

violence, land grabbing conflicts

and grabbling, rape, defilement,

domestic violence. VOWU has

been informally adopted on the council court to listen and resolve/and or refer

such cases. Our concern has been mainly on cases that are gender related.

- The project has created connections between community groups such as local

councils, local government authorities, peace enforcers and mediators so the

information on GBV services is provided more widely

In the work of the organisation

- The project has broadened our understanding of the concept of gender based

violence and also increased the visibility, experience and capacity of VOWU

within the community and among stakeholders as an organization with expertise

in addressing issues of violence against women. Some of the cases handled are

being referred to us by our stakeholders. Staff capacity to handle violence related

cases has also greatly increased.

Local Council Court in progress

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ii. How did this project improve /enhance the situation of women in your

community/locality?

- As a result of the capacity building sessions, more women who are victims or

survivors of various forms of violence are coming out to report or seek help. More

women are approaching VOWU staff to intervene in their GBV related incidents.

Women who have participated in the sessions now know their rights and what to

do to safeguard themselves.

- Women with disabilities have come on board

and shared their unique unqueand touching

experience of violence; as women, more so

living with disabilities.

- Girls between the age of 10 – 17

were trained in self-defence skills and

how to avoid risky behaviour and

situations such as peer pressure,

unprotected sex, unsafe abortions,

cross-generational sex, teenage

pregnancies. They were also given tips

on how to handle their reproductive

health challenges.

iii. What are the general views of the community about issues covered by the

project?

The communities have welcomed and embraced the project. The local leaders feel

that the project has enabled them to do their work as it has equipped them with

knowledge of gender, in particular women’s rights and the related laws. They

have also appreciated the support and presence of the Project Officer in the

community and also her participation in their local council courts which has eased

the process of deciding on violence related and other cases.

Community members have also shown interest by turning up in big numbers

whenever called upon.

iv. To what extent has behaviour (attitudes, beliefs and practices) changed as a

result of the project?

Change in attitude and practices is a process, we however have started to realise

changes in arguments, participation and understanding of the concept of GBV.

We need more time to continuously nurture and monitor this change.

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v. What specific policies and legislations (if any) have emerged as a result of the

project?

No specific policy has emerged as a result of the project. We have however

identified and secured several existing laws and policies that are gender related.

These need to be studied to be able to identify implementation/enforcement gaps.

We have identified and formed partnerships with organisations that have the same

dream of creating zero tolerance to attitudes and practices that are harmful to

women and girls for joint advocacy. We have also linked with organisations that

provide legal aid and assistance to be able to help victims and survivors that

require to access legal justice. We have also helped the local leaders to access and

understand the existing laws that are gender related and how to apply or refer to

them when handling cases of violence.

vi. In what ways did women participate in the development, management and

implementation of the project?

- Women were consulted and their views formed a basis for designing the

project proposal.

- Women took part in planning their monthly capacity building sessions and

deciding the topics

- Some women are our community mobilisers responsible to mobilise others to

participate in activities

- The ‘Seeds of Hope’ have and are continuing to support their peers who are

going through violence to cope

vii. Any other change achieved?

We are still working towards realizing our long term outcome of reducing gender

inequalities and enabling women and girls to understand and exercise their rights

and also accessing support and services that meet their diverse needs and

identities.

Please provide Photographs (JPEG Version), Newspaper clips, etc. (if any). Kindly label the pictures for our use stating who, when and the photo credit.

THANK YOU