Stop violence

Violence is a serious and life-threatening human rights’ violation for many girls, boys and women across all contexts and settings in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA). Violence against Children (VAC) household surveys that have been completed in 11 countries in ESA region demonstrate the magnitude and severity of the problem that indicate rates of sexual, physical and emotional violence for children and women are among the highest in the world. Gender transformative and social and behavior change strategies are considered a key strategy to effectively address the social, cultural and economic determinants of violence against boys, girls and women at scale (with particular emphasis on addressing harmful social norms and promoting gender transformation).

Within this context, UNICEF ESARO has funded an intervention centred around capacity building and mentoring of government officials, CSOs and university post-graduate students in ESAR countries to identify, implement, and measure effective social norms and behaviour change interventions.

This capacity enhancement of CSOs’ and government workers has been carried out at 2 levels:

1. Classroom based training with government, NGOs, UNICEF, professors and students in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya on the theory and examples of social norms change programming and measurement. This was offered directly by CISP in Uganda and Tanzania, and through the University of Nairobi in Kenya.
2. Field based training with CSOs’ representatives and UNICEF monitors on specific social norms change approaches including the Communities Care in South Sudan, Body Mapping and Storytelling in Kenya and Theatre of the Oppressed in Somalia. CISP provides small grants to CSOs in Kenya and Somalia to implement the art for social change approaches.

To enhance the impact and sustainability of the training, CISP has offered mentorship sessions (in person and online) with trained participants of both types of training.

The project strengthens the capacity of national Civil Society Organisations and government institutions by applying quality social norms change programming and measurement to address harmful practices such as child marriage, female genital mutilation and sexual and gender-based violence.

Building on the experience and gains from the 2022 UNICEF ESARO funded project, in 2023 CISP has undertaken the following activities:

• Organize training courses on social norms for civil society organisations, government officials and students/youth in Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda based on the training package developed by UNICEF.
• Facilitate mentorship and follow-up of training participants in the 4 countries to ensure implementation of the lessons learnt during capacity building workshops.
• Train CSOs representatives, community leaders and UNICEF field monitors in South Sudan on the Communities Care approach.
• Design and offer two short face-to-face courses on social norms change programming and measurement for development practitioners, students and government officers from Eastern Africa at the University of Nairobi, in collaboration with ACCAF (The African Coordinating Center for the Abandonment of FGM).
• Design and conduct training on selected Arts for Social Change (ASC) methodologies for CSOs members in Kenya and Somalia and provide financial and technical support to selected CSOs to pilot ASC interventions in the 2 countries.
• Organize a final regional showcase and exchange event in Nairobi to share lessons learnt from the art for social norms projects and publish the findings.

The intervention achieved the following outcomes:

1. 135 people trained including representatives of civil society organizations, government officials and young professionals from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and South Sudan in designing programs on changing social norms.
2. 25 representatives of women’s organizations in South Sudan trained on implementation and measurement of change in the “Communities Care” approach
3. 2 short courses on planning and measurement of interventions to change social norms established at the University of Nairobi and 48 people from Eastern and Southern Africa trained
4. 39 representatives of civil society organizations trained to design, implement and measure Arts for Social Change interventions.
5. 1000+ people reached through the funding of 6 Arts for Social Change microprojects.