From January 2016 to December 2017, the Gender Studies and Human Rights Documentation Centre (GSHRDC) in collaboration with VOTO MOBILE (now VIAMO) received a grant from Amplify Change to implement a two-year project titled “Cell phones against sexual violence: Using Mobile technology to promote safer schools”. The project was implemented in forty schools within five districts of Greater Accra and Brong Ahafo Regions namely; Ledzokuku Krowor Municipal, Ada East, Kintampo North, Nkoranza North, and Wenchi Municipal.
The objective of the project was to use mobile phone technology to prevent sexual violence against girls in school over the two years of project implementation. Key successes of the project have been the establishment of gender clubs in all beneficiary schools following training of some selected students/teachers as peer educators/patrons of the club.
Data gathered from our school projects showed that teenage pregnancy, early sexual activities, drug abuse, and unsafe abortions have now been reduced as a result of activities carried out under the project.
Following the successful implementation of the project in 2016 and 2017, GSHRDC was again awarded a grant to continue the implementation of the project for two more years (2018-2019) in the same 40 schools.
After another successful completion of the second phase of the project, GSHRDC has been awarded a grant to continue project implementation for two more years (March 2020- March 2022) to include older people who will be trained in the community on Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) and Family Laws. These people called ‘Community Based Action Team’ (COMBAT) will work to help prevent violence against women and girls in the communities and to augment the work of the pupils in schools.
Project Activities include
- A baseline study on community knowledge on VAWG, its causes and its consequences
- An inception meeting to introduce the project in all ten communities and key governance institutions at the district level.
- Selection and training of Community Based Action Teams (COMBATs) on Gender, Violence, Family Laws, Counselling and Mediation.
- COMBATs Inauguration
- Sensitization and awareness creation activities by COMBATs in their communities.
- Periodic learning and sharing meetings
- Development and distribution of Informational, Educational & Communication (IEC) Materials
- Quarterly monitoring visits to monitor implementation of project activities.
- End of project impact evaluation to assess results achieved.