GSHRDC, with funding from Ford Foundation West Africa, is upscaling its COMBAT intervention to implement the ‘Transforming Gender Social Norms and Ending Violence against Women and Girls’ project in ten new communities in the Okere District and Akwapim North Municipal of the Eastern Region. These ten communities include Onyamebekyere, Nsutam, Okrakwadjo, Apirede, Aseseeso, Awukugua, and Abiriw in the Okere District and Konko, Larteh Kubease, and Larteh Ahenease in the Akwapim North Municipality.
The goal of this project is to see changes in discriminatory social norms, attitudes, and practices that sustain violence against women and girls leading to a reduced incidence of violence against women and girls. The medium-term outcomes of the project are:
- To enable women and girls to become more aware of their rights and able to exercise their rights.
- To increase public support towards ending violence against women.
- To see a change in discriminatory social norms and practices perpetuating violence against women and girls reduced.
- A reduction in the prevalence and incidence of violence against women and girls and an improved response by state institutions to victims reporting abuse cases.
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 to 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.
- Holding periodical 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 evaluations to assess results achieved.