Challenge
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a pervasive violation of human rights and a barrier to civic, social, political, and economic participation. VAWG undermines not only the safety, dignity, overall health, and agency of the millions who experience it, but also the public health, economic stability, and security of nations.
Solution
The project is centered on strengthening USAID’s collective prevention and response, or “collective action” in VAWG development programming across USAID. The activity achieves this strengthening by the development of guidelines, strategic plans, training, and professional networking support. To that end, the project works to accomplish five key objectives:
- Develop and disseminate foundational elements for integrated and standalone VAWG programming in development contexts
- Strengthen prevention and response programming on harmful VAWG practices, including female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and child, early, and forced marriage (CEFM), across different sectors through convening workshops, implementation plans, and learning agenda development
- Create knowledge products to strengthen VAWG programming
- Strengthen the USAID VAWG community of practice and donor coordination in VAWG programming
- Award small grants to new, local, and under-utilized partners to promote capacity strengthening and learning focused on VAWG staff and organizational wellness and resiliency