Innovative community-based approaches to ending violence against women
On May 29 in Washington, DC, experts from Tanzania, Uganda and Nicaragua will present innovative and effective community-based methods for ending violence against women. This will be a special opportunity for the wider community to participate in the demonstration of groundbreaking techniques used in Latin America and East Africa for raising awareness and galvanizing action on violence against women. The workshop is hosted by PATH, the Interagency Gender Working Group (IGWG), and the Population Reference Bureau, in conjunction with the Global Health Conference being held May 28 through 31 in Washington, DC.
Learning from the experience of SASA! and In Her Shoes
Yassin Ally, acting director of Kivulini Women’s Rights Organization in Tanzania, and Lori Michau, codirector of Raising Voices, based in Uganda, will present SASA!, an innovative community-based approach for preventing domestic violence. The local advocacy strategy will be highlighted to demonstrate how local officials can be engaged to lead community efforts for the prevention of and response to violence against women. SASA! is a unique methodology for mobilizing women and men, young people and elders, service providers and local leaders to prevent violence against women and HIV/AIDS.
Margarita Quintanilla, country representative for PATH in Nicaragua and executive director of the regional network InterCambios, will present an adaptation of “In Her Shoes.” This powerful tool was originally developed by the Washington State Coalition against Domestic Violence to help service providers and others to reflect on the importance of support networks in empowering women to leave abusive situations. Focus groups and interviews have been used with facilitators of training workshops in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama to identify results and lessons learned.
Workshop details
The workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 29, at the International Student House, 1825 R Street NW (near the Dupont Circle metro station). Space is limited; please RSVP to Jui Shah (jshah@path.org). A light breakfast will be served.