International Rescue Committee 72063618CA00001 Q2 Narrative Report (POWER) Jan-Mar ‘19

INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE

SIERRA LEONE

QUARTERLY REPORT

PROTECTION OF WOMEN THROUGH EMPOWERMENT AND RESPONSE (POWER)

AGREEMENT NO: 72063618CA00001

January 1 – March 31, 2019

PRESENTED TO:

THE U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID)

Collaborating Partner: Agency Headquarters: International Rescue Committee Sierra International Rescue Committee Leone c/o Erika Pearl, Program Officer c/o Saffea Senessie, Country Director Tel : +1 212 377 4019 Tel: +232 (0) 76 622998 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]

April 30, 2019 International Rescue Committee Sierra Leone 72063618CA00001 Q2 Narrative Report (POWER) Jan-Mar ‘19

Table of Contents I. General Information ...... ii II. Abbreviations...... iii III. Project Description...... 1 IV. Summary of Quarterly Accomplishment and Successes ...... 2 V. Description of Quarterly Achievements by Results ...... 5 VI. Partnership and Coordination ...... 8 VII. Travel and Technical Assistance (TA) ...... 9 VIII. Financial Analysis ...... 9 IX. Publications and Reports...... 9 X. Major constraints/challenges and actions to overcome them ...... 11 XI. Priorities during next reporting period ...... 11

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I. General Information

Program/Project Title Protection of Women through Empowerment and Response (POWER) Prime Partner International Rescue Committee Cooperative Agreement (Contract) 72063618CA00001 Number Program/Project Start Date 1st October 2018 Program/Project End Date 30th September 2020 Life of Project Budget 2 years Reporting Period Y1 Q2 : January –March 2019

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II. Abbreviations

CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women DGS - Discussion Group Series EMAP - Engaging Men through Accountable Practices EA$E - Economic and Social Empowerment GBV - Gender Based Violence IRC - International Rescue Committee MAFFS - Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security MSWGCA - Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs NRP - National Referral Pathway POWER - Protection of Women through Empowerment and Response WAG - Women Action Group WELD - Women Empowered For Leadership and Development WGPE - Women and Girls’ Protection and Empowerment VSLA – Village Savings and Loans Associations

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III. Project Description Breaking the barriers barring women from realizing their fullest potential cannot be fully achieved when they are not economically empowered and socially protected. This is the foundation upon which this project, led by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) Sierra Leone (SL) entitled, “Protecting Women through Empowerment and Response (POWER)” is built. POWER is a two year, USAID funded project, aiming to support 1,000 women and girls in rural communities within the eastern district. The goal of the project is to empower women and girls to pursue their potential, free from violence and inequality, focusing on three main pillars; 1. Women have increased economic resources 2. Women safely voice their priorities and participate in decisions that affect themselves and their homes 3. Strengthened gender-based violence (GBV) response, coordination and referral pathways.

The economic component of the project aims for the establishment of 40 village savings and loans associations (VSLAs), each comprising 25 women who support savings and investment. All VSLA groups will be trained on business management skills, supporting them to develop viable businesses or expand on their existing businesses in their communities. A consultant will train IRC staff on business development, who will cascade the training to the VSLA groups. The social engagement component is centered on raising awareness about the rights of women to own and control properties, and assets. This aspect of the project will be done through discussion group series (DGS) conducted by project staff in each community with VSLA members and their respective partners or trusted family members. This collective approach is a key strategy to breaking the barriers around women obtaining property ownership and control over resources within their respective homes. Aside from the DGS, another social component will be the use of Engaging Men through Accountable Practices (EMAP)1 methodology, targeting VSLA groups and male community members who have been identified to be very supportive of women’s rights in the communities. Staff will play a key role in identifying these men in tandem with the women in the various VSLA groups in the communities. The gender-transformative engagement component will strengthen the response, collaboration and the implementation of various national policies such as the GBV national referral pathway, the Domestic Violence Act, the Devolution of Estate Act and the Registration of Customary Marriage and Divorce Act. These three laws were passed by the Government of Sierra Leone in 2007 in recognition of its commitment to the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The Sexual Offences Act of 2012 was framed to specifically deal with issues of sexual penetration2, incest and rape. All

1A social methodology that supports women and men to identify and transform social beliefs, attitudes and behaviors that give rise to violence against women and girls. For an overview of EMAP, please see “Part 1: Introductory Guide Preventing Violence against Women and Girls: Engaging Men through Accountable Practice. IRC 2013, https://gbvresponders.org/wp- content/uploads/2014/07/IRC-EMAP-Introductory-Guide-High-Res.pdf 2 Sierra Leone. The Sexual Offences Act, 2012. Child is defined as: a person under the age of 18 (page 2). Sexual Penetration is defined as: any act which causes the penetration to any extent of the vagina, anus or mouth of a person by the penis or any other part of the body of another person, or by an object (page 4). The offence: A person who engages in an act of sexual penetration with a child commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment not exceeding fifteen years (section 19, page 11). http://www.sierra-leone.org/Laws/2012-12.pdf accessed 29 January 2019.

1 International Rescue Committee Sierra Leone 72063618CA00001 Q2 Narrative Report (POWER) Jan-Mar ‘19 these policies are under the purview of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs (MSWGCA), the Sierra Leone Police and other actors both at the district and national levels for full implementation. The project will work closely with district-level MSWGCA representatives in supporting GBV survivors through mapping of available GBV service providers in the district and through the joint monitoring of these service providers with the Ministry. Another component of the project is the formation of the women action groups (WAGs) known for the promotion and protection of other women and girls in their respective communities. These WAGs will be trained by IRC project staff on GBV response and using national referral pathways in seeking justice and protection for survivors. The project is implemented in the four chiefdoms of Dama, Dodo, Niawa and Simbaru out of the sixteen chiefdoms in the district. These four chiefdoms are chiefdoms that have not benefitted from IRC-SL programming in the past. The security situation is calm, paving for the smooth implementation of project activities. In each chiefdom, five communities were selected using the following criteria: GBV prevalence, the presence of social services such as schools, peripheral health centers and police posting, and communities that have never benefitted from any economic and social interventions either by IRC-SL or development actors. The table below lists all of the communities targeted within each chiefdom under the project. POWER Project Chiefdoms and Communities DAMA DODO NIAWA CHIEFDOM CHIEFDOM CHIEFDOM Ngiehun Madina Koranko Payela Korma Lawana Nyandehun Borborbu Boama Patama Golahun Vaama Komende Taninahun Macca Matama Niahun Jao Pegama Woroma Paniga

IV. Summary of Quarterly Accomplishment and Successes During this reporting timeframe (January – March 2019), the following activities were carried out according to the implementation plan: OUTCOME 1: Women have increased economic resources Following the formation of the 20 VSLA groups in each of the operating communities during the first quarter (October – December 2018) of the project, IRC staff took part in a week long training on VSLA methodology in January 2019. This training was facilitated by the IRC EMAP/EA$E Specialist, and it was a training of trainers in order for IRC staff to be able to cascade this training to community facilitators who would be responsible for the weekly operations of the VSLA

2 International Rescue Committee Sierra Leone 72063618CA00001 Q2 Narrative Report (POWER) Jan-Mar ‘19 groups. The Project team distributed VSLA kits3 to all 20 communities during the last week of January 2019 and the first week of February 2019. The savings cycle for each of these VSLA groups commenced in the second week of February 2019. The EMAP/EA$E Specialist conducted two technical support visits to all the four Community Officers from the 18th-22nd February in Dodo and Niawa chiefdoms and from the 25th February -1st March 2019 in Dama and Simbaru chiefdoms. The technical support visits focused on strengthening individual Community Officer capacity while emphasizing the importance of documentation. From 7th-9th January 2019, the EMAP/EA$E Specialist attended a three day business management training for IRC staff in Freetown facilitated by a consultant – IMAT College, to enhance skills to support the women for the business skills training and business plan development that will take place later in the project. OUTCOME 2: Women safely voice their priorities and participate in decisions that affect themselves and their homes IRC Community Officers and Site Manager were trained from the 4-12th March 2019 on the EA$E Discussion Group Series (DGS) methodology by the EMAP/EA$E Specialist. The Community Officers have cascaded this training in their assigned chiefdoms through the training of 40 (20 females, 20 males) DGS community facilitators from the 25-29th March 2019. The facilitators were trained on the following eight modules: (i) Successful Household, (ii) Household Economy, (iii) Household Cash Flow Tree, (iv) Setting Financial Goals, (v) Financial Stress Part 1, (vi) Financial Stress Part 2, (vii) Budgeting and Planning, and (viii) Putting it all together. Community DGS sessions are planned to commence in the week of 15th April 2019. These sessions will bring the VSLA women and their spouses/intimate partners in an open dialogue forum promoting the culture of discussions to break the social and cultural norms holding them from making joint decision making in the home. A one day information sharing meeting with 40 executive representatives of the VSLA groups (2 from each group) was held on the 15th March 2019 on the relevance of registering the VSLA groups with the MSWGCA, the Council and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security (MAFFS) in Kenema. Representatives of these three institutions met with these women and elaborated on why registration is necessary and how the VSLA groups can use their registration to explore possibilities for funding in the agriculture sector as well as advocate for other women in their communities. After the information sharing, the representatives shared what they had learnt with their various groups in their communities. The process of registering all the 20 VSLA groups as community-based organizations (CBOs) has been completed with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, and the Kenema District Council. The process which started on the 18th March 2019 ended on the 5th April 2019 with all certificates given to IRC for onward distribution to the 20 VSLA groups. This will ensure that these groups can advocate for their rights and the rights of other women in their respective communities and chiefdoms. As registered CBOs, they are also qualified to access other financial and technical support in the future should they wish to do so.

3 VSLA kits comprises of a metal box, pens, ledgers, two money counting bowls, passbook, stamp, inkpad, calculator, ruler, padlock and two money bags.

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OUTCOME 3: Strengthened GBV response, coordination and referral pathways A two day mapping exercise of GBV service providers was completed in the project operational chiefdoms. This exercise took place from the 13-14th February 2019 and was led by the MSWGCA. The team included two social services staff from MSWGCA and the IRC Senior Program Manager. On the 21st February 2019, the MSWGCA hosted a coordination meeting to which active GBV partners in the district were invited. The coordination meeting was attended by 12 local organizations including the Family Support Unit of the Sierra Leone Police in Kenema and the provider of free medical treatment of GBV survivors, Rainbo Initiative. Organizational representatives discussed the successes as well as challenges in responding to GBV issues in the communities. Key among the points discussed in the meeting was the need for more awareness raising in the communities to break the cycle of compromise leading to non-prosecution of some cases. As a result of this meeting, it was decided that the IRC will lead the community roll out through community sensitization/awareness on the Gender Laws and the National Referral Pathway. MSWGCA in collaboration with other GBV actors will train Chiefs, Mammy Queens4, Religious Leaders and Youths on the Gender Laws and the National Referral Pathways. The Family Support Unit and the MSWGCA are to lead information dissemination on the Gender Laws through radio discussions in five radio stations in Kenema. Ten Women Action Group (WAG) members from all the four chiefdoms of the POWER project participated in a week long training on case management during the third week of March. This training was facilitated by staff from the Kenema Rainbow Centre and involved understanding the Guiding Principles of Survivor-Centered Case Management, the roles and responsibilities of case workers, the survivor-centered case management process and case management approaches, understanding psychosocial interventions. The trainees will now support the process of documenting GBV cases in their communities and surroundings for referral to appropriate bodies.

On the 11th -12th February 2019, a total of 250 women from all 20 communities were trained on GBV core concepts, the three gender laws and the national referral protocol. The training was done at chiefdom level in the four project chiefdoms and was facilitated by IRC project staff. As a result of this training the WAGs went on to organize community sensitization meetings on the gender laws and the national referral pathway in all the 20 communities with local leadership structures during the first week of March 2019. A two days joint monitoring of GBV service providers was carried out from the 25th – 26th March in the chiefdoms of Dodo and Niawa. Participating in this joint monitoring exercise were representatives from the Family Support Unit- Sierra Leone Police Kenema Division, the Senior Social Services officer of MSWGCA-Kenema office and the Psychosocial Support Officer from Rainbow Centre. In each of these chiefdoms, the monitoring personnel visited the Sierra Leone Police Post in the area to ascertain the presence of the FSU personnel availability and knowledge of health personnel in responding to GBV cases. The joint monitoring was led by IRC’s EMAP/EA$E Specialist. The visit revealed that none of the police posts in the chiefdoms visited had a Family Support Unit. Another key finding was the lack of proper detention facilities in these police posts for perpetrators; some of the cells had no roof whilst others had no doors and some of

4 Mammy Queens – Traditional Tribal Female Leaders

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the police posts had no cells at all. Discussions with the on-duty police indicated that there are an inadequate number of police personnel in all of the police posts visited. In each of the four chiefdoms covered under this project each are comprised of between 20-60 communities, with a population size ranging from 500-1000 in each chiefdom. The police post in , , also covers and has six police officers assigned to it, and however at the time of visit, only three officers were on duty. The police post in Bandawor, Niawa Chiefdom, covers 3 chiefdoms – Niawa Chiefdom, Langurama Chiefdom and part of . However, it has three officers assigned but at the time of the visit, only one was on duty. In the communities of Borborbu, Simbaru Chiefdom and Sundumei, Niawa Chiefdom, none of the staff in the health posts have received training on the referral pathway or have knowledge of how to treat GBV survivors. At Bandawor Community Health Post, staff have basic knowledge on the referral pathway and sometimes provide treatment to GBV survivors. As a result of this visit, it was decided that the IRC would engage with the Local Unit Commander of the Sierra Leone Police in Kenema Town to address the absence of FSU personnel and police personnel, whilst MSWGCA should work with the District Health Management Team in Kenema to address the health gaps and training for staff. These discussions are now ongoing. V. Description of Quarterly Achievements by Results

Indicator Means of Current Target Progress as of 31 March 2019 Verification Baseline Yr 1 Yr 2 [N=378] Goal: Women and girls pursue their potentials, free from violence and inequality Outcome 1:Women have increased economic resources % of women whose Questionnaire 0% 50% 70% Since the savings cycle of all earned income (Current VSLA groups commenced in increased average February 2019, it is too early for income this indicator to be measured. This =Le 6,640 will be reported on during the next per quarter. month) 78 cents USD equivalent Output 1.1 Women save money and access loans % attendance rate (on Data from 11.20% 70% 70% 99.4% [n=497] (Quarter 2) average) of VSLA VSLA, MIS, (n=42) Based on calculations of members Group register, attendance rate for February and VSLA March 2019, only 3 women were Monitoring absent. visit checklist % of women who Baseline 31% 90% 90% 99.4% [n=497] (Quarter 2) of report saving on a survey, (n=117) women report saving on a regular regular basis financial data basis for February and March 2019 collection form The VSLA savings commenced in the month of February 2019

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% of loan funds in MIS, Financial 77% 75% 75% 78.11% circulation data collection (This February & March 2019 is in form Target is circulation being  Outstanding Loan = Le reviewed 15,279,000. $1,808 USD currently) equivalent  Cash in Loan Fund = Le 4,280,000. $481 USD equivalent  Total Loan portfolio = Le 19,550,000. $2,314 USD equivalent

Output 1.2 Women acquire business skills and knowledge to start or expand their business activities % of business skills Pre/Post of 32% 85% 85% Business Skills Training will be training participants training (n=121) done during the 3rd quarter (April – with increased participants June 2019) knowledge about entrepreneurship % of participants who Approved plan 12% 80% 80% Will be done in the third quarter develop viable (n=45) (April-June 19) business plans Outcome 2:Women safely voice their priorities and participate in the decisions that affect themselves and their homes

% of women who EA$E 54% 60% 60% Collection of this data will be done report being involved monitoring (n=204) in the third quarter (April-June ‘19) in decision making tools when the DGS and EMAP sessions about household will have started and be in progress. financial decisions % of women reporting Targeted 36% 40% 50% It is too early for this indicator to decreased partner survey/questio (n=136) be measured. This will be conflict in nnaires reported on during the next quarter marriages/union However, in preparation, the DGS following reported training of trainers for staff has increase in women been completed lasting for 7 days. controlled income Also, the DGS training of community facilitators has been completed in all four chiefdoms. The DGS sessions will commence in April lasting for 16 weeks on a bi-weekly basis. Output 2.1 Women and men acquire communication and negotiation skills for joint household decision making

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% of male and female EA$E 33.50% 70% 70% Collection of this data will DGS participants who monitoring (n=136) commence in the fourth quarter can provide one tools (July –September ‘19) example of a successful household negotiation % of women who feel EA$E 36% 70% 70% Collection of this data will start in that their partners monitoring (n=136) April value their ideas and tools suggestions (Pre/Posttest) Output 2.2:Men acquire skills and knowledge to transform beliefs that contribute to violence against women and girls % of men participating EMAP 67% 60% 60% The EMAP sessions has not yet in EMAP who monitoring (n=31) started. It will start in the third demonstrate a tool (Pre/Post quarter. decrease in harmful Test) beliefs towards women regarding gender roles and violence towards women and girls % of women EMAP 86% 70% 70% EMAP sessions have not yet participating in EMAP monitoring tool (n=325) started. The process of selecting who report that their (Post-test) community facilitators will voices and ideas were commence in April 2019 followed respected by male by training of community participants facilitators who will roll out the EMAP sessions at community level. % of men participating EMAP 81% 60% 60% This will be measured when in EMAP who personal action (n=38) EMAP sessions commence fully in demonstrate being an Plans April/May 2019. ally to women and collection girls forms Outcome 3: Strengthened GBV response, coordination and referral pathways GBV service directory Service None Yes Yes Not yet completed. However, this for Kenema validated directory and process has started and is being led by MSWGCA Ministry by the MSWGCA in Kenema approval district. The first coordination meeting has been held to kick start the process.

Output 3.1 Women are aware of the National Referral Pathway (NRP) and local services for GBV % of women and girls HH survey 41% 60% 60% This data will be collected in third knowledgeable on at (n=154) quarter (April-June 2019) least one of the Sierra

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Leone National legal sanctions aimed at GBV

% of women who can HH survey 51% 90% 90% This will be captured in the next correctly identify (n=193) quarter, however, due to trainings where to seek GBV and community awareness services in their sessions women can identify the communities Women Action Groups and the case workers as first point of call for GBV services in the communities Output 3.2 Women can access GBV services % of women and girls WAG verbal 6% (n=23) 90% 90% The Women Action Groups have who seek GBV report, project been formed and trained in 10 services from Women monitoring communities across the four Action Group (WAGs) chiefdoms in March 2019 who receive services # of women and girls Project records 16% 30% 30% Not yet started supported from the (n=53) Funds for GBV response for each GBV response funds community will be disbursed during April 2019 However, WAGs have been formed and trained on case management.

VI. Partnership and Coordination On February 21, 2019, a one day partnership meeting was held with12 GBV service providers in the district to work collaboratively on mapping out strategies for the effective roll out of the NRP at community level. This was a follow up to the mapping exercise that was done within the same month with service providers. This meeting was held at the conference hall of the MSWGCA Kenema with representatives of the Sierra Leone Police, the Rainbow Centre and other CSOs who are very active in addressing prevention of GBV in the district. The President of Sierra Leone has placed the epidemic of gender-based violence at the forefront of his governance agenda through declaration of rape and violence as a public emergency on the 7th February 2019. After this declaration, the Presidential Spokesman chaired a high-level meeting focused on the way forward. The IRC, as well as donors, international and national NGOs as well as UN agencies participated in the discussion. The IRC Senior Program Manager attended a partner’s coordination meeting at the British Council auditorium, organized by the Maada and Fatima Bio Foundation on how organizations can collaborate in addressing women and girls issues in the country. This led to the formation of a working group on supporting the ‘Hands off our Girls’ campaign of the First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone.

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As the fight against harmful traditional practices intensifies, collaboration and knowledge sharing on best practices of changing the tides is of utmost importance, in line with this, the Senior Program Manager attended a four days’ workshop on the -“ENOUGH CAMPAIGN” organized by OXFAM. This is part of OXFAM’s global campaign to end violence against women and girls through various community awareness and engagement mechanisms. This was also an opportunity to share information about the work that IRC is doing in the Kenema district through the POWER Project. Staff of the POWER project continue to strengthen ties with the MSWGCA as the knowledge reservoir of the Ministry has been tapped to facilitate trainings on the national referral protocol and the gender laws. They have also been engaged in GBV service providers mapping with the Ministry as well as the information dissemination on the relevance of registering VSLA groups with different Ministries and agencies. There is a working relationship with the Kenema District Council as IRC staff have attended two coordination meetings in the months of February and March where the Senior Program Manager updated the Council and other development actors about work being done on women’s empowerment in the district. The Gender Officer of the council is actively involved in raising awareness about gender laws in the communities. VII. Travel and Technical Assistance (TA) USAID has conducted their first project monitoring visit to the POWER project in the Kenema district during the last week of March 2019. The three day visit saw the engagement of key stakeholders in the district and visits to three communities, two in Simbaru Chiefdom –Payela where the team witnessed a VSLA session and Borborbu where WAGs were engaged in a discussion about their work and the impact so far. The last community to be visited was Jao community in , where the team met with the VSLA women who spoke about their experiences in the VSLA group and how it has affected their lives for the better. During the visit courtesy calls were made to the Kenema District Council, the MSWGCA, and to Justice Ansumana Ivan Sesay, a High Court Judge and State Counsel Ms. Umu Sumaray to establish links between them and the POWER project in the district. The Judge and Ms. Sumaray had previously been sponsored by USAID to attend a workshop in Rwanda on Child Trafficking and the USAID team made the introduction to the IRC to facilitate collaboration on the dissemination of the gender laws and National Referral Pathways. VIII. Financial Analysis Please see the SF424 IX. Publications and Reports Success Story (“Stories of success and impact, whether intended or unintended should be reported on a quarterly basis, or as requested. Given the nature and sensitivity of the political process, reports must meet standard criteria and be results oriented with an emphasis on impact as a result of the interventions.”)

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Jeneba’s Story – VSLA Member Twenty-three year old Jeneba lives in Dama Chiefdom. She is married to a bike rider –“Okada” and has a 3 year old son. Jeneba recounts her story as a child growing up in the home of her maternal aunt in Kenema Town. She said “I used to work all day, - was the first to wake up in the morning and the last to go bed at night, sometimes on an empty stomach, even though I prepared the food. My school attendance was irregular and I was performing poorly, I got frustrated and decided to return to my village”. Jeneba left school in 2011 and went back to her parents’ home, however, her parents couldn’t understand why she had returned and she was beaten. Eventually she had the courage to tell her mother how she had been treated and as there was no other family member in Kenema Town with whom she could stay whilst going to school, that was the end of her education. Three years later, Jeneba decided to do a hair dressing course, but received no support from family members. On completion she couldn’t practice her trade as she didn’t have the necessary capital to start a business. With no other alternative, her only occupation was to help her mother with farming. During the IRC’s initial visit to Boama Community to meet with stakeholders she was one of the few women who attended the meeting. Jeneba said that, “on that day I was just determined to go to that meeting the moment I saw the vehicle, I don’t know what motivated me to attend.” When the VSLA group – Susuma - was formed in the community, Jeneba was chosen to be the record keeper by all the women in the group. Jeneba is not only a record keeper for the VSLA group, she was also selected by the community to be a facilitator for the Discussion Group Series (DGS). Jeneba says that since then she has been engaged in petty trading to be able to make her weekly contribution because as a key member of the group she is aware that she should not be a defaulter. With the flexible loan scheme of the group she has been able to negotiate a loan to start her hairdressing business as there is no other hair dressing business in her community or the neighboring communities. When asked how the VSLA is making a difference in her life, she was proud to say that her opinion was never valued before by anyone not even her father or other relations, but now people seek her opinion and ask her to participate in decision making. This is new to her and has bolstered her confidence, she says, “I now feel liberated and confident to negotiate with my family on matters that affect the wellbeing of our household and I feel empowered”. IRC will continue to follow Jeneba during the course of the project and will provide support to her for her business.

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Jebbeh Kamara Jebbeh Kamara is 27 years old and is resident in Payela, one of the POWER operational communities in the Simbaru chiefdom. She is a single mother with two children and with no land to farm, her only option to earn a living is as an employee selling goods for others in the community. Unfortunately this is not lucrative and Jebbeh has often found herself in debt and in trouble with the local chief.

Jebbeh explained “when I first heard of a women’s group I was afraid and concluded that it was for those who have money, but when I attended the meeting that changed my mind”. According to her she spent days pondering over whether she would be accepted into the group, as she has limited source of income for the weekly contribution. However when the criteria for selection was explained to her, she became determined to become a part of it. Since starting to participate in the VSLA, Jebbeh has always been able to pay her contribution and this qualifies her for a loan to start her own business. Her face lit up with smile as she explained that as a result of the “BOX” (referring to the VSLA Savings Box) she can now buy shares and access loans from the group and no longer has to sell for other people. Jebbeh now trades in cooking condiments in her community. She says, “For the past two months now I have started gaining respect in the community as I am paying my debts off little by little whilst I am also able to provide for my family through my business. After paying my loan with its interest to the box, I will take another loan to expand my business so that I can send my children to school”. IRC staff will continue to follow Jebbeh’s story and to render support to her and other women in her community through the VSLA group. X. Major constraints/challenges and actions to overcome them There were no major constraints or challenges faced during this reporting period XI. Priorities during next reporting period The following are the priorities for the next reporting period:- 1. Discussion Group Series sessions monitoring The community DGS sessions in the week of the 15th April 2019 will commence. The sessions will be held on a bi-weekly basis for sixteen weeks. 2. National Referral Pathway information sessions and Gender Laws training POWER will establish a memorandum of understanding with the State Counsel in the Kenema Department of Justice for the training of MSWGCA staff and Family Support Unit personnel on the gender laws. This will be a training of trainers on the gender laws (The Registration of Marriage

11 International Rescue Committee Sierra Leone 72063618CA00001 Q2 Narrative Report (POWER) Jan-Mar ‘19 and Divorce Act, the Devolution of Estate Act, the Domestic Violence act enacted in 2007 and the sexual offence act enacted in 2012). 3. Engaging Men through Accountable Practices The Engaging Men for Accountable Practice (EMAP) community facilitators’ selection will commence in the last week of April, followed by the training of community facilitators in the second week of May. 40 EMAP facilitators will be trained to conduct the sessions in their respective communities. 4. Business Development skills A business development training of trainers will be held for project staff. The staff will then cascade the training to all the VSLA women supporting them in developing viable businesses for grant disbursement. A market assessment will also be done in June 2019 to help map available avenues for project participants’ businesses. 5. Joint Monitoring- Joint monitoring of GBV service providers will be conducted monthly in the chiefdoms by staff from MSWGCA, the Family Support Unit of the Sierra Leone and Rainbo Initiative staff in Kenema during this quarter. These visits will target progress in the health centers in the chiefdoms, and increase in knowledge of the health workers in responding to GBV survivors. It will also focus on the FSU operations in the respective police posts and their handling of GBV cases. 6. Partnership Coordination Meeting- Partnership Coordination meetings will be held with GBV service providers in the district to discuss the successes, challenges and map out action points with responsible entities for their implementation. This meeting will chaired by MSWGCA.

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