International Rescue Committee 72063618CA00001 YEAR II -Q1 Narrative Report (POWER) October-December‘19

INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE

SIERRA LEONE

QUARTERLY REPORT

PROTECTION OF WOMEN THROUGH EMPOWERMENT AND RESPONSE (POWER)

AGREEMENT NO: 72063618CA00001

October 1 – December 31st 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]

30 January 2020 International Rescue Committee Sierra Leone 72063618CA00001 YEAR II -Q1 Narrative Report (POWER) October-December‘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 ...... 8 VI. Partnership and Coordination ...... 8 VII. Travel and Technical Assistance (TA) ...... 12 VIII. Financial Analysis ...... 12 IX. Publications and Reports...... 12 X. Major constraints/challenges and actions to overcome them ...... 13 XI. Priorities during the next reporting period ...... 13

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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 Y2 Q1: October –December 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. The staff of the project has been trained on business management which they will cascade 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 for breaking the barriers around women obtaining property ownership and control over resources within their respective homes. Apart 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 as amended in 2019 was framed to specifically deal with issues of sexual penetration2, incest and rape. All these policies are under the purview of the Ministry of Social

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. A 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

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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 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 previously except for the past one year with the POWER project. The security situation is calm, paving for the smooth implementation of project activities. In each chiefdom, five communities were selected for Year 1 of the project and another five for Year 2, 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 to date. POWER Project Chiefdoms and Communities

DAMA CHIEFDOM NIAWA CHIEFDOM Year 1 Year 2 Year 1 Year 2 Year 1 Year 2 Year 1 Year 2 Korma Basara Lawana Seilema Matakam Levuma Payela Mondema Boama Teima Pegama Jamboma Nyandehu Golahun Borborbu Kpuwala n Wai Ngeihun Fowa Macca Sembehun Koranko Yulengeh Komende Simbaru Tawahun Taninahun Leleima Madina Geima Golahun Gardon Niahun Kweilu Vaama Jao Saahun Patama Sandayaru Woroma Kponima Paniga Gogbebu

IV. Summary of Quarterly Accomplishment and Successes The following were the activities carried out linked to each of the outcomes respectively during the period October-December 2019 in the second year of the project.

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.

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OUTCOME 1: Women have increased economic resources From September 20 19 to end of October 2019 the VSLA women from the existing 20 communities in Year 1 had their annual savings share out. After the share out, the women have continued their regular savings cycle, however they have increased the number of shares that they purchase on a weekly basis. In Year 1 the maximum number of shares bought per week was equivalent to two shares (Le4,000 [$0.41]), the women are now buying the maximum amount of shares which is Le10,000 ($1.03) equivalent to five shares. This means that the women are now saving more now than in the previous saving cycle for Year 1 as a result of the smooth operations of all VSLAs in the communities for the past year which has built confidence amongst group members. In another development, VSLA replication is beginning to take place in the existing Year 1 communities. Komende and Paniga in the Simbaru chiefdom and Nyandehun in Niawa chiefdom have started new VSLA groups within their communities. . In Woroma community in the Niawa chiefdom, replication is on hold as they await the delivery of the VSLA kits for the replicated group to start their savings. In Dodo chiefdom, three communities have expressed interest to be trained on the VSLA concept by the record keeper in Patama community. In all of these cases, the IRC trained record keepers have provided the necessary leadership and mentorship to the replicated groups’ record keepers. The selection of 20 new communities in the four chiefdoms of Dama, Dodo, Niawa and Simbaru for the second year of the project was carried out in October 2019. The communities were selected using the following criteria - GBV prevalence, the presence of social services such as schools, peripheral health centers and police posting, and communities that have never benefitted from any economic and social interventions either by IRC-SL or any other development actors. In each of these 20 communities, IRC Community Officers held introductory community meetings with stakeholders such as the town chiefs, religious leaders, youths and women, from 21st - 25th October 2019. During these meetings the community members were given information about the project, activities that would be done and who would be the target beneficiaries. Follow-up community stakeholders meetings were also conducted with chiefs, religious leaders, men and women in all the 20 communities from the 28th -31st October 2019 by the Senior Program Manager, the EMAP/EA$E Specialist, the Site Manager and the M&E Officer. These follow-up meetings provided an opportunity for verification of information that had been gathered during the first few meetings. In the first week of November 2019, group formation began with women in the community being given the opportunity to volunteer to be part of the VSLA groups. By the end of the exercise, 500 women - 25 per community in a total of 20 communities were registered. Once the groups were formed, elections were held for the executive members of each group and these members were guided by IRC staff to take the lead for the development of the group constitution for the smooth running of the VSLA groups. The successful formation of these groups paved the way for the distribution of VSLA kits3 to the 20 communities. The distribution was done in the last week of November 2019 for the start of the saving cycle across the 20 communities in the first week of December 2019.

3 A VSLA kit 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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Three technical visits were undertaken by the EMAP/EA$E Specialist to the three chiefdoms of Dodo, Niawa and Dama from the 19-21st November 2019 to provide supportive supervision to the IRC Community Officers who are based in those chiefdoms. Key among the findings from these visits was the improper record-keeping system by the new VSLA record keepers. These findings informed the training of the 40 female record keepers to support proper documentation in all the VSLA groups across the 20 new communities. The training was done on the 13 December 2019 at the WAG Center and was facilitated by the EMAP/EA$E Specialist with support from the Community Officer for Niawa Chiefdom. OUTCOME 2: Women safely voice their priorities and participate in decisions that affect themselves and their homes EMAP sessions started in Year 1 of the project and have continued into Year 2. The men’s sessions for EMAP in Simbaru and started in Year 1 and were completed in in October 2019. During this same period, the women’s sessions in Year 1 communities in Dodo and Niawa Chiefdoms were also completed and the men’s sessions commenced for these communities. All of these sessions were facilitated by IRC Community Officers. These EMAP sessions for Year 1 communities will be completed by the end of January 2020. In November 2019, the EMAP intervention for communities in Year 2 started with a series of introductory meetings with the communities and was followed by the selection of 40 community facilitators (20 male and 20 female). These EMAP community facilitators will lead sessions in the new communities for Year 2 of the project. They were selected based on: a) being community- based, b) having basic facilitation and literacy skills and c) having a keen interest in the safety of women and girls. The facilitators undertake a 15 day training in January 2020 on the EMAP concept, approach and principles. The training will be facilitated by the IRC EMAP/EA$E Specialist with the support of the Site Manager and the two Community Officers. At the end of the training, participants will receive a copy of the EMAP curriculum, notebooks and pens to carry out their facilitation and record each session of the EMAP. The EMAP sessions for new communities will commence during the first week of February for a period of six months (two months for the women’s sessions and four months of men sessions). OUTCOME 3: Strengthened GBV response, coordination and referral pathways A gender-based violence core concept training was conducted by IRC partner – Rainbo Centre in Kenema, from the 12th -15th November 2019. This training targeted 250 women across the four chiefdoms. The training was to support the knowledge base of the participants on the concept of gender, sex, the three gender laws, power dynamics, violence, harm and the national referral pathways. The two chiefdoms of Dodo and Simbaru had their training on 12th -13th November 2019 followed by Dama and Niawa on 14th -15th November 2019. As a result of this training, participants were able to organize 20 community outreach sessions with 400 stakeholders. In each chiefdom, a total of 100 stakeholders inclusive of 20 school teachers, 10 religious leaders, 20 traders and 50 (25 male 25 female) local leaders were engaged on learning about the gender laws and the national referral pathway from the 19th -23rd November 2019. Following the end of the GBV core concept training, a training on case management was conducted for 14 Women Action Group (WAG) members. This five day training from the 2nd - 6th December 2019 took place at the Blama WAG Center and was facilitated by staff members from the Rainbo

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Centre in Kenema town. The training sessions focused on GBV attitudes and perception, guiding principles and survivor centered approach case management, theories underlying case management, understanding the role of caseworkers, steps in survivor case management, differences between case management and psychosocial support, techniques in dealing with women and girls survivors and psychosocial support intervention. These are essential for the case workers as they document, provide support and referrals (medical and judicial) for GBV cases in their community. These WAG Case Managers also have responsibility for the GBV fund in their community which they use to give assistance if needed to GBV survivors for food, medical help and transportation to seek other services. During this period under review, 21 cases were supported by the GBV funds across the four chiefdoms. These cases are as follows: - three cases of sexual penetration were recorded and supported from the two neighboring chiefdoms of Tunkia and Gaura by the WAGs in Dama chiefdom. The survivors' are aged 8, 11 and 13 years old. All the cases were reported to the Kenema Police Division and all three perpetrators were charged. Thirteen cases of wife-beating (physical assault) were recorded in the three chiefdoms of Dodo (five cases), Simbaru (four cases) and Niawa (four cases); all of which were reported to the Police Post. Three of these cases which were more serious were sent to Tongo Police Division for further investigation as Panguma is only a general duty post and does not have FSU personnel. In the three chiefdoms of Dodo, Simbaru and Niawa, the WAGs are beginning to record more cases of wife-beating and it is not yet clear why there is this increase. However, this will be closely followed by IRC field staff. There was also one case of girl child abuse (beating) recorded in Golahun Vaama, Niawa Chiefdom. The GBV response fund has been key in supporting survivors of all categories. In Dama the fund provided support to all three sexual penetration to a total of Le 600,000($62.71), in Dodo chiefdom the sum of Le 800,000 ($83.36) was used whilst in Simbaru and Niawa the sums of Le 1,850,000 ($193.42) and Le 1,000,100 ($104.76) were used respectively. Survivors were supported with food and funds for transportation to seek medical attention and for reporting to the police station during investigations. Special urgent support was also provided from the GBV fund by the WAGs to four exceptional cases of women who were abandoned by their partners with no form of support for food for their children. Three of these cases were from Dodo chiefdom and one from Simbaru. The WAGs have agreed that in future this kind of support will be provided by their group instead of from the GBV fund. Table 1 below shows the breakdown of GBV cases reported and supported per chiefdom, community and WAG whilst Table 2 gives a summary of the types of cases handled.

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Table 1 – Breakdown of GBV cases per Chiefdom, Community and WAGs

Total No of Chiefdom Community Name of WAG Type of GBV reported Ages Sex Cases Buma Jao Sexual Penetration 11yrs F Dama Tolo Jao Sexual Penetration 8yrs F 3 Sandaru Korma Sexual Penetration 13yrs F Woroma Golahun Vaama Wife beating F Golahun Girl Child Abuse Vaama Golahun Vaama (beating) F Niawa 5 Kuranko Nyandehun Wife beating F Matakan Wife beating F Woroma Gandorhun Wife beating F Economic abuse/wife- Tuluvan Borborbu beating F Simbaru Batoma Borborbu Wife beating F 4 Kowoma Borborbu Wife beating F Kekelulama Borborbu Wife beating F Dodo Patama Wife beating F Pujehun Dodo Dodo Patama Wife beating F 5 Tewuyama Patama Wife beating F Tewuyama Patama Wife beating F Taiama Lawana Wife beating F

Table 2 – Summary of GBV Cases

Summary of GBV Cases Wife beating/ Physical assault 13 Sexual Penetration 3 Girl Child Abuse (Beating) 1

Total 17

A two-day joint monitoring exercise of GBV service providers was done from the 5th -6th December 2019 in Dodo Chiefdom. The team of monitors included two staff (one each male & female) from the Family Support Unit of the Sierra Leone Police – Kenema Division, one female staff from Rainbo Centre, one male staff member from Ministry of Gender ad Children’s Affairs and two male staff members from IRC. The team met with the Bowohun Health Centre staff, the Jamboma community WAGs and the Seleima WAGs. All of the women were engaged on their

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The team also held discussions with the Police Personnel at the Panguma Police post where two key issues emerged. The first issue was the non-presence of FSU personnel at the post or even any female police staff. This is a deterrent for survivors to report incidences if all the personnel are men. The second was the inadequate level of knowledge of the personnel in handling GBV cases at the Police Post since there are no FSU staff at that post. During the discussion with the monitoring team, the Officer Commanding Panguma Police Post mentioned that they are challenged in dealing with some GBV cases and very often have to seek support from the Tongo Police Post. These findings have been shared with the Regional Coordinator of the Family Support Unit of the Kenema Police Post for action and follow-up will be made by the team during the next monitoring visit.

The team also held a meeting with the medical doctor of the Panguma Hospital that often provides medical examination for GBV survivors. According to the doctor at the Panguma Hospital, one of the major challenges in addressing sexual penetration and rape cases is the absence of forensic technology that could be used in the court of law. IRC will continue to advocate at both district and national level for forensic technology and trained staff to carry out forensic investigation.

From 14th -15th November 2019 a joint monitoring visit was completed in Dama chiefdom. This visit was carried out by two male staff officers from the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs, one female member of staff from the Rainbo Centre, one male and one female staff member from the Family Support Unit and one male and one female staff member from the IRC. This Chiefdom does not have an established Police Post. The nearest police presence is the road checkpoint at Moalah which has police personnel from the traffic division. The team visited the Chiefdom Health Centre at Geima Dama where the team met with the Nurse in Charge. The centre provides services to survivors of GBV mostly physical assaults whilst instances of rape or sexual penetration are reported to the Rainbo Centre at the Kenema Government Hospital. Discussions with the nurse revealed that there is no confidentiality in treating GBV survivors as they are treated as normal patients. It was found that the reason for this is inadequate knowledge on the referral pathways by the staff and lack of medical supplies for such cases. In order to assist the staff on duty, an ‘on the spot’ information session on the national referral pathways was done by the team. These findings were also shared with the development and planning officer of the council since primary health is a devolved function to local council. This health centre will also be targeted in the future for the community outreach sessions on GBV response.

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Description of Quarterly Achievements by Results (USAID standard and custom indicators are highlighted in green)

Indicator Current Target Progress as of October to December 2019 Baseline [N=378] Yr 1 Yr 2 Goal: Women and girls pursue their potentials, free from violence and inequality Outcome 1: Women have increased economic resources 20% {i.e. 74 out of 370 surveyed} earned Le (0 - 5000) % of women whose earned 70% {of 30% {i.e. 111 50% {of 500} Not yet due as this data is annually collected income increased 1000} out of 370 surveyed} earned Le (5000 - 10000) Output 1.1 Women save money and access loans % attendance rate (on 11.2% {of 370 90% {of 70% {of 500} 98% (980/1000) average) of VSLA members surveyed} 1000} 46.2% (462/1000) This low result is because the VSLA groups % of women who report 31% {of 370 70% (350 90% (900 have only just started their saving cycle in saving on a regular basis surveyed} out of 500) out of 1000) December and it is expected that this will increase with time. % of female participants in USG-assisted programs designed to increase access to productive economic 50% {out of 50% {out of This data will be collected at the end of the 0% resources (assets, credit, 1000} 2000} project. income or employment) (***USAID Standard Indicator 3: GNDR-2 77% {of 370 24% % of loan funds in circulation women 80% 85% (Total value of currently outstanding loans = surveyed} USD$ 514) Output 1.2 Women acquire business skills and knowledge to start or expand their business activities % of business skills training participants with increased 32% {of 370 Business Skills training not yet done. Will be 70% {of 500} 90% {1000} knowledge about surveyed} done during quarter 3. entrepreneurship % of participants who develop 12% {of 370 60% {of This will be collected when the business skills 50% {of 500} viable business plans surveyed} 1000} training is conducted in Quarter 3

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Outcome 2: Women safely voice their priorities and participate in the decisions that affect themselves and their homes

% of women who report 19% (88/468) being involved in decision Discussion Group Sessions are yet to be held 53.9% {of 370 75% (of making about household 60% (of 500) with the women and their spouses. When surveyed} 1000) financial decisions this is done, this result is expected to increase. % of women reporting decreased partner conflict in 37.2% {of 370 50% {of This will be reported on at the end of quarter marriages/union following 40% {of 500} surveyed} 1000} 2 reported increase in women controlled income Output 2.1 Women and men acquire communication and negotiation skills for joint household decision making % of male and female DGS participants who can provide 33.5% {of 375 60% (of 70% (of This will be collected after the discussion one example of a successful surveyed} 1000) 2000) group sessions are conducted in Quarter 3 household negotiation % of participants reporting increased agreement with the concept that males and 60% (of 50% (of 500 females should have equal 1000 men + men + 500 To be reported on at end of project. access to social, economic, 0% 1000 women = September 2020 and political resources and women = 1000) opportunities 2000) (***USAID Standard Indicator 4: GNDR-4) % of women who feel that 70% (of 60% (of 500 their partners value their 36% {of 370 1000 To be reported on at after Discussion Group women in ideas and suggestions surveyed} women in Sessions in Quarter 3 Yr1) Yr2) Output 2.2: Men acquire skills and knowledge to transform beliefs that contribute to violence against women and girls % of men participating in EMAP who demonstrate a 75% (of 70% (of 500 decrease in harmful beliefs 67% {of 5 1000 To be reported on after EMAP sessions have women in towards women regarding surveyed} women in taken place in Quarter 3. Yr1) gender roles and violence Yr2) towards women and girls % of women participating in EMAP who report that their 75% (of 70% (of 500 voices and ideas were 86% {of 370 1000 This will be collected after EMAP starts in women in respected by male surveyed} women in Quarter 3 Yr1) participants Yr2)

% of men participating in 50% (of 500 81% {of 5 60% (of This will be collected after EMAP starts in EMAP who demonstrate women in surveyed} 1000 Quarter 3 Yr1)

9 International Rescue Committee Sierra Leone 72063618CA00001 YEAR II -Q1 Narrative Report (POWER) October-December‘19 being an ally to women and women in girls Yr2) Outcome 3: Strengthened GBV response, coordination and referral pathways GBV service directory for None Yes Yes Achieved in Year 1 of the project. Kenema validated by MSWGCA Output 3.1 Women are aware of the National Referral Pathway (NRP) and local services for GBV % of women and girls 70% (of knowledgeable on at least 60% (of 500 41% {of 370 1000 To be reported on in Quarter 4 as per one of the Sierra Leone women in surveyed} women in schedule National legal sanctions Yr1) Yr2) aimed at GBV % of women who can 90% (of 85% (of 500 correctly identify where to 51% {of 370 1000 To be reported on in Quarter 4 as per women in seek GBV services in their surveyed} women in schedule Yr1) communities Yr2) % of GBV survivors who present for GBV care / 100% (17/17) 23.5% (of 370 services at the WAG centre 85% (of 50) 100% (80) During this quarter a total of 17 survivors surveyed) who receive assistance within benefitted from the GBV fund. one week of an incident % of women and girls who report having experienced 70% (of 60% (of 500 GBV who receive support 44% {of 370 1000 women in 100% (17/17) from the GBV response fund surveyed} women in Yr1) (***USAID Custom Indicators Yr2) – Indicator 2) Output 3.2 Women can access GBV services # of people reached by POWER project (USG funded) intervention providing GBV 1200 {60% 1017 i.e. 1000 VSLA Women, 425 men services (e.g., health, legal, 25 {6% of 370 400 {40% of of 2000 in attending EMAP & DGs, and 17 Survivors psycho-social counseling, surveyed} 1000 in Yr1} Yr2} received GBV respond fund shelters, hotlines, other) (***USAID Standard Indicator GNDR-6)

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V. Partnership and Coordination IRC coordination with all relevant ministries, departments and agencies remains cordial. These institutions are the Ministry of Gender and Children's Affairs, the Family Support Unit of the Sierra Leone Police both at district and national level, the Kenema District Council, the Rainbo Centre, and other civil society organizations such as Humanist Watch, Goal –Ireland, Community Action for Rural Development (CARD-SL), Action Plus, Grace Foundation, Defence for Children International (DCI-SL). A one-day partners’ coordination meeting was held on the 4th December 2019 with 15 partners working on GBV in Kenema district including the gender officer of the Kenema District Council (KDC). The meeting was held at the IRC conference hall in Kenema. The meeting looked at the successes and challenges in the drive of making society safe for our women and girls highlighting each partner activities, project coverage and services provided to communities. Discussions during the meeting revealed the increase in the number of reported cases which was attributed to the community information sessions and awareness-raising done by the organizations. It was suggested that more community stakeholders’ sessions with religious leaders, town chiefs and other traditional leaders be held as a key strategy in reaching out to more people in the community. It was also noted that one of the challenges is the inadequate support for survivors for food and transportation to seek medical attention or attend court cases. This is an impeding factor affecting the survivors in remote areas. IRC informed the meeting that it is presently supporting survivors with funding to cover these essentials however, it was noted that the amount in the project is minimal and can’t support the whole of the district. During this meeting content for community awareness sessions in GBV was developed alongside a timetable for delivery of these sessions in the 25 communities especially for the new communities and their immediate environs.

On the 8th December 2019, the Senior Program Manager was among other recipients of the Eastern Region’s Children's Award (ERCA) for outstanding contribution to Child-Led Initiatives, Child Protection and Development, and Child Rights.

On the 21st December 2019, the Senior Program Manager attended a one-day session on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) "Supplementary act relating to equality of rights between women and men for sustainable Development”. The session was organized by the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs as part of the national review and nationalization of the ECOWAS act on equality between men and women. Discussions revealed that Sierra Leone has laws relating to the ECOWAS articles but implementation is the key challenge. Articles examined at this session included: a) Article 5-Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, b) Article 6-Access to Justice, c) Article 7-Matrimonial and Family Rights, d) Article 8- Social Protection of people with disabilities. The session was facilitated by the Director of Gender and the Child Protection Officer of the Ministry and a total of 20 people from local, national and international organizations working on gender issues participated.

The Project Site Manager conducted a one-day training for the "Adolescent Girl Network" a group of 18 community-based organizations working on girls safety and empowerment as part of the support to capacity building for partners. The training was conducted in on the 17th

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December 2019 on GBV core concepts and gave the participants a thorough understanding of the different facets embedded in the core concepts in addressing adolescent girls’ issues in their different interventions

VI. Travel and Technical Assistance (TA) USAID conducted the project’s first Data Quality Audit (DQA) in the month of November 2019. The process started on the 19th November 2019 with a meeting in Freetown with a meeting between USAID and IRC. USAID was represented by the Agreement Officer Representative and two M&E staff members from USAID, IRC had four staff in attendance – the Country Program M&E Coordinator, the POWER Senior Program Manager, the POWER M&E Manager and the M&E Officer. During the first meeting, the M&E structure within the organization and the role of each staff in data management was explained. On the 21st November 2019, the team met with the Kenema Deputy Director of MGCA Eastern Region and the Kenema District Council Gender officer in their respective offices. The officials from both institutions spoke passionately about the role of the project in improving the lives of women in the district, highlighting the strong bond of coordination between their respective Organization and the IRC. The Data Quality Audit team visited three communities to meet with project participants. In Lawana, one of the project communities in Dodo chiefdom, they met with the VSLA women and the male and female DGS participants. On the 22nd November 2019, the team visited two communities - Komende and Borborbu in Simbaru chiefdom. In Komende the team met with the WAG and asked questions to gauge their understanding of GBV and the national referral pathways. The women were able to give clear explanations including examples of cases they have supported through the GBV funds. In Borborbu community the USAID team met with the case workers to look at the records in their ledgers A week-long VSLA training was conducted by the EMAP/EA$E Specialist on October 21-25, 2019 for the staff of AGEPP based in Bo. This training paves the way for the commencement of the VSLA activities in the project communities. In another development, the EMAP/EA$E Specialist has also conducted a three days training on the Discussion Group Series (DGS) curriculum for AGEPP staff in Bo. The training took place from the 17th - 19th December 2019 bringing together the four Senior Officers and Site Manager. This training will ensure that the staff are fully equipped with the necessary skills to conduct the DGS in the project communities. . VII. Financial Analysis Please see the SF424 VIII. Publications and Reports Success Story ("Stories of success and impact, whether intended or unintended should be reported quarterly, 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.")

12 International Rescue Committee Sierra Leone 72063618CA00001 YEAR II -Q1 Narrative Report (POWER) October-December‘19

Prior to the intervention of the POWER project in Jao community in Dama chiefdom, women were solely dependent on their partners for almost everything in their lives. Such a situation exposed the women to a lot of violence including physical violence which was seen as normal. With the start of the POWER project in late November 2019, 25 women in this community were formed into the Four of the women on a visit to the cassava farm VSLA group, Amuloma. This association created the leeway for the women in this community to start saving and access loans with minimal interest rate. The weekly VSLA meetings also became a place of building solidarity among the women who used this opportunity to have discussions about their general well-being. Though the group started slowly, continuous community engagement by the IRC Community Officer and other project staff gave hope that the POWER project was there to make a difference in the lives of people. This encouraged the women to use their VSLA social fund to start a cassava farm that would keep them together even after the project. The Chairlady of the group - Masratu Dakowa explained: "We decided to have this cassava farm to keep the group together and to have an alternative source of income apart from the VSLA contributions". The record keeper of the group Katumu Lansana also expressed similar sentiments, "We have seen the light, we will not allow it to slip through our hands again, and as women we will sustain this group. I never thought I would be able to have Le 250,000 (US$26) in my life, but this group has shown me what unity can do." This same group of women has also received one-bushel onion seedlings from the Ministry of Agriculture for cultivation with no repayment liability to the Ministry. This support came about as a result of the registration of the group with the three key agencies, the Ministry of Gender and Children's Affairs, the Kenema District Council and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. The cassava farm by the Amuloma women’s VSLA group will be ready for harvesting by February 2020. IX. Major constraints/challenges and actions to overcome them There were no major constraints or challenges faced during this reporting period X. Priorities during the next reporting period The following are the priorities for the next reporting period:- 1. Engaging Men for Accountable Practices (EMAP) sessions

13 International Rescue Committee Sierra Leone 72063618CA00001 YEAR II -Q1 Narrative Report (POWER) October-December‘19

The 15 days EMAP training of 40 (20 male, 20 female) community facilitators will commence in January 2020. 2. National Referral Pathway information sessions and Gender Laws training The community and district information sessions will continue and will target 20 communities in the four project operational chiefdoms. At district level the engagement will be with stakeholders that is inclusive of religious leaders, market women, bike riders, drivers’ union. This will be done in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender and Children's Affairs, Rainbo Centre, the Family Support Unit of Sierra Leone and other partners. The sessions will target different stakeholders at both the community and district level. The sessions will target the three gender laws (The Registration of Marriage and Divorce Act, the Devolution of Estate Act, the Domestic Violence act enacted in 2007 and the sexual offence act enacted in 2019 as amended). 3. Joint Monitoring Joint monitoring of GBV service providers will continue to be conducted monthly in the chiefdoms by staff from MSWGCA, the Family Support Unit of Sierra Leone and Rainbo Initiative staff in Kenema during this quarter (January – March 2020). 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. 4. 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 be chaired by MGCA. 5. VSLA Group Formalization The formalization of the VSLA groups as Community Base Organizations in three key government departments–Kenema District Council, the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture will be completed in the month of January.

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