International Rescue Committee Sierra Leone 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 i International Rescue Committee Sierra Leone 72063618CA00001 Q2 Narrative Report (POWER) Jan-Mar ‘19 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 ii International Rescue Committee Sierra Leone 72063618CA00001 Q2 Narrative Report (POWER) Jan-Mar ‘19 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 iii International Rescue Committee Sierra Leone 72063618CA00001 Q2 Narrative Report (POWER) Jan-Mar ‘19 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 Kenema 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 SIMBARU CHIEFDOM 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