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In Belize, the Spotlight Initiative programme made significant advances in strengthening and scaling up Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) at the secondary school level through a partnership with the Ministry of Education. The CSE was revised to meet international standards and scaled up to all secondary schools, sharing important anti-VAWG messages.


"CSE training is inclusive and open to everyone and addressed sexual education for all genders and orientations." - Community-level Peer Educator in Belize City


However, not all adolescents and youth attend school. In an effort to…

In Belize, Spotlight Initiative introduced 'mobile women's centres' in coordination with civil society organisations. The centres' success depends on the meaningful engagement of these groups, who promoted local ownership and trust with communities.


“[The centre is] a great help to women like me. We can get services by visiting the nurse or advice on legal matters which we often don’t get because it comes with a cost. I know the counselling helps so many women here. They feel good being able to talk to someone and get the advice they need. It gives me hope to push forward despite my…

In Belize, the extreme shock of two hurricanes coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic led to tension in many homes. Spotlight Initiative engaged parents and children, including those with disabilities, in parenting programmes that addressed gender norms, biased attitudes and family violence, and offered critical mental health support and food assistance, including referrals to other services. Through this process, the programme found that parents were more willing to speak about family violence when their basic humanitarian needs have been met, underscoring the importance of a comprehensive…

The Gender-Based Violence Constant Companion Pocket Guide, developed by the Spotlight Initiative Belize programme contains basic tools for field practitioners to know what to do in case a GBV incident is disclosed to them, specifically:

How to support a survivor of gender-based violence, including Do’s and Don’ts of responding to a disclosure
Who discloses their experience of GBV, accompanied by a safe and ethical response to disclosure flowchart
Location-specific contact details for the local GBV focal point and advice on what to do in contexts where there is no GBV actor available
Th…