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Spotlight Initiative in Malawi engaged in an innovative practice by including the perspectives and experiences of communities and rights holders into the design and implementation of the programme’s Midterm Review.

Through focus groups discussions, key informant interviews and one anonymous survey, this inclusive process had two main objectives: to check whether women and girls and other stakeholders felt the programme was relevant and sustainable, and to assess what was and was not working (and why) so that the Malawi Spotlight Initiative team could recalibrate programming.

As a result…

In Niger, the Spotlight Initiative programme set up a mentorship programme in safe spaces to strengthen the capacities and skills of out-of-school or never-schooled, married or unmarried adolescent girls aged 15-19. A comprehensive mentorship guide and curriculum was developed covering the following areas across 28 sessions:

Life skills: Self-awareness, self-esteem and emotional management; values and behaviours; decision-making, problem-solving and negotiations; leadership, communication and organisations skills and team-working.
Reproductive health: Women's reproductive system…

in Mozambique, Spotlight Initiative provided support to local organisations to improve community-based coalition and movement building. This support resulted in over 25 local civil society organisations and community-based organisations exchanging their experiences on best practices and challenges on sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence and child marriage. District platforms were created, in alignment with the country’s policy of decentralisation, to promote the human rights of women and girls. These platforms led to 285…

In 2021, the Spotlight Initiative programme in Mozambique worked with local leaders to support them to prevent child marriage. They established provincial forums of traditional authorities in three provinces where 133 informal and formal decision-makers were engaged in dialogues on gender and VAWG. Overall, 1,038 community leaders took part in “reflection sessions” to discuss ways to prevent child marriage.


“Behaviour change takes time. With the support of the Government and Spotlight Initiative, we are leading several community-driven actions towards gender equality” - Community leader…

In Uganda, Spotlight Initiative supported the SASA! Together – a community mobilisation approach that supports communities to create positive and sustainable changes in the norms that perpetuate violence against women and girls. SASA! Together is a revised version of the original SASA! Approach, developed by the Ugandan NGO Raising Voices. New features of SASA! Together include a distinct focus on intimate partner violence, strategies that reach across the whole community, and more support for organisations and communities to sustain change.  

The SASA! Together methodology focuses on…

In Liberia, the prevalence of female genital mutilation (FGM) is 38.2% among women and girls aged 15-49 years old. FGM is usually performed by traditional birth attendants and/or ‘zoes’ who are elderly women believed to have mystical powers and are members of the ‘Sande’ secret society, an influential custodian of culture in Liberia. During the FGM initiation process, girls are also trained in ‘bush schools’ to prepare them for married life and discussions of these processes are considered taboo in society. In addition to the cultural significance of the practice of FGM, there are also…

In Mali, Spotlight Initiative supported the establishment of 829 model husband clubs for currently married men aged 20-40 (Club des Maris – CDM) and men planning to marry aged 14-24 (Clubs des Futurs Maris – CDFM). A Model Husbands club is a voluntary space that brings men together to collectively reflect and take action to become a model husband. The clubs are participatory and open spaces for discussion, sharing and decision-making built on the values of active listening, equality and respect. The six thematic sessions are built on a gender transformative approach, are led by men in the…

Spotlight Initiative has supported the review and reform of legal systems and frameworks to ensure that root causes, consequences and risk factors of violence against women and girls are comprehensively addressed and the specific needs of individuals facing intersecting forms of discrimination, such as LGTBQI+  individuals are effectively addressed.

In Liberia, Spotlight Initiative conducted a legislative review of the Inheritance Law, Rape Law and Domestic Violence Law with government officials and CSO representatives to ensure the inclusion of a comprehensive approach to targeting all…

The guide “I belong to me” was written and illustrated by African women from different backgrounds and parts of the continent. It is intended to promote discussion between African parents and their pre-adolescent children around African culture and Harmful Practices, such as Female Genital Mutilation and Child Marriage. It follows the story of an 11-year old girl called Saleema who travels to different cities across the continent where the main African policies on girls and women’s rights have been adapted, in order for her to discover there is legitimacy and power in her voice. The book…

The Safe Space Mentorship Programme (SSMP) in Malawi supports gender equitable social norms, attitudes and behavioural change at community and individual levels. Supporting girls and young women from 10 to 24 years old, SSMP is a weekly programme that runs for 6 months addressing gender perspectives, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), gender-based violence (GBV), harmful practices, referral pathways, and life skills from a rights-based perspective. Its purpose is to empower young women and girls to recognise that violence is illegal, how it violates their basic human rights, and…