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Children aged 2 to 14 years, clap, stomp their feet, dance and sing under the porch of a small house in a suburb of Timor-Leste’s capital, Dili. The children are taking part in Spotlight Initiative-supported Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) activities under the Child Friendly Space (CFS) initiative organized by the Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and non-governmental organization Ba Futuru (for the Future).


"My children look forward to the CFS activities. They sing, dance, are safe and happier.” - Angelina Menes…

In 2022 the Spotlight Initiative grantee, Women United Together Marshall Islands (WUTMI), launched a training to build understanding within Marshall Island Police Departments about how to take a survivor-centred approach, how to respond to VAWG survivors, and promoting positive masculinities. WUTMI worked closely with the mayors of each outer island to ensure police forces committed to the training. They encouraged mayors to join the training themselves to demonstrate their political leadership and commitment to ending violence against women and girls. Some testimonies from these officers…

In 2022, the Spotlight Initiative Pacific Regional Programme supported Cookhouse Confidential, an informal group of women from multiple organisations and agencies that work together to discuss and tackle women’s menstrual health issues in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). Working together, Spotlight Initiative and Cookhouse Confidential administered small grants focused on efforts to advance sexual and reproductive health.

One such grant funded three women tailors in Ebeye, in the Marshall Islands, to produce reusable menstrual pads. These pads in turn were distributed to 250…