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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…
In Argentina, women and girls can report cases of VAWG, including violence that takes place in public places, using a “Tramas en Acción” (Action Plots), created by the grantee Centro de Intercambio y Servicios para el Cono Sur Argentina in partnership with the Ministry for Women.
Following the purchase of tablets for staff and with the support of 30 volunteers, the Spotlight Initiative grantee CHRDA recorded at least 1,000 cases of VAWG. Additionally, 2,467 women at risk of and survivors of violence, including internally displaced women, were provided with comprehensive services including…
In 2020, the Spotlight Initiative programme in Malawi received reports that many survivors from the rural communities in which they worked were unable to access justice and essential services because they lived long distances from these services and couldn’t afford the cost of public transport. In response, Spotlight Initiative developed funds to help survivors overcome these economic barriers. They worked with traditional authorities to establish community committees which oversaw the distribution of these funds.
These committees sat within the Ministry of Gender, Social Welfare and…
During the design phase of the Spotlight Initiative Caribbean Regional Programme, it was noted that there was no formal network of CSOs and WROs working to end VAWG. To close this gap, all partners agreed that the region would benefit from establishing an umbrella regional network. To this end, the programme organised a CSO retreat that brought together representatives from ten Caribbean countries.
The inaugural Caribbean CSO retreat was facilitated by UN Women Multi-Country Office (MCO) - Caribbean. Held in Jamaica in August 2022, the week-long retreat provided an opportunity for 24 CSOs…
The Spotlight Initiative Pacific Regional Programme aims to support a diverse range of smaller CSOs through the small grants funding mechanism. The small grants, ranging from USD 2,500 to USD 50,000, have a simplified application process, with fewer steps than other funding mechanisms. As part of the small grants funding mechanism, the Pacific Regional Programme also had a special call for partners working to advance the safety of people of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities (SOGI) and feminist climate justice as it relates to EVAWG.
To provide support to these newer…
To diversify the types of implementing partners selected, Spotlight Initiative in Malawi undertook several activities to address barriers to smaller grassroots organisations. The programme issued a joint call for expressions of interest and disseminated hard copies in local languages at the community level. The team worked closely with district authorities to share hard copies of the advert in their offices and allow organisations to submit hand-written applications through district offices, saving them postage costs. As a result of these targeted efforts to engage smaller CSOs, 95% of the 112…
Under Pillar 6, the Spotlight Initiative Pacific Regional Programme aims to support WROs through the small grants funding mechanism. The small grants, ranging from USD 2,500 to USD 50,000, have a simplified application process, with fewer steps than other funding mechanisms.
A series of virtual town halls were held to prepare potential applications and provide an overview of the requirements, guidelines in the development of proposals and budgets, and reporting and monitoring and evaluation requirements. Further support was provided via email or phone, with the aim of reducing any…
The Spotlight Initiative programme in Mozambique provided training and ongoing capacity development sessions for 50 WROs. The WROs were identified through a mapping of organisations and then invited to a 3-day training session in advocacy, influencing, programme design, monitoring and evaluation and knowledge management. Opportunities were provided in these sessions for networking and sharing experiences. Special attention was given to organisations representing the interests of marginalised groups, such as people living with HIV, people with disabilities and rural women. WROs received ongoing…
In December 2021, Spotlight Initiative launched the WithHer Fund in partnership with the UN Foundation to provide flexible financial support to smaller, local, grassroots and WROs working to end violence against women and girls in their communities.
The fund operates under feminist grant-making principles, focusing on flexibility, trust and transparency. To overcome common funding barriers faced by small organisations, the WithHer Fund uses a simplified application and reporting process.
The first cohort of WithHer Fund grantees was chosen based on specific criteria, including the…
The Spotlight Initiative programme in Tajikistan offered creative training and mentorship to various WROs and other CSOs through a simulation exercise. This exercise involved CSOs participating in a workshop where their proposals were evaluated by Recipient UN Organisations (RUNOs). A mock evaluation committee then provided feedback on the proposals.
As a result of participating in this training exercise, WROs had an improved understanding of Spotlight Initiative processes and requirements, which resulted in an increased number of proposal submissions from WROs in Tajikistan to the Central…