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Most women in Malawi do not have access to formal financial services because of persistent barriers in access to identification documents, mobile phones, digital skills, and financial capabilities. To bridge the gap in digital financial services, Zayela Digital Finance Programme was officially launched in 2022. Zayela seeks to strengthen women's economic empowerment opportunities by promoting the digital financial inclusion of women and young women at risk of violence in Spotlight Initiative implementing districts.
Results: Working with Airtel Malawi to operate the digital accounts, a total…
The Spotlight Initiative programme in Afghanistan has fostered innovation, laying the groundwork for innovative practices and activities. These include an online civil society platform, which will promote knowledge and information sharing among members of the Eliminating Violence Against Women Forum, and a technology-based solution to real-time monitoring needs called RapidPro / U-Report.
The U-Report is an innovative way to facilitate two-way communication via phones and social media platforms, such as WhatsApp and Viber, to monitor and course-correct programming. Other innovative…
Mozambique has lacked a dedicated hotline to respond to the needs of persons at risk of or survivors of gender-based violence. The one existing service, Fala Criança, had been set up to respond to the needs of children who suffered abuse, but was not available to those over 18.
“Linha Verde 1458 will offer a fast and safe response to women who suffer violence during COVID-19. It is a source of pride for me, as well as my co-workers, to know that we are helping those who do not know where to go, especially during this period of COVID-19.” - Telephone operator at Linha Verde 1458.
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…
Spotlight Initiative in Malawi has partnered with the Government and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to establish Safe Spaces across the country. These spaces are run by “Mentors” who are trained to support women and girls to navigate and challenge gender based violence. They are also trained to intervene and follow up in cases of child marriages.
Women and girls who access these spaces are able to access services including sexual and reproductive health, psychosocial support, and counselling. In addition, they are given opportunities to develop skills to negotiate and challenge harmful…
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…
Spotlight Initiative in El Salvador has partnered with the Association of Transgender, Transexual and Transvestite Women to deliver rights-based and inclusive health services to the trans community. The programme strengthened capacities of the Dike+ Clinic, which provides access to low-cost medicine and medical and psychological health services to trans people. In providing unprecedented support to trans women organisations, the programme helped ensure all women have their needs considered, and opened a new window of opportunity for the trans population to champion their rights. Further…
During COVID-19, Spotlight Initiative programmes needed to rapidly pivot programming to respond to the increase in violence against women and girls during the pandemic.
To meet the immediate needs of women and girls experiencing or at risk of violence, Spotlight Initiative Samoa programme took a flexible approach by repurposing its funds to work with the Ministry for Women, Community and Social Development and frontline service providers such as civil society organisations to create and distribute 400 “Prevention Packs” containing information and materials on COVID-19 and GBV translated in…
In Uganda, where Spotlight Initiative programme was implementing the SASA! community mobilisation programme, the team adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic by creating safety circles to connect regularly via WhatsApp and text, and ensuring community activists and leaders checked in with at-risk women via phone or in-person while social distancing.
In refugee settings in Uganda, the rollout and scale-up of the SASA! programming supported an increase in reporting on intimate partner violence and child marriage, demonstrating that women felt more confident to report violence. 100% of these reported…