Free, Educate, and Empower Girls in Haiti

Girls Clubs Stay Open, Providing Safe Space to 400 During Unrest

Thank you for your generous support for the Haitian-led movement to free, educate, and empower girls and prevent gender-based violence. Your solidarity is making a difference for girls in the midst of growing civil unrest and violence in Haiti.

At a time when most schools closed, 15 out of 16 Girls’ Clubs remained open, providing safe spaces for 400 girls to gather, socialize, and learn. In fact, clubs met more often – two to three times a week – as club mentors showed courage and leadership by stepping in to fill the gap left when schools closed.

Thanks to you and your generosity – and the generous support of the European Union – Girls’ Clubs are there for girls even in times of strife.

30 Young Women and Girls Lead Advocacy Committees in Their Communities

Your generosity is empowering young women and girls to lead the movement to prevent violence against women and balance power between women and men and girls and boys. Thank you for standing in solidarity with these young women as they lead this work!

In the community of Lavale in southeastern Haiti, 30 young women and girls who graduated from Beyond Borders’ Rethinking Power training in June 2021 are using what they learned to lead the movement-building effort there.

In the last quarter, these grassroots leaders – in collaboration with local Girls’ Clubs – held planning meetings and developed an action plan to hold a series of community-wide violence-prevention activities to build momentum and support.

As momentum is key in norm-change and movement-building – especially in the early stages – the kind of grassroots leadership these young women are showing is critical. It’s also a testament to the sustainability of this violence-prevention work that your generosity makes possible.

Thanks to you – and continued support from the European Union – Beyond Borders’ Rethinking Power team is keeping in close touch with these young leaders to ensure their continued success.

First of Four Phases of Violence Prevention Training Completed in Two Communities

Your generous support has made it possible to complete the first of four phases of the two methodologies that make up the foundation of Beyond Borders’ Rethinking Power Program. Thank you again for your generosity and solidarity and for being a key part of this movement-building work!

The completed Start Phase is intensive – filled with meetings with key stakeholder groups including community activists and leaders, local authorities, school directors, parents, students and more. The meetings, which include training and community-based and peer-to-peer dialogue activities, are designed to catalyze a commitment to the norms-change process that communities are embarking on.

Communities also participate in Rapid Assessment Surveys to determine their readiness to move on to the next phase.

With your continued support, Beyond Borders’ Rethinking Power team is preparing to move into phase two, the Awareness Phase, which begins with a series of workshops and activities with key stakeholders. Thank you again for making this kind of progress possible!

By The Numbers: The Latest Movement Building Work You Make Possible

Thanks to your generous support, the Rethinking Power team and their partners have been able to launch initiatives like these:

• One-hundred community leaders and activists (44 women, 56 men) participated in two refresher training sessions on principles and techniques for effective and efficient activity implementation
• More than 200 people participated in 10 meetings organized by community leaders and activists
• Three community town halls organized with 177 people (82 women, 95 men)
• Twenty-nine local authorities (9 women, 20 men) participated in meetings with BB staff
• One-hundred-six young women started economic, income-generating activities following training in Girls’ Clubs
• Fifteen Girls’ Club members trained on phase one of new Economic Activity Curriculum
• Five trainers providing technical support to partners participated in three days of intensive training on Phase 2 of Power to Girls
• Three-day technical support visits made to three partners in the South, West, and Nippes Departments

What People Are Saying About The Impact of This Work

One of the best ways to convey the impact of the work to prevent violence against women and girls that you are making possible is by sharing with you what community members themselves are saying.

Elvire Eugène, executive director of AFASDA, a women’s rights organization in Cap Haitien, shares how their partnership with Beyond Borders enhances their work: 

“[Beyond Borders’] Rethinking Power program has enabled AFASDA to amplify the aspect of violence prevention in [our] work. Thanks to [the methodologies] we are able to methodically implicate men in the prevention of violence against women; it is a lot easier for community members to see the scale and grave consequences of violence against women.

To my knowledge, Beyond Borders is the first actor within the Haitian feminist movement that is specializing in prevention.

The SASA! Together and Power to Girls methodologies and the technical support that Beyond Borders offers to implementing organizations brings new levels of effectiveness in the fight for women’s rights in Haiti.

These methodologies, based on community mobilization, enable each and every person in the community to participate in dialogue and action that serves to prevent violence against women and girls. It makes one see that violence is not a private act but rather an epidemic that needs to be eradicated.

Our successful partnership with [Beyond Borders’] Rethinking Power Program is not only reflected in the quality of the materials used, the different steps/phases in the change process, and the length of the intervention [cycle], but also in the adaptation of translated materials, the technical assistance offered, and the communication of feminist values – in particular intersectional feminism.

Beyond Borders’ Rethinking Power Program is bringing new blood to the Haitian feminist movement, and AFASDA’s management hopes to continue working together for the benefit of Haitian women.” ~ Elvire Eugène, Executive Director, AFASDA

Thank You Again

Thank you again for all that you are making possible through your generous support for Beyond Borders' ‘Free, Educate, and Empower Girls in Haiti’ project on GlobalGiving. We are deeply grateful for your solidarity and all that you are helping to make possible – even in these challenging times.

You are building the movement to prevent violence against women and girls and ensure that every day more girls and women in Haiti are living free from violence, discrimination, and inequality. If you have any questions about what you read in this report, please contact Brian Stevens, Beyond Borders’ Engagement Director, at (305) 450-2561 or b.stevens@beyondborders.net.

Links:

• We've earned Charity Navigator's highest rating: 4 Stars.
• See the latest on our violence prevention work on Facebook.
• New research finds BB's approach cuts violence in half.

New Research Shows Physical, Sexual Partner Violence Against Women Declines by Half Community-Wide

There’s good news to share from Beyond Borders work to prevent violence against women and girls in southeastern Haiti. New research shows that physical and sexual partner violence against women declined by half community-wide, thanks to the work of our Rethinking Power team – and you and so many supporters like you who have invested deeply in this work.

The results come from a multi-year, quasi-experimental trial conducted in southeastern Haiti by our Rethinking Power team in collaboration with the Global Women’s Institute at the George Washington University, the Institut de Formation et de Services, and Pentagone.

Despite COVID-19 and worsening security conditions in Haiti during the implementation period that would have had researchers predict an increase in violence, data shows a dramatic decline.

Researchers found that the rate of intimate partner violence declined by half, community-wide, for women in all ages and disability categories.

Study authors wrote: “Overall, the research showed that SASA!, Power to Girls, and Safe and Capable* has had a positive effect on the lives of women and girls in La Vallée. Positive changes were seen not only by the people who participated directly in the trainings or other activities, but also among the entire community population. Positive changes included changes to the ways people saw women, men and intimate relationships (attitudes), as well as prevalence of violence against women and girls.”

Some 46,000 people live in the area in which the research was conducted.

A Monumental Success

The results are considered a monumental success, proving the effectiveness of the methodologies used by Beyond Borders’ Rethinking Power team – SASA!, Power to Girls, and Safe and Capable – to prevent violence against women and girls in Haiti.

Read the Results for Yourself

You can read an eight-page summary of the research results on the Beyond Borders website by clicking here.

*Created by our friends at Raising Voices, SASA! (Start, Awareness, Support, Action) is a ground-breaking, internationally-recognized model of community-mobilization to stop violence against women and the spread of HIV. Engaging all actors in the community — women, men, cultural and religious leaders, local officials, police, health-care providers — SASA! fosters critical reflection on gender and power and instigates local-level activism.

Created by Beyond Borders’ Rethinking Power Team, Power To Girls includes a complete, three-year methodology to integrate lessons on equality and preventing gender-based violence into the school curriculum, including sample lesson plans for social science, biology and language teachers. Power To Girls also includes a guide to help schools and communities create and support local girls’ groups, and a set of community organizing tools designed to create deep and lasting change among adults too.

Also created by the Rethinking Power Team, ‘Safe and Capable: Haitian Communities Preventing Violence Against Girls and Women with Disabilities’ is designed to change how people see women and girls living with disabilities and to increase their social inclusion and better protect them from violence. Created with funding from the UN Trust Fund/UN Women, the program is being integrated in communities alongside our SASA! and Power to Girls programming. Safe and Capable includes a five-part introductory guide, training curriculum, theater plays, dialogue-based posters, “quick chat” sessions, and learning and evaluation guides.

Year 2 of SASA!, Power to Girls, and Safe and Capable Launched

In the Southeast, the Rethinking Power team has launched Year 2 of SASA!, Power to Girls, and Safe and Capable in two communal sections. This implementation cycle also includes the new Economic Empowerment Resource Pack for Adolescent Girls, a complement to Power to Girls funded by the European Union.

Seven communities on Lagonav Island completed the SASA! community mobilization programming implemented in June 2022.

By The Numbers: The Latest Movement Building Work You Make Possible

Thanks to your generous support, the Rethinking Power team and their partners have been able to launch initiatives like these:

• 130 drama troupe team members from 6 Technical Support Partners across Haiti received training on the Safe and Capable dramas and forum theater techniques
• 16 Girls Groups in two communal sections completed Phase 1 of Power to Girls
• 23 people (12 women, 11 men) were trained during a 3-day workshop on Phase 3 of SASA! and/or Power to Girls
• 16 Girls Group Mentors were trained on advocacy, teaching and communication techniques, and managing feedback from girls group participants
• 130 community members participated in a question and answer session about girls’ rights, power, and agency
• 7 door-to-door awareness raising campaigns were conducted with Community Activists
• 9 different meetings with Community Activists, local authorities, and/or local community leaders were held
• A 9-series training curriculum on practical business techniques and management for adolescent girls is in development

Beyond Borders at the Sexual Violence Research Initiative Forum in Cancun, Mexico 

Beyond Borders’ Specialist on Violence Against Women and Girls Prevention and Co-Director for the Rethinking Power Program Sara Siebert was able to co-present on our work at the SVRI together with the Global Women's Institute.

The presentation: Leaving No One Behind During Times of Crisis: Impact of SASA! Adaptations for Adolescent Girls, and Women and Girls with Disabilities in Haiti, is available upon request.

The conference also provided an important networking space on strategic conversations about VAWG prevention and feminist movement building; new learnings on movement building; internet-facilitated VAWG; non-partner sexual violence; and other key issues and innovations that can be integrated into Beyond Borders’ work.

SVRI is the world’s largest network on research on violence against women and violence against children. The forum is the largest conference dedicated to research on prevention of and responses to violence against women and children.

What People Are Saying About The Impact of This Work

One of the best ways to convey the impact of the work to prevent violence against women and girls that you are making possible is by sharing with you what community members themselves are saying. 

“Sincerely, there were a lot of things I didn’t understand about this work, even though I have been doing it for several years. I believe the training on good principles of prevention should be done for every organization in the country. That could help us to truly build the women’s movement so that every organization doesn’t just do its own thing, but rather coordinate their work.” ~ Nancy, UDREF (Haitian women’s organization) staff speaking about the Principles of Effective VAWG prevention training

“I have a younger sister living with a disability. Even though I’m a Girls’ Group Mentor, I was never interested in inviting her to my Girls’ Group, because she’s living with paraplegia. I thought she couldn’t walk very far. Thanks to the [Safe and Capable] training, I’ve learned the need to let her make decisions for herself, and that I cannot decide for her. I also found that it’s a good thing that I can teach her about her rights. This way, she doesn’t have to depend on others in her environment, and she will develop confidence in herself.” ~ Morette Guirlande, Girls’ Group Mentor

“My principal called me aside to congratulate me for my behavior, saying that now I’m doing much better in school; my teacher says I am doing better, too. I was always afraid to talk in class because I didn’t want people to laugh at me. Even when I did get up the courage to speak, they could barely hear what I said. Because of the work my Girls’ Group Mentor did with us, it really helped me chase away my shyness. Now, I am not so afraid when I speak, and I don’t tremble in front of others anymore.” ~ Wideline, girls’ group participant and actor in Safe and Capable drama troupe

“Many times, we talk with people without understanding their feelings and the impact our words can have on them. This training helped me look at myself and understand the model I am for others. I thought I was the one with the problem, but now I understand that it is other people’s bad perception of me that makes me feel handicapped.” ~ Maureen, participant with a disability from adolescent girls’ rights organization

“Through the work of the Rethinking Power team in the community, I see Haiti has a lot of hope. That's why I decided to give myself to this work, because even if I die, I will die knowing I was involved in this change.” ~ Pastor Adam

Thank You Again

Thank you again for all that you are making possible through your generous support for Beyond Borders' ‘Free, Educate, and Empower Girls in Haiti’ project on GlobalGiving. We are deeply grateful for your solidarity in these challenging times.

You are building the movement to prevent violence against women and girls and ensure that every day more girls and women in Haiti are living free from violence, discrimination, and inequality. If you have any questions about what you read in this report, please contact Brian Stevens, Beyond Borders’ Donor Engagement Director, at (305) 450-2561 or b.stevens@beyondborders.net.

Links:

• You can read an eight-page summary of the research results here.
• Like us on Facebook for the latest from Haiti.
• We've earned a 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator.

Your Generous Support Empowers Girls, Prevents Violence, and Balances Power

Your generous support for the Haitian-led movement to prevent violence against women and girls is making all the difference for girls in Haiti.

That's because your support -- together with a generous grant from the European Union -- is expanding the number of Girls' Clubs to reach 1,000 more girls between the ages of 12 and 19 in 18 communities.

Like you, we believe in the power and potential of girls to change Haiti and our world. Girls' Clubs are at the center of Beyond Borders' broader community-wide initiative to prevent gender-based violence by balancing power between women and men and girls and boys. 

That's why creating and launching Girls' Clubs is one aspect of Beyond Borders' strategy to empower girls and give them a voice so they can create positive change in their communities.

At Girls' Clubs -- thanks to trained mentors -- girls come to understand that they are equal to boys. Girls find their voice and discover that they can be a force for positive change in their communities. 

This April, we trained 20 new Girls' Club mentors -- young women who work tirelessly to empower girls and create a more equal path for them to walk.

These Girls' Club mentors empower girls to become leaders in their community and to advocate for balanced power with boys and an end to gender-based violence.

Thank you again for your generous support for the movement to prevent violence against women and girls. More girls in Haiti are growing up free from violence and inequality and realizing what a powerful force for positive change they can be, thanks to you.

You Make Training with Community Leaders Like These Possible

Your gift is supporting the creation of lasting, community-based solutions to prevent violence and balance power between the sexes.

A key component of this effort is gaining the support of local leaders like elected representatives, school directors, and pastors to name a few, who have the power to direct resources and encourage the institutions they run to make ending gender-based violence a priority.

That's why the Rethinking Power team is investing significant time and creativity to engage local leaders like these -- an initiative that your generosity makes possible. 

In April the Rethinking Power team led a workshop with 40 local leaders from four communities in southeastern Haiti. It included discussions on personal and communal power and how each of us can choose to use our power to prevent violence.

Workshops like these are the foundation of a multi-year effort to accompany communities as they organize themselves to prevent gender-based violence and balance power between the sexes.

Your investment in the mission of Rethinking Power makes this kind of community-based movement-building work possible!

Thank you again for your generous support for the movement to prevent violence against women and girls. More communities in Haiti are committed to preventing violence and inequality -- thanks to you.

Your Generosity is Ending Gender-based Violence, Healing Families, and Building a Movement

Your generosity and your solidarity are transforming lives -- ending gender-based violence and balancing power between women and men and girls in boys.

I want to share with you the words of Jonadab, a husband who turned away from the violent, abusive way he interacted with his wife after taking part in a couples' workshop hosted by Beyond Borders' Rethinking Power team. Here is Jonadab, in his own words.

“When I got married, I was the real boss of my family. I said what happened, when, and how. I never consulted my wife. Everyone called me Commander. I was proud of this nickname because it meant people were scared of me.

One day, I was angry and I began hitting my wife. I shouted that I was going to leave her. Word spread quickly in the community. That was the first time I heard people talking about the consequences of violence on a family. Some people came and started talking with me, too.

I was ashamed of what I'd done and it started me thinking. I was invited to a couples’ workshop. I wanted to go but I was afraid. My wife asked me to go with her. We went together.

Since then, we are two of the most active members in our community. On International Women's Day this year, I was the one with the megaphone at our local march sharing messages to end violence against women.

People who knew what I was like before were surprised. They made jokes, but I had the courage to tell them that before I was an animal but today, I am a citizen.

My wife had a lot of courage to help me change. Today my wife, child and I live better together, balancing power in our household, and I am grateful."

Your investment in the mission of Rethinking Power makes this kind of community-based movement-building work and personal transformation possible.

Thank you again for your generous support for the movement to prevent violence against women and girls. More communities in Haiti are committed to preventing violence and balancing power -- thanks to you.

New Communities Mobilized, New Activists Selected and Trained Thanks to You

With your support, Beyond Borders’ Rethinking Power team conducted visits in communities in Haiti’s southeast in preparation for the rollout of a new implementation cycle in January 2022.  Staff met with nonprofit, community, and religious leaders, local authorities, and school directors. The visits were an opportunity to begin developing relationships.

Here’s a look at some new and existing activities that your support made possible:

• 16 Girls’ Club Mentors have been recruited and trained;
• 438 girls have joined new Girls’ Clubs;
• 66 Community Activities have been selected and trained;
• 39 Community Leaders have been identified and trained;
• 44 school personnel have been engaged;
• 6 organizations received staff training and support on the utilization of the SASA!, Power to Girls, or the Safe and Capable methodologies in their communities;
• 19 other organizations were trained on violence against women and girls with disabilities and/or effective prevention principles;
• 105 young girls from 16 Girls’ Clubs who received their certificates for graduating from clubs;
• 32 members from different organizations were trained on popular theater techniques;
• 16 young women participated in leadership training on how to become a Girl’s Club Mentor, to foster the creation of new community Girls’ Clubs in their communities.

New Materials, New Methodologies, and Improvements That Your Support Makes Possible

This year, with your support, the Rethinking Power team has made considerable gains in the development and adaptation of materials and methodologies. The team has adapted four of six books of SASA! Together into Haitian Creole and is in the process of revising existing Power to Girls materials based on experiences from previous implementations. The development of The Girls’ Economic Power Resource Pack is underway too.

Advocacy and Feminist Movement Building with National and International Partners

Six organizations received staff training and support on the utilization of the SASA!, Power to Girls, or Safe and Capable methodologies in their communities. Ten other organizations were trained on violence prevention principles. The team collaborated with international partner Raising Voices to offer a webinar on Safe and Capable. Raising Voices has expressed interest in continued opportunities to let their partners know about Safe and Capable and continues to share the webinar recording with other interested entities abroad.

Activists Trained in Advocacy Give Rise to New Prevention Organizations

Community level sustainability is largely supported by the continued efforts of trained community activists and local groups. Their actions continue to catalyze positive social norms change as well as influence the policy and practices of local institutions and governments. The Rethinking Power Team trained 30 community members, equipping them with new advocacy skills and techniques.

Working with the 575 trained members of the Lavale community network in southeastern Haiti, the team supported communities as they formed four advocacy committees.  Two of these committees have been registered as formal organizations with Haitian legal status. GAPEP and the Girls’ Advocacy Committee of Tenyè have continued to lead community mobilization and advocacy activities within their own communities. Advocacy committees have also proactively networked to advance a series of measures to increase inclusion and prevent violence against women and girls with disabilities.

Thank You Again

Thank you again for your generosity, your solidarity, your care, and your concern. More women and girls in Haiti are empowered and living free of violence and inequality because of you! If you have any questions about what you read in this report, please contact Brian Stevens, Beyond Borders’ Engagement Director, at (305) 450-2561 or b.stevens@beyondborders.net.

Links:

• Check out the Spring '22 Impact Report for the latest from Haiti
• Connect with BB on Facebook and see what you are making possible
• Follow BB on Twitter for news from Haiti

The Movement to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls is Growing -- Thanks to You

Thank you for your generous support for the Haitian-led movement to prevent violence against women and girls and free, educate, and empower girls in Haiti.

With your support, a growing group of women and men are committing themselves to the movement to prevent gender-based violence and balance power between the sexes, working every day to expand their reach to more communities across Haiti.

I want to share with you some of the many different initiatives that your generosity is making possible. Thanks to you, Beyond Borders’ Rethinking Power team will continue work on:

• Creating and adapting new resources for the prevention of violence against women and girls with disabilities and the economic empowerment of adolescent girls,
• Advocacy and feminist network building, including new collaborations with existing local and national feminist movements and the growing network of activists that emerged as part of our SASA! and Power to Girls implementations,
• Engaging local government and justice sector personnel, with the goal of creating improved domestic violence response services,
• Engaging school personnel -- through training and ongoing technical support -- to implement Power to Girls programming and Safe and Capable tools to prevent violence against women and girls living with disabilities.

I hope you take pride in what your support is helping to build. Your generous support is critical to the success of the movement to prevent violence against women and girls.

By The Numbers: The Latest Movement Building Work You Make Possible

In the last quarter alone, your support has made it possible to launch initiatives like these:

• 347 people in the communities of Nan Kafe and Matènwa on Lagonav Island participated in conversations and debates around gender-based violence and balancing power using SASA! communication materials
• 105 girls from 16 Girls’ Clubs received their certificates after graduating from clubs in Lavale
• 32 members from different partner organizations were trained in popular (street) theater techniques
• 30 community members were trained in new advocacy skills and techniques
• 27 judges, lawyers, and members of community-based and civil society organizations in Ansagale on Lagonav participated in a workshop to discuss the problem of violence against women, judicial action and reparations
• 22 visits were conducted to neighborhoods in four new target communities to plan for the upcoming next implementation of SASA!, Power to Girls, Safe and Capable (to prevent violence against women and girls living with disabilities), and the new Economic Empowerment Resource Pack
• 22 wives and husbands on Lagonav participated in a couples’ workshop to talk about power balance in their relationships
• 16 women in Lavale participated in leadership training on how to become a Girl’s Club Mentor and how to foster the creation of community Girls’ Clubs

Your investment in our shared mission to prevent violence against women and girls makes this kind of movement-building work possible.

Celebrating International Women’s Day in Jacmel and on Lagonav Island 

In Jacmel, the Rethinking Power team organized a press event with local journalists to highlight International Women’s Day. On Lagonav Island, local grassroots leaders trained by Beyond Borders organized awareness-raising marches in the communities of Masikren and Gransous. Organizers rallied community support for an end to violence against women and girls and efforts to balance power between women and men and girls and boys.

You are Supporting the Development of Grassroots Female Leadership in Haiti

One of the ways that you are helping to build the movement to prevent violence and balance power is by supporting the development of grassroots leaders like Taroody and Mirtha, who lead a Girls Club in their community.

"We gather twice a week with two different groups of girls -- 10 to 14 year-olds and 15 to 19 year-olds," Mirtha explained.

"We talk about girls' health, managing money, leadership, friendship, communication, violence, and power," Taroody added.

Mirtha and Taroody and their fellow Girls Club leaders aim to support the development of empowered, informed young women who are ready to be leaders in their own communities.

"We want these girls to share their talents, to know that they have power, to not be afraid to speak up no matter the setting -- especially if they see violence happening in their own community, their own home, or to a friend."

Your generosity makes the work of leaders like Mirtha and Taroody possible, and fosters the development of the next generation of empowered female leaders in Haiti. 

Beyond Borders’ Rethinking Power Team Invited to Present at UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women Forum

I am happy to share some exciting news: recognizing the groundbreaking work Beyond Borders' Rethinking Power team is doing to empower girls, The United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women invited them to present at a recent forum. 

My colleagues Emanuela Paul and Sara Siebert shared how the team has adapted empowerment programming for girls living with disabilities during difficult circumstances in Haiti.

You can click here to watch the full forum, which includes invitees from other organizations too. You'll need this passcode to watch the webinar: D&PWECr9

And here’s a transcript of some of the answers Emanuela shared with the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women prior to the forum:

In what challenging, and rapidly changing context is your organization working on ending violence against women and girls: COVID-19? Conflict? Post-conflict? Flood? Drought? Earthquake? Political instability? Shrinking spaces for civil society?

In our work to prevent violence against women and girls with disabilities in Haiti, the context has been difficult for three reasons: 1. COVID-19, 2. The presence of armed groups and gangs in some parts of the community where we work, and 3. Socioeconomic and political instability.  

How is that context affecting the position of women and girls, especially violence against women and girls from your project’s perspective?

The difficult context came with a lot of negative consequences for women and girls in general, and especially for women and girls with disabilities. There is increased food insecurity, increased risk of violence, and less opportunity for them to get out to their small businesses or economic activities. It became increasingly difficult for caregivers they relied on to get to them to provide support as they had previously done. Going out was often very risky, and the lack of accessibility in the community made it even more difficult. 

How is your organization responding to the challenges posed by the crisis context?

During these crises, Beyond Borders had to re-adapt its modes of community intervention to respond to the challenges presented by the new reality. In this sense:

• We did a number of activities such as distributions of materials and health/sanitation kits for COVID prevention. We supported local authorities in their COVID prevention activities.
• We conducted several activities for girls to do in their own homes. We organized community mobilization activities, home visits, distance-based girls’ group activities.
• We created two videos, several memes, and radio spots with Sign Language interpretation to start distance-based dialogues. 

We did these to raise people’s awareness about COVID, but especially to continue our awareness raising about the risks of violence against women and girls with disabilities during the time. 

What needs to be done to make sure the voices of the most marginalized women and girls are heard in the international arena?

This is important to know. In a difficult context, it is essential to ensure that women and girls with disabilities are primary actors in their own process of change and in the change they want to see. 

In addition, in difficult contexts, funds are needed––funding should be more flexible and should be able to adapt along with the problems. Long-term, flexible, core funding without too many restrictions and demands would help organizations of women and girls with disabilities to continue to exist, despite the difficulties. And especially it would help them to continue to prevent violence against women and girls.

Thank You Again

Thank you again for your generosity, your solidarity, your care, and your concern. More women and girls in Haiti are empowered and living free of violence and inequality because of you! If you have any questions about what you read in this report, please contact Brian Stevens, Beyond Borders’ Engagement Director, at (305) 450-2561 or b.stevens@beyondborders.net.

Links:

• Charity Navigator: BB scores 100 for Leadership & Adaptability.
• BB earns a Gold Transparency rating from GuideStar.
• Check out Beyond Borders on YouTube and see videos from Haiti.

Your Generosity and Solidarity Keeps the Movement to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls on Track

The past 11 months have been some of the most challenging in recent memory in Haiti. The potential to see long-held plans sidetracked or even completely upended is a daily concern.

But thanks to the faithful generosity and unceasing solidarity of supporters like you, Beyond Borders’ Rethinking Power team has been able to keep the focus on three main strategies they’ve outlined to build the movement to prevent violence against women and girls. They are:

• the Creation and Adaptation of Materials,
• Community Mobilization, and,
• Advocacy and Feminist Network Building

The Three Key Focus Areas Your Generosity Supports

Creation & Adaptation of Materials: Through your generous support, Beyond Borders’ Rethinking Power team is working to develop key sets of materials: the Haiti adaptation of Raising Voices’ updated version of SASA!* called SASA! Together, which includes key elements of SASA! Faith; and the development of a new resource pack for the economic empowerment of adolescent girls, to be integrated within the Power to Girls* methodology. In addition, we went beyond these three to develop Safe and Capable*––a resource pack on VAWG with disabilities, and we are updating Power to Girls based on lessons learned in the first implementation cycle.

Community Mobilization: Thanks to you and supporters like you, Beyond Borders’ Rethinking Power team will conduct a new implementation cycle of community mobilization in a new group of communities in Haiti for the prevention of VAWG, integrating these elements into one intervention: the adapted SASA! Together, Safe and Capable, and Power to Girls with an all-new resource pack for the economic empowerment of adolescent girls. (The Global Women’s Institute (GWI) at the George Washington University had expressed a strong interest in evaluating the impact of this combination of interventions given its potential to contribute to learning in the field regionally and globally.) Beyond Borders’ community mobilization in the Lavale area concluded in June 2021. (See the August 2021 report for photos from the graduation ceremony held in Lavale.)

Advocacy and Feminist Network Building: With your generous support, Beyond Borders’ Rethinking Power team is working to take its advocacy and movement building to the next level. Working in collaboration with existing feminist movements and the growing network of activists that emerged as part of SASA! and Power to Girls implementations, our team is working to strengthen capacity for collective advocacy in Haiti. We’re doing this by reinforcing connections with existing national and regional feminist networks to promote community advocacy priorities, and creating linkages between larger advocacy bodies and the community-based activism networks that have emerged from the implementation work. Beyond Borders’ Rethinking Power team continues to provide technical support on its methodologies to other organizations in Haiti and internationally, taking to scale evidence-based VAWG prevention and adolescent girls rights methods and tools.

More than 49 organizations have benefited from Beyond Borders’ technical support programming, including 41 participating in short courses offered on topics like VAWG with disabilities, principles of effective VAWG prevention, and Power to Girls and/or Safe and Capable. In addition, eight organizations have benefitted from long-term support in implementation of VAWG prevention/ girls’ rights methodologies. Beyond Borders worked to facilitate networking between these organizations, supported local and national advocacy efforts led by partners, and accompanied eight long-term technical support partners in various stages of implementation, including the six partners of the Haiti VAWG Prevention Coalition. In addition, the Rethinking Power team in Jacmel that provides technical support also supported Beyond Borders’ programs on Lagonav Island using the SASA! methodology.

Thank you for making it possible for the team to both keep the focus and make real progress in these three key areas!

*Created by our friends at Raising Voices, SASA! (Start, Awareness, Support, Action) is a ground-breaking, internationally-recognized model of community-mobilization to stop violence against women and the spread of HIV. Engaging all actors in the community — women, men, cultural and religious leaders, local officials, police, health-care providers — SASA! fosters critical reflection on gender and power and instigates local-level activism.

Created by Beyond Borders’ Rethinking Power Team, Power To Girls includes a complete, three-year methodology to integrate lessons on equality and preventing gender-based violence into the school curriculum, including sample lesson plans for social science, biology and language teachers. Power To Girls also includes a guide to help schools and communities create and support local girls’ groups, and a set of community organizing tools designed to create deep and lasting change among adults too.

Also created by the Rethinking Power Team, ‘Safe and Capable: Haitian Communities Preventing Violence Against Girls and Women with Disabilities’ is designed to change how people see women and girls living with disabilities and to increase their social inclusion and better protect them from violence. Created with funding from the UN Trust Fund/UN Women, the program is being integrated in communities alongside our SASA! and Power to Girls programming. Safe and Capable includes a five-part introductory guide, training curriculum, theater plays, dialogue-based posters, “quick chat” sessions, and learning and evaluation guides.

Your Generosity is Building a Network of Local Activists to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls

Thanks to you and your generosity, an activism network of 518 activists was trained and supported by Beyond Borders’ local activism team to facilitate community meetings, materials campaigns, popular theater performances, public events, radio shows, quick chats, household visits, neighborhood dialogues, school mobilization, girls’ groups, parent engagement, girls’ group mentors, community activists, school personnel, health workers, community leaders, religious leaders, women leaders, and journalists.

More than 19,500 members of the general population were reached directly and likely repeatedly through these community mobilization activities; in principle, a great enough number to achieve a critical mass for social norms change. Thank you for making this movement building work possible.

Your Generosity is Making it Possible to Engage Local Authorities in the Movement to Prevent VAWG

Your support also made it possible for Beyond Borders’ Rethinking Power team to engage local government and justice sector personnel, with the goal of seeking to create improvements in response services. One highlight was a workshop held with local Lavale authorities. Together with the Lavale Commune, Beyond Borders organized the workshop at the request of the Lavale Mayor’s office to build relationships, share knowledge, and increase the engagement of local government in the movement to end VAWG.

Four women and 13 men participated, including the three Mayoral Representatives for Lavale, the Ministry of Education’s District Inspector, Lavale’s Titular Judge, a representative from the Water Authorities (DINEPA), the local authorities (CASECs) from the Mizak, Tènye, and Mòn Abrile communal sections, staff from the mayor’s office, the Police Commissioner, and a police officer from the commune. During the session, Beyond Borders staff presented the work of the Rethinking Power program, and there was a presentation on the feminist movement in Haiti, taking time for discussion to dispel the myths surrounding it.

Several positive outcomes resulted from the workshop. Lavale’s District Judge shared that any woman who experiences violence who comes to the courthouse will be sent to St. Joseph’s Hospital to receive medical care and a free medical certificate, and that women and girls should be able to access a free medical certificate at any of the doctors in the Lavale Commune. The Police Commissioner raised the issue of poverty as a contributing factor to women’s inequality. Most notable was a commitment from the District Inspector for the Ministry of Education, who suggested that the Commune develop and adapt a protocol document for the engagement of teachers in promoting balanced power, and that this be a part of their orientation when hired. The activism network continued to conduct advocacy on this point, and the Lavale mayor’s office has issued a communal decree in support of preventing violence against girls in schools. 

This workshop laid the groundwork for the continued engagement of local government and justice sector representatives throughout the community mobilization intervention for VAWG prevention in Lavale. It ensured the development of important relationships that will continue to underpin this work.

Engaging School Personnel in the Movement Building Effort

Beyond Borders’ local activism team was successful in working with school personnel -- through training and ongoing technical support -- to implement Power to Girls programming, integrating Safe and Capable tools to ensure the inclusion of themes related to violence against women and girls living with disabilities. Supplementary practice sessions and coaching were included during monthly School Focal Point meetings to continue building capacity. Project staff repeated many sessions covered earlier in the project to reinforce concepts, particularly among new school personnel. School focal points used materials and guides to facilitate dialogue in school communities, and teachers facilitated sessions within the classroom using the Power to Girls curriculum. 

Empowering Girls Through Girls Groups

Thanks to your support, 288 girls were engaged through girls’ group programming led by 16 girls’ group mentors. The use of Power to Girls and Safe and Capable programming generated many positive outcomes within girls’ groups:

• Six girls living with disabilities joined girls’ groups;
• New girls’ groups are being established by girls’ group graduates who have requested to be trained as mentors. Some have secured or are seeking financial support from their own connections, and Beyond Borders provided materials to start their new groups. The 16 groups established through Beyond Borders’ direct programming continue to operate and formalize into local organizations after the close of the intervention, some of them procuring support from the community to continue operating;
• Girls found ways to express their activism. Many shared their learnings with other girls and community members. For example, one Girls’ Group (ages 10-14) participant took the initiative to facilitate Power to Girls activities in her school. She used Power to Girls communications materials and reported back to her Girls’ Group Mentor every month;
• Older girls’ group participants acquired crafting and livelihoods skills and began to sell their products;
• Girls’ groups created six soccer teams, and a girls’ soccer tournament was held;
• Girls’ group participants have mastered the game of Chess and were planning a Chess tournament but have postponed this until public health conditions allow; and
• Girls groups formed two advocacy committees in Lavale, and one girl serves as delegate to the community-wide advocacy group of adult activists.

Using Creative Means to Keep Girls’ Groups Active in Challenging Times

Staff and mentors successfully maintained the momentum of girls’ groups throughout political unrest, the COVID-19 pandemic, and increased gang activity in Lavale by employing creative strategies. Because Mentors are from the same communities and neighborhoods as the girls in their groups, many continued and contextualized activities were possible to ensure girls were supported during this difficult time. Mentors and staff distributed hygiene kits and face coverings to all girls’ group members and their families. Mentors conducted regular, socially-distanced home visits to check in with their members, distribute materials for home activities, and connect with parents.

Parents of all girls were increasingly engaged as staff and mentors organized and implemented parent-focused, year-end events and sought to coordinate parent involvement with community activists and others in the Power to Girls network, which seems to have led to increased levels of girls’ participation at girls’ groups. Whenever possible, girls’ groups continued to meet, building skills on the six key topics of power, communication, leadership & friends, finance, girls’ health, and violence. They selected hands-on skills training that interested them, including sandal making, macrame, and poetry and painting workshops. Some groups selected field trips, such as one to a successful, local farm.

Through the pilot of the complementary resource pack Safe and Capable (in partnership with UNTF), mentors promoted specific themes to raise awareness about the experiences of girls living with disabilities at girls’ group activities, and they conducted focused outreach to encourage parents of girls living with disabilities to allow their participation in girls’ groups. As a result, at least six girls with disabilities are now active members of girls’ groups. Girls in the girls’ groups have become activists in their own right. They have the capacity now to support other girls, including girls with disabilities, while working for social change and increased safety, agency, and voice of all girls at school, in other children’s spaces, in the community, at home, and in their girls’ groups. Testimonies have continued to come in about the changes this programming has sparked in girls’ lives.

Your support makes accomplishments like these possible. Thank you!

Research and Learning: Studying the Impact of Our Work

Beyond Borders continued its research collaboration with The George Washington University’s Global Women’s Institute to build the evidence base for community-based primary prevention in Haiti. GWI is conducting an impact study of SASA! and Power to Girls as implemented by Beyond Borders; they are also researching the effectiveness of Safe and Capable as piloted by Beyond Borders within the same intervention. During the reporting period, GWI and Beyond Borders developed Safe and Capable baseline and endline evaluation tools. Baseline, midline and endline data were collected for SASA! and Power to Girls throughout the program cycle; baseline and endline data were collected for Safe and Capable. Data analysis is ongoing, and a final report and dissemination of results are planned for 2022. 

Thank You Again

Thank you again for all that you are making possible through your generous support for Beyond Borders' ‘Free, Educate, and Empower Girls in Haiti’ project on GlobalGiving. We are deeply grateful for your solidarity in these challenging times.

You are building the movement to prevent violence against women and girls and ensure that every day more and more girls and women in Haiti are living free from violence, discrimination, and inequality. If you have any questions about what you read in this report, please contact Brian Stevens, Beyond Borders’ Engagement Director, at (305) 450-2561 or b.stevens@beyondborders.net.

Links:

• [VIDEO]: Get an in-depth look at Beyond Borders' work in Haiti.