Detailed Mechanism Funding and Narrative

Details for Mechanism ID: 5523
Country/Region: Ethiopia
Year: 2007
Main Partner: Hope for African Children Initiative
Main Partner Program: NA
Organizational Type: NGO
Funding Agency: USAID
Total Funding: $0

Funding for Care: Orphans and Vulnerable Children (HKID): $0

Gender-based Violence Prevention for OVC and Families

This is a continuing activity from FY06, with increased funding based on the magnitude of need in Ethiopia in this area. To date, the partner has received 100% of FY06 funds and is on track according to original targets and workplan. The activity is linked to Positive Change: Children, Communities and Care (PC3) (5578)

This program will focus on community sensitization, counseling and life skills training and adds legal aid to OVC, emphasizing protection from sexual abuse, inheritance rights, and strengthening the capacity of law-enforcing entities, legal organizations, police, and community elders, to enforce and implement existing government policies.

Recent data (EDHS 2005) reveals that gender-based violence and other harmful practices (abduction, forced early marriage, trafficking, coercive labor as house maids and service providers in bars and drink houses, female genital cutting, etc…) persist in Ethiopia, placing orphaned and vulnerable girls at increased risk for abuse and exposure to HIV. Economic, social and cultural gender inequality has left women and girls less protected legally and has restricted their access to health and social support services.

To address Ethiopia's high prevalence of gender-based violence and other harmful traditional practices, the partner will educate and train local communities and government representatives at the policy and program levels. Through existing community structures and partners (international and local partners, including PC3 partners, FBO, CBO, women's rights groups burial associations, professional associations, etc…) the partner will address the relationship between gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS and strengthen referrals between women's rights groups and government and law-enforcement officials to handle abuse cases. The program will (1) create awareness of gender relations (2) address male norms and work with men as part of the solution (3) train government gender-based violence unit staff (4) establish model gender-based violence protection units at the woreda and kebele levels (5) educate communities on human and legal rights, including the family law, penal and civil code and child rights convention (6) empower women and girls through community gender sensitization, reproductive health education, and assertiveness training (7) create alternative job opportunities and IGA for women and girls (8) conduct behavior change education and (9) help community and law enforcement bodies design strategies to reduce gender-based violence. Direct involvement of local government officials and law enforcement bodies will contribute to the protection of the girls and the general community.

In partnership with other PEPFAR Ethiopia OVC partners, the partner will work with the new PEPFAR APS recipient to coordinate activities to achieve most efficient use of resources for OVC in the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence areas. This includes harmonization on indicators, reporting, and OVC standards of care in line with Government of Ethiopia national guidelines and policies and OGAC OVC Program Guidance, as well as achieving quality assurance in OVC programming. Data from the EDHS 2005 and the results of USG Ethiopia mapping will used to further inform geographic priority areas to increase reach in areas ranked highest for children affected by HIV/AIDS and with service availability to meet OVC comprehensive needs.

The partner will raise matching funds to support the program, and its exit strategy will focus on increasing government effectiveness and mobilizing stakeholders to observe the law and protect vulnerable girls.