Protection of Women through Empowerment and Response (POWER) Quarterly Report

The project, led by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) Sierra Leone, is a two-year, USAID-funded initiative that seeks to empower women and girls to pursue their potential, free from violence and inequality. The project focuses on three main pillars: increasing women's economic resources, enabling women to safely voice their priorities and participate in decisions that affect themselves and their homes, and strengthening gender-based violence (GBV) response, coordination, and referral pathways. The economic component of the project involves the establishment of 40 village savings and loans associations (VSLAs), each comprising 25 women who support savings and investment. All VSLA groups will be trained on business management skills, supporting them to develop viable businesses or expand on their existing businesses in their communities. A consultant will train IRC staff on business development, who will cascade the training to the VSLA groups. The social engagement component is centered on raising awareness about the rights of women to own and control properties and assets, through discussion group series (DGS) conducted by project staff in each community with VSLA members and their respective partners or trusted family members. The project is implemented in four chiefdoms: Dama, Dodo, Niawa, and Simbaru, out of the sixteen chiefdoms in the district. These chiefdoms have not benefitted from IRC-SL programming in the past. The security situation is calm, paving for the smooth implementation of project activities. In each chiefdom, five communities were selected using the following criteria: GBV prevalence, the presence of social services such as schools, peripheral health centers, and police posting, and communities that have never benefitted from any economic and social interventions either by IRC-SL or development actors. During the reporting period, the POWER project team selected 500 women (25 per community) across the four chiefdoms in the 20 communities for implementation of the VSLA group activities. The selection process started in late November and ended in December 2018. A week-long training of IRC community officers on VSLA methodology is planned for January 14 to 18, 2019, strengthening capacity to cascade the knowledge to the VSLA groups in the communities they support. Procurement of materials and equipment for the VSLA groups is ongoing. The project will work closely with district-level MSWGCA representatives in supporting GBV survivors through mapping of available GBV service providers in the district and through the joint monitoring of these service providers with the Ministry. The project will also form women action groups (WAGs) known for the promotion and protection of other women and girls in their respective communities. These WAGs will be trained by IRC project staff on GBV response and using national referral pathways in seeking justice and protection for survivors. The POWER project is a critical initiative in addressing the challenges faced by women and girls in rural Sierra Leone. By empowering women economically, enabling them to safely voice their priorities, and strengthening GBV response, the project aims to create a more equitable and just society for all. The project's focus on community-based interventions and partnerships with local stakeholders will ensure that the project's impact is sustained and scaled up over time.