Quarterly Report: Communities Ending Gender-Based Violence (April-June 2021)

The Activity aims to end GBV in communities by applying a people-to-people approach, working towards more equitable gender relations and improved gender-sensitive health services for women in Timor-Leste. The Activity focuses on increasing knowledge and awareness, shifting attitudes and social norms regarding GBV in communities, and improving respectful care for women experiencing GBV in health settings. Implementation of the Activity involves six strategies, including Activity set-up and preparation, Baseline community assessment, National Stakeholder Engagement Meeting, Municipal/Administrative Post Advocacy Meetings, Community Microplanning (CMP) sessions, and Information and Learning sessions. Key partners for the USAID Harmonia Activity include the Ministry of Health (MoH), National Institute for Health (INS), Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI), and Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion (SEII). During Quarter 3 of the Activity (April-May-June 2021), major milestones have been achieved, including the implementation of five Municipal Administrative Post Advocacy meetings, completion of 15 Community Microplanning (CMP) sessions in two municipalities, implementation of 37 Information and Learning sessions in 61 hamlets, and approval of the Responding to GBV Health Provider Training Curriculum. The Activity has also continued to prioritize stakeholder engagement, as seen by its involvement in the referral networks in the two municipalities. The Activity has also made adjustments to activities due to the COVID-19 situation. Initially, the Activity planned to hold information sessions, including showing films, to large groups of people. However, due to the pandemic, the Activity made efforts to limit the number of participants at each session to help prevent transmission of COVID-19. In addition, the schedule for the sessions in some villages has been delayed from morning to the afternoon and evening time to account for villagers' available time after working on their farms. The coming three months will involve continued Activity implementation and related actions, including finalization of Round I of the Information and Learning sessions, six-month review with each CMP group, commencement and completion of the intensive Responding to GBV training for health providers, and presentation of baseline community survey results to INS, MSSI, and the CMP groups. The Activity expects to reach five milestones during the next quarter, including Responding to GBV Learning Lab pre-test implemented in ten facilities, Responding to GBV training implemented in five facilities, completion of 4 CMP Information and Learning sessions in 15 sucos, Responding to GBV training implemented in five facilities, and Executive Summary and Annual Report 1. The Activity has also continued to engage with stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health, National Institute for Health, Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion, and Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion. The Activity's involvement in the referral networks in the two municipalities has been a key aspect of its stakeholder engagement efforts. The Activity has also continued to prioritize the development of community action plans by village leadership, which identify specific GBV-related issues in their community and activities that can contribute to addressing these issues through Information and Learning sessions. The Activity's health sector intervention involves intensive and follow-up training on responding to GBV, specifically aiming to enhance the ability of health providers to provide respectful and appropriate support to clients experiencing GBV. The Activity has made significant progress in this area, including the approval of the Responding to GBV Health Provider Training Curriculum and the commencement of the intensive Responding to GBV training for health providers. The Activity expects to continue making progress in this area in the coming months, including the completion of the intensive training and the commencement of data collection for the pre/post knowledge/self-efficacy/empathy testing for health provider participants.