Handouts & Guides
Published in 2003, the Resource Guide describes a long-term, community-based social change approach to violence prevention. The publication, originally designed for use in this region, has been requested by organizations in 28 countries in Africa, 11 in the Americas, 2 in the Middle East, 10 in Europe and 12 countries in Asia and the Pacific Islands. The approach it describes has been highlighted as good practice by the UN Division on the Status of Women, WHO, USAID and Women and Cities International.
What is the Resource Guide?
The Resource Guide is a tool for community-based organisations working to prevent domestic violence. It provides an accessible and practical description of a process of community mobilization.
Why was it developed?
The Resource Guide was designed to assist organisations in planning a long-term project that encourages community-wide change of attitudes and behavior that perpetuate domestic violence. It is a practical resource that organisations can use to plan, implement and monitor a violence prevention project. The Guide was developed based on the lessons learned from working on domestic violence in Tanzania and Uganda.
What does the Guide offer?
The Guide offers a process that can prepare and enable organisations in developing and implementing a comprehensive domestic violence prevention project in their communities. It suggests a structure for facilitating social change through the active participation and leadership of a cross section of community members. The Resource Guide suggests a variety of low-cost activities and gives practical examples of learning materials, training events, and documentation and monitoring ideas for direct use or to inspire further ideas.
Who is it for?
The Resource Guide was developed for organisations committed to preventing domestic violence in their communities. Ideally, it will be used by organisations interested in long-term, holistic community-based approaches that work to address the root causes of domestic violence. Additionally, organisations interested in incorporating new activities or programmatic ideas in their on-going work on other issues may also find it useful.
How is it used?
Organisations can use the Resource Guide as a foundation for their community intervention, as a rich library of activity suggestions, or as a reference to supplement their ideas and technical knowledge.
How is it organized?
The project described in the Resource Guide is organized into five phases of community mobilization. Descriptions of each phase begin with an introduction that highlights the important concepts and themes for facilitating change at that stage. Each phase then encourages organisations to develop an Action Plan for implementation of the activities to help keep the organisation focused, active and accountable. Following the Action Plan are descriptions of the suggested activities. All the activities are organized within five main strategies that remain constant for all phases. Each activity is described in detail with practical examples so even organisations without specific expertise in the strategy will still feel able to conduct the activities. Each phase ends with a review where staff members of the organisation are encouraged to come together to share accomplishments, concerns, monitor progress and assess whether or not the community and the organisation is ready to move on to the next phase.
How are the five phases and five strategies useful?
The five phases of community mobilization help organisations carry out a long-term project in manageable pieces by systematizing the implementation. Each phase, builds on the achievements of the previous phase and helps keep the implementing organisation remain focused. Likewise, the five strategies help organisations diversify the different kinds of activities being conducted to ensure that a cross section of the community is reached in significant numbers.
How long does the project last?
Facilitating a process of social change requires working at the root issues causing domestic violence. It requires community members to examine their values, learn alternative behaviors, and create cultural and institutional mechanisms to maintain that behavior. The duration of the project will vary in each community, however, it is important to keep in mind that sustainable behavior change takes time. Organisations may need to commit to work between two to three years within the community to achieve meaningful impact.
What are the five phases of community mobilization?
- Community Assessment to gather information on attitudes and beliefs about domestic violence, begin to build relationships in the community, and prepare staff for the project.
- Raising Awareness within the general community and various professional sectors (i.e. social and health services, law enforcement, teachers, religious communities, etc.) of domestic violence and its negative consequences on women, men, families and community life.
- Building Networks of support within the general community and various professional sectors that empower and enable individuals to take action and make change.
- Integrating Action against domestic violence into everyday life and systematically within institutions.
- Consolidating Efforts of programs and activities working against domestic violence to ensure their sustainability, continued growth and progress.
Transition from one phase to the next involves building additional activities onto the on-going work, making the long-term impact cumulative rather than five separate sets of activities.
What are the five strategies and what kinds of activities are suggested?
- Development of effective learning materials such as booklets, posters, stickers, story cards, information sheets, and murals.
- Strengthening capacity of staff, the community and professional sectors, through a Community Activism Course, training of community volunteers and professionals, and structured, on-going dialogues with various decision-makers.
- Media and public events that create public forums for exploring ideas and values, such as community theater, radio, newspaper, exhibitions, and media collaborations.
- Advocacy that focuses attention on women’s needs with specific groups, including NGO collaborations, professional sector partnerships, and community leadership forums.
- Local activism that engages community members to actively participate in preventing domestic violence in their community, such as a community volunteer network, domestic violence watch groups, newlywed mentoring, community action groups, and ribbon campaigns.
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