Final Evaluation: Scaling Up Faith Leaders' Engagement to Prevent and Respond to VAWG (Liberia)

Location: Liberia 

Grantee: Episcopal Relief & Development 

Grant period: 1 October 2018 - 31 December 2022  

Grant amount: USD 859,381 

Authors/editors: Dr Elisabet le Roux & Dr Julienne Corboz 

Publication year: 2023 

The Episcopol Relief & Development organization in Liberia implemented a three-year project, “Scaling Up Faith and Youth Leaders' Engagement to Prevent and Respond to Violence Against Women and Girls in Liberia”, from 2018 to 2022 with the support of the UN Trust Fund. This second phase project aimed to: 

• reduce instances of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence experienced by women and girls while enhancing their access to services in the counties of Grand Cape Mount, River Cess, Bong and Grand Gedeh ; and 
• empower Christian and Muslim faith leaders to speak out against violence against women and girls (VAWG) in their communities and support survivors more effectively.  

The final evaluation found that the project demonstrated the power of investing in faith leaders and youth in catalysing community change to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls, starting with their own attitudes and actions. 

 Main findings of the evaluation:  

• Recorded improvements in behaviours, knowledge and attitudes were associated with exposure to project interventions.  
• The proportion of women reporting that they had experienced intimate partner violence fell from 41% to 33%. The prevalence of all forms of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence was significantly lower among women who participated in the project’s faith-based activities that included VAWG discussions, compared with those who did not. 
• The perpetration of intimate partner violence by adolescent boys and men decreased in three of the four counties targeted in the project. 
• Anti-VAWG and gender-equitable attitudes for all participating groups improved, with the percentage of adolescent boys rejecting rape myths increasing from 47% to 75%. 
• Knowledge of available VAWG services for survivors increased substantially to 86% of women and 79% of girls.