Final Evaluation: Voices from the Fringes: Sex Workers and Adolescent Girls and Young Women Action against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (Zimbabwe)

Location: Zimbabwe 

Grantee: Family AIDS Caring Trust (FACT) 

Grant period: 1 January 2020 - 31 December 2022 

Grant amount: USD 701,000 

Authors/editors: The International Evaluation Institute 

Publication year: 2023 

The Family AIDS Caring Trust (FACT), with the support of the UN Trust Fund under the Spotlight Initiative, implemented a three-year project, “Voices from the Fringes: Sex Workers and Adolescent Girls and Young Women Action against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence”, to promote women’s sexual and reproductive health rights and address sexual and gender-based violence against female sex workers, adolescent girls and young women. The project’s main objectives were to: 

• increase the confidence of female sex workers, adolescent girls and young women to engage with duty bearers and the local community;  
• increase the accountability and efficiency of service providers’ delivery to female sex workers, adolescent girls and young women;  
• strengthen the networking and influence of women’s rights organizations in promoting the rights of female sex workers, adolescent girls and young women and in discussions about sexual and gender-based violence policies at the national level; and  
• strengthen FACT Zimbabwe institutionally.  

The final evaluation found that the objectives of the project were covered effectively and that the project surpassed its target of 18 solidarity groups for female sex workers, adolescent girls and young women.   

Main findings of the evaluation:  

• By the project end, 70% of female sex workers and 62% of adolescent girls and young women who participated in the project were actively engaging duty bearers about sexual and gender-based violence response and demanding their rights.  
• Civil society organizations and women’s and girls’ groups formed 10 networks (four at district level and six at national level).  
• The project was highly successful in movement-building among female sex workers, adolescent girls and young women, who formed 28 solidarity groups in the project’s districts.