In the Murewa, Goromonzi and Kwekwe/Zibagwe districts of Zimbabwe, the Family AIDS Caring Trust (FACT) implemented a three-year project, “Voices from the Fringes: Sex Workers and Adolescent Girls and Young Women Action against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence”, supported by the UN Trust Fund under the Spotlight Initiative. This project aimed to promote women’s sexual and reproductive health rights and address sexual and gender-based violence by bringing the marginalized voices and concerns of female sex workers, adolescent girls and young women from the fringes to the fore in the interventions to end such violence. The final evaluation found that the project’s objectives were covered effectively and that the project surpassed its target of 18 solidarity groups for female sex workers, adolescent girls and young women.

In Zimbabwe, Voluntary Services Overseas in collaboration with Women and Law in Southern Africa implemented the “SPEAK IT LOUD” project with the support of the UN Trust Fund under the Spotlight Initiative. This three-year project centred on amplifying the voices of women’s movements to address violence against women and girls in Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West and Manicaland provinces in Zimbabwe. The final evaluation found that, despite the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the denial of a no-cost extension, the project achieved in part its goals.

Fundación Servicios Integrales para la Mujer - Si Mujer implemented the three-year project “Young People Challenging Gender Norms to Break the Silence that surrounds Sexual Violence in South-West Colombia” in Santiago de Cali and nearby municipalities in the state of Valle del Cauca, with the support of the UN Trust Fund from 2018 to 2021. The project aimed to address gender-based violence by empowering adolescents and youth to challenge harmful, unequal gender norms; lead community-based prevention and advocacy initiatives; and strengthen the capacities of civil society and public institutions to provide gender-sensitive services to survivors of sexual violence. The final evaluation found that the project successfully empowered and mobilized young people and leaders to challenge harmful gender norms, raise awareness on sexual violence, and advocate for their sexual and reproductive health rights.

Leonard Cheshire Disability Zimbabwe implemented a three-year project “Access to Justice for Girls and Women with Disabilities in Zimbabwe” with the support of the UN Trust Fund. The project aimed to ensure that girls and women with disabilities have improved safety and access to justice. The final evaluation found that the project was successfully implemented through its strategic pillars of response and prevention.

From January 2015 to December 2016, the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women provided funding to the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC) for its project “Indigenous Women, Violence and Access to Justice”. The final evaluation found the initiative was very successful. An “observatory” set up to document cases of gender-based violence increased the visibility of this form of violence, and indigenous women were trained in ways to best support members of their community who have experienced gender-based violence through a programme developed to suit their culture and beliefs.