Nepal Disabled Women Association implemented a three-year project, “Inclusive Partnership Against Violence Among Women and Girls with Disability’ (InPAV)”, with the support of the UN Trust Fund. The project aimed to increase community awareness and capacity to combat violence against women and girls with disabilities (WGWD), strengthen governance and gender-based violence mechanisms, and improve knowledge and evidence on violence against WGWD to influence policies and programmes. The final evaluation found that the project helped service providers and decision-makers to sensitively address the needs of WGWD survivors of violence, and influenced policymakers to promote WGWD’s access to support and resources.

The Association for Combating Trafficking of Human Beings and All Forms of Gender-based Violence (Atina) implemented the project "Making a difference for refugee women and girls in Serbia” for over three years in 2018-2021 with the support of the UN Trust Fund. The project aimed to ensure that refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls in Serbia were better protected against violence. The final evaluation found that the project was very successful in achieving its goals and outcomes, with most of the results exceeding targets. 

In Serbia, Mental Disability Rights Initiative of Serbia (MDRI-S) in partnership with women’s rights organization FemPlatz implemented the project “Accessible Services for Women with Disabilities Survivors of Custodial Violence” between 2019 and 2021 with the support of the UN Trust Fund. The twice-funded project aimed to ensure that women and girls with mental disabilities have greater support to live their life free of custodial violence. The final evaluation found that, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the project partially achieved its goals. 

This independent, final evaluation presents the findings of the cluster evaluation of three small grant projects implemented between March 2017 and February 2020 and funded by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women:1. “Improving Access to Life With No Violence for Women Survivors in Central and Northern Montenegro”, implemented by SOS Hotline for Women and Children Victims of Violence, Niksic;2. “Empowering Survivors of Domestic Violence in the Tetovo Region”, implemented by Women’s Forum–Tetovo in Montenegro; and3. “Actively and Publicly Combating Discrimination – Gender Based Violence”, implemented by the Center for Girls in Serbia. The final evaluation found that the empowerment and awareness-raising strategies implemented by the projects were effective, innovative and well adjusted to the target groups.

Kvinna till Kvinna received funding from the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women to implement the project “Women human rights defenders’ holistic approach to end gender-based violence in a challenging context in Lebanon” in partnership with two non-profit Lebanese organizations – KAFA and Association NAJDEH. The final evaluation showed that the project was significantly relevant to the local context.

The UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women funded “Addressing Violence Against Syrian Refugee Women in the Kurdistan Region of Northern Iraq”, a project implemented by Women for Women International . The project aimed to support women affected by conflict, including Syrian refugees, members of the host community, and internally displaced populations in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah. The evaluation found that the project was effective and improved the lives of the intended beneficiaries.

From March 2017 to February 2019, the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women provided funding to Asuda for Combating Violence against Women for its initiative “Improving the Response Mechanisms to Sexual and Gender-based Violence against Syrian Refugee Women and Girls in Iraqi Kurdistan”, which was run in partnership with the Ceasefire Center for Civilian Rights. The initiative included all actors involved in the issue of sexual and gender-based violence in the context of a displaced population. The final evaluation found the project had improved community and stakeholders’ responses and social attitudes towards sexual and gender-based violence in Syrian refugee communities, and that the project’s strategy should be used as a model for other initiatives in a similar cultural and humanitarian context.

The UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women provided funds for the Autonomous Women’s Center’s project “No Tolerance for Gender Based-Violence” between January 2016 and December 2018. The initiative disseminated information, changed individual attitudes, raised awareness about gender-based violence, and facilitated advocacy activities. The final evaluation found that the Center increased youth understanding of gender-based violence and contributed to changing boys’ attitudes about it.

The UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women provided funds for the Association of Roma Novi Bečej from January 2016 to December 2018 to support its initiative “No More Victims ¬– Roma Women and Girls Respond to Violence”. The final evaluation found that the project significantly contributed to ending violence against women in Novi Bečej municipality, particularly through education and improved service provision.

From January 2016 to January 2019, the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women provided funds for the Provincial Secretariat for Health, Social Policy and Demography’s initiative “STOP–CARE–CURE: A Stronger Institutional Response to Gender-based Violence in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina”. The final evaluation found the project improved protection against gender-based violence and established pilot centres for survivors.

The project “SAAHAS (Courage) for Justice: Sharing and Amplifying Her Allegorical Stories for Justice”, implemented by The Story Kitchen, was funded from January 2015 to December 2017 by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. The final evaluation found that participants of the project’s storytelling workshops believe they can live dignified lives and work towards redefining justice.

The project “Kick against Violence”, implemented by Skillshare Nepal, was funded by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women from January 2016 to December 2017. The final evaluation concluded that the project contributed to behaviour change in girls and boys, specifically by increasing confidence to report gender-based violence and encouraging cooperation and respect among students.

The project “Abolition of Chhaupadi in the Far- and Mid-Western Regions of Nepal”, implemented by Restless Development Nepal, was funded from January 2015 to December 2017 by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. The final evaluation found the project had significantly increased rejection of chhaupadi practices and that the national law that criminalizes such practices was contributing to the sustainability of the project’s results.

The project “Deinstitutionalize and End Violence against Women with Disabilities in Custodial Institutions”, implemented by Mental Disability Rights Initiative of Serbia, was funded from January 2016 to January 2018 by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. The final evaluation found that the project successfully brought the perspectives and experiences of women with disabilities in institutions to the attention of decision-makers, prompting institutional and policy change.

From December 2013 to November 2016, the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women provided funding support to the Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL) project “Expanding Gains to Decrease and Prevent Violence against Women in the context of HIV and AIDS”. The evaluation found JASL’s initiative to be very successful, exceeding the number of direct beneficiaries it originally planned to engage, expanding the SRP and HIV services offered by JASL, and reaching more than 300,000 people through a social media campaign.

The UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women allocated funds to B92, a Serbian broadcasting organization, for its initiative “Safe House Economic Empowerment” that ran from December 2013 to February 2016. The project aimed to empower girls to understand violence and prevent intimate partner and non-partner gender-based violence. The evaluation found that the project significantly contributed to ongoing efforts in Serbia to end violence against women and girls.

The project Transitional Justice: Addressing Gender-Based Violence and Ensuring Women’s Participation was implemented by the International Center for Transitional Justice from November 2012 to October 2015, and received a three-year grant from the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. The final evaluation found that this complex project in six countries achieved some results despite of a range of implementation challenges.

The project Integrated Response to Gender-Based Violence against Women in Serbia was implemented by the UN Country Team in Serbia from November 2012 to October 2015 and received a three-year grant from the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. The final evaluation found that the project had contributed significantly to the building of an integrated response of the UN Country Team, the Serbian Government and development partners to violence against women by improving capacities of key stakeholders to implement measures to address the violence.

The Multi-Sectoral Gender-Based Violence Response at the District Level in Nepal – led by the UN Population Fund and supported by the UN Children’s Fund; UN Women; and Nepal’s Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare – was funded by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women and implemented from August 2009 to July 2013. The final evaluation concluded that increasing the awareness of existing information about rights, legal provisions and services related to gender-based violence has helped to address the issue effectively.

The project Towards a Comprehensive System to End Violence against Women in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina was implemented by the Provincial Secretariat for Labour, Employment and Gender Equality from January 2009 to December 2012, with three-year grant support from the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. The final evaluation recognized the positive impact of the project on women beneficiaries and on national policy and the legislative framework.