The Episcopal Relief & Development organization in Liberia implemented a three-year project entitled “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. 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.

The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Cameroon implemented a three-year project, “Making Violence against Women and Girls History in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon”, with the support of the UN Trust Fund. The project aimed to ensure that women and girls in the two regions were better protected from violence and empowered to realize their right to live free from violence. The final evaluation found that the project helped make women more aware of gender-based violence, more willing to talk about it, and more confident to approach legal services to demand justice; and were advocating for the promotion of their rights.

International Solidarity Foundation (ISF) implemented a three-year project, “Community Driven FGM/C Abandonment and Women Empowerment in Somaliland”, with the support of the UN Trust Fund. The project aimed to empower local communities to abandon all forms of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). The final evaluation found that there was clear evidence of the project contributing to strengthening community commitment to ending the practice of FGM/C.

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.

Fund for Congolese Women (Fonds pour les Femmes Congolaises) implemented a three-year project, “Prevention and Reduction of Violence in Schools”, with the support of the UN Trust Fund. The project aimed to ensure that 600 girls in 10 target provinces feel safer and better equipped to protect themselves against sexual violence in schools in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The final evaluation found that girls in schools had increased knowledge of the rights of women and girls, the various forms of sexual violence, and the laws against sexual violence.

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.

The Cameroon Association for the Protection and Education of the Child (CAPEC) implemented the three-year project “Community-based Prevention of Sexual Violence on Women and Girls” in Cameroon between 2020 and 2022 with the support of the UN Trust Fund. The project aimed to improve: access to services for survivors of violence against women and girls; and existing policies and laws to guarantee friendly environments for women and girls. The final evaluation found that project had achieved its main objectives and constructively addressed the challenges posed by COVID-19.

Peruvian Women's Centre Flora Tristán implemented the project “Indigenous women ‘My city, my space’: local answers to violence and discrimination” with support from the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women for three years. The project aimed to reduce the risk of violence and racial/ethnic discrimination in public spaces for indigenous Amazonian women and girls in Satipo province. The final evaluation found that the project surpassed 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 Muloma Women's Development Association’s three-year initiative “Engaging Men Through Accountable Practice (EMAP), To Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls” from March 2017 to March 2020. The project aimed to provide professionals with the resources, knowledge and skills needed to support survivors of sexual violence. The final evaluation concluded that a survivor-centred approach enabled the programme to achieve positive change in the target communities.

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.

The project “Improving the Well-being of SGBV Survivors Among Syrian Refugees and Vulnerable Jordanian Women” was implemented by the Arab Women Organization of Jordan (AWO) between April 2017 and March 2019, supported by a grant from the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. The initiative aimed to enhance the response to sexual and gender-based violence in two of Jordan’s regions, Irbid and Mafraq, by improving social protection and prevention mechanisms. The final project evaluation found that it was highly effective and reached over seven times the target number of beneficiaries.

As a part of a six-year project, the Victims Support Section of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, in collaboration with the Transcultural Psychosocial Organization Cambodia and the Cambodian Defenders Project, implemented Phase 2 of the Non-Judicial Gender Project. The final evaluation concluded that the project significantly contributed to positive change in the lives of target groups through transitional justice activities and initiatives to improve their access to psychological services and rehabilitation.

War Child Canada implemented the project “Safeguarding Women and Girls Affected by the Syrian Crisis in Jordan” from June 2017 to May 2019 with support from the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. The final evaluation found that the project empowered women and girls in Sahab and Nuzha (Amman) to better access available protection and support services, improved their well-being and coping skills, and increased their awareness of their rights.

Women Judges Association of Malawi implemented the project “Women Judges Lead the Fight to Demand Justice and Accountability for Sexual Violence Survivors in Malawi” between March 2017 and February 2019, supported by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. The final evaluation found that the project achieved criminal justice reform, empowered women and girls to access justice, and increased the confidence of judges and magistrates to work with laws relating to gender-based violence.

From January 2016 to March 2019, the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women provided funding for “Fathers are Here for Gender Equality”, a project run by the Mother and Child Education Foundation (ACEV, a twice-funded grantee) to change men’s attitudes to gender equality and violence against women and girls. The final evaluation found positive changes in families; at least 10 per cent of fathers who had used violence according to their spouses stopped doing so after participating in the training.

From March 2017 to February 2019, the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women provided Corporación Humanas with funding to implement their project “It Happens to Me, I tell, I prevent”. The project aimed to reduce public forms of gender-based violence against women with disabilities, women living with HIV/AIDS, and other groups of women that are particularly vulnerable to violence. The final evaluation found that the project had strengthened the capabilities of local women’s organizations, empowering their members to lead more effective initiatives to prevent gender-based violence.

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.

To address widespread female genital mutilation (FGM) in Tanzania’s Serengeti District, AMREF Health Africa ran the “Female Genital Mutilation Elimination Project in the Serengeti District” from January 2016 to December 2018, an initiative supported by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. The final evaluation found that the project significantly increased awareness of the adverse health effects and the human rights aspects of FGM among girls and young women.