COMMUNITY CARE PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Community Care project implemented by TASS in partnership with the funding UNICEF and CISP technical support started in Galkayo- Israac District on January 2023, a baseline survey on harmful social norms, and an assessment of personal beliefs was conducted reached 104 from community discussion leaders- (CDLs) and the discussion participants and 120 persons from general community marking the start of project activity implementation. Eight (8) Community Discussion Leaders then selected with the support of Galkayo local authority and trained to empower them to facilitate the community discussions on changing harmful social norms with the help of a manual. They each facilitated 26 discussion sessions involving 12 group members over a period 8 months and developed community action plans. Group process monitoring and personal beliefs assessment were done to ascertain their progress. The culmination of the group discussions was the public declaration held which is the subject of this report.
PUBLIC DECLARATION EVENT OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the public declaration event were:
- For the participants to make public what they have learned from the discussions over the eight months and what has changed for them
- For the community discussion participants to publicly declare their commitment to the adoption of helpful/alternative personal beliefs that can anchor their abandonment of harmful social norms.
- For the participants to make public their decisions to abandon harmful social norms and champion societal change away from harmful social norms and violence against women and girls, such as female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and domestic violence.
- Public declaration of commitment to end harmful social norms in their personal/familial and/or professional life.
EVENT DETAILS
Three hundred (325) participants attended the event. They included 152 Men, 173 women, the event was held at Unlaye hotel meeting hall on 29th, August 2023. The event was held from 9.00 PM to 12.30 PM in line with protection mainstreaming protocols. The event was attended by representatives from various groups of the community, local councils, the mayor, UN agencies, local NGOs, youth and women groups, religious and traditional leaders, police, Mowdafa, MoPEDIC, drama-team and TASS has taken the lead in the proceedings of the event.
Guest speakers have given their message and short speeches on the importance of the Community Care and public declaration event and the need for upholding women and children’s protection from all forms of harmful social norms. The most outstanding speech was that of Galkayo mayor who appreciated how the community discussion leaders presented their attitude change and he more effectively addressed the difference between the (marriage and forced marriage). He added that it is collective responsibility up on everyone to invest social harmful negative norms abandonment. At the end, the community discussion leaders and the community discussion groups’ participants were given certification of appreciation and completion of Community Care program tools and this lit up the mood of the event and gave a joyful end.
The public declaration event on change in social norms associated with gender based violence was very successful here in Galkayo. Each and every spoken person reported a decrease in support for harmful social norms and increase in confidence in services and the number of the survivors seeking help also increased. A drama team also added value to the proper ongoing of the event with funny and entertainment. They all underlined that this community care program had strengthened response services for Gender Based Violence- GBV survivors.
In this event, the participants publicly shared what they have learnt from the 26 sessions, the changes occurred in personal beliefs and attitudes before and after the sessions. The respected invited participants had appreciated how the community Care program sessions aimed at changing harmful social norms and at improving the community awareness on sexual violence and any other GBV related issues.
Finally, All the community discussion leaders- CDLs declared that there are community actions developed by each group and will be implemented during the following 2 coming months here in Israac Village- Galkayo.
VISIBILITY
T-shirts/Headscarf, banners and IEC Materials with key child protection messages distributed with this information after the sessions and were affixed in public places to ensure reach by the community. The Live-Event was posted in TASS website, Facebook and twitter and mentioned with @UNICEF and the information reached to huge number of persons viewed and appreciated UNICEF support and TASS implementation.
Feedback from the participants
Galkayo district mayor, the local council members invited and other villages’ leaders appreciated UNICEF intervention in Galkayo district and eagerly underlined the outcome of this Community Care Program and requested to expand this Community Care program to other villages in Galkayo district.
