SASA! Pilot in Rubaga and Makindye

CEDOVIP is pioneering the SASA! Activist Kit for Preventing Violence against Women and HIV (Raising Voices, 2008). It directly addresses the abuse of power as the root cause of VAW and discusses ways in which violence against women is both a cause and consequence of HIV/AIDS. 

Preventing violence against women calls for a change in norms that allow for the abuse of power. SASA! operates on the premise that everyone has experienced lack of power in their own lives – be it in their families, the community, at the workplace, or during war or other forms of conflict. It helps communities explore different types of power, and emphasizes that each individual has the ability and responsibility to use their power to promote justice.

The objective of SASA! is to work with community members, local institutions and policy makers in Kampala District (Rubaga and Makindye Division) to re-think their use of power, particularly in intimate relationships, in order to create more equitable and safe relationships.

CEDOVIP’s SASA! Communities

The activities in SASA! focus on communities in Rubaga and Makindye Division. Rubaga Division accommodates the seat of the Buganda Kingdom. It is a peri-urban community on the outskirts of Kampala City, with an estimated population of 344,752 (KCC, 2002). Makindye Division has an estimated population of 350,800 and it accommodates a large police barracks and training school. Both are low income, densely-populated communities on the edge of Kampala.

SASA! is about inspiring positive change and the work is systematically structured into four phases of community mobilization. These are:

1. The Start Phase
2. The Awareness Phase
3. The Support Phase
4. The Action Phase

Read more about each Phase here.

SASA! Activities: 

1. Local Activism 
   This involves engaging community members, local institutions and policy makers to re-think their use of power, particularly in intimate relationships to create more equitable and safe relationships. Local activism comes to life when CEDOVIP fosters “everyday” activism by working with men, women and young people. A team of 62 (31 men and 31 women) men and women from the SASA! community were carefully selected and trained through workshops and bi-monthly support to build skills as well as plan for the monthly activities. The community activists (CAs) spearhead a variety of activities on a daily basis to enable community members open dialogue about VAW, HIV, power and balancing power and preventing VAW. The activities in SASA! remain the same throughout the phases but the content changes to focus on each phase’s main theme and focus. Read more about each activity in the SASA! Activist Kit here. CEDOVIP translates materials and if needed, adapts the Kit or activity for the Ugandan context. 
   Activities include:
   • Drama shows to engage community members in discussions on VAW prevention
   • Quick chats at boda boda stages, drinking joints, etc. 
   • Public events such as demonstrations and festivals 
   • Comic strips and posters
   • Community Action Fund to help survivors of VAW who are in dire situations

2. Training
   SASA! trainings are personal events that move beyond information giving to helping participants explore their own values, assumptions and actions. The trainings strengthen understanding of VAW and HIV using interactive and provoking exercises including specialized training for Health Care workers. The modules have interactive sessions, not lecture style sessions that enable personal reflection which is essential in addressing attitudes and beliefs of the participants. The modules are used for practitioners, community activists, cultural, religious and local leaders, media groups, police and health care providers. They also include interview guides for the health care providers, sessions for local leaders to build skills for response as well as sessions to inspire community members to take action and maintain it to prevent VAW.
   Activities include:
   • Bi-monthly training sessions for community activists to gain knowledge and skills, and to create monthly plans to implement SASA! activities in their communities 
   • Modules, games and exercises for community action groups 
   • Specialized training for healthcare providers

3. Local Advocacy 
   This involves working with key local leaders such as religious leaders, local councils, and Ssengas (traditional marriage counselors) to strengthen their knowledge and response to violence against women. The local leaders provide another layer of support for women experiencing violence and enable them to be effective advocates for women’s rights at the community level. Local leaders are key in influencing positive change in norms, practice and behaviors that are supportive of non violence and women’s right to safety 
   Activities include: 
   • Support for enactment of the Domestic Violence By-law in Kawempe Division
   • Skills-building and support for local councils, religious and cultural leaders, and traditional marriage counselors (Ssengas) for violence against women prevention. Click here to read the Religious Institutions Workshop Report dated September 2010. 
   • Creation of and functioning of responsibility mechanisms through local leaders and action groups that hold those who have used violence accountable to their actions 

4. Institutional Strengthening 
   Institutional Strengthening engages Police and Health Institutions to strengthen their response to violence against women cases. The work involves capacity building of staff within the institutions to handle violence against women cases by providing regular trainings and onsite support as well as influencing institutional policy changes.
   Activities include:
   • Training and monitoring on site support visits to build police officers’ and health care workers’ VAW response skills
   • Support development of policies with police leadership to prevent and respond to VAW, including in the National Police Force Training Curriculum. Click here to get the GBV Police Training Manual.
   • Promoting use of standardized interview guides within the police and health sector when handling domestic violence cases 
   • Community activism to prevent VAW within the police barracks
   • Advocacy and awareness campaign on availability of HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to survivors of rape
   • Awareness raising and technical support for staff of community-based organizations
   • Strengthening referral systems throughout the community, health and security sectors

5. Communication Materials 
   Using creativity and fun to engage people or to start a discussion with organized groups.
   Activities include: 
   • Info sheets about topics related to VAW and HIV/AIDS
   • Comics, posters, and games that introduce ideas and dialogue
   • Murals, t-shirts and stickers

Other CEDVIP links:

• CEDOVIP Key Accomplishments
• CEDOVIP Staff
• CEDOVIP Past Programs