Past Programs

I. Mobilizing Communities to Prevent Domestic Violence: A Resource Guide for Organizations in East and Southern Africa 

Published in 2003, the Resource Guide describes a long-term, community-based social change approach to violence prevention. The publication was originally designed for use in the Sub-Saharan Africa region but has been requested by organizations in 28 countries in Africa, 11 in the Americas, 2 in the Middle East, 10 in Europe and 12 in Asia and the Pacific Islands. The approach it describes has been highlighted as good practice by the UN Division on the Status of Women, WHO, USAID and Women and Cities International

What is the Resource Guide?
The Resource Guide is a tool for community-based organizations working to prevent domestic violence. It provides an accessible and practical description of a process of community mobilization. Read more about the Resource Guide here.

Why was it developed?
The Resource Guide was designed to assist organizations in planning a long-term project that encourages community-wide change of attitudes and behavior that perpetuate domestic violence. It is a practical resource that organizations can use to plan, implement and monitor a violence prevention project. The Guide was developed based on the lessons learned from working on domestic violence in Tanzania and Uganda.

What does the Guide offer?
The Guide offers a process that can prepare and enable organizations in developing and implementing a comprehensive domestic violence prevention project in their communities. It suggests a structure for facilitating social change through the active participation and leadership of a cross section of community members. The Resource Guide suggests a variety of low-cost activities and gives practical examples of learning materials, training events, and documentation and monitoring ideas for direct use or to inspire further ideas.

Who is it for?
The Resource Guide was developed for organizations committed to preventing domestic violence in their communities. Ideally, it will be used by organizations interested in long-term, holistic community-based approaches that work to address the root causes of domestic violence. Additionally, organizations interested in incorporating new activities or programmatic ideas in their on-going work on other issues may also find it useful.

How is it used?
Organizations can use the Resource Guide as a foundation for their community intervention, as a rich library of activity suggestions, or as a reference to supplement their ideas and technical knowledge.

How is it organized?
The project described in the Resource Guide is organized into five phases of community mobilization. Descriptions of each phase begin with an introduction that highlights the important concepts and themes for facilitating change at that stage. Each phase then encourages organizations to develop an Action Plan for implementation of the activities to help keep the organization focused, active and accountable. Following the Action Plan are descriptions of the suggested activities. All the activities are organized within five main strategies that remain constant for all phases. Each activity is described in detail with practical examples so even organizations without specific expertise in the strategy will still feel able to conduct the activities. Each phase ends with a review where staff members of the organization are encouraged to come together to share accomplishments, concerns, monitor progress and assess whether or not the community and the organization is ready to move on to the next phase.

How are the five phases and five strategies useful?
The five phases of community mobilization help organizations carry out a long-term project in manageable pieces by systematizing the implementation. Each phase, builds on the achievements of the previous phase and helps keep the implementing organization remain focused. Likewise, the five strategies help organizations diversify the different kinds of activities being conducted to ensure that a cross section of the community is reached in significant numbers.

How long does the project last?
Facilitating a process of social change requires working at the root issues causing domestic violence. It requires community members to examine their values, learn alternative behaviors, and create cultural and institutional mechanisms to maintain that behavior. The duration of the project will vary in each community; however, it is important to keep in mind that sustainable behavior change takes time. Organizations may need to commit to work between two to three years within the community to achieve meaningful impact.

What are the five phases of community mobilization?

  1. Community Assessment to gather information on attitudes and beliefs about domestic violence, begin to build relationships in the community, and prepare staff for the project.
  2. Raising Awareness within the general community and various professional sectors (i.e. social and health services, law enforcement, teachers, religious communities, etc.) of domestic violence and its negative consequences on women, men, families and community life.
  3. Building Networks of support within the general community and various professional sectors that empower and enable individuals to take action and make change.
  4. Integrating Action against domestic violence into everyday life and systematically within institutions.
  5. Consolidating Efforts of programs and activities working against domestic violence to ensure their sustainability, continued growth and progress.

Transition from one phase to the next involves building additional activities onto the on-going work, making the long-term impact cumulative rather than five separate sets of activities. 

What are the five strategies and what kinds of activities are suggested?

  1. Development of effective learning materials such as booklets, posters, stickers, story cards, information sheets, and murals.
  2. Strengthening capacity of staff, the community and professional sectors, through a Community Activism Course, training of community volunteers and professionals, and structured, on-going dialogues with various decision-makers.
  3. Media and public events that create public forums for exploring ideas and values, such as community theater, radio, newspaper, exhibitions, and media collaborations.
  4. Advocacy that focuses attention on women’s needs with specific groups, including NGO collaborations, professional sector partnerships, and community leadership forums.

Local activism that engages community members to actively participate in preventing domestic violence in their community, such as a community volunteer network, domestic violence watch groups, newlywed mentoring, community action groups, and ribbon campaigns

II. Domestic Violence Prevention Demonstration Project

Overall Objective: To mobilize the community in Kampala District to change the attitudes and behaviours that perpetuate domestic violence. 

Specific Objectives

  1. To support and inspire women, men and youth in the communities to take action to prevent domestic violence.
  2. To strengthen capacity of police officers and health care providers to create changes in policy and practice in their places of work that uphold women and children’s rights.
  3. To advocate for change within the local councils (LC1), parish chiefs, local government (LC3) and with other key opinion leaders in communities to create an environment supportive of women’s rights and priorities.

The Community

Kawempe Division is located in the northern part of Kampala District in central Uganda. It has an area of 32.45 square kilometers and is sub-divided into 22 parishes with an estimated population of more than 350,000. Females constitute 52 percent and males 48 percent of the population. Kawempe is a low-income or 'slum' area where most residents live on under $1.00 (US) per day in densely populated areas of single room homes. The water, sanitation and housing infrastructure are extremely limited in the community.

Key activities: 

  1. Local Activism Department works with 66 trained volunteers (equal numbers of women and men) to engage community members and local leaders to prevent violence against women at the grassroots level. Activities within Local Activism include: booklet clubs, Community Action Groups, street theatre, building supportive environments in beauty salons and barber shops, Domestic Violence Watch Groups, traditional marriage counselors called Ssengas groups, and public events. There is also a Community Action Fund to help (women) survivors of domestic violence who are in dire need to pursue for justice or escape to safety. In addition, activities include community volunteers/counsellors trainings and citizen of the year awards to those community members who have been very exemplary in their behavior towards women’s rights.
    Men’s Program
    Under the Men’s Program, the Local Activism department seeks fuller and more meaningful engagement with men and thus works with 20 trained volunteers called Male Activists, to specifically engage men to prevent violence against women. Activities within this program include: Peer-to-peer discussions, leisure places outreach, carpentry outreach, sporting events, working with local music (male) artists and couple seminars.
  2. Building Capacity Department works with key staff of institutions (police, social workers, religious leaders, health care workers, and staff of NGOs) within Kampala District to influence policy and practice within the workplace around women's rights and domestic violence. Activities include a comprehensive Community Activism Course workshop series, seminars, extensive one-on-one support to resource persons, and steering committee meetings with leaders of the police and health care workers. This department also works towards the development and publication of working tools i.e., the police violence against women hand book and designing and writing the health workers violence against women handbook.
  3. Media and Advocacy Department is in the midst of a multimedia campaign (radio, TV, newspaper) to influence public dialogue regarding women's status and rights within their families and the community. This department also works with other NGOs, local leaders and organized bodies (i.e. journalists, editors etc.) to influence practice within the civil society around women’s rights and domestic violence. The department, through lobbying local councils, policy makers and parish chiefs, recently passed and is spearheading the implementation of the Domestic Violence By-Law in Kawempe division. 
  4. Learning Materials Department creates dynamic materials in popular format that are used in public activities to emphasize women's rights and the importance of public dialogue and action to prevent domestic violence. Materials include: Community murals, info sheets, posters, and booklets that discuss gender, violence and rights

III. National Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative

Overall Objective: To promote and enable national prevention and response to domestic violence.

Specific Objectives

  1. To increase the number of community-based domestic violence prevention programs in Uganda by 2008.
  2. To enhance capacity of CSOs to design, implement and evaluate community-based domestic violence prevention programs by 2008.
  3. To strengthen the quality of domestic violence prevention efforts in Uganda by 2008.

This program is run in collaboration with Raising Voices and aims to strengthen the capacity of CSOs in Uganda to plan and implement effective domestic violence prevention programs. CEDOVIP’s programs, based on an award winning program tool, demonstrate an effective holistic approach to violence prevention. As such CEDOVIP is committed to partnering with other CSOs from around the country to strengthen their capacity to implement domestic violence prevention programs.

Through an extensive application process, the following 10 organizations were selected and are now partners in the National Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative.

  1. Action for Community Development Uganda (ACODEV-U), Kasese
  2. Campaign Against Domestic Violence In the Community (CADOVIC), Apac
  3. Community Volunteer Initiative for Development (COVOID), Bushenyi
  4. Empower Children and Communities against Abuse (ECCA), Ntungamo
  5. Good Hope Foundation for Rural Development, Kasese
  6. Health Integrated Development (HIDO), Gulu
  7. International Rescue Committee (IRC), Kampala
  8. Kamwokya Christian Caring Community (KCCC), Kampala
  9. Nsumbi Vision for Development Association (NVIDA), Wakiso
  10. Safe Homes And Respect for Everyone Project (SHARE Project), Rakai

Key activities:

  1. National Training course
    The Training course includes the design and facilitation of a comprehensive National Training Course to enable at least 10 organizations from different communities/districts in Uganda to become skilled at domestic violence prevention.
  2. Learning Center
    The Learning Center hosts colleagues from Uganda to work alongside staff of CEDOVIP and Raising Voices to gain exposure to and experience in community mobilization strategies and become skilled at domestic violence prevention programming. The Learning Center demonstrates the community mobilization project and strengthens the capacity of others to address domestic violence in their own communities and organizations.
  3. Technical support
    CEDOVIP staff visits each participating organization and gives at least one week each year to onsite technical support. The technical support also includes monitoring and assessment of organizational issues that may hamper effective implementation of the domestic violence prevention project.

IV. Domestic Violence By-Law

The Domestic Violence By-Law is a local initiative by the Kawempe community to outlaw domestic violence in their community. The Local Council is given powers by the Local Government Act of the Uganda Law.

How does the Bylaw define domestic violence?
Domestic Violence is defined as the attempt of an individual to use, or threaten to use their physical force or power against another individual within the same household. A household can mean relationships within families or home settings. 

Why was the Bylaw created?
The Domestic Violence (DV) By Law was created because community members in Kawempe Division decided that they should no longer tolerate domestic violence in their community. They took a courageous step to have a formal response to address domestic violence in their community. This was the first of its kind in Uganda! 
Between 66% and 68% of people experience domestic violence as evidenced in studies by the Uganda Law Reform Commission 2006 and the Uganda Demographic Health Survey 2006 respectively. According to the 2006 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey:

  • 52% of women in Kampala have experienced physical violence since age 15 
  • 41% of women have experienced physical or sexual violence from their husband/partner

In addition, domestic violence is linked to higher rates of HIV infection, crime, underdevelopment, disability and ill health, and family break-up.

What are the benefits of the DV Bylaw for families in Kawempe?

  1. Violence-free homes
  2. Enjoyment of the right to safety
  3. Stable families
  4. More people working
  5. Less resources spent on responding to violence (health care, police, courts)
  6. Decreased crime
  7. Fewer street kids
  8. Increased support for victims
  9. Open conversation about domestic violence

How was the Bylaw created?
A team of volunteers, Kawempe community members, Local Councils, the Center for Domestic Violence Prevention (CEDOVIP), and Raising Voices created the Domestic Violence Bylaw. After many discussions and urging by the community, the Bylaw was passed on 5 October 2007 by the Kawempe Division Local Council III. The Kawempe Domestic Violence Bylaw is the first of its kind in Uganda.

Who is the Bylaw for?
All members of the Kawempe community living within households, including: husbands, wives, children, and people in intimate relationships.

What does the Bylaw address?
The Bylaw seeks to ensure that women, men and children can live free of domestic violence in the Kawempe Division. The Bylaw makes it every one’s responsibility and duty to report acts or suspected acts of domestic violence to local leaders.

What are the offences?
Some of the offences covered by the by-law include:

  • Threatening 
  • Intimidating
  • Shouting 
  • Kicking 
  • Beating 
  • Stabbing 
  • Insulting
  • Humiliating
  • Hitting
  • Denying food
  • Slapping
  • Isolating 
  • Cutting
  • Burning

Who handles the cases?
Key references within the community have been given powers to handle specific cases. Any community member can go to: officials of Local Councils I, II, or III; Councilors’ to III; Parish Chief; Police Officers; and Probation or Welfare Officers.

Cases of a criminal nature as defined in the Penal Code will be sent to the police for investigation and possible action. Cases of a civil nature as defined in the civil law will be handled by the Local Council Court as a civil case. Where the suspect is a child, the case will also be handled by the Local Council Courts.

What are the actions to be taken?
Punishment in the case of an adult victim may include: 

  1. receiving a warning
  2. paying back costs to the victim
  3. restoring damaged or stolen property
  4. apologizing for the act
  5. making an agreement not to commit the same act
  6. coming together with the victim to settle the matter
  7. serving the community through cleaning drainages, slashing, etc 

Everyone can take action to prevent domestic violence by!

  1. Report cases of domestic violence 
  2. Educate fellow community members about the importance of the Bylaw
  3. Call upon Local Council leaders to use the Bylaw to fairly handle cases of domestic violence
  4. Use dialogue to address the problem in your own home and relationships
  5. Talk openly about domestic violence in the community
  6. Support, don’t shame, people experiencing violence

Other CEDVIP links: