What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls in Somalia

The Communities Care (CC) program has demonstrated promise in changing harmful social norms associated with Gender-based violence (GBV) and increasing confidence in services for women and girls. Therefore, the study will adapt the existing CC program based on previous learnings with adults and expand programming to include adolescent boys and girls, creating the CC adult and CC adolescent program. The CC program intervention implementation will be led by Comitato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo dei Popoli (CISP) non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in partnership with Somalia Ministry of Education and local Women led Organizations (WLO), public schools and mapped GBV and child protection (CP) service providers in Banadir and Galmudug regions of Somalia.

Johns Hopkins will collaborate with local research colleagues to evaluate the CC adult and CC adolescent program. The study will use a hybrid type 2 effectiveness-implementation design guided by the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. Quantitative methods will be used to measure outcomes at baseline and endline (24 months post baseline) with adults and adolescents (10 and older) participants in the CC programs in intervention compared to control districts in the two regions (Banadir and Galmudug) in South Central Somalia. Quantitative methods will also be used to measure outcomes with adults and adolescents (10 years and older) community members (members that do not participate in the CC program) in intervention and control districts in the 2 regions at baseline, midline (12-months), endline (24-months) and maintenance (36 months). In addition, quantitative and qualitative methods at midline and endline will be used to measure the CC adult and CC adolescent intervention reach, adoption, implementation and maintenance in intervention districts in the two regions.

What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Children (FCDO funded) has funded a collaboration between Johns Hopkins and Comitato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo dei Popoli (CISP) NGO in partnership with Somalia Ministry of Education and local researchers and Women led Organizations (WLO) to evaluate the Communities Care (CC) violence prevention intervention with both adults and adolescent in community and school-based settings in two regions of Somalia. The study will use a hybrid type 2 effectiveness-implementation design guided by the RE-AIM framework (e.g., reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance). Quantitative methods will be used to measure violence, health and social norms outcomes with adults (18 and older) and adolescents (10 and older) with participants in CC intervention districts and control districts in the two regions (Banadir and Galmudug) in South Central Somalia. Quantitative methods will also be used to measure outcomes with adults and adolescents (10 years and older) community members (members that do not participate in the CC program) in intervention and control districts in the 2 regions at baseline, midline (12-months), endline (24-months) and maintenance (36 months). In addition, quantitative and qualitative methods at midline and endline will be used to measure the CC adult and CC adolescent intervention reach, adoption, implementation and maintenance in intervention districts in the two regions.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria

* Age 10 years or older
* Participant in CC adult or CC adolescent program in collaboration with 9 public schools in districts randomized to intervention or control in two regions of Somalia
* Living/resident of target districts (including internally displaced persons (IDPs) and does not have plans to move/leave the district or surrounding area in the next 12 months (this is critical for the longitudinal data collection with CC program participants)

Exclusion Criteria:

* Less than 10 years old
* Not a participant in CC adult or CC adolescent
* Not a resident of target districts-