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- Partnerships among governmental, nongovernmental, and local organizations that are built on sustained commitment and incorporate each member’s expertise are essential for the delivery of well-integrated and high-quality services.

- The community’s ethnic identity (in this case, of predominately Aymara origins) must be recognized and incorporated in the targeting of interventions and in the promotion of rights and equity.

Source: Gregoria Apaza Center for the Promotion of Women, 2003

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campaigns have included international campaigns (such as the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign), national campaigns (such as the annual campaigns conducted by the Nicaraguan Network of Women against Violence), and local campaigns conducted within individual communities. These campaigns often appear to successfully raise awareness and increase knowledge. For example, national surveys suggest that—at least partly due to the annual campaigns—women in Nicaragua are increasingly aware of their rights. A Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) found that more than two-thirds of women believed that violence against women was never justified and that they should be able to refuse sex with their partner for any reason. While it is difficult to disentangle the contributions of multiple initiatives on changes in awareness and attitudes, the DHS found that one half of women in the country had seen or heard at least one campaign message and one out of four women surveyed were able to repeat one or more of the messages (Ellsberg, Liljestrand et al. 1997; Rosales, Loaiza et al. 1999). Once again, however, researchers have not yet been able to measure the impact of these initiatives on levels of violence against women; moreover, experiences from other fields suggest that while these types of mass media campaigns play an important role in awareness-raising, strategies such as ‘edutainment’ are more likely to change behaviors over time (CDC, 2004).

Other organizations in Nicaragua have targeted specific populations such as men and youth. An example of this was a campaign carried out by the Nicaraguan organization Puntos de Encuentro. The campaign was based on the results of a qualitative study of men who did not practice violence, and tried to draw attention to reports that violence against women had increased greatly in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch (Montoya 1998). The main message of the campaign, which included TV and radio advertisements, highway billboards, bumper stickers, caps, posters, brochures and training for community promoters, was that “Domestic violence is one disaster that we **can** prevent.” It drew a series of parallels between the devastation wrought by the hurricane and the devastation and suffering caused by domestic violence. A subsequent evaluation of this campaign showed that 60% of men surveyed had heard of the campaign. The men who had been exposed to the campaign were more likely than those who had not to endorse the view that violence was preventable and that it was bad for the community. Over half of those who heard the messages had discussed them with somebody else, and nearly 90% of men surveyed felt that the campaign had made a difference in the way men behaved (Puntos de Encuentro 2000).