Speak Out Project: Empower Girls for Better Health and Bright Future

On 29th July 2022 at Chez Landon Hotel in Kigali, hap[1]pened AAR Speak Out Project Official Closure. The four-year project focused on Addressing Sexual Re[1]productive Health Rights and Gender Based Violence in Rwanda.

The project was funded by UK aid Direct through DFID and implemented by ActionAid Rwanda in partnership with Faith Victory Association and Associa[1]tion des Guides du Rwanda. The project was implemented in four Districts in nine sectors: in Karongi (Murundi and Gitesi sectors), in Nyan- za (Mukingo, Busasamana and Rwabicuma sectors), in Gisagara (Muganza, Kibirizi and Gishubi sectors) and in Nyaruguru (Ruheru sector).

The Project recorded signif- icant successes, including but not limited to supporting survivors of violence particularly teenage pregnancies with the set-up of community Safe Spaces for women and girls’ victims of violence; engaging and sensitizing boys about sexual reproductive health rights and vio- lence against women and girls (VAWG) through school clubs, etc.

The project created an enabling environment through leading boys and men to shift social attitudes and practices alongside influencing duty bearers at all lev- els to achieve change in policy and practice and pro- vide VAWG prevention and response services. Speak Out empowered girls, communities and WROs with in- creased willingness, confidence, and ability to report and respond to cases of violence in in Karongi, Nyanza Gisagara and Nyaruguru districts in Rwanda.

Speak Out has school based and community engage- ment activities. Among the school-based activities there are safe spaces where girls meet weekly during weekends and sessions are delivered by mentors. Mentors are young girls between 18-25 years who completed senior six.

They were trained on curriculums used in the project and methodologies to use in delivering the sessions. School clubs also meet weekly, and sessions are de[1]livered by teachers and are referred to as club facili[1]tators.

Community engagement activities include quar[1]terly community awareness raising on GBV and SRHR through parents evening forums and community gatherings and Violence Against Women and Girls quarterly coordination meetings, psychoso[1]cial support of teen mothers, linking SGBV survivors with Isange One Stop Centres, police and RIB and trainings of Male Change Agents.

On the dates of 25th & 29th July 2022, in the context of Speak Out Project Closure, AAR distributed goats to teenage mothers across all AAR areas of operations to support their socio-economic re-integration