IAMANEH Switzerland is supported by the UN Trust fund To End Violence against Women to implement a groundbreaking project in Albania. It was developed by IAMANEH Switzerland together with the Albanian partner organisations Woman to Woman and Counselling Line for Women and Girls as well as with the Swiss Tropical Institute, SwissTPH. It is a holistic project that offers better prevention before and care after experiencing violence to particularly vulnerable women and girls in rural and remote areas. The project manager of IAMANEH Switzerland, Rebeca Revenga Becedas, provides fascinating insights in an interview with IAMANEH Switzerland.
IAMANEH Switzerland: IAMANEH Switzerland is being supported by the UN Trust Fund for the first time. Why is this so extraordinary?
IAMANEH Switzerland submitted a project application together with its Albanian partner organisations and the SwissTPH. After a demanding and multi-stage application process, the UN Trust Fund awarded IAMANEH Switzerland and its partner organisations the project out of more than 1'400 applicants – as one of very few organisations: Out of more than 1'400 applying organisations, just 37 project applications were approved. We are very grateful and delighted that our project can be realised.
IAMANEH Switzerland: What is the project «Building resilience and response to violence against women and girls under Covid-19 in Albania» specifically about?
This project aims to empower women and girls in marginalised communities because since the Covid-19 pandemic, these women and girls are at even higher risk of gender-based violence.
IAMANEH Switzerland, together with its Albanian partner organisations, provides access to information, knowledge, and services in the field of violence against women and girls, as well as psychological counselling, legal and medical services. The teams work in ten different municipalities in urban, rural, and remote areas in Albania and reach survivors of domestic violence through the experts on the ground.
Photo caption: Roma community in Tirana, where our partner organisation CLWG organises workshops for women on family planning and gender-based violence.
IAMANEH Switzerland: Why are you focusing on these target groups?
Due to the lockdowns and limited mobility in the communities during the pandemic, we analysed the issue of violence against women and girls with a special focus on the most marginalised group of women and girls. It became clear: these particularly vulnerable people suffer the most from the increasing violence during the pandemic – and outside of pandemic times they fall through the cracks of the system. They are not aware of the support services and/or the existing services do not reach those affected, as this does not specifically reach out to them. This is exactly what we want to work on and keep this target group with its very specific needs in mind. When designing the new project, we decided together with the local partners that we would focus in particular on representatives of the Roma and Egyptian communities, older women, women with disabilities and women living in rural or remote areas. These target groups are per se at increased risk of gender-based violence.
IAMANEH Switzerland: How do you ensure that you reach the target groups?
To improve access to services for survivors of gender-based violence in these remote areas, our project provides counselling and referral through mobile teams composed of at least one psychologist, one social worker and one community facilitator who can respond to the specific needs of survivors. The local teams work very closely with the local authorities that make referrals of victims of violence: Health centres, social services, schools, police, etc.
Once the women and/or girls affected by violence are identified, they are referred to the service providers, among others, who offer psychosocial and legal counselling as well as emergency shelters.
Photo caption: Stroller in front of the shelter for abused women in Shkodra
IAMANEH Switzerland: Do the service providers have the necessary capacities to take care of the referred clients?
This is a legitimate question, and it is precisely this risk that we are aware of. That is why the teams are working to increase the capacity of local organisations, counsellors, case managers and health care providers in the areas of case management, needs and risk assessment.
It is important to us that not only the capacity of services and agencies is increased. A key concern of the project is that we engage with youth and ethnic minorities at community level and target activities in rural/remote areas.
With awareness-raising activities, we want to reduce the risk of violence, stigmatisation and discrimination, i.e. we also want to work preventively.
IAMANEH Switzerland: Can you give me concrete examples of activities that have already taken place?
Our teams held meetings with key local stakeholders in the ten communities to discuss how to raise awareness about violence against women and girls and how to respond to cases. Together they prepared, developed, and distributed information materials on how to access protection services and different types of counselling.
IAMANEH Switzerland: Did you also work with women and girls affected by violence?
Yes. Together with the representatives of the referral mechanisms, the mobile teams identify survivors of gender-based violence and provide first aid and psychosocial support. The women and their families are placed in emergency shelters and then temporary housing, and they receive so-called survival kits, which cover the most important needs for clothing, medication, food, toys, etc. The mobile teams also provide first aid and psychosocial support. By working more closely with the authorities, it has already been possible to reach women who would not have been identified before and who would therefore have been excluded from the services.
IAMANEH Switzerland: You mentioned the particularly marginalised groups earlier. How do you work with them?
We specifically conduct information events for Roma and Egyptian women and girls, for women with disabilities and for women and girls from rural areas. They have a right to knowledge and information on topics such as women's rights, protection services and security measures against violence against women.
In addition to this specific target group, we conduct workshops for young men and women. We impart knowledge on the different forms of violence, on sexual violence and on family planning - this with a gender-transformative approach: through information, role plays and storytelling, the young participants develop knowledge and understanding of positive values, including respect for gender equality, diversity, and human rights. They also acquire behaviours and skills that contribute to safe, healthy, and positive gender relations.
Photo caption: Family planning workshop in a Roma community in Tirana
IAMANEH Switzerland: It will soon be one year since we received the project commitment. In your personal retrospect, what is the most touching thing?
We had the opportunity to work with the most marginalised women – those who are often forgotten. The care and love of the teams is incredible. We have grown closer together. We have started a process of collective learning by sharing our individual knowledge and experiences during the outreaches. We benefit from the knowledge gained and grow together through this project.
The interview with project leader Rebeca Revenga Becedas was conducted by Rebecca Widmer Kerkhoff in May 2022.
Here you find more information about the project.
