Report: Assessing ISF’s VAWG Prevention Efforts in Somaliland

In brief

This mid-term evaluation represents a deliberate departure from conventional, consultant-led assessments. Instead, it piloted a qualitative, participatory, and in-house approach—led by ISF’s Senior Adviser Dr. Suvi Lensu—to assess the impact of three implementing partners: SOYDAVO, Y-PEER, and BVO, working to prevent FGM and other forms of violence against women and girls in Somaliland.

The evaluation was guided by the belief that those most closely involved in designing and implementing the programme often possess the strongest motivation to understand its impact. It sought to move beyond standard indicators and instead explore how change is experienced and shaped by communities themselves. This required a different methodology—one that draws from ethnographic research traditions and values lived experience, relational dynamics, and cultural context.

Fieldwork was embedded within communities. Conversations took place in people’s homes, workplaces, and everyday environments, often in rural villages or displacement camps. Participatory methods such as photovoice, visual mind mapping, and semi-structured interviews were used to open space for reflection, learning, and dialogue on sensitive and deeply rooted issues. This grounded approach was designed not only to assess effectiveness but to understand why change occurs—or fails to occur.

By placing communities at the centre of the inquiry, this evaluation helped surface not only best practices but also the challenges, tensions, and possibilities shaping the prevention of gender-based violence in Somaliland.

Main findings

• Locally grounded and adaptive work was evident across all three partners. Despite differing contexts—rural villages, IDP camps, and urban settings—each organisation developed approaches that responded to specific community realities, using participatory tools and culturally rooted practices.
• Anti-VAWG Committees emerged as a key protection mechanism in all project areas. In settings where formal services are weak or absent, these committees became trusted local structures—connecting survivors to services, organising awareness-raising, and coordinating with youth, parent, and women’s groups.
• SOYDAVO’s work in Durdur IDP Camp highlighted how community structures can be strengthened even in extremely fragile settings. Though initial resistance was reported due to competing needs like education and health, over time the committees and peer groups became valued, with participants demanding further training on case management and survivor-centred support.
• Y-PEER’s Caravan Series was widely praised as a creative and culturally relevant tool for awareness-raising. Using poetry, drama, and music, the mobile outreach resonated particularly well with low-literacy, pastoralist communities. However, its infrequency limited longer-term impact, and participants called for more regular engagement.
• In El-Hume, BVO’s deep community presence and embedded facilitation contributed to a full rejection of all forms of FGM, including sunnah. The shift came not from pressure but from locally held dialogues on bodily rights, health risks, and religious misconceptions. The message that “women are created perfectly by God” became a transformative framing, supported by both internal and external religious leaders.
• Youth and school-based clubs played an essential role in shifting norms. Across all projects, young people were engaged through participatory methods—particularly drama and debate—which encouraged critical reflection. In some areas, boys reported changed views on girls’ bodies and sexuality, moving from control toward respect.
• Despite notable progress, resistance remains among traditional and religious leaders, many of whom continue to support sunnah cutting or early marriage “when necessary.” These partial endorsements signal the limits of influence within more conservative community segments.
• Sexual violence and intimate partner violence were reported at high levels, particularly in displacement settings. Some families, fearing rape, had reverted to severe forms of FGM, believing it may offer protection. This highlights the need to treat FGM and other forms of violence as interconnected and not in isolation.
• While peer networks have grown stronger, material limitations persist. Lack of phones, lighting, or safe spaces—especially in IDP camps—continues to undermine both prevention and response. Community groups emphasised that trust had been built, but donor constraints and limited flexibility often left them unable to address more urgent or complex needs.
• Men’s engagement is beginning to shift. Initiatives like sermons on sexual violence during Friday prayers and youth sports clubs have expanded the reach of anti-VAWG messaging. However, more sustained and structured male engagement is needed to support broader gender norm transformation.

Recommen­dations

(that we aim to tackle in our programme)

• Strengthen and formalise Anti-VAWG Committees as essential, community-led protection mechanisms. In settings with weak formal governance, these committees have filled critical gaps. Their integration into local coordination structures, including links with health services and local authorities, would reinforce inclusive and context-sensitive governance.
• Support partner organisations in sustaining a strong embedded presence. BVO’s approach in El-Hume demonstrated the value of consistent, locally rooted engagement that fosters trust and allows difficult issues like sexuality and bodily autonomy to be addressed through ongoing dialogue.
• Address all forms of VAWG as interconnected. While FGM remains a central focus, partners frequently reported high levels of sexual and domestic violence. Prevention efforts should reflect the lived reality of communities by linking FGM with child marriage, IPV, and sexual violence. This also requires greater flexibility in programming and funding.
• Promote a clear, zero-tolerance stance on all forms of FGM, including sunnah. While partners have committed to this approach, shifting community perceptions—especially among elders and religious leaders—remains a challenge. Framing that emphasises bodily rights and religious messages such as “women are created perfectly by God” should be further developed and scaled.
• Increase community involvement in planning and implementation. Across all sites, participants expressed a desire for more inclusive and transparent decision-making. Planning should account for economic realities, mobility, and social hierarchies, particularly in fragile and displacement contexts.
• Ensure continuity and connection in awareness-raising. The Caravan Series and school-based activities were praised, but their infrequency weakened long-term learning. Awareness sessions should be regular, participatory, and linked with ongoing local groups like youth clubs and Anti-VAWG Committees.
• Promote a more holistic understanding of VAWG. Current trainings often emphasise binary right/wrong framings but miss connections to broader issues like self-esteem, personal development, and family wellbeing. Trainings should help participants connect violence to structural inequalities and long-term social harm.
• Expand tailored male engagement. Boys and men responded positively when approached through respected and engaging methods—such as drama, sport, and religious messaging. These efforts should be scaled and structured to support men as active allies in prevention.
• Plan for sustainability from the outset. Community groups expressed concern about over-reliance on project funding. ISF and partners should integrate economic support systems—such as linking Anti-VAWG work to women’s savings groups—and build peer-to-peer learning structures (e.g., WhatsApp groups) to maintain momentum beyond the project period.
• Adapt approaches to IDP and high-risk settings. In displacement contexts, material and infrastructural challenges—like lack of lighting, transport, or childcare—must be treated as core protection concerns. Livelihood activities and anti-VAWG programming must be planned in tandem to reduce risks and improve safety.
• Ensure adherence to humanitarian protection standards. All actors working in displacement settings should apply the IASC Guidelines for Integrating GBV Interventions in Humanitarian Action, and advocate for stronger municipal inclusion of IDP protection in local service plans.
• Feed results back to communities. Following the validation workshops, findings and recommendations should be disseminated to community members involved in the evaluation. Ensuring their voices are heard—and visibly incorporated into future planning—is key to reinforcing trust and shared ownership.
• Collaboration with the local stakeholders, religious leaders and medical service providers: our focus should be on boosting the already existing services as well as strengthening the local service infrastructure that is deemed fragile. Establishment of community-based networks and supporting them is a crucial factor, too. 
• Promote income-generating activities: whereas learning about rights and claiming a role is a gradual process, taking up economical activities and a vacancy manifests the change in the role of women instantly. It also underlines the benefits of equality to community and households. 
• Promote intergenerational dialogue: it’s often mothers-in-law and elderly who hold the traditional beliefs and reproduce them. The report also notes the importance of men’s and boys’ involvement when it comes to combating gender-based violence. Thus it is important to bridge that generational and gender-based gap, as well as extend the program to deal with the cultural pressure of the extended family.  
• Multi-sectoral approach of first identifying and then fighting against many different forms of violence that are straining the communities. These efforts should involve schools, parents, children, and governmental stakeholders, as community cohesion and consensus are key values in the communities studied. 
• Gender transformative approach which promotes gender equality, the shared control of resources, mutual decision-making, and women’s empowerment is central to interventions addressing the root causes of child marriage, IPV and FGM.