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In 2019, Spotlight Initiative’s Africa Regional programme conducted a mapping of 779 civil society organisations and community-based organisations, including 45 networks and coalitions, 11 groups of people with disabilities, 7 groups of people affected by HIV/Aids, one Albino group and 13 LGBTQI+ organisations. This database helped capture themes, existing strengths, gaps and capacities of these organisations. Spotlight Initiative was then able to provide targeted support across these organisations.

Following this, Spotlight Initiative established CSO Secretariats across the five focus…

In 2021,  Spotlight Initiative  conducted a mid-term assessment to take stock of the first phase of the Malawi programme. The aim was to assess the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of the programme and to develop relevant recommendations to improve project implementation.The evaluation team conducted Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with 62 individuals. These were spread across national and sub-national levels and included six government officials, three EU Delegation staff, 12 representatives from UN organisations, two members of the…

Civil Society Reference Groups (CSRGs) have been formed at the national, regional and global levels to advise, monitor and hold Spotlight Initiative programmes accountable to women, girls and feminist movements. As part of a broader push on PMER, national CRSGs have developed independent scorecards to monitor Spotlight Initiative’s processes and systems, with a focus on civil society participation in programme design, access to funding, and engagement in implementation, among other areas. The scorecards, and approach to the scorecard, represents an increasingly (participatory) way “to take…

Spotlight Initiative's Niger Civil Society Reference Group (CSRG) implemented and tested various PMER approaches to assess national programme results. Through monitoring visits conducted in  four target provinces, members of the CSRG  listened to the stories of women and girls served by Spotlight Initiative. In a safe and secure environment, CSRG members elevated these stakeholders into valuable advisers and agents of change for the programme. As part of this, the CRSG conducted independent monitoring using the Civil Society Monitoring Toolkit and developed an Advocacy Scorecard in 2021. The…

In Malawi, the Spotlight Initiative team set up monitoring structures at district level called “communities of practices”. These were composed of diverse stakeholders and led by district officials, taking a decentralised approach to create a more autonomous approach to reporting. They were  instrumental to ensuring local ownership, and engaging marginalised and rural communities – in keeping with the Leave No One Behind principle.Through focus groups discussions, key informant interviews and one anonymous survey, this inclusive process had two main objectives: to check whether women and girls…

The Safe Mobile App (SAV-APP) aims to improve the ability to report, respond and fast-track cases of violence. Designed primarily for young women between 12 and 24 years, the app not only facilitates timely reporting of incidents but also connects women with medical, counselling, and policy assistance in emergencies. Launched in 2020, the app was developed with the support of the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund under Spotlight Initiative.

"Through Spotlight Initiative, we have seen more women and girls coming up to report cases by themselves." - Inspector Muna Meah, Commander in the…

In 2021, Spotlight Initiative in Uganda applied the SASA! approach to VAWG prevention in refugee camps and accompanied this approach by installing solar streetlights - as a way to extend the reach and impact of the programme.

The SASA! methodology trains community activists to raise awareness and engage people in critical, reflective dialogue about VAWG, reporting mechanisms, and services within communities. It engages all community members, recognising that to shift the harmful gender norms and power inequalities that drive VAWG requires a collective change among sufficient numbers of people…

Spotlight Initiative programme in Zimbabwe adopted a new way of working, aligned with UN Reform principles. During implementation, the country team established a collaborative model, jointly developing terms of reference and action plans for coordinated interventions. Spotlight Initiative’s Inter-Agency Technical Team actively participated in each agency’s activities, including meetings, conferences and training. 

“Delivering as one helps all the sector stakeholders, especially the government partners. It allows the Initiative to effectively plug the resources into all the components that…

Independent monitoring and reporting by civil society on programmatic contributions can be critical to upholding programme legitimacy, relevance and accountability. In 2020, the Count Me In! Consortium and several members of Spotlight Initiative Civil Society Reference Groups collectively developed a Civil Society Monitoring Toolkit to monitor the work and contributions of Spotlight Initiative. Featuring a set of 26 indicators, the Reference Groups can use the toolkit to monitor the implementation of Spotlight Initiative programming at country, regional and global levels, with indicators…

Representatives of women’s rights groups and human rights-based civil society organisations - including those representing groups facing intersecting forms of discrimination- have been engaged in shaping Spotlight Initiative from its inception in governance and advisory roles. Spotlight Initiative teams have established Regional, National, and Global Civil Society Reference Groups (CSRGs), engaging diverse women’s rights and feminist activists as well as subject-matter experts and marginalised groups. CSRGs advise on and monitor implementation, recommend changes, and hold Spotlight Initiative…