Project 2nd Semi - Annual Donor Report
Contract No. 8305-00/2013
As of July, 7th 2015
Contractor/ applicant:
Name: CARE Österreich / Name: CARE International, BalkansAddress: Lange Gasse 30/4, 1080 Vienna / Address: HasanaKaimije 11, 71000 Sarajevo, BiH
Phone, eMail:
+43 1 715 0715-47
/ Phone, eMail:
+(387) 33 536 790, www.care-balkan.org
Contact person for the action: Judit Kontsekova / Contact person for the action: John Crownover
Project title:
Boys and Men as Allies in Violence Prevention and Gender Transformation in the Western BalkansLocal project partner 1: Bosnia and Herzegovina (Banja Luka)
Name:Perpetuum MobileAddress: Petra Kocica 3, 78000 Banja Luka
Phone, eMail: +387 51 303 310; ; http://www.pm.rs.ba/
Local project partner 2: Serbia (Belgrade)
Name: Centre E8Address: Sarajevska 81/3, 11000 Belgrade
Phone, eMail: +381 11 3626302; ; http://www.e8.org.rs/
Local project partner 3: Serbia
Name: SMART KolektivAddress: SvetozaraMarkovića 42a 11000 Belgrade
Phone, eMail: + 381 11 26 59 700; ; http://www.smartkolektiv.org/
Local project partner 4: Kosovo
Name: Peer Educators Network (PEN)Address: Rr. Rexhep Mala 5A, 10000 Prishtinë
Phone, eMail: +381 38 552 216; ; http://www.edukatoret.org/sq/
Local project partner 5: Albania
Name: Counseling Line for Men and BoysAddress:Rr “VllazënHuta”, Shk 1, Kati 8, Apt 41 Tirana
Phone, eMail: +355682039555, ,
Reporting period:
Reporting period:01.12.2014 – 31.05.2015 / Report submitted on (date): 30.06.2015.Due date:30.06.2015
Planned project duration from: 1.12.2013 / Until: 30.11.2016
Reallocations:nA / Extended until: nA
Summary of the project progress
Narrative description of project progress, particularly with regard to the achievement of objectives, expected results and indicators, monitoring and necessary management measures in accordance with chapter no. 6 of the project document (Monitoring and Evaluation).
Descriptive summary of the project: The Boys and Men as Allies in Violence Prevention and Gender Transformation in the Western Balkans or Young Men Initiative (YMI) project builds upon CARE´s comprehensive and programmatic effort to fight interpersonal and gender based violence (GBV) as well as to improve gender equality in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Serbia and targets young men to change their knowledge and attitudes concerning gender equality and healthy lifestyles and to decrease levels of interpersonal violence. The Gender Transformative Life Skills program (Program M) and the social norms campaign “Be a Man – Change the Rules” is at the heart of this endeavor. The current project aims to scale up and mainstream earlier achievements related to the implementation of Program M via targeted advocacy and close cooperation with Ministries of Education and other key stakeholders. One of the main objectives of the project is to introduce Program M into national Educational Curricula and to acquire an official accreditation for teacher training. To enhance this process, CARE aims to pilot Program M in selected secondary vocational schools in the region via the identification of teachers to act as trainers of trainers (ToT). In addition to reaching educators in their early stages of their careers, the project envisages to target teacher trainee students at universities. Furthermore, CARE supports the local partner organizations to strengthen their role as resource centers in the field of men engagement, youth work and gender equality. Supported by the project, the partners launch campaigns targeting in particular youth, but also fathers, male care givers, coaches and other male role models, thus improving their knowledge and attitudes on gender equality, parenting, and fighting GBV in families. The campaigns are centered on schools and the so called “Be a man” clubs that are hubs for peer education and youth work.
Narrative description of project progress:
At the beginning of the second project year, during the partners meeting held in Tirana, Albania, from the 18th – 21st of December 2014, CARE and partners developed guidelines to be used as resources for beginning the implementation of the programs for the following target groups: educators/youth workers, teachers and school staff, pedagogy students and journalists. The results of the implementation of the project in the first project year were summarized and partner organizations have made operational plans for activities that will be implemented by the end of the second project year (annex 1).The first half of the second project year has been focused on implementation of school program activities in all intervention high schools due to the academic calendar; these will be continued in the fall. Additionally, program activities included providing training for youth educators, trainings for teachers and school staff, round tables and conferences, development and implementation of different “Be a man”, “Fatherhood” and “Violence prevention” campaign activities by partner organizations and participation in European and international MenEngage activities. After a competitive process, CARE has engaged Srđan Dušanić, PhD, an associate professor at the University of Banja Luka and experienced evaluator and researcher, who will oversee the baseline assessment process and prepare the Baseline assessment report by 31st of October 2015. ToR for baseline assessment has been in line with ADC M&E guidelines and approved by ADC (annex 2).
The most important outputs and outcomes reached in the first six months of the second project year were the following:
- Signed Memorandums of Understanding with 8 high schools in 4 countries in all target cities which have become intervention schools for Program M educational program and Be a man campaigns (annex 3).
- Completed baseline assessment in all selected high schools in all 4 countries amongst 1932 high school students. As we reported in the previous first year final report, this is the starting point for action in intervention schools.
- Through Program M educational activities in high schools, partner organizations directly educated 4,452 students (4,280 male, 172 female) among which 24 were Roma, Ashkaly or Egyptians (annex 4 – Partner monitoring tables).
- Through different campaigns, conferences, round tables and Real Men Forum events, partner organizations reached 22,119 people.
- 232 media events and coverage of YMI, including TV, radio, newspaper and web media. Ms. Liz Mermin, Thompson Reuters Foundation journalist and media coordinator, visited Banja Luka from May 6th-8th 2015 and made a documentary with members of the “Be a man club” Banja Luka.
- Three huge campaign events happened simultaneously in all project cites. The first event happened on 10th of December 2014, Human Rights Day, when street actions were organized in order to raise public awareness of the problem of violence among young people. The street action was titled „Be a man-sign the declaration, my five against violence". The second event was the Facebook launch of www.pazisex.net / www.kujdessex.net website, which happened on February 14th 2015. This website’s purpose is to provide accurate information about sexual and reproductive health to young people. The promotional event occurred through social networks and as of the writing of this report, the website has 1.117 likes and 2.000 new visitors per month. The third event was the launch of the Fatherhood campaign, which was developed by SMART Kolektiv in cooperation with all partner organization. The first steps were kick-off activities in Banja Luka, Belgrade and Prishtine, on 15th of May 2015, International Family Day. Different promotional materials were developed, including posters, cards, stickers, T-shirts and baby bibs. The Baby bibs were distributed at multiple events, including hospitals, family fairs and other community events. Additionally, posters were placed on billboards and public places and partner representatives gave numerous interviews about the campaign to local and national TV and radio stations (please visit www.youngmeninitiative.net and see annex 5).
- CARE organized partner meetings with representatives of responsible ministries from BiH (BiH component of YMI project matched with SDC and OAK funds) from February 25th-26th 2-15 in Teslic, BiH. The accreditation of Program M was the main topic. The next steps regarding accreditation of Program M in BiH have been agreed.
- Members of the Be a Man Club Banja Luka, Mostar and Sarajevo watched the play "Macho Men" in a packed Chamber Theatre in Sarajevo, 03rd of February 2015 (see at http://www.youngmeninitiative.net/en/?page=42&kat=1&vijest=216). The play was created within the project Young Men Initiative. It speaks about what a real man should look like and how different social norms impacts attitudes and behaviors.
- One of the most important outcomes was the organization of Training of trainers (TOT) for teachers in Kosovo and Serbia. In Kosovo, ToT for teachers and school staff took place from 13th- 15th of February 2015, in Millosheva. The 27 participants (20 men, 7 women) came from 3 schools in Prishtine. All were under 40 years old. Since the Program M was officially accredited by the Ministry of Education in Kosovo, all teachers received certificates for 20 full hours of training that bring certain points for professional development. In Serbia, ToT for teachers and school staff was held from 099th-100th of May 2015, Belgrade, for 27 participants. Since this training seminar is officially accredited by the Ministry in Serbia, they received certificates that bring 16 points for professional development.
- Besides TOTs for teachers, TOTs for educators occurred in BIH, Kosovo and Serbia. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, ToT for youth peer educators was organized in Borja, BiH from the 20th-22nd of February 2015. This ToT was successfully attended by 15 young people from two intervention schools and some of the older BMC members from Banja Luka. In Kosovo, ToT for youth educators was held on the 5th of May 2015, with 18 participants, including Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians from consortium partners of EDI Project. In Serbia, Center 8 organized 5-day TOTs for high school students who were training to become YMI peer educators. The training occurred in 2 intervention schools. The 52 participants have become educators who are prepared to implement Program M in their own schools. On May 21, 2015 in Albania, partners organized training with students of Pedagogy at the University of Social Sciences.
- On 22nd of May 2015, CARE International partner in BiH, Perpetuum Mobile, organized the roundtable with the Gender Center of Republic Srpska for the launch of the “Super DAD” campaign. The main focus of the round table was a discussion about engagement of fathers in children`s everyday life. Our partner in Serbia, Center E8, organized the Conference Man2015: SUPER DAD in Belgrade on May 30th 2015. The conference explored issues in promoting more gender equitable fatherhood and care giving.
- CARE and partner organizations were active in regional, European and international meetings related to work engaging men and boys in gender equality. This includes CARE and partner organizations’ (Center E8, Belgrade and PEN, Prishtine) active role and participation at the International Conference on Masculinities, Engaging Men and Boys for Gender Equality, from 6th-8th of March 2015, New York, USA. CARE and partners presented: “Among the "Macho Men: Innovations in Working with Young Men in Post Conflict, Contested Societies“. As part of the 59th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, CARE Balkans staffJohn Crownover, program advisor in theYMI - Young Men Initiative,participated in a panel titled “Achieving Beijing: the role of social norms for gender equality” on 12th of March 2015. Speakers included Dr. Nina Nordström, Director of the Unit for Human Rights Policy, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Helsinki, who showcased how social norms and gender equality have been mainstreamed into Finnish development policy; Keiko Nowacka from the OECD Development Centre, who presented the latest evidence from the Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI); CARE, who presented the findings from the Boys and Men as Allies in Gender Transformation and Violence Prevention Program in the Western Balkans funded by Austrian Development Cooperation; and Shailaja Chandra, who was the first and only female Chief Secretary of Delhi. The event was moderated by Baroness Lindsay North, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (UK DFID).
- CARE and partners continued to develop various educational materials. To work with fathers, a new educational tool titled Program T (“Tata (local languages) – Father, Engl.) was developed. The fatherhood workshops will be tested by partner organizations, and implementation of Program T will start in fall 2015. Also, CARE and partners have started developing Manual Y (Y for youth) for work with mixed gender groups, as a combination of workshops from Manual M for work with young men and Manual D for work with young women. This new Manual is being developed with the goal of becoming part of the official high school curriculum. CARE and partners will develop the comprehensive manual and the evaluation tools to assist teachers in easy implementation. The process of introducing this new Manual to respective ministries for education will begin in fall 2015. Furthermore, Smart Kolektiv is developing the Training Manual for journalists, which includes topics related to gender equality, gender based violence and sensitization of journalist in reporting about the above-mentioned topics. The Manual was developed by a local expert and reviewed by Serbian and Albanian journalist as well as CARE staff. At the moment, the expert is finalizing the Manual together with partner organization representatives. After that, the Manual will be designed, translated into local languages and printed and will be used in the fall by partner organizations at trainings for journalists. Finally, CARE finalized the Literature Review in all four local languages as well as an English version of the Social Media Case Study (annex 6).
- CARE continued to work with partners in data collection and M&E. This includes the use of Most Significant Change (MSC) methodology and in the development of the quantitative survey for use as part of the project research (annexes 7- MSC stories).
- In addition, during this time CARE focused on building capacity with our newest partner, Counseling Line in Albania. This included regular visits to Albania by CARE staff and having our Albania partners come to Kosovo during activities and training in order to build a mentoring and collaborative relationship. In May 2015, CARE’s project coordinator from the Prishtina office moved temporary to Tirana, Albania where he will stay for three months in order to increase monitoring and coaching efforts with Albania’s partner organization.
- On May 25th, 2015, Ms. Arielle Juberg, a Master of Public Health student from Columbia University, NY, USA, arrived at the Banja Luka office. She is going to stay in Banja Luka for three months in order to complete an internship. She will do research through focus groups consisting of young girls and boys in Mostar, Sarajevo and Banja Luka and learn about the YMI project.