DevTech-Managed Program Provides Model for Addressing School-Related Gender-Based Violence: Sustainability At Work

"The Safe Schools program has helped us a lot. Before, issues like teasing, bullying, caning, and name calling were going on in the school, but that has changed. We now know the differences between boy and girl friendship and sexual friendship through the teaching of life skills. It has also built our self-esteem. I can now talk in public."

These comments by a 14-year-old girl in Ghana who participated in the Safe Schools program sum up the impact this pioneering initiative has had. DevTech Systems, Inc. (DevTech) managed the program, which was designed to create safe learning environments for girls and boys and promote gender-equitable relationships within schools in Malawi and Ghana. DevTech's role in this program was to design, pilot, analyze, and establish a replicable, sustainable model that other organizations could use.

The initiative, which was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), aimed to reduce school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV), improve educational results, and diminish negative health outcomes among students. Since the original program ended in 2008, international organizations in Malawi and other countries have incorporated Safe Schools materials into their initiatives that address SRGBV.

In both Malawi and Ghana, DevTech worked closely with civil society and community organizations in efforts to reduce SRGBV. They jointly developed an integrated, comprehensive, and evidence-based approach that the organizations owned. As a result, this project has been a model for developing an effective, collaborative approach to building local capacity.

Safe Schools interventions focused on students ranging in age from approximately 10 to 14. Program outputs included a series of global Doorways training manuals for students, community counselors, and teachers. During the program, 359 teachers and 80 peer leaders received training on providing the Doorways program to students, and 240 community counselors and teachers were trained in basic listening skills; children's rights and responsibilities; and methods to prevent, respond to, and report SRGBV incidents. In addition, community networks were established in Malawi and Ghana to prevent and respond to school violence. Safe Schools staff collaborated with the respective ministries of education and teachers' unions to consolidate existing versions of the Teachers' Code of Conduct into one Code of Conduct that addressed SRGBV and was acceptable to all program stakeholders.

The non-profit organization YouthNet and Counselling (YONECO), a grantee under the original program, continues to use the Doorways training manuals to address school violence in Malawi. According to a YONECO official, the organization has trained 20 head teachers and 150 teachers so far on how to deal with SRGBV, and plans to train community counselors shortly. The official said YONECO intends to provide follow-up training to the teachers at a later time. Thus far, the organization is implementing the Safe Schools program in Nsanje District but plans to expand its activities throughout Malawi. Save the Children and Plan International have also adopted Safe Schools training materials in several countries, including Haiti and Senegal.

In addition, USAID has translated the Safe Schools training materials into Arabic, Russian, French, and Spanish, and has posted them on its website. USAID has also showcased the Safe School program's significant achievements in the September 2011 issue of its premier publication, Frontlines.