In an action-packed 5-day exchange supported by PATH, Network members shared experiences with GBV prevention networks and organizations in Nicaragua. Yassin Ally from Kivulini Women’s Rights Organization, and Jean Kemitare from the Network’s coordinating office at Raising Voices, linked up with Margarita Quintinila and Haryoli Souza of Intercambios, a Latin American network, to visit and learn from Intercambios and other organizations work on GBV prevention in Nicaragua.

Process

• The exchange lasted 5 days and was packed with visits to both large and small networks and organizations.
• At every organization or network visited, sessions were jointly facilitated and included presentations, discussions, group work, assessment of communication materials, and showing of films all about GBV prevention and networking.
• In the sessions, participants reflected on the similarities and differences of communities’ perceptions and experiences of GBV and drew lessons regarding prevention and response to GBV.

Lessons Learnt

• Women’s lower status and the imbalance of power between women and men was a similarity found in both contexts and lies at the root of violence against women.
• Differences in socio-economic, and cultural contexts, means that approaches to GBV prevention and response are somewhat different.
• Having politicized agendas for networks is vital to creating vibrancy and sustainability.
  

Exchange visit participants are preparing a detailed document about the visit to share more about their experiences and how lessons learned in Latin America can further enrich our prevention work in the Horn, East and Southern Africa. Please look for out for this on the website soon.