about Task Forces about IGWG Publications and Products Technical Advisory Group about IGWG Training Small Grants Initiative				Home > about > Small Grants Initiative Small Grants Initiative Background Recognizing the importance of gender equity in achieving positive reproductive health (RH) outcomes, program designers and managers are increasingly trying to address gender disparities and differences in their work. In an effort to identify critical program interventions that can eliminate or reduce gender barriers and improve RH, IGWG developed a small grants initiative in the fall of 2001. The objective of the initiative was to identify and support program intervention activities, policy, communication and advocacy efforts, and research that can promote gender equity and improve RH/HIV/AIDS outcomes. Proposals were for one or more of the four the priority areas identified by the Technical Advisory Group (TAG): youth and gender, gender-based violence, HIV/AIDS, and male involvement. The initiative generated tremendous interest globally and the IGWG received more than 130 proposals from cooperating agencies (USAID-funded agencies) and non-USAID funded organizations. Among other things, the response indicated the extent to which organizations in the field recognize the need of addressing gender in their projects and have innovative ideas that can move the field forward. After a rigorous review process by the TAG, the following proposals were chosen for support by the IGWG. They ranged in funding from $70,000 to $97,000 and were implemented over a one to two-year period. The IGWG is no longer taking applications for the Small Grants Initiative. Grants Awarded "Addressing HIV Risk Through Violence Prevention: A Community-Based Violence Prevention Program Targeting Young Men, Women and Couples in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania" Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, in collaboration with Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences, the Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs (CCP), and African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) youth group. Evaluation of the project is being supported and implemented with the HORIZONS Project. Based on previous research that showed a correlation between HIV infection and a history of interpersonal violence, particularly among young women, this three-year study in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, began in 2003 and consisted of a formative phase and an intervention phase. This project implemented and evaluated an intervention that combined drama-based communication with peer support to promote healthy relationships, and to reduce adolescent men and women’s HIV risk behaviors and reduce partner violence. Additional peer-support groups were utilized to develop key issues for the drama component and to discuss, develop and reinforce alternative models of conflict resolution. Evaluation during the third year measured changes in male attitudes and behaviors related to condom use, monogamy, forced sex and partner violence. "Reducing Gender-Based Violence in Western Kenya" AMKENI Project, a partnership of EngenderHealth, Intrah/CPC, and PATH supported by USAID/Kenya From October 2002 to March 2004, the AMKENI Project implemented activities to address GBV in Western Kenya, with support from IGWG. The project worked in 50 villages around 8 health facilities to increase awareness of GBV and test community-generated GBV interventions. AMKENI brought women, men, youth, elders, and health care providers together to define GBV in their own context and develop appropriate solutions.  This process was aimed to break down barriers of fear, secrecy, and violence that characterize relationships and open the way for increased communication, negotiation, and decision-making for reproductive health. "Improving Female Recruitment, Retention, and Participation in Adolescent Peer Education Programs in Mozambique" Pathfinder International/Mozambique, in conjunction with the Geracao Biz program This operations research (OR) study tested the effectiveness of a new protocol for recruitment and support of in-school and out-of-school female peer educators in Mozambique. Experience from the adolescent reproductive health program, Geracao Biz, which is funded by UNFPA and implemented by Pathfinder with counterparts in Ministries of Health, Education, and Youth, showed compromised recruitment and retention due to local gender roles and expectations (i.e. girls' elevated school drop-out rates due to early marriage; unwanted pregnancy; and competing domestic demands). The specialized protocol included mentoring to address young women's needs in terms of comfort and security, skills acquisition, and balancing competing demands on their time. It also provided stipends to offset school fees and mitigate elevated school drop-out rates for girls. Married Youth and their Mothers: Do Empowered Mothers Foster Gender-Equitable Relationships and Better Reproductive Health Among Young People in Rural Bangladesh? Empowerment of Women Research Program/John Snow, Inc. This study, implemented by Sid Schuler and colleagues of the Empowerment of Women Research Program, utilized quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate whether empowered women (mothers and mothers-in-law) foster gender equity among their sons and daughters (in-law). Specifically, it investigated whether women's empowerment influences second generation relationships and gender-equity, first, by affecting the decisions and behaviors of couples (choice of spouse, age at marriage, onset of childbearing, gender-based violence, male involvement in RH, etc.) and, indirectly, by shaping their children's attitudes, expectations, and opportunities Effects and Cost of Implementing a Gender-Sensitive Reproductive Health Program PROCOSI, Frontiers in Reproductive Health Program, Population Council and Family Health International Following up on the 2000 Programa de Coordinación en Salud Integral (PROCOSI) project to institutionalize gender considerations into the reproductive health services offered by the seventeen-member PROCOSI network, the Population Council’s FRONTIERS program implemented an evaluation of possible affects of the intervention on clinic clients and their partners and to estimate the costs of incorporating a gender perspective into future service delivery programs. Two variables were evaluated: the unmet need for reproductive and sexual health services and changes in partner dynamics. No increases in demand for health services were found, but evaluators speculated that the addition of a marketing campaign including publicity, affordable prices and a recognizable campaign where services are offered could change this result. Becoming a Man During AmaXhosa Ceremonial Rites of Initiation The Medical University of Southern Africa (MEDUNSA) and PATH supported by USAID Office of HIV/AIDS The Medical University of Southern Africa (MEDUNSA) and the National School of Public Health collaborated with PATH on the formative phase of their study titled, "Becoming a Man During AmaXhosa Ceremonial Rites of Initiation." The parties gathered information for the development of a curriculum containing culturally acceptable and content specific techniques to teach traditional surgeons and attendants about safe circumcision and social and sexual responsibility. The project aimed to make circumcision both physically safer and to utilize that time to teach vital health messages, including alcohol and drug abuse, respect of women, and STI’s and HIV/AIDS awareness. The information gathered through questionnaires, focus group discussions and literature reviews was later incorporated into the creation of a training manual. For more information, contact Diana Prieto at dprieto@usaid.gov.