Advocacy groups receive funding

COMMUNITY

By JAMIE HARO
CIVIL society organisations (CSOs) play a crucial role in helping survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) and sorcery accusation-related violence (SARV) through awareness, advocacy, counselling and referral pathways.
However, one crucial challenge they face is sustained funding to continue the not-for profit services they provide.
Most of these CSOs operate out of passion to help others with the amount of support they receive from certain organisations, local and international.
In the recent 20-Day Human Rights Activism, the Government recognised 13 CSOs through their proposals and granted them funding through the Department for Community Development and Religion (DfCDR) with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
This comes after the newly established Parliamentary Committee on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment chaired by NCD Governor Powes Parkop stated that the Government was trying to make good on its promises to take more actions to address GBV and SARV as an immediate priority.
The DfCDR with support from the UNDP officially funded the 13 grantees with a portion of K7.93 million allocated by the Government to address GBV since 2022.
Seven of the 13 CSOs were able to share their stories on how they try to support their communities, through awareness and advocacy and what they intend to do with the grants received.
Kup Women for Peace in Kerowagi, Chimbu
The Kup Women for Peace in Kerowagi, Chimbu has been working with women to address the drastic issues of GBV, SARV and even tribal fights.
Programme coordinator Angela Apa said this CSO was established by mothers in the area, with an intention to help stop all forms of violence and support survivors.
“Most common practices within our area are tribal fights and within this problem, women and girls become victims of rape, some drop out of school while other people especially women and vulnerable old men are accused for sorcery in the heat of the event.”
“As part of our intention to stop tribal fighting, we established the CSO and had the Women Peace and Security 1325 based on the UN Women Fundamental Law of Human Rights in use for conflict prevention by conducting community justice training for restorative justice and winning mediation,” Angela said.
She said while conducting these programme, they adapted the Gender for Justice Programme with Oxfam and operated for a number of years to also help end violence against women in a new programme.
“This programme’s main aim is to create more awareness, advocacy and referral pathways for case managements and work closely with the Family and Sexual Violence Unit (FSVU) of the police force, health authorities and law and justice sectors where the village and district courts are also involved.”

Rural Women’s Development Foundation in Hela
In Hela the Rural Women’s Development Foundation has also been working to address GBV and SARV and most importantly working to empower women in leadership and business skills.
Programme coordinator Marilyn Tapagua said the foundation started through a business programme for women especially to pitch ideas for them to have a place in the society, have peace and be able to do their own businesses without relying on others.
“Hela happens to be one of the highlands provinces with high rates of GBV, however as a foundation we work to support women especially those who are survivors of all forms of violence.”
She said prior to the grants received from the government, the foundation was able to sustain funding through support from other organization including UNDP, United Nations Women and JSS4D that supported their partnership to work closely with FSVU and FSCs in the province.
“We promote FSCs in the hospitals to support survivors of all forms of violence. We have been working in isolation for too long, however now we will reach out to the community development office in the province to drive the programme further.”
Tapagua said with the funding received, the CSO has established plans to safe houses for all survivors of violence, to ensure they safe, help the police to arrest the perpetrators involved so the matter be processed through formal charges.
“We will increase building capacity as well due to tribal fighting as we cannot go out to a lot of areas, instead increase the number of safe houses, to help those who are in need, in the case of violence related activities and conduct more awareness for these survivors.”
The foundation is working in all five districts of the province with support from women leaders who are there to help, with six FSCs located in district hospitals and village courts.
“In terms of SARV, the Glassman and Glassmeri has been a common practice that leads to women been tortured.”
“To reduce that we are working in these districts to help village courts to deal with it at the ward level by teaching people how to conduct their acts in the right way, through peace mediations.”
Kyokond Community Development Association – Mul-Baiyer Lumusa, WHP
In Western Highlands, another CSO known as the Kyokond Community Development Association originally founded in Mul-Baiyer and Lumusa district plans to reduce social issues escalating with the support received from the government.
It was founded in 2010 by its current director Yangga Trappe who was recently appointed assistant district administrator and caretaker of the district’s community development office where they support all CSO’s for awareness and advocacy in the district.
“I established the organisation with an aim to reduce social issues within the district before I was promoted to work as assistant district administrator. While working to address this issue at the district level, a call for proposals was advertised and the association applied.”
“The aim of the association is to work with other development partners, investors, and every NGO or Governing body to help reduce social issues and to develop the communities starting with the people to change their mindset.”
Highlands Women Human Rights Defenders Movement
The Highlands Women Human Rights Defenders Movement is a broader team consisting of all women leaders and their CSOs working together to address issues in the Highlands region.
Team leader Mary Kini said under their movement, they conduct their main activities based on advocacy and influencing at the levels of government from the district, provincial, national and the international levels.
“This organisation was set up by all human rights defenders in the highlands region to create policies and support all HRD hausmeri in the region way back in 2013. Initially we established this organisation so that it will become a platform for the voiceless.”
She said the movement received additional support from Oxfam International, UN Women Funding and Pacific Women through Oxfam again and this was the first time the Government has recognised their work.
“We are grateful for the support from the Government who recognized our role in the highlands region for the first time. Within our advocacy space, we work closely or network well with sister organisations in the seven provinces of highlands.”
Family Life Apostle , Vanimo Catholic Diocese-West Sepik
THE Family Life Apostle will now be able to extend their social awareness and training programme into rural areas of West Sepik through the Vanimo Catholic Diocese.
Programme coordinator Sister Rose Mary said the task is to work alongside all families and couples to bring the joy of Christ to everyone.
“We try to reach out to everyone especially in the rural areas where many people are struggling to understand how different social issues affect youths and their families, because they need moral and spiritual support, “she said.
She made this remark after receiving the first batch of payment from the national government through DfCDR and UNDP.
“With the past help we had through support the of our Bishop and other generous donors, we were grateful to continue our work and now the government has recognized our work and reached out through UNDP, with this new support, we will continue our social mission in the province.”
Sr Rose said the main area of focus will be to help young couples and families by encouraging them to participate in their skill training of sawing, baking and computing apart from conducting Gender Based Violence awareness as it is a vital especially in rural areas.
“Apart from the trainings, we see that domestic violence is becoming a norm and we need to establish ways to reduce this down through awareness and such skill trainings programme to change their lifestyle setting,” she added.
Family for Change Association Inc., East Sepik
Family for Change Association Inc. tries to reach out into the communities for awareness to reduce the spread of social issues relating to violence.
Founder and director Veronica Simogun said there is a need to prevent GBV from increasing so with the current funding they received from the government they will try to establish awareness programme.
“There is a need to prevent GBV from increasing, so with the association, we have decided to create a programme to support youths to keep out of trouble or refrain from violence.”
“The basics are doing a lot of awareness programme in different wards and LLGs and then returning back to asses and monitor if there has been changes in these areas,” she said.
Aramba Development Foundation Inc. South Fly, Western
In the Southern region, a community-based association known as the Aramba Development Foundation was established in the Morehead LLG in South Fly, Western since 2019 and has been implementing several community development projects in agriculture and raising awareness on social issues in the area.
Public officer Westley Seba said with the current funding received, they have decided to raise more awareness on GBV and SARV.
“We see that there is a high level of illiteracy in the communities and we need to educate them especially on the human rights laws that we have in the country as it is the way forward.
“We will commence training then followed by deployment of teams consisting of community leaders who are part of the association and others who show interest. The Association only consist of the Aramba Tribe only but we will involve others from outside.”
This is the second time they have received funding as the first was given to them through a grant initiative by the Digicel Foundation in 2021 to implement community aid post projects currently in progress and a cocoa project.