Community Based Sheters

Community Based Sheters


Date: May 10, 2015
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Introduction
Musasa has made a number of achievements on prevention, response and support to end GBV, notably running community awareness programs on GBV in form of dialogues with men and women to reduce/end GBV. Musasa has four running offices located strategically throughout the country in which direct services provision (counselling, temporary shelter and life skills training, the niche of the organisation), are provided to walk in clients. Most notably the organisation has been successful in establishing two urban and seven community shelters set in (in rural and growth point setting). To date, Musasa is well placed as the leading organisation in Zimbabwe to undertake such a responsive move in the fight against GBV through bringing the services to the door steps of rural communities, a unique strategy in Zimbabwe.

How is the best practice related to the chosen theme?
Musasa thrives to reduce and end GBV through its provision of counseling services and provision of shelter services by protecting women and encouraging them to speak out against GBV. Musasa has been the leading organisation so far nationally and one among the few organisations in Africa as a whole to initiate and undertake the provision of shelter services at rural community level as a prevention and protection measure for survivors of GBV.. Musasa has also developed SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for Shelters and Counselling in collaboration with the Ministry of Women Affairs Gender and Community Development. It is from this basis that Musasa was tasked to participate in improving services to survivors under the protection pillar of the country ’s GBV Strategy.The Musasa shelters are a basis of piloting how best to run and support this initiative throughout Zimbabwe. This in response to several policies frameworks to protect women and girls that have been enacted at National level in the provision of support for women and girls survivors of GBV. With support from the parent ministry tasked with implementation of the shelters.

What was the impact of the best practice?
Due to the increase in numbers of violence against women and girls, there is a growing need for protection for this vulnerable group. It is in this background that the shelters were established to accommodate and protect victims of gender based violence. The shelters serves as a recuperating institution for women and girls who experienced different forms of gender based violence and sexual exploitation. Their exposure to different forms of abuse greatly distresses their social functioning; hence, the shelter will ensure the safety and security of the survivors and the provision of necessary psycho social interventions. As temporary shelters, Musasa strives to provide the basic needs of the survivors alongside therapy and counselling sessions with the foresight that these survivors will regain their self-worth and capacity .

Conclusion
The establishment of these shelters, in particular community based shelters is is one intervention by Musasa that ensures the protection of Women and girls survivors of GBV. It is through this service that survivors are protected from further abuse and re-integrated with their families.


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