English_Note conceptuelle_Webinaire sur les espaces surs les clubs de maris et de futurs maris_Expérience du Niger_Version Consolidée_
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1. Rationale for the community of practice
At its annual meeting in March 2021, the Regional Technical Committee (CRP) recommended facilitating knowledge management and the sharing of best practices developed by countries, as part of the sharing of SWEDD project achievements between beneficiaries financed by the World Bank. This recommendation was reaffirmed at the 2022 CRP, which highlighted the need to strengthen experience-sharing mechanisms between countries through a virtual resource platform and the creation of thematic exchange forums.
In response to this call, the World Bank, which is financing the project, asked UNFPA, the project's technical assistance partner, to set up a mechanism to encourage the sharing of experience and skills between countries.
It was within this framework, and in close consultation with the SWEDD countries and the World Bank, that the process of setting up a knowledge management platform was conceived.
The aim of this platform is to improve the management of knowledge generated by SWEDD by capitalizing on the project's achievements and popularizing the resulting best practices. The knowledge management platform comprises two components: resource documentation, which will make available to beneficiaries and users the relevant documents produced by the SWEDD project, and the Community of Practice, organized into sub-communities according to SWEDD key themes.
The final stage of the process is the official launch of the platform in the presence of the SWEDD countries, the World Bank and other project partners.
To promote better Knowledge Management and operationality of the Community of Practice, the STR in collaboration with the countries and regional organizations involved in the SWEDD project, namely WAHO, have planned a series of webinars starting in 2024.
In view of the implementation of the project's integrated intervention packages, and the results and best practices identified, the choice of the various webinars on the SWEDD Project's achievements will be based on the different components and also on the countries' level of maturity or performance. The rigorous documentation of SWEDD project intervention processes is an asset that will also serve as a basis for knowledge sharing within the framework of the webinars.
2. Rationale for choosing Niger
Niger has the highest fertility rate in the world, with an average of 7.3 children per woman in 2015 (ENISED, 2016). The age at first marriage is 15.7 in Niger. Awareness of the seriousness of socio-demographic indicators led the Niger authorities in partnership with UNFPA to launch the ILLIMIN Girls' Initiative – Knowledge for Dignity program, which main instrument is the establishment and operation of "safe spaces" as a framework for welcoming vulnerable girls and young women and supporting them towards empowerment. Under the SWEDD project, countries have rolled out two types of safe spaces: community-based and school-based. Here, we're talking about community safe spaces.
The safe space is a space that welcomes girls aged between 9 and 12 and between 13 and 19. These girls haven't had the chance to go to school, or they've dropped out, face precariousness and vulnerability, and are predisposed to being married off before the age of 18. But for an approach that integrates gender and the transformation of inequalities between men and women, the "safe spaces" have been coupled with the "schools for husbands and future husbands" as two parallel entities, autonomous in their program and operation. This approach reflects the dynamics of a community-based approach to transforming girls and boys into agents of social change.
As such, Niger is the leader and the pioneer of this innovative approach, which began in 2013. In 2015, the Sahel Women's Empowerment and Demographic Dividend Project (SWEDD) adopted in one of its three components the establishment of safe spaces and clubs for husbands and future husbands as a community-based approach to act on and with adolescent girls and young women and men to change the condition of adolescent girls and young women and guide them on the path to self-fulfillment and empowerment.
An external evaluation of the program in Niger carried out in 2019 showed efficient results on this strategy. It can be noted that the safe spaces contributed to the postponement (34.6%) of marriage of young girls who participated in the safe spaces. More than six out of ten unmarried adolescents (64.8%) say they will not accept a forced marriage, and their proportion is stable over the Cycles. Almost all (98.3%) said they would send their daughters to school. Nearly 87.7% said they would oppose their daughter being taken out of school because of marriage, and a large majority of beneficiaries (82%) were informed of at least one modern family planning method. The SWEDD Project in Niger implemented the innovative strategy of safe spaces and clubs for husbands and future husbands with edifying results, including a documentation of the conceptualization and unfolding of these two interventions which provided important lessons learned and challenges for the implementation of such interventions.
Technical assistance from UNFPA and other technical partners, namely the Population Council and Equimundo, supported the country in conducting the experiment of safe spaces and clubs for husbands and future husbands, with the development of a system for digitizing the management and monitoring-evaluation tools of these community intervention instruments to fight against the vulnerability of adolescent girls and young women. This experience will be the subject of the first thematic webinar of the Community of Practice.
3. Objectives
The webinar aims to share best practices and lessons learned from experiences gained from “safe spaces, husband and future husband schools” in Niger.
Specifically, it will:
* Share the results and lessons learned from the experience of Niger's “safe spaces, schools for husbands and future husbands” ;
* Promote discussions between SWEDD countries and project partners on this theme and type of intervention;
* Propose points of attention for the improvement of “safe spaces, husbands' schools” in SWEDD countries.
4. Expected results
Three main outcomes are expected from this first webinar session:
* Participants' deeper understanding of the safe spaces, husbands' clubs and husbands-to-be strategy;
* Best practices relating to the implementation of the safe spaces, husbands' clubs and future husbands approach are identified ;
* Challenges to the sustainability of safe spaces, husbands' clubs and future husbands' clubs are discussed and understood.
5. Methodology
This session will be led by a moderator appointed by the STR, and the Niger UGP /PMU will make a presentation on its experience. This presentation will be completed by the UNFPA Niger Country Office, which will share its experience in digitizing safe spaces, husbands' and future husbands clubs.
It will take the form of a presentation, followed by contributions and exchanges with all participants, including representatives of SWEDD countries, partners including the IPs concerned, regional organizations, partners, academics and scientific associations.
The country in the spotlight will first give a presentation of 40 to 45 minutes maximum, in two parts:
– The experience of safe spaces, husbands' and future husbands' clubs, and the sharing of lessons learned with participants;
– Digitization of management and monitoring/evaluation tools for safe spaces, husbands' and future husbands clubs.
This will be followed by exchanges with other SWEDD countries, who will make their own contributions. Resource persons, in particular experts who have taken part in various activities of safe spaces, husbands' schools and future husbands clubs (training, technical support missions, evaluation, etc.) will also be invited to share their experiences.
At the end, a summary of the webinar presentation and discussion will be shared with countries and posted on the knowledge management platform.
6. Participants
The target audience for this webinar are: UGP/UCP, line ministries, sectoral ministries (Education, Health, Family, Empowerment), ONDD, WB, WAHO, AU, IPs, UNFPA and STR country offices, researchers, partners involved in SWEDD's areas of intervention (WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO, etc.), regional organizations (ECOWAS, ECCAS, AU) as well as academics and scientific associations /Think Tanks, and many others.
Participants will have free access to all SWEDD webinars.
7. Proposed dates
The first webinar on "Safe Spaces, Husband Schools and Futures" will be held on January 10, 2024..
8. Agenda of the Webinar on safe spaces, husband schools and futures
The schedule for this webinar is as follows:
Schedule
Session
Responsible
14 h45-15h00
Participant login
IT
15h00-15h10
* Introductory remarks by the Regional Director of the SWEDD project
* Welcome address by the coordinator of the PMU being honored
* Word from the DG of WAHO
* Introductory remarks by the WB
Moderator
STR
15h10-15h50
* Presentation of the experience of "Safe spaces, husbands' and future husbands' clubs" in Niger
* Implementation process, results, best practices, lessons learned and challenges
* Digitization of safe space management tools, husbands and future husbands club
UGP Niger
UNFPA Niger
15h50-16h25
* Exchange/discussion (Questions/Answers)
Countries and participants
16h25-16h30
* Summary and closing remarks
Moderator
