What is Supporting Survivors of SEAH (S2S)?
The “Supporting Survivors of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual harassment (SEAH) programme, also known as S2S” has been implemented in Malawi from November 2022 to July 2024. SDDirect led the programme in collaboration with three Womens Rights Organisations (WROs), Lilongwe Urban Women’s Forum (LUWF), Karonga Women’s Forum (KWF) and Women and Girls with Disabilities Rights (WAG), with funding from UK aid.
The programme delivered a Survivor Support Fund (SSF) through community-based, trusted and known WROs, whose network members have been skilled-up in providing survivor-centred support, are knowledgeable of the referral pathways and SEAH reporting mechanisms, and have access to funds to pay for various costs needed by survivors to plan and manage their cases.
The programme also invested in the organisational development of LUWF, KWF and WAG, and has sought to strengthen the equitable partnership between the WROs and SDDirect. Through this support, the WROs have developed Safeguarding policies, financial policies and procedures, Staff and Volunteer handbooks and more.
Our Work in this Area
The programme aims to address the social and financial barriers to help-seeking and reporting for survivors of violence, including SEAH.
Over 20 months, the programme supported 1004 survivors of gender-based violence, and SEAH, to reach out for help and has demonstrated that community-based WROs are an effective entry point into referral pathways and reporting mechanisms which may otherwise be confusing and inaccessible for many women and girls. Where the programme has supported survivors of SEAH, the S2S team and WROs have worked collaboratively with the aid actors concerned and in compliance with the organisations’ own policies.
The programme has developed Standard Operating Procedures, a Communications Strategy and Financial Guidelines to strengthen technical capacity of WROs to survivors of violence. The programme also developed a digital database through which adherence to the programme’s processes was monitored and supported.
As our sector continues to learn about preventing and responding to SEAH, the S2S programme has evidenced the integral role Women’s Rights Organisations (WROs) can and should play in providing an independent mechanism for reporting and support to survivors of all forms of violence.
Collaboration and Impact
The programme works closely with the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare (MoG), particularly the Gender Affairs department. The MoG and S2S team are co-hosting a learning event, and have worked collaboratively on ODA sector engagement.
The programme also provides technical assistance to the PSEAH network in Malawi, which coordinates all Official Development Assistance (ODA) partners in relation to Protection against SEAH.
THEORY OF CHANGE FOR THE SUPPORTING SURVIVORS OF SEAH (S2S) PROGRAMME
Collaborating with the ODA community to support survivors of SEAH
S2S Key message 1
