October 2022
A grantee of the Agents for Citizen-driven Transformation (ACT) Programme - the Global Women for Quality and Sustainable Development Initiative (GWSD) - has empowered survivors of gender-based violence. The CSO has provided start-up packages to survivors to enhance their livelihoods and improve awareness against practices of gender-based violence in the Edo South senatorial district of Edo State.
The GWSD is a non-profit organisation working in the state to prevent and address incidents of gender-based violence through protection, psychosocial support, legal and medical services for survivors.
In the last nine months - with the grant and programme support from ACT - GWSD has partnered with a private legal firm to provide legal services for 17 survivors, delivered medical services for four survivors, and provided psychosocial support for 200 survivors. Twenty-five of the survivors received counselling and skills training in various fields including hairdressing, catering and fashion design.
The project was initiated based on research conducted by the CSO to validate the number of reported cases of GBV in Benin. This was due to an increase of women reporting GBV either from their direct relatives, spouses, or other close relatives.
“ACT has helped us achieve economic empowerment for 25 survivors in the Edo South Senatorial District. We used the capacity support to access funding for this course from the Women International League for Peace and Freedom.”
Mariam Kadiri Ezolome, CEO and Founder, GWSD
