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1
USAID Harmonia Activity
Communities Ending Gender-Based Violence
Quarterly Report
January-March 2021
2
USAID HARMONIA BASELINE
COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT
ERMERA AND LIQUICA
9-19 FEBRUARY 2021
3
Contents
Executive Summary 4
Key Achievements and Milestones 4
Challenges and Response 4
Future Directions 5
Introduction 7
Program Activities and Highlights 8
Activity Set-Up and Preparation (Strategy 1) 8
Plans and Reports 8
Stakeholder Engagement 8
Training 10
Launch 10
Baseline Community Survey (Strategy 2) 11
Learning Lab Curriculum Development (Strategy 6) 12
Activity Update as per the Annual Work Plan 13
Key Accomplishments 13
Contributions of the Activity to the Guiding Principles and Special Considerations on Implementation
Approaches 14
Challenges Encountered 15
Delays 15
Lockdown and sanitary fence 15
Competing priorities 16
Learning Lab curriculum 16
Future Directions and Upcoming Interventions 16
Success Stories 18
Baseline Community Survey 18
Community commitment 18
HAI staff learning 18
COVID-19 screening questions 19
Joint Activity Launch – USAID Harmonia and USAID Healthy Relationships for a Violence-Free Future 20
4
Executive Summary Health Alliance International (HAI) signed the agreement with USAID – Fixed Amount Award No.
72047220FA0002 - in August 2020 for the three-year USAID Harmonia Activity, with a start
date of 17 August 2020. The USAID Harmonia Activity – Communities Ending Gender-Based
Violence (GBV) aims to end GBV in communities by applying a people to people approach,
working towards more equitable gender relations and improved gender-sensitive health
services for women in 31 sucos and 10 health centres, in Ermera and Liquica municipalities in
Timor-Leste. Activities will emphasize increasing knowledge and awareness and shifting
attitudes and social norms regarding GBV in communities and in health settings. The
community activities will focus on development of community action plans by village
leadership, that aim to address specific GBV-related issues in their community that then lead to
information and learning sessions with the general community. The health sector intervention
will provide intensive and follow-up training on responding to GBV, specifically aiming to
enhance the ability of health providers to properly support clients who are experiencing GBV.
Key partners for the activity include the Ministry of Health (MoH), National Institute for Health
(INS), Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI) and Secretary of State for Equality and
Inclusion (SEII).
Key Achievements and Milestones ● Completion of key reports and plans, including the Gender Inclusive Development Plan
(GIDAP) and the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Plan
● Dissemination of the USAID Harmonia Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI)
Analysis
● Completion of the Baseline Community Survey, with data analysis underway (Milestone
9 completed)
● Development of the Responding to GBV Learning Lab/Health Provider Training
curriculum, with structure of draft currently being edited in consultation with INS staff
(Milestone 5a completed)
● Activity launch held jointly with USAID Healthy Relationships for a Violence-Free
Future
● Ongoing positive stakeholder engagement, particularly at the municipality level
Challenges and Response The major challenge for the activity thus far has been delays brought about by competing
priorities, COVID-19 lockdown and the need to ensure positive engagement with partners who
are currently busy with competing priorities in particular the Ministry of Health’s current
priority to mitigate COVID and roll out the vaccine. While there has been some delay with the
community intervention activities, this is mainly due to competing priorities such as the
baseline survey, the unforeseen need to develop a community microplanning manual and the
5
time it took to do this, and the imposition of the COVID-19 sanitary fence. The delay with the
Responding to GBV Learning Lab/Health Provider Training curriculum however has been more
extensive and impactful, and has come about due to the need to be sensitive to competing
interests and to ensure continued positive relationships for the benefit of the activity. The delay
in approval of the curriculum impacts on the timely achievement of upcoming related
milestones including the Learning Lab sessions themselves. There is now progress being made
towards achieving the goal of curriculum approval, after structural and layout changes to the
draft curriculum are agreed upon by INS leadership. After approval however there are still a
number of other steps that need to be taken before the training program can begin, including
facilitator training, and submission to the INS ethics committee of an application for research
approval for the curriculum pre/post testing procedure.
During quarter 2 the Harmonia team has developed various ways of assessing and mitigating
the challenges experienced, and due to this has still managed to achieve completion of
activities and milestones, despite delays. This has included identifying ways of facilitating
development and approval of the Responding to GBV Learning Lab curriculum, in accordance
with the content and structure identified by INS and the MoH, and adjusting implementation of
the baseline survey to satisfy the way that this would best work in the community.
Future Directions Quarter 3 (April, May, June 2021), will see scaling up of activity implementation, for both the
community and health sector interventions. The community intervention will include
community microplanning (CMP) action planning, administrative post advocacy meetings, and
the commencement of information and learning sessions. In the health space, the Responding
to GBV curriculum will have been approved, the Training of Trainer (ToT) held and hopefully the
health provider training already begun. The baseline survey analysis will have been completed
and can be used to inform information and learning sessions in communities, and USAID
Harmonia will continue to be active in the referral networks and general stakeholder
engagement in the two municipalities as well. Internally, as activities begin to be implemented
the Harmonia team will be engaged in review and reflection activities, to ensure adherence to
the Do No Harm principle and to identify challenging areas of practice and areas for
improvement.
During the next quarter the USAID Harmonia activity expects to reach seven milestones:
1. Responding to GBV Learning Lab curriculum approved by INS (30 April)
2. Municipal advocacy meetings held in seven admin posts (30 April)
3. Microplanning sessions held in 15 villages (30 April and 15 May – Milestones 10 and 11)
4. Responding to GBV Learning Lab pre-test implemented in ten facilities (31 May)
5. Three GBV trainings conducted (15 May)
6. Four CMP Information and Learning sessions completed in 15 sucos
6
Although achievement of most of these upcoming milestones is currently on track, further
delays cannot be ruled out due most significantly to the ongoing imposition of the sanitary
fence in Dili, as well as now also in Ermera and Liquica, making travel complicated, and also
considering the need to be mindful of the current requirement to limit conglomerations of
people.
7
Introduction Health Alliance International (HAI) signed the agreement with USAID – Fixed Amount Award No.
72047220FA0002 - in August 2020 for the three-year USAID Harmonia Activity, with a project
start date of 17 August 2020. The USAID Harmonia Activity – Communities Ending Gender-
Based Violence (GBV) aims to end GBV in communities by applying a people to people
approach, working towards more equitable gender relations and improved gender-sensitive
health services for women in 15 villages and seven health centres in Ermera municipality and 16
villages and three health centres in Liquica municipality in Timor-Leste. Activities will emphasize
increasing knowledge and awareness and shifting attitudes and social norms regarding GBV in
communities and in health settings. The community activities will focus on development of
community action plans by village leadership, that aim to address specific GBV-related issues in
their community that then lead to information and learning sessions with the general
community. The health sector intervention will provide intensive and follow-up training on
responding to GBV, specifically aiming to enhance the ability of health providers to properly
support clients experiencing GBV. Key partners for the activity include the Ministry of Health
(MoH), National Institute for Health (INS), Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI) and
Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion (SEII).
The second quarter of the USAID Harmonia Activity (Q2 – Jan-Feb-Mar 2021) has involved a
number of activities related to getting the main interventions underway. There has been
continued development of plans and reports, which have almost all now been approved by
USAID and where relevant uploaded to the Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC).
These include the Gender and Inclusive Development Action Plan (GIDAP), the Monitoring,
Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Plan and the Q1 Quarterly Report. Further, the USAID Harmonia
Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Analysis has been published on email list serve
ETAN, posted on the HAI web page and emailed and hand-delivered to relevant partners in
Timor-Leste. In March, the Harmonia team made some adjustments to the MEL Plan based on
further review of targets and indicators; the updated plan is currently being reviewed by USAID.
In February 2021, the Harmonia team conducted the USAID Harmonia Activity Baseline
Community Survey in Ermera and Liquica, interviewing a total of 268 respondents. The Baseline
Activity is key to assessing achievement of outcomes of the USAID Harmonia Activity – the
responses will be compared with those provided in the endline survey, with the same questions
and the same participants, at the close-out of the activity in 2023.
Other activities have included the USAID Harmonia Launch, held jointly with USAID Healthy
Relationships for a Violence Free Future at the end of February 2021; and the participation of
the Harmonia team in a GBV sensitization training facilitated by Fokupers, a women’s advocacy
and refuge organization in Dili. While some HAI staff had previously participated in training of a
similar nature facilitated by other organisations, the Fokupers training was beneficial for the
consolidation of existing knowledge, and also represented a teambuilding opportunity for the
Harmonia team members.
8
The USAID Harmonia Activity has experienced some delays this quarter. There is a delay with
the Responding to GBV Learning Lab/Health Provider Training Curriculum, which is yet to be
approved by INS. There have also been delays in community intervention implementation due
to a Dili lockdown and sanitary fence that began on 9 March, making it difficult for the
Harmonia team to leave Dili to implement activities in Ermera and Liquica. The team has made
some programmatic adjustments to enable activity implementation as of April 2021.
Program Activities and Highlights The USAID Harmonia work plan for the first year of the activity is divided into six strategies to
achieve the activity goal: 1. Activity set up and preparation 2. Baseline community assessment
3. National Stakeholder Engagement Meeting (Achieved in Quarter 1) 4.
Municipal/Administrative Post Advocacy Meetings 5. Community Microplanning 6. Responding
to GBV Learning Lab.
Activity Set-Up and Preparation (Strategy 1)
Plans and Reports
During quarter 2, a number of plans were developed and approved. These included the GIDAP,
the MEL Plan and the first quarterly report. Relevant plans and reports have been uploaded to
the DEC; the MEL Plan is currently under review by USAID as recent edits were made to the
plan based on review of the targets and indicators. The GESI has been disseminated to
stakeholders by email as well as hand delivered, and has been published on email list serve
ETAN, allowing the report to be accessed by a wide variety of researchers and experts involved
and interested in gender-based research in Timor-Leste, thereby widening the knowledge base
on gender issues and GBV in Timor-Leste. It has also been uploaded to the HAI website.
Stakeholder Engagement
The USAID Harmonia team has continued to engage with stakeholders during quarter 2, in
particular at the municipal level. Much of this engagement took place in preparation for and
during the baseline activity, as the baseline is specifically connected to activity implementation.
In preparing for the baseline the activity team were able to further build on their existing strong
relationships with the municipal health services in Ermera and Liquica, and further develop the
relationships with MSSI and local government authorities.
In terms of municipal engagement, the USAID Harmonia activity has been particularly involved
in the Liquica GBV Referral network, attending meetings and supporting where possible. In
January 2021 Harmonia staff participated in a ceremony initiated by CARE International and
facilitated by the Liquica GBV Referral Network, that involved the signing by nine village leaders
in Liquica of a pledge to prevent GBV in their communities.
As a result of participation in these network meetings, the Harmonia team was able to hear of
some cases of violence against women, including alleged rape, specific to one village in particular
and affecting mainly adolescent girls. HAI has a partnership with Rotary and a friendship group
9
in Australia who supply goods for maternity packs for vulnerable women in Timor-Leste; when
HAI identifies vulnerable women who are pregnant or have recently given birth, they are given
one of these packs. The Harmonia team decided to do this for two particular cases that had been
shared in the Referral Network meeting and which had received little engagement to date from
other entities. Visiting these two women and their families enabled Harmonia staff to provide
initial support where possible, including GBV referral information and links to the local health
post and health provider. At the same time, the Harmonia midwife and the local MoH midwife
were able to provide important information to the young women and their families about mother
and child health.1
USAID Harmonia is in the process of establishing engagement with the Ermera GBV Referral
Network.
Other activities that have included specific stakeholder engagement include the Harmonia
Activity Launch, where it was possible to showcase the activity to a range of stakeholders from
national and municipality government level, as well as NGO partners, civil society and donors,
and dissemination of the GESI Analysis, which allowed USAID Harmonia to engage with specific
partners about the USAID Harmonia Activity. All municipal health and MSSI leadership were
present at the Harmonia launch, signifying commitment to and interest in the USAID Harmonia
Activity from these representatives. At the national level, SEII’s presence as a speaker at the
Launch indicates their commitment to this activity that is focused on enhancing gender equality
and ending gender-based violence.
USAID Harmonia has also continued to engage with USAID Healthy Relationships for a Violence
Free Future, in particular in preparation for the Launch, as well as with UNFPA and government
1 These photos should not be re-published anywhere external to this report.
Harmonia midwife hands over and explains the contents of the maternity
pack to two young women in Liquica
10
partners, the MoH and INS, with regard to the Responding to GBV Learning Lab/Health Provider
Training curriculum.
Training
In January 2021, Harmonia staff participated in a
sensitization training on gender-based violence
delivered by Fokupers, a women’s advocacy and
refuge organization in Dili. The training reviewed
concepts related to gender stereotypes, the
rights of women and children, definition and
types of gender-based violence, referral services
and applicable laws. While some staff had
previously participated in similar training, the
Fokupers training helped to consolidate
knowledge as well as highlighted new areas of
knowledge. It was also a beneficial team-
building exercise for the newly created
Harmonia team.
Launch
On 23 February, the USAID Harmonia Activity was launched together with USAID’s other new
GBV-prevention focused activity, USAID Healthy Relationships for a Violence Free Future
(implemented by World Vision) at Novo Tourismo in Dili. The launch was attended by 56 people
including speakers the Vice-Minister for Health, the Secretary of State for Equality and
Inclusion, and the USAID Mission Director. The
launch presented the GESI analysis for the two
activities, and hosted a discussion session on
the two research pieces. The Launch was
valuable in formally launching the two
activities, and for stakeholder engagement,
and was an exciting moment for all involved.
See Launch Success Story below.
Gender roles exercise at the training
The USAID Harmonia GESI being presented at
the Launch
11
Baseline Community Survey (Strategy 2) In February 2021, the Harmonia team conducted
the Baseline Community Survey. There were 268
baseline respondents in 31 villages, 40 percent of
whom were women. The baseline is relevant to
the community intervention component of the
Harmonia Activity, and involved a targeted
sample, where the baseline respondents are the
same people who will be part of the CMP
leadership group. The survey is a ‘matched’
survey, meaning that the endline will also
involve the same people, with the aim of
assessing change in knowledge, attitudes and
behaviors related to GBV, from baseline to
endline, among people closely involved in
determining and planning the response to GBV
in their communities. The aim of the baseline is also to inform the CMP intervention activities,
including the development of the action plan and the information and learning activities.
The development of the baseline and the tool itself was supported by a University of
Washington (UW - Seattle, United States) Master of Public Health student. HAI used its own
team members to conduct the baseline, rather than recruit external enumerators. Team
members were trained in the survey tool, administered via tablet using the REDCap Mobile App
data collection tool. The survey content included questions related to demographic
information, GBV knowledge and awareness, GBV attitudes and beliefs, perceived community
support for ending GBV, the extent of helping behavior in communities, and provision of
referral information. There were also COVID-19 screening questions at the start of the survey.
The baseline survey went through an ethics approval process at INS whereby the survey was
presented and approved by the research ethics committee, who provided some suggestions for
improving the survey and survey process. Enumerators, Harmonia team staff, were trained in
the survey tool over several days, and the survey was then field tested. INS staff accompanied
Harmonia staff for two days of survey implementation in each of the municipalities, for quality
control purposes.
The UW graduate student who worked with Harmonia to develop the survey is in the process of
conducting data cleaning and a descriptive analysis of the survey results. The report will be
used to guide Harmonia activities and to measure achievement of outcomes at the conclusion
of the Activity. The survey results will be presented to INS.
Preparing for Baseline Survey Advocacy Meeting
Leotela village, Liquica
12
See Baseline Survey Success Story below and Annex 2 for the complete Baseline Survey Activity
Report.
Learning Lab Curriculum Development (Strategy 6) The development of the ‘Responding to Gender-Based Violence’ Learning Lab/Health Provider
Training curriculum has experienced some delay. The curriculum was submitted to INS for
approval in January 2021. It was at the same time also given to MoH and UNFPA for their
knowledge and review. Shortly after submitting the draft curriculum for review, the Harmonia
team met with INS, MoH and UNFPA who
suggested some changes to be made to the
structure of the curriculum, to conform more
clearly with the structure of current INS
training modules. They also suggested putting
further development of the curriculum on
hold, so that the to-be-recruited UNFPA
consultant could provide input to the
curriculum. The Harmonia team worked on
making the requested changes to the draft,
and after some time followed up with INS
about the timeline for implementation, given
the already long delay. At USAID Harmonia’s
suggestion, INS agreed in principle to allow
the training to be implemented as a pilot
while waiting for input from the UNFPA
consultant. The Harmonia team continued to
work on the requested changes to the
structure of the curriculum, however further delays to the process were experienced due to the
lockdown in March 2021. The team is currently in the process of finalizing the changes to the
curriculum structure as requested by INS. The current goal is to have version two of the
curriculum submitted to INS for review in the first week of May.
One issue that needs to be clarified in the final review of the curriculum before implementation
is which mnemonic to use. The gender expert who drafted the curriculum recommends the
mnemonic Hahu Relasaun, which was used in the pre-service curriculum and now has an
evidence base. However, the mnemonic used in the national guideline on GBV is a literal
translation of the WHO acronym LIVES, i.e. RHVAS in Tetum, about which there is concern
about the literal meaning of one of the words in Tetum. HAI’s gender expert recommends using
a combination of both mnemonics so that one explains the other; INS and the MoH will need to
agree to this. As it is important that language, terminology and teaching approaches are
consistent between different implementing partners in the area of GBV, the Harmonia team is
committed to ensuring good coordination in this regard.
HAI and INS staff working on the
formatting of the GBV Learning Lab
curriculum
13
Referring to other strategies included in the current annual plan, the Stakeholder Meeting was
held in quarter 1, and the administrative post advocacy meetings and community
microplanning activities will be completed in quarter 3.
Activity Update as per the Annual Work Plan
Planned Activities for Jan-Mar 2021
Planned Timeline (from annual work plan)
Current Status
Comments on delays, adjustments, new due dates etc.
Milestone
(Y/N)
Prepare and finalize GIDAP
By 13 February 2021
Completed Has been uploaded to the DEC
N
Prepare and finalize MEL Plan
By 19 January
Under revision
Two revised versions have
since been submitted to
USAID. Currently under
USAID review
N
Conduct baseline survey and data entry
By 15 February
Completed Survey analysis in progress Y
Hold Activity Launch By 28 February
Completed Held in February timeframe as requested
N
Develop draft of Responding to GBV Learning Lab
By 25 March
Completed Milestone timeline adjusted to reflect new due date
Y
Key Accomplishments Quarter 2 of the Harmonia annual plan has seen steady progress, some aspects slower than
others due in part to competing priorities and the Dili sanitary fence that has further impacted
on timely completion of activities. Nevertheless, there have been key accomplishments
including and in particular the completion of the baseline survey, the launch, progress towards
approval of the Learning Lab curriculum, and continued positive stakeholder engagement.
The baseline survey was a large undertaking that took several weeks of preparation, of the
survey tool itself, training of the survey team and field testing. Adjustments to the survey were
made many times before it was used in the field. It was an exciting process as a number of
aspects of the preparation process were new to HAI staff. The implementation of the activity
itself was also an important teambuilding exercise for the Harmonia team, as was participating
together in the GBV sensitization training provided by Fokupers.
The activity launch was also a major achievement, especially due to the new and stronger
relationship that the planning of the event helped to facilitate with both USAID and World
14
Vision. HAI looks forward to other opportunities for liaising further with World Vision during the
implementation of our respective activities.
While taking time, there has been steady and positive progress with the development of the
Responding to GBV Learning Lab/Health Provider Training curriculum, and the process is
helping to facilitate engagement with INS senior and program staff, which is very important for
successful implementation in health facilities in the future.
In general, the USAID Harmonia activity has adapted over quarter 2 to various challenges in a
way that has demonstrated the creativity and resourcefulness of the team. These have included
determining how to continue to implement activities while complying with the measures of the
sanitary fence, and how to manage delays caused by competing priorities particularly those of
the MoH during this period of COVID-19 mitigation. The Harmonia team has continued to
maintain effective communication with the activity’s AOR about progress of activities, delays,
and mitigating measures.
Contributions of the Activity to the Guiding Principles and Special
Considerations on Implementation Approaches As in quarter one, HAI aims to ensure that special considerations are understood by staff and
integrated into implementation approaches in regard to ending GBV . Continuing on from the
GESI analysis conducted in 2020, which helped to inform the Harmonia activity about the GBV
context in Timor-Leste, the baseline survey, also involving interviews and preceded by survey
advocacy meetings, have further helped in informing staff about the context of the Harmonia
activity. As part of protective measures to ensure Do No Harm principles are understood and
adhered to, the following has been achieved:
⮚ Harmonia staff participated in a gender equality and GBV awareness training prior to
conducting the baseline and beginning their work in communities
⮚ Reflection sessions on challenges and solutions have been incorporated into weekly
team meetings
⮚ There is a focus in the community interventions on community-led planning and
activities, by community members and leaders, as they know their communities
best, with Harmonia staff providing gentle facilitation
Future actions
⮚ The HAI clinical team will receive a comprehensive Training-of-Trainers by a UNTL
trainer and HAI’s Gender Advisor on the Responding to GBV Learning Lab/Health
Provider Training Curriculum
⮚ Health providers will be well trained through the Responding to GBV Learning
Lab/Health Provider training to manage potential risks for their clients; to let clients
take the lead in assessing risks to their safety; to protect their client’s confidentiality;
15
to not force clients to take measures unless they feel safe and have the support they
need; and to continually review their assessment of their client’s safety.
⮚ The Harmonia team during activity implementation will continue to monitor
protection risks for vulnerable women and children
⮚ A protocol will be developed that will assist Harmonia staff, health staff and
community members to report incidents or behaviors considered inconsistent with
the DNH approach and principles.
⮚ Specific reflection sessions that reflect on successes and challenges of the activity
will be integrated into activity review, as will reflection on personal biases and any
DNH considerations.
Implementation of the baseline, launch and development of the Learning Lab curriculum has
involved some adjustment to approaches, while conforming to the overall activity design. For
example, while a baseline advocacy meeting was not part of the original activity plan preceding
the baseline, the team decided that it was necessary to ensure a clear understanding from
community members about the aim of the baseline before it began, and in particular to provide
legitimacy to team members’ presence in their communities. Careful engagement in this way
has ensured that the Harmonia team members are welcomed by community members and the
Harmonia activity is gaining good traction and legitimacy in communities.
Development of the Responding to GBV Learning Lab/Health Provider Training curriculum has
been taking time due to the need to ensure strong INS and MoH engagement from all levels,
management to trainer, so that the curriculum is implemented with a high level of quality.
Challenges Encountered Delays
The main challenges that the Harmonia Activity has experienced during quarter 2 have been
delays encountered for various reasons, including COVID lockdown/sanitary fence, competing
priorities, and engaging with relevant partners regarding the Learning Lab curriculum. USAID
Harmonia has aimed to maintain ongoing communication with the activity’s AOR about the
various challenges, the reasons for these and ways identified by the team to address the
challenges.
Lockdown and sanitary fence
In early March 2021 Dili was placed in a lockdown due to COVID-19 that included a sanitary
fence, meaning that it was not possible to leave Dili without authorization that includes a
negative COVID test. It took a couple of weeks for the Harmonia team to reorient to the new
situation, eventually applying and being granted authorization to travel outside of Dili to
implement program activities. To do this, as due to the sanitary fence it is not possible to travel
back and forth to Dili frequently, the team has also had to adopt a new approach of spending a
number of weeks at a time in each of the two municipalities, rather than returning to Dili each
day (which had been the original plan for most activities, given the proximity of Liquica and
16
Ermera to Dili). Now, a number of activities are being implemented close together over longer
periods of time, with possibly two weeks back in Dili for further planning, before returning
again. This approach will continue until the sanitary fence is lifted.
Competing priorities
During quarter 1 there have also been delays due to competing priorities. The baseline survey
took time to prepare and implement, and needed additional preparatory measures which also
took time, such as the aforementioned advocacy meetings. After the baseline was finished, the
team was able to start work on preparing for the CMP sessions, the preparation of which also
took time, as a guideline needed to be prepared, reviewed and agreed upon by the team, after
which the team participated in training on the guideline.
Learning Lab curriculum
The approval of the Responding to GBV Learning Lab curriculum was flagged as delayed in the
previous quarter and unfortunately it continues to be delayed. While the draft was developed
and presented to INS and the MoH early in 2021, discussion of the draft was initially delayed
pending recruitment of a UNFPA GBV curriculum expert. This meant not only delay in activity
implementation, but also delay in fulfillment of key milestones. Since then there have been
further discussions the result of which has meant that INS has allowed Harmonia to proceed
with implementing the curriculum as a pilot in the two targeted sites, open for feedback from
other sources while it is being implemented. The Harmonia team is now in the process of
working closely with INS on modifying the structure of the curriculum as requested by INS, after
which it can be re-submitted for INS approval and to MoH and UNFPA for their awareness as
key partners.
Future Directions and Upcoming Interventions Activities planned for the next Activity quarter (April, May, June 2021) will include:
● Implementation of Administrative Post advocacy meetings
● Realization of the CMP sessions in 15 sucos
● Commencement of Information and Learning activities in each of the sucos
● Approval of the Responding to GBV Learning Lab/Health Provider Training Curriculum
● Implementation of the Health Provider Training Curriculum Training of Trainers (ToT)
● Commencement of the intensive Responding to GBV Training for Health Providers
During the upcoming quarter, the Harmonia activity will be expected to achieve seven
milestones:
1. Responding to GBV Learning Lab curriculum approved by INS (30 April)
2. Municipal advocacy meetings held in seven admin posts (30 April)
3. Microplanning sessions held in 15 sucos (30 April and 15 May – Milestones 10 and
11)
4. Responding to GBV Learning Lab pre-test implemented in ten facilities (31 May)
17
5. Three GBV trainings conducted (15 May)
6. Four CMP Information and Learning sessions completed in 15 sucos
HAI looks forward to working toward and achieving each of these milestones and
commencement of the Harmonia Activity’s two key interventions leading to ending gender-
based violence.
18
Success Stories
Baseline Community Survey
Community commitment
The Harmonia Activity Baseline Community Survey was conducted over a period of two weeks
in February 2021. The baseline was able to achieve the target number of key informants to a
quantitative 25-question survey, with a total of 268 participants. While the survey data report is
not yet ready, the process of conducting the baseline and the connections with communities
that ensued from this, makes the baseline survey process a successful endeavor in terms of
being an integral part of the process of gaining commitment from communities for the
Harmonia activity.
Survey participants are members of
the Community Microplanning (CMP)
groups that will be working to address
gender-based violence in their
communities. The same people will be
interviewed again as part of the
endline survey at the conclusion of
the three-year activity. As these
people will be intimately involved in
the community intervention during
the three years of the USAID
Harmonia activity, the
implementation of the baseline survey
was an opportunity to explain USAID
Harmonia activities and objectives to
the survey participants, and to
interview them on their knowledge,
attitudes and opinions, helping to
create a willingness and commitment
from them to be involved in the activity from start to finish.
HAI staff learning
The survey tool was developed with the support of a graduate student from the University of
Washington. It was entered into an online tool called REDCap, which was then uploaded onto
tablets which HAI purchased especially for this baseline activity. Previous surveys administered
by HAI staff had always utilized paper based surveys; this presented an opportunity for staff to
learn the technology of administering a survey in this way. It was exciting to see the HAI staff
development that took place as a part of the baseline survey. Prior to beginning the survey in
communities, Harmonia staff participated in a GBV sensitization training that facilitated greater
Harmonia team member interviewing a baseline
survey participant in Urahou village, Ermera
19
awareness and sensitivity about GBV, important for compliance with Do No Harm principles
during the survey implementation.
COVID-19 screening questions
The survey was implemented in Ermera and Liquica as COVID-19 cases were increasing in Dili,
although there had not yet been any cases identified in Ermera and Liquica. The student
supporting the Harmonia team with the development of the survey suggested incorporating a
selection of COVID-19 screening questions into the start of the survey, as these were also a
requirement of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) process for her graduate project. The
questions, suggested by the University of Washington, were modified by the Harmonia team to
be relevant in the Timor-Leste context. They included questions about symptoms, recent
testing, recent quarantine or recent contact with infected persons. ‘Yes’ answers immediately
shut down the tablet form survey and the interviewer was asked to let the respondent know
that the interview could not be continued. COVID-19 information was provided to all interview
respondents. The survey needed to be shut down as a result of COVID-19 screening on two
occasions in Ermera. HAI is not aware of any other surveys that have included this kind of
screening information during the COVID-19 period and believes that this is best practice that
INS has also now had the opportunity to implement and can recommend to other researchers
(two INS staff accompanied the Harmonia team during two days of survey implementation for
quality control purposes). USAID Harmonia can recommend to INS that these screening
questions be introduced as a precursor to subsequent surveys approved by INS.
These successes illustrated the USAID Harmonia Activity Baseline Survey conducted in February
2021.
20
Joint Activity Launch – USAID Harmonia and USAID Healthy Relationships for a Violence-
Free Future USAID launched its two new activities, USAID Harmonia and USAID Healthy Relationships for a Violence Free Future, at Novo Tourismo Hotel in Dili on 23 February 2021. Both activities focus on ending gender-based violence (GBV) in three municipalities in Timor-Leste, and the launch was an opportunity for these two new activities to be showcased and officially begun. The launch was well attended with 56 participants, including from NGOs and civil society, municipal and national government representatives including the MoH, INS, MSSI and Police, donors and USAID themselves. Participants also included high-level government representatives, the Vice-Minister for Health and the Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion. These two government representatives gave introductory speeches, as did the USAID Mission Director. The Secretary of State talked about the increase in GBV focused projects and initiatives in Timor-Leste, and the benefit of this for Timor-Leste, where rates of GBV are high. She also referred to the need for strong coordination among stakeholders, to avoid duplication and to best distribute resources. The Vice-Minister for Health referred to the issues of gender inequality, stereotypes and differences in power that are the foundation for gender-based violence. The launch was an opportunity for both activities to present their Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Analysis, and there was a vibrant and thought provoking discussion session after the presentations.
The Vice-Minister for Health speaking at the launch (L); Participants at the launch (R)