Section IV. Organizational Capacity: There are two parts of this section:
1.) In no more than 225 words, provide information that shows a proven record of programming to address violence against women as well as a track record of success in influencing other organizations. Specific examples of past positive outcomes must be provided.
Example 1: For the past 15 years, our organization has offered a significant amount of programs that address violence against women. Starting with offering workshops for parents of school-aged girls, our organization grew the program to include after-school and Saturday programs for school-aged girls in the safe environment of the community center; an annual weeklong festival that highlights art and music created by workshop participants; and career days held at local schools that illustrate various career options for girls.
The outcomes, although small in comparison to efforts of bigger organizations, are significant in our region. The workshops offered to parents resulted in continuous conversations about how to make our region a safer place for both girls and boys. The after-school and Saturday programs for school-aged girls enabled participants to explore various cultural activities, such as music and art. This program has become so successful that projects are shared with the community in an annual weeklong festival. And probably our most successful program is career day where girls, specifically, become aware of career options available to them. Several girls have pursued additional education and higher levels of employment as a direct result of attending career day events.
Through our work we have positively influenced community and educational leaders so that they are now ready to support the building of safe spaces and developing and implementing school guidelines.
Example 2: The XYZ Foundation has worked to eradicate sexual harassment and workplace violence for women in India. With a target group of 1200 garment factories located in India, our Foundation has worked with 100 factories to develop and implement sexual harassment and workplace violence policies and procedures. Management, employees, and union representatives have been engaged to create guidelines and processes that address these issues effectively in their specific work environments. Through guided trial and error in implementing best practices, the 100 factories have experienced various degrees of success.
We have found that factories that possess the following characteristics: a good working relationship between management and union representation, a supportive company leadership committed to developing and implementing sexual harassment and workplace violence policies and procedures, and a working culture willing and able to make change are achieving success.
Factories that do not have one or more of the above characteristics are experiencing difficulty in a number of ways including: inability to agree upon policy language, disagreement over implementation methods, management that disregards union participation in decision making, and an overall culture that is not open to cultural change.
Through lessons learned, we are looking forward to implementing best practices that have proven to be successful in more challenging workplace environments. This work involves influencing company leadership as well as advocating the local and national legislators to clarify relevant laws.
