SASA PROJECT

SAYWHAT implemented the 4-phase SASA model – Start! Awareness! Support! Action! With support from UN Women in the district of Hopley in Harare Zimbabwe.

Project Goal: To challenge individuals and communities to think about their power, and how their use of power affects their intimate partners as well as their interactions with community members. To change community attitudes, norms and behaviors that result in men’s power over women – a root cause of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).

SASA responded to the realization that Zimbabwe has an estimated 1.3 million people living with HIV with women bearing a disproportionate burden of the epidemic. The link between HIV and Violence against Women and Girls is universally acknowledged; and community-based programming, such as SASA! helped improve gender norms while also addressing violence against women. SAYWHAT continues to prioritize the adaptation and development of long-term, systematic strategies aimed at social norm change and helping communities through the stages of behavior change.