Becoming One
Preventing intimate partner violence through churches
What makes this project unique
We included perpetrators and enablers of violence while remaining survivor-centered, allowing us to address intimate partner violence at a more systemic and transformative level.
Partners
Airbel Impact Lab (Airbel) at the International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)
World Vision (WV)
Anglican Church of Uganda (COU)
Location
Uganda
Focus
Safety
The problem
In East Africa, approximately half of all women between the ages of 15 to 49 have experienced physical or sexual abuse within an intimate partnership. This has been exacerbated during covid with 80% of new papers examining violence against women in low or middle income countries showing an increase in violence against women.
And still, so little is known about what works to prevent violence.
The solution
Becoming One is a 14 session counseling program designed to bring couples closer and prevent intimate partner violence against women. The program is delivered by faith leaders, who learn through videos and guide couples through engaging illustrated workbooks that teach communication skills, emotional regulation, shared control over finances, sexual consent and pleasure, and violence and the power of self-control to gain respect.
The impact
Becoming One is the only violence prevention program with couples in the church that is proven to be effective.
Becoming One went through a rigorous impact evaluation for 140 faith leaders and 1,680 couples. The research showed that intimate partner violence decreased by 12% one year after the program. Reductions in violence were driven by decreases in the proportion of women reporting their partner coerced sex or raped, punched, or pushed them – the acts most commonly reported before the program.
Our design activities followed the path to scale and were tailored for each phase
Faith leaders provide feedback after running the pilot in a co-creation session
Phase 1: Pilot
The program took its first steps by piloting in Northern Uganda, and we were on a mission to make it even better.
Our job was to find ways to improve the program and try out new ideas during this pilot.
Approach
We teamed up with IPA to gather valuable information by observing sessions and having in-depth conversations with couples and faith leaders.
With this information in hand, we facilitated synthesis sessions to uncover insights, find problems to fix and opportunities to make more impact.
We didn't stop there! We acted on these findings and started experimenting by working closely with couples and faith leaders to co-create ideas and test prototypes.
Results
We played a big role in helping Airbel figure out the key factors that make the program successful. This way, when we improved, adapted, and scaled it, we didn't lose the essence of what makes the program so effective.
We kept our designer hats on and put these improvements into action in the next version of the program, which underwent a randomized control trial (RCT).
By following the human-centered design approach, we made sure Airbel stayed true to its promise of really listening and responding to the communities they serve.
Phase 2: Randomized Control Trial (RCT)
The program had taken a big step forward into the research control trial, involving 1,680 couples.
Our job was to get everything ready for this exciting phase and provide support for the researchers and implementers to make it happen.
Approach
The RCT required some new design challenges, like how to help faith leaders share regular updates with the research team or how to help couples hold off on sharing their experience with the control groups.
We teamed up with IPA and the principal investigators to make sure the research stayed on track and true to its design.
During the implementation, we even set up a 'customer support' system to be there, ready to tackle any issues as they emerged.
Outcome
We successfully ran 3 rounds of the program with 160 faith leaders and their couples over 1.5 years, making sure they had all the support they needed.
Our ideas for data collection and contamination prevention paid off. The research team were able to get the accurate data they needed to evaluate the program.
And guess what? The RCT was a big success, with the research team finding out that the program significantly reduced the risk and prevalence of intimate partner violence. Woohoo!
Phase 3: Expansion
During the RCT, we discovered that many couples were already dealing with violence.
That's when we got the exciting assignment to broaden the program's scope, moving beyond just preventing violence to include helping folks respond to it.
Approach
We dove into design research, first digging deep into the experiences of both men and women, then learning about the reactions of the community and churches.
We didn't stop there, though! We went through a whopping 8 rounds of trying out new ideas with couples and faith leaders. Each time, we got closer to tackling the tough issue of violence response until we found solutions that could genuinely keep survivors safe from further harm.
► This experience got us thinking - read this blog to see what we learned.
Outcome
We came to two solutions that worked - first, we added an extra part to the Becoming One curriculum all about respect and managing anger. And second, we created a tool to help faith leaders be confident, effective and safe when counseling couples dealing with violence.
Both of these solutions were rolled into the Becoming One program, ready to be used for scale.
Faith leaders share their suggestions and ideas while testing our violence response tool
Phase 4: Scale
The Anglican Church of Uganda, with its 13 million members, offered to take on the program and scale it across the country.
Our job was to make the program resonate with people all over the nation and to try out different ways to ensure it was not just a one-time thing, but could thrive financially, run smoothly, and create long-lasting impact.
Approach
We journeyed across various parts of Uganda to immerse ourselves in diverse contexts so we could make the program relevant to Ugandans of all backgrounds. We tested different ideas with couples and faith leaders and incorporated the ideas that resonated.
Our partners conducted a mini scale-up so that it could be a learning and designing opportunity for the national scale-up. We helped to identify, track, and design for important goals, including impact, quality, cost-effectiveness, long-term implementation, and operations.
Outcome
We re-designed the program materials so that both the look and the content would resonate with both city dwellers and folks in rural areas in Uganda.
Our design for scaling up was a team effort, and the continuous sharing of testing and learning helped us stay on the same page and co-create the program model to be used for scale.
As of 2023, the team is scaling from Western to Northern to Central Uganda, equipped with experience and confidence from the design-for-scale work.
A woman shares her thoughts on a prototype for violence response during an in-depth interview