Masaf Development Organization Launches Digital Awarenes to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls in the Somali Region

Masaf Development Organization (MDO) has officially commenced implementation of its new project, “Digital Awareness to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG),” following participation in the Small Grant Mechanism Grantee Kickoff and Capacity Building Workshop organized by the International Solidarity Foundation (ISF) with support from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.

The four-day workshop, held from 20–23 June at Hagarlaawe Hotel in Jigjiga, brought together eight selected grantee organizations from across Ethiopia. The event served as an important platform for project orientation, capacity strengthening, collaborative learning, and detailed planning for the implementation phase of the Small Grant Mechanism.

During the workshop, participating organizations worked closely with the ISF team to finalize project action plans, implementation approaches, monitoring frameworks, budgets, reporting requirements, and safeguarding considerations. The sessions provided practical guidance on effective project delivery, community engagement, accountability, and achieving sustainable impact.

For Masaf Development Organization, the workshop marked an important milestone in launching a community-driven initiative aimed at preventing violence against women and girls through social norms transformation, youth engagement, community dialogue, and advocacy.

The project will be implemented in Jigjiga City and surrounding communities, engaging youth, women, religious leaders, elders, community influencers, university students, and local institutions in collective efforts to address harmful practices and promote gender equality.

Through youth leadership initiatives, community conversations, digital awareness campaigns, peer-to-peer outreach, and public engagement activities, the project seeks to strengthen local ownership of solutions and foster safer, more inclusive communities where women and girls can thrive free from violence and discrimination.

Speaking on the significance of the workshop, the Masaf team highlighted the value of learning alongside fellow grantees and receiving practical support from ISF to strengthen project planning and implementation.

The workshop also created opportunities for networking, knowledge exchange, and collaboration among participating organizations working on gender equality, community empowerment, and social transformation across different regions of Ethiopia.

As implementation begins, Masaf Development Organization looks forward to working closely with communities, local stakeholders, youth leaders, and women’s groups to advance positive social norms and strengthen community-led action against violence against women and girls.

The project reflects Masaf’s continued commitment to empowering underserved communities, promoting inclusion, and creating sustainable pathways for social change in the Somali Region.

Photo Caption: Masaf Development Organization team members participating in the Small Grant Mechanism Grantee Kickoff and Capacity Building Workshop held at Hagarlaawe Hotel, Jigjiga, from 20–23 June 2026.

About the Partnership
The project is being implemented by Masaf Development Organization through the Small Grant Mechanism, supported by International Solidarity Foundation (ISF) and funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, to strengthen community-led efforts for the prevention of violence against women and girls in Ethiopia.