How in-country validation helped support GBV response

Last year, some of our team members visited South Sudan for a key step in the development of one of our projects: validating our adaptation of an existing gender-based violence (GBV) Pocket Guide into a low- to no-literacy, visual version for non-GBV trained humanitarian practitioners in the country. (You can learn more about that process and see photos from the validation workshop in South Sudan here.) 

Over the course of a three-day validation workshop with local community members, non-traditional humanitarian actors, and the CARE South Sudan team, we tested the GBV Visual Pocket Guide and gathered feedback that allowed us to determine not just the overall effectiveness of the manual, but also the cultural accuracy of the illustrations in the visual pocket guide.

The validation workshop helped us understand what was working and where changes needed to be made to ensure that users understood the information in the visual pocket guide. During that process, we developed a methodology that can be used as a roadmap for other projects that require translation of complex, text-based information into content that is suitable for low- to no-literacy users in different cultural settings. 

Applying our methodology to other cultural settings

We had the opportunity to test this methodology when CARE asked us to adapt the GBV Visual Pocket Guide for use in Honduras and Mali. We adjusted the images of the visual pocket guide to make them culturally relevant for each country; we translated the written elements of the guide into Spanish for Honduras and French for Mali; and we were able to partner with excellent facilitators who conducted the validation process in both countries, in their respective languages.

The in-person validation workshop in Honduras was hosted and organized by CARE Honduras with support from CARE USA, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the community partner organization, Jóvenes Contra la Violencia.

In Mali, the in-person workshop was hosted and organized by CARE Mali with support from CARE USA, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the community partner organization YA-G-TU.

As we continue to see the positive impact of this work, we look forward to observing how the methodology we developed–and the lessons learned along the way–can support other humanitarian programs and organizations in responding to GBV disclosures. 

Dive deeper into the story

• Developing the GBV Visual Pocket Guide – Get an in-depth look into the process of creating the low- to no-literacy, visual GBV pocket guide, including the background of the project, our strategy and solutions, and the approach we took to developing the visuals.
• Validating the visual guide in South Sudan – Read about how our collaboration with local community groups in South Sudan helped us ensure the guide was usable and culturally accurate.