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USAID Harmonia Activity

Communities Ending Gender-Based Violence

Quarterly Report

January-March 2021

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USAID HARMONIA BASELINE

COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT

ERMERA AND LIQUICA

9-19 FEBRUARY 2021

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Contents

Executive Summary 4

Key Achievements and Milestones 4

Challenges and Response 4

Future Directions 5

Introduction 7

Program Activities and Highlights 8

Activity Set-Up and Preparation (Strategy 1) 8

Plans and Reports 8

Stakeholder Engagement 8

Training 10

Launch 10

Baseline Community Survey (Strategy 2) 11

Learning Lab Curriculum Development (Strategy 6) 12

Activity Update as per the Annual Work Plan 13

Key Accomplishments 13

Contributions of the Activity to the Guiding Principles and Special Considerations on Implementation

Approaches 14

Challenges Encountered 15

Delays 15

Lockdown and sanitary fence 15

Competing priorities 16

Learning Lab curriculum 16

Future Directions and Upcoming Interventions 16

Success Stories 18

Baseline Community Survey 18

Community commitment 18

HAI staff learning 18

COVID-19 screening questions 19

Joint Activity Launch – USAID Harmonia and USAID Healthy Relationships for a Violence-Free Future 20

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Executive Summary Health Alliance International (HAI) signed the agreement with USAID – Fixed Amount Award No.

72047220FA0002 - in August 2020 for the three-year USAID Harmonia Activity, with a start

date of 17 August 2020. The USAID Harmonia Activity – Communities Ending Gender-Based

Violence (GBV) aims to end GBV in communities by applying a people to people approach,

working towards more equitable gender relations and improved gender-sensitive health

services for women in 31 sucos and 10 health centres, in Ermera and Liquica municipalities in

Timor-Leste. Activities will emphasize increasing knowledge and awareness and shifting

attitudes and social norms regarding GBV in communities and in health settings. The

community activities will focus on development of community action plans by village

leadership, that aim to address specific GBV-related issues in their community that then lead to

information and learning sessions with the general community. The health sector intervention

will provide intensive and follow-up training on responding to GBV, specifically aiming to

enhance the ability of health providers to properly support clients who are experiencing GBV.

Key partners for the activity include the Ministry of Health (MoH), National Institute for Health

(INS), Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI) and Secretary of State for Equality and

Inclusion (SEII).

Key Achievements and Milestones ● Completion of key reports and plans, including the Gender Inclusive Development Plan

(GIDAP) and the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Plan

● Dissemination of the USAID Harmonia Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI)

Analysis

● Completion of the Baseline Community Survey, with data analysis underway (Milestone

9 completed)

● Development of the Responding to GBV Learning Lab/Health Provider Training

curriculum, with structure of draft currently being edited in consultation with INS staff

(Milestone 5a completed)

● Activity launch held jointly with USAID Healthy Relationships for a Violence-Free

Future

● Ongoing positive stakeholder engagement, particularly at the municipality level

Challenges and Response The major challenge for the activity thus far has been delays brought about by competing

priorities, COVID-19 lockdown and the need to ensure positive engagement with partners who

are currently busy with competing priorities in particular the Ministry of Health’s current

priority to mitigate COVID and roll out the vaccine. While there has been some delay with the

community intervention activities, this is mainly due to competing priorities such as the

baseline survey, the unforeseen need to develop a community microplanning manual and the

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time it took to do this, and the imposition of the COVID-19 sanitary fence. The delay with the

Responding to GBV Learning Lab/Health Provider Training curriculum however has been more

extensive and impactful, and has come about due to the need to be sensitive to competing

interests and to ensure continued positive relationships for the benefit of the activity. The delay

in approval of the curriculum impacts on the timely achievement of upcoming related

milestones including the Learning Lab sessions themselves. There is now progress being made

towards achieving the goal of curriculum approval, after structural and layout changes to the

draft curriculum are agreed upon by INS leadership. After approval however there are still a

number of other steps that need to be taken before the training program can begin, including

facilitator training, and submission to the INS ethics committee of an application for research

approval for the curriculum pre/post testing procedure.

During quarter 2 the Harmonia team has developed various ways of assessing and mitigating

the challenges experienced, and due to this has still managed to achieve completion of

activities and milestones, despite delays. This has included identifying ways of facilitating

development and approval of the Responding to GBV Learning Lab curriculum, in accordance

with the content and structure identified by INS and the MoH, and adjusting implementation of

the baseline survey to satisfy the way that this would best work in the community.

Future Directions Quarter 3 (April, May, June 2021), will see scaling up of activity implementation, for both the

community and health sector interventions. The community intervention will include

community microplanning (CMP) action planning, administrative post advocacy meetings, and

the commencement of information and learning sessions. In the health space, the Responding

to GBV curriculum will have been approved, the Training of Trainer (ToT) held and hopefully the

health provider training already begun. The baseline survey analysis will have been completed

and can be used to inform information and learning sessions in communities, and USAID

Harmonia will continue to be active in the referral networks and general stakeholder

engagement in the two municipalities as well. Internally, as activities begin to be implemented

the Harmonia team will be engaged in review and reflection activities, to ensure adherence to

the Do No Harm principle and to identify challenging areas of practice and areas for

improvement.

During the next quarter the USAID Harmonia activity expects to reach seven milestones:

1. Responding to GBV Learning Lab curriculum approved by INS (30 April)

2. Municipal advocacy meetings held in seven admin posts (30 April)

3. Microplanning sessions held in 15 villages (30 April and 15 May – Milestones 10 and 11)

4. Responding to GBV Learning Lab pre-test implemented in ten facilities (31 May)

5. Three GBV trainings conducted (15 May)

6. Four CMP Information and Learning sessions completed in 15 sucos

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Although achievement of most of these upcoming milestones is currently on track, further

delays cannot be ruled out due most significantly to the ongoing imposition of the sanitary

fence in Dili, as well as now also in Ermera and Liquica, making travel complicated, and also

considering the need to be mindful of the current requirement to limit conglomerations of

people.

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Introduction Health Alliance International (HAI) signed the agreement with USAID – Fixed Amount Award No.

72047220FA0002 - in August 2020 for the three-year USAID Harmonia Activity, with a project

start date of 17 August 2020. The USAID Harmonia Activity – Communities Ending Gender-

Based Violence (GBV) aims to end GBV in communities by applying a people to people

approach, working towards more equitable gender relations and improved gender-sensitive

health services for women in 15 villages and seven health centres in Ermera municipality and 16

villages and three health centres in Liquica municipality in Timor-Leste. Activities will emphasize

increasing knowledge and awareness and shifting attitudes and social norms regarding GBV in

communities and in health settings. The community activities will focus on development of

community action plans by village leadership, that aim to address specific GBV-related issues in

their community that then lead to information and learning sessions with the general

community. The health sector intervention will provide intensive and follow-up training on

responding to GBV, specifically aiming to enhance the ability of health providers to properly

support clients experiencing GBV. Key partners for the activity include the Ministry of Health

(MoH), National Institute for Health (INS), Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI) and

Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion (SEII).

The second quarter of the USAID Harmonia Activity (Q2 – Jan-Feb-Mar 2021) has involved a

number of activities related to getting the main interventions underway. There has been

continued development of plans and reports, which have almost all now been approved by

USAID and where relevant uploaded to the Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC).

These include the Gender and Inclusive Development Action Plan (GIDAP), the Monitoring,

Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Plan and the Q1 Quarterly Report. Further, the USAID Harmonia

Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Analysis has been published on email list serve

ETAN, posted on the HAI web page and emailed and hand-delivered to relevant partners in

Timor-Leste. In March, the Harmonia team made some adjustments to the MEL Plan based on

further review of targets and indicators; the updated plan is currently being reviewed by USAID.

In February 2021, the Harmonia team conducted the USAID Harmonia Activity Baseline

Community Survey in Ermera and Liquica, interviewing a total of 268 respondents. The Baseline

Activity is key to assessing achievement of outcomes of the USAID Harmonia Activity – the

responses will be compared with those provided in the endline survey, with the same questions

and the same participants, at the close-out of the activity in 2023.

Other activities have included the USAID Harmonia Launch, held jointly with USAID Healthy

Relationships for a Violence Free Future at the end of February 2021; and the participation of

the Harmonia team in a GBV sensitization training facilitated by Fokupers, a women’s advocacy

and refuge organization in Dili. While some HAI staff had previously participated in training of a

similar nature facilitated by other organisations, the Fokupers training was beneficial for the

consolidation of existing knowledge, and also represented a teambuilding opportunity for the

Harmonia team members.

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The USAID Harmonia Activity has experienced some delays this quarter. There is a delay with

the Responding to GBV Learning Lab/Health Provider Training Curriculum, which is yet to be

approved by INS. There have also been delays in community intervention implementation due

to a Dili lockdown and sanitary fence that began on 9 March, making it difficult for the

Harmonia team to leave Dili to implement activities in Ermera and Liquica. The team has made

some programmatic adjustments to enable activity implementation as of April 2021.

Program Activities and Highlights The USAID Harmonia work plan for the first year of the activity is divided into six strategies to

achieve the activity goal: 1. Activity set up and preparation 2. Baseline community assessment

3. National Stakeholder Engagement Meeting (Achieved in Quarter 1) 4.

Municipal/Administrative Post Advocacy Meetings 5. Community Microplanning 6. Responding

to GBV Learning Lab.

Activity Set-Up and Preparation (Strategy 1)

Plans and Reports

During quarter 2, a number of plans were developed and approved. These included the GIDAP,

the MEL Plan and the first quarterly report. Relevant plans and reports have been uploaded to

the DEC; the MEL Plan is currently under review by USAID as recent edits were made to the

plan based on review of the targets and indicators. The GESI has been disseminated to

stakeholders by email as well as hand delivered, and has been published on email list serve

ETAN, allowing the report to be accessed by a wide variety of researchers and experts involved

and interested in gender-based research in Timor-Leste, thereby widening the knowledge base

on gender issues and GBV in Timor-Leste. It has also been uploaded to the HAI website.

Stakeholder Engagement

The USAID Harmonia team has continued to engage with stakeholders during quarter 2, in

particular at the municipal level. Much of this engagement took place in preparation for and

during the baseline activity, as the baseline is specifically connected to activity implementation.

In preparing for the baseline the activity team were able to further build on their existing strong

relationships with the municipal health services in Ermera and Liquica, and further develop the

relationships with MSSI and local government authorities.

In terms of municipal engagement, the USAID Harmonia activity has been particularly involved

in the Liquica GBV Referral network, attending meetings and supporting where possible. In

January 2021 Harmonia staff participated in a ceremony initiated by CARE International and

facilitated by the Liquica GBV Referral Network, that involved the signing by nine village leaders

in Liquica of a pledge to prevent GBV in their communities.

As a result of participation in these network meetings, the Harmonia team was able to hear of

some cases of violence against women, including alleged rape, specific to one village in particular

and affecting mainly adolescent girls. HAI has a partnership with Rotary and a friendship group

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in Australia who supply goods for maternity packs for vulnerable women in Timor-Leste; when

HAI identifies vulnerable women who are pregnant or have recently given birth, they are given

one of these packs. The Harmonia team decided to do this for two particular cases that had been

shared in the Referral Network meeting and which had received little engagement to date from

other entities. Visiting these two women and their families enabled Harmonia staff to provide

initial support where possible, including GBV referral information and links to the local health

post and health provider. At the same time, the Harmonia midwife and the local MoH midwife

were able to provide important information to the young women and their families about mother

and child health.1

USAID Harmonia is in the process of establishing engagement with the Ermera GBV Referral

Network.

Other activities that have included specific stakeholder engagement include the Harmonia

Activity Launch, where it was possible to showcase the activity to a range of stakeholders from

national and municipality government level, as well as NGO partners, civil society and donors,

and dissemination of the GESI Analysis, which allowed USAID Harmonia to engage with specific

partners about the USAID Harmonia Activity. All municipal health and MSSI leadership were

present at the Harmonia launch, signifying commitment to and interest in the USAID Harmonia

Activity from these representatives. At the national level, SEII’s presence as a speaker at the

Launch indicates their commitment to this activity that is focused on enhancing gender equality

and ending gender-based violence.

USAID Harmonia has also continued to engage with USAID Healthy Relationships for a Violence

Free Future, in particular in preparation for the Launch, as well as with UNFPA and government

1 These photos should not be re-published anywhere external to this report.

Harmonia midwife hands over and explains the contents of the maternity

pack to two young women in Liquica

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partners, the MoH and INS, with regard to the Responding to GBV Learning Lab/Health Provider

Training curriculum.

Training

In January 2021, Harmonia staff participated in a

sensitization training on gender-based violence

delivered by Fokupers, a women’s advocacy and

refuge organization in Dili. The training reviewed

concepts related to gender stereotypes, the

rights of women and children, definition and

types of gender-based violence, referral services

and applicable laws. While some staff had

previously participated in similar training, the

Fokupers training helped to consolidate

knowledge as well as highlighted new areas of

knowledge. It was also a beneficial team-

building exercise for the newly created

Harmonia team.

Launch

On 23 February, the USAID Harmonia Activity was launched together with USAID’s other new

GBV-prevention focused activity, USAID Healthy Relationships for a Violence Free Future

(implemented by World Vision) at Novo Tourismo in Dili. The launch was attended by 56 people

including speakers the Vice-Minister for Health, the Secretary of State for Equality and

Inclusion, and the USAID Mission Director. The

launch presented the GESI analysis for the two

activities, and hosted a discussion session on

the two research pieces. The Launch was

valuable in formally launching the two

activities, and for stakeholder engagement,

and was an exciting moment for all involved.

See Launch Success Story below.

Gender roles exercise at the training

The USAID Harmonia GESI being presented at

the Launch

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Baseline Community Survey (Strategy 2) In February 2021, the Harmonia team conducted

the Baseline Community Survey. There were 268

baseline respondents in 31 villages, 40 percent of

whom were women. The baseline is relevant to

the community intervention component of the

Harmonia Activity, and involved a targeted

sample, where the baseline respondents are the

same people who will be part of the CMP

leadership group. The survey is a ‘matched’

survey, meaning that the endline will also

involve the same people, with the aim of

assessing change in knowledge, attitudes and

behaviors related to GBV, from baseline to

endline, among people closely involved in

determining and planning the response to GBV

in their communities. The aim of the baseline is also to inform the CMP intervention activities,

including the development of the action plan and the information and learning activities.

The development of the baseline and the tool itself was supported by a University of

Washington (UW - Seattle, United States) Master of Public Health student. HAI used its own

team members to conduct the baseline, rather than recruit external enumerators. Team

members were trained in the survey tool, administered via tablet using the REDCap Mobile App

data collection tool. The survey content included questions related to demographic

information, GBV knowledge and awareness, GBV attitudes and beliefs, perceived community

support for ending GBV, the extent of helping behavior in communities, and provision of

referral information. There were also COVID-19 screening questions at the start of the survey.

The baseline survey went through an ethics approval process at INS whereby the survey was

presented and approved by the research ethics committee, who provided some suggestions for

improving the survey and survey process. Enumerators, Harmonia team staff, were trained in

the survey tool over several days, and the survey was then field tested. INS staff accompanied

Harmonia staff for two days of survey implementation in each of the municipalities, for quality

control purposes.

The UW graduate student who worked with Harmonia to develop the survey is in the process of

conducting data cleaning and a descriptive analysis of the survey results. The report will be

used to guide Harmonia activities and to measure achievement of outcomes at the conclusion

of the Activity. The survey results will be presented to INS.

Preparing for Baseline Survey Advocacy Meeting

Leotela village, Liquica

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See Baseline Survey Success Story below and Annex 2 for the complete Baseline Survey Activity

Report.

Learning Lab Curriculum Development (Strategy 6) The development of the ‘Responding to Gender-Based Violence’ Learning Lab/Health Provider

Training curriculum has experienced some delay. The curriculum was submitted to INS for

approval in January 2021. It was at the same time also given to MoH and UNFPA for their

knowledge and review. Shortly after submitting the draft curriculum for review, the Harmonia

team met with INS, MoH and UNFPA who

suggested some changes to be made to the

structure of the curriculum, to conform more

clearly with the structure of current INS

training modules. They also suggested putting

further development of the curriculum on

hold, so that the to-be-recruited UNFPA

consultant could provide input to the

curriculum. The Harmonia team worked on

making the requested changes to the draft,

and after some time followed up with INS

about the timeline for implementation, given

the already long delay. At USAID Harmonia’s

suggestion, INS agreed in principle to allow

the training to be implemented as a pilot

while waiting for input from the UNFPA

consultant. The Harmonia team continued to

work on the requested changes to the

structure of the curriculum, however further delays to the process were experienced due to the

lockdown in March 2021. The team is currently in the process of finalizing the changes to the

curriculum structure as requested by INS. The current goal is to have version two of the

curriculum submitted to INS for review in the first week of May.

One issue that needs to be clarified in the final review of the curriculum before implementation

is which mnemonic to use. The gender expert who drafted the curriculum recommends the

mnemonic Hahu Relasaun, which was used in the pre-service curriculum and now has an

evidence base. However, the mnemonic used in the national guideline on GBV is a literal

translation of the WHO acronym LIVES, i.e. RHVAS in Tetum, about which there is concern

about the literal meaning of one of the words in Tetum. HAI’s gender expert recommends using

a combination of both mnemonics so that one explains the other; INS and the MoH will need to

agree to this. As it is important that language, terminology and teaching approaches are

consistent between different implementing partners in the area of GBV, the Harmonia team is

committed to ensuring good coordination in this regard.

HAI and INS staff working on the

formatting of the GBV Learning Lab

curriculum

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Referring to other strategies included in the current annual plan, the Stakeholder Meeting was

held in quarter 1, and the administrative post advocacy meetings and community

microplanning activities will be completed in quarter 3.

Activity Update as per the Annual Work Plan

Planned Activities for Jan-Mar 2021

Planned Timeline (from annual work plan)

Current Status

Comments on delays, adjustments, new due dates etc.

Milestone

(Y/N)

Prepare and finalize GIDAP

By 13 February 2021

Completed Has been uploaded to the DEC

N

Prepare and finalize MEL Plan

By 19 January

Under revision

Two revised versions have

since been submitted to

USAID. Currently under

USAID review

N

Conduct baseline survey and data entry

By 15 February

Completed Survey analysis in progress Y

Hold Activity Launch By 28 February

Completed Held in February timeframe as requested

N

Develop draft of Responding to GBV Learning Lab

By 25 March

Completed Milestone timeline adjusted to reflect new due date

Y

Key Accomplishments Quarter 2 of the Harmonia annual plan has seen steady progress, some aspects slower than

others due in part to competing priorities and the Dili sanitary fence that has further impacted

on timely completion of activities. Nevertheless, there have been key accomplishments

including and in particular the completion of the baseline survey, the launch, progress towards

approval of the Learning Lab curriculum, and continued positive stakeholder engagement.

The baseline survey was a large undertaking that took several weeks of preparation, of the

survey tool itself, training of the survey team and field testing. Adjustments to the survey were

made many times before it was used in the field. It was an exciting process as a number of

aspects of the preparation process were new to HAI staff. The implementation of the activity

itself was also an important teambuilding exercise for the Harmonia team, as was participating

together in the GBV sensitization training provided by Fokupers.

The activity launch was also a major achievement, especially due to the new and stronger

relationship that the planning of the event helped to facilitate with both USAID and World

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Vision. HAI looks forward to other opportunities for liaising further with World Vision during the

implementation of our respective activities.

While taking time, there has been steady and positive progress with the development of the

Responding to GBV Learning Lab/Health Provider Training curriculum, and the process is

helping to facilitate engagement with INS senior and program staff, which is very important for

successful implementation in health facilities in the future.

In general, the USAID Harmonia activity has adapted over quarter 2 to various challenges in a

way that has demonstrated the creativity and resourcefulness of the team. These have included

determining how to continue to implement activities while complying with the measures of the

sanitary fence, and how to manage delays caused by competing priorities particularly those of

the MoH during this period of COVID-19 mitigation. The Harmonia team has continued to

maintain effective communication with the activity’s AOR about progress of activities, delays,

and mitigating measures.

Contributions of the Activity to the Guiding Principles and Special

Considerations on Implementation Approaches As in quarter one, HAI aims to ensure that special considerations are understood by staff and

integrated into implementation approaches in regard to ending GBV . Continuing on from the

GESI analysis conducted in 2020, which helped to inform the Harmonia activity about the GBV

context in Timor-Leste, the baseline survey, also involving interviews and preceded by survey

advocacy meetings, have further helped in informing staff about the context of the Harmonia

activity. As part of protective measures to ensure Do No Harm principles are understood and

adhered to, the following has been achieved:

⮚ Harmonia staff participated in a gender equality and GBV awareness training prior to

conducting the baseline and beginning their work in communities

⮚ Reflection sessions on challenges and solutions have been incorporated into weekly

team meetings

⮚ There is a focus in the community interventions on community-led planning and

activities, by community members and leaders, as they know their communities

best, with Harmonia staff providing gentle facilitation

Future actions

⮚ The HAI clinical team will receive a comprehensive Training-of-Trainers by a UNTL

trainer and HAI’s Gender Advisor on the Responding to GBV Learning Lab/Health

Provider Training Curriculum

⮚ Health providers will be well trained through the Responding to GBV Learning

Lab/Health Provider training to manage potential risks for their clients; to let clients

take the lead in assessing risks to their safety; to protect their client’s confidentiality;

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to not force clients to take measures unless they feel safe and have the support they

need; and to continually review their assessment of their client’s safety.

⮚ The Harmonia team during activity implementation will continue to monitor

protection risks for vulnerable women and children

⮚ A protocol will be developed that will assist Harmonia staff, health staff and

community members to report incidents or behaviors considered inconsistent with

the DNH approach and principles.

⮚ Specific reflection sessions that reflect on successes and challenges of the activity

will be integrated into activity review, as will reflection on personal biases and any

DNH considerations.

Implementation of the baseline, launch and development of the Learning Lab curriculum has

involved some adjustment to approaches, while conforming to the overall activity design. For

example, while a baseline advocacy meeting was not part of the original activity plan preceding

the baseline, the team decided that it was necessary to ensure a clear understanding from

community members about the aim of the baseline before it began, and in particular to provide

legitimacy to team members’ presence in their communities. Careful engagement in this way

has ensured that the Harmonia team members are welcomed by community members and the

Harmonia activity is gaining good traction and legitimacy in communities.

Development of the Responding to GBV Learning Lab/Health Provider Training curriculum has

been taking time due to the need to ensure strong INS and MoH engagement from all levels,

management to trainer, so that the curriculum is implemented with a high level of quality.

Challenges Encountered Delays

The main challenges that the Harmonia Activity has experienced during quarter 2 have been

delays encountered for various reasons, including COVID lockdown/sanitary fence, competing

priorities, and engaging with relevant partners regarding the Learning Lab curriculum. USAID

Harmonia has aimed to maintain ongoing communication with the activity’s AOR about the

various challenges, the reasons for these and ways identified by the team to address the

challenges.

Lockdown and sanitary fence

In early March 2021 Dili was placed in a lockdown due to COVID-19 that included a sanitary

fence, meaning that it was not possible to leave Dili without authorization that includes a

negative COVID test. It took a couple of weeks for the Harmonia team to reorient to the new

situation, eventually applying and being granted authorization to travel outside of Dili to

implement program activities. To do this, as due to the sanitary fence it is not possible to travel

back and forth to Dili frequently, the team has also had to adopt a new approach of spending a

number of weeks at a time in each of the two municipalities, rather than returning to Dili each

day (which had been the original plan for most activities, given the proximity of Liquica and

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Ermera to Dili). Now, a number of activities are being implemented close together over longer

periods of time, with possibly two weeks back in Dili for further planning, before returning

again. This approach will continue until the sanitary fence is lifted.

Competing priorities

During quarter 1 there have also been delays due to competing priorities. The baseline survey

took time to prepare and implement, and needed additional preparatory measures which also

took time, such as the aforementioned advocacy meetings. After the baseline was finished, the

team was able to start work on preparing for the CMP sessions, the preparation of which also

took time, as a guideline needed to be prepared, reviewed and agreed upon by the team, after

which the team participated in training on the guideline.

Learning Lab curriculum

The approval of the Responding to GBV Learning Lab curriculum was flagged as delayed in the

previous quarter and unfortunately it continues to be delayed. While the draft was developed

and presented to INS and the MoH early in 2021, discussion of the draft was initially delayed

pending recruitment of a UNFPA GBV curriculum expert. This meant not only delay in activity

implementation, but also delay in fulfillment of key milestones. Since then there have been

further discussions the result of which has meant that INS has allowed Harmonia to proceed

with implementing the curriculum as a pilot in the two targeted sites, open for feedback from

other sources while it is being implemented. The Harmonia team is now in the process of

working closely with INS on modifying the structure of the curriculum as requested by INS, after

which it can be re-submitted for INS approval and to MoH and UNFPA for their awareness as

key partners.

Future Directions and Upcoming Interventions Activities planned for the next Activity quarter (April, May, June 2021) will include:

● Implementation of Administrative Post advocacy meetings

● Realization of the CMP sessions in 15 sucos

● Commencement of Information and Learning activities in each of the sucos

● Approval of the Responding to GBV Learning Lab/Health Provider Training Curriculum

● Implementation of the Health Provider Training Curriculum Training of Trainers (ToT)

● Commencement of the intensive Responding to GBV Training for Health Providers

During the upcoming quarter, the Harmonia activity will be expected to achieve seven

milestones:

1. Responding to GBV Learning Lab curriculum approved by INS (30 April)

2. Municipal advocacy meetings held in seven admin posts (30 April)

3. Microplanning sessions held in 15 sucos (30 April and 15 May – Milestones 10 and

11)

4. Responding to GBV Learning Lab pre-test implemented in ten facilities (31 May)

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5. Three GBV trainings conducted (15 May)

6. Four CMP Information and Learning sessions completed in 15 sucos

HAI looks forward to working toward and achieving each of these milestones and

commencement of the Harmonia Activity’s two key interventions leading to ending gender-

based violence.

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Success Stories

Baseline Community Survey

Community commitment

The Harmonia Activity Baseline Community Survey was conducted over a period of two weeks

in February 2021. The baseline was able to achieve the target number of key informants to a

quantitative 25-question survey, with a total of 268 participants. While the survey data report is

not yet ready, the process of conducting the baseline and the connections with communities

that ensued from this, makes the baseline survey process a successful endeavor in terms of

being an integral part of the process of gaining commitment from communities for the

Harmonia activity.

Survey participants are members of

the Community Microplanning (CMP)

groups that will be working to address

gender-based violence in their

communities. The same people will be

interviewed again as part of the

endline survey at the conclusion of

the three-year activity. As these

people will be intimately involved in

the community intervention during

the three years of the USAID

Harmonia activity, the

implementation of the baseline survey

was an opportunity to explain USAID

Harmonia activities and objectives to

the survey participants, and to

interview them on their knowledge,

attitudes and opinions, helping to

create a willingness and commitment

from them to be involved in the activity from start to finish.

HAI staff learning

The survey tool was developed with the support of a graduate student from the University of

Washington. It was entered into an online tool called REDCap, which was then uploaded onto

tablets which HAI purchased especially for this baseline activity. Previous surveys administered

by HAI staff had always utilized paper based surveys; this presented an opportunity for staff to

learn the technology of administering a survey in this way. It was exciting to see the HAI staff

development that took place as a part of the baseline survey. Prior to beginning the survey in

communities, Harmonia staff participated in a GBV sensitization training that facilitated greater

Harmonia team member interviewing a baseline

survey participant in Urahou village, Ermera

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awareness and sensitivity about GBV, important for compliance with Do No Harm principles

during the survey implementation.

COVID-19 screening questions

The survey was implemented in Ermera and Liquica as COVID-19 cases were increasing in Dili,

although there had not yet been any cases identified in Ermera and Liquica. The student

supporting the Harmonia team with the development of the survey suggested incorporating a

selection of COVID-19 screening questions into the start of the survey, as these were also a

requirement of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) process for her graduate project. The

questions, suggested by the University of Washington, were modified by the Harmonia team to

be relevant in the Timor-Leste context. They included questions about symptoms, recent

testing, recent quarantine or recent contact with infected persons. ‘Yes’ answers immediately

shut down the tablet form survey and the interviewer was asked to let the respondent know

that the interview could not be continued. COVID-19 information was provided to all interview

respondents. The survey needed to be shut down as a result of COVID-19 screening on two

occasions in Ermera. HAI is not aware of any other surveys that have included this kind of

screening information during the COVID-19 period and believes that this is best practice that

INS has also now had the opportunity to implement and can recommend to other researchers

(two INS staff accompanied the Harmonia team during two days of survey implementation for

quality control purposes). USAID Harmonia can recommend to INS that these screening

questions be introduced as a precursor to subsequent surveys approved by INS.

These successes illustrated the USAID Harmonia Activity Baseline Survey conducted in February

2021.

20

Joint Activity Launch – USAID Harmonia and USAID Healthy Relationships for a Violence-

Free Future USAID launched its two new activities, USAID Harmonia and USAID Healthy Relationships for a Violence Free Future, at Novo Tourismo Hotel in Dili on 23 February 2021. Both activities focus on ending gender-based violence (GBV) in three municipalities in Timor-Leste, and the launch was an opportunity for these two new activities to be showcased and officially begun. The launch was well attended with 56 participants, including from NGOs and civil society, municipal and national government representatives including the MoH, INS, MSSI and Police, donors and USAID themselves. Participants also included high-level government representatives, the Vice-Minister for Health and the Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion. These two government representatives gave introductory speeches, as did the USAID Mission Director. The Secretary of State talked about the increase in GBV focused projects and initiatives in Timor-Leste, and the benefit of this for Timor-Leste, where rates of GBV are high. She also referred to the need for strong coordination among stakeholders, to avoid duplication and to best distribute resources. The Vice-Minister for Health referred to the issues of gender inequality, stereotypes and differences in power that are the foundation for gender-based violence. The launch was an opportunity for both activities to present their Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Analysis, and there was a vibrant and thought provoking discussion session after the presentations.

The Vice-Minister for Health speaking at the launch (L); Participants at the launch (R)