Preventing intimate partner violence in Blantyre with Moyo Olemekeza and SASA! Together
Official title: What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls: Impact at Scale: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial to Assess the Effectiveness of a Community-mobilisation Intervention to Prevent Violence Against Women in Malawi
Run by George Washington University · NCT07502183 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will try two community and family programs—SASA! Together and Moyo Olemekeza—to see if they reduce intimate partner violence and improve earnings and gender norms for food-insecure women aged 18–49 in monogamous households in Blantyre, Malawi.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 49 Years |
| Sex | Women only |
| Enrollment | 1700 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | George Washington University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Blantyre) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | October 15, 2025 |
| Main results expected | December 2028 |
| Study ends | January 2029 |
| Registry record updated | April 3, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07502183 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal participants are women aged 18–49 in monogamous relationships living in food-insecure households in Blantyre where a male is the primary decision-maker and the household is willing to join community meetings.
✕Probably not a fit
Women outside the age or relationship criteria, households that are not food insecure, polygamous households, those unwilling to participate in community activities, or people living outside the trial area may not receive benefit from this program.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
The PKN consortium will run a cluster-randomized controlled trial in Blantyre comparing a community mobilisation approach (SASA! Together) and a family-level economic and gender norms program (Moyo Olemekeza), with institutional-strengthening activities to support change. Eligible households include women 18–49 in monogamous relationships who live in food-insecure homes where a male is the primary decision-maker and who are willing to attend community meetings. Outcomes measured include past-year intimate partner violence, household earning and economic outcomes, and shifts in gender norms and behaviours, captured through household surveys and community monitoring. Local partners will deliver group sessions, livelihood activities, and community mobilisation over the intervention period to test the combined and separate effects of the approaches.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could reduce intimate partner violence, improve women's economic opportunities, and shift community norms that tolerate violence.
How similar studies have gone: Similar approaches have shown promising results—SASA! has prior evidence for changing community norms and Zindagii Shoista (which informed Moyo Olemekeza) demonstrated benefits in Tajikistan—although effects can vary when adapted to new contexts.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: 1. The household has a woman aged 18-49 who are in monogamous relationships 2. The household is food insecure, where food insecurity is scored on a scale of (0-7) and constructed from responses on 3 questions related to the household's food sufficiency (a) How does the household meet its food needs (b) How often does the household has food surplus and (c) How many times do you eat a full meal on a typical day over a year. 3. The primary decision maker of the household is male 4. Household is willing to participate in community meetings
Where it's running
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Imani Consulting, 6256+F3H, Jacaranda Rd, Mandala, Blantyre, Malawi
Blantyre, Malawi Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Saini Das, Ph.D.
- Email: saini.das@gwu.edu
- Phone: +1 (405) 679-7754
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.