Preventing intimate partner violence in Blantyre with Moyo Olemekeza and SASA! Together
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
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
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 1700 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years to 49 Years |
| Sex | Female |
| Sponsor | George Washington University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Blantyre) |
| Trial ID | NCT07502183 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
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.
Who should consider this trial
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.
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.
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 performed: 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.
Eligibility criteria
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 this trial is running
Blantyre
- 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
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.