Hope Center for Girls Community-Based Organisation (CBO) has stepped up efforts to address gender-based violence (GBV) by extending vocational training opportunities to boys and young men, following an agreement with community elders aimed at promoting shared responsibility in ending violence.
The initiative seeks to challenge the perception that interventions against gender-based violence should focus exclusively on women and girls, instead encouraging men and boys to become active participants in building safer, more inclusive communities.
Under the arrangement, Hope Center for Girls agreed to support men and boys through skills development and other empowerment opportunities, while community elders committed to reforming their approach and playing a more active role in efforts to prevent and address gender-based violence.
The partnership reflects a community-led approach that recognises the importance of engaging traditional leadership and male community members in confronting practices and attitudes that contribute to violence and discrimination.
Community elders take centre stage
The organisation has already enrolled 68 boys in vocational training programmes offered at its facilities, where they are undertaking courses in welding, plumbing and electrical installation.The training is intended to equip the participants with practical, marketable skills that can improve their prospects of securing employment, starting small businesses and becoming economically independent.
By creating opportunities for boys and young men, the centre hopes to address some of the economic and social challenges that can undermine community wellbeing while encouraging positive attitudes towards gender equality, respect and peaceful coexistence.
Community elders often play an influential role in shaping social norms, resolving disputes and guiding families.
Their involvement in the agreement with Hope Center for Girls therefore provides an opportunity to strengthen local efforts to prevent gender-based violence.
Through their commitment to reform, the elders are expected to contribute to awareness creation, encourage accountability and help challenge harmful practices that expose women and girls to abuse.
Their participation also underscores the importance of involving community leadership in developing solutions that are locally accepted and sustainable.Rather than relying solely on external interventions, the partnership seeks to build a collective response in which community members share responsibility for preventing violence and supporting those affected by it.
The agreement also provides a platform for constructive engagement between the organisation and men who may previously have felt excluded from programmes designed to address gender-based violence.
Skills development as a pathway to empowerment
The enrolment of 68 boys in technical courses marks a practical step towards translating the partnership into tangible opportunities for young people.
Welding, plumbing and electrical installation are trades that can provide pathways into employment and self-employment, depending on the quality of training, access to tools and equipment, and opportunities to gain practical experience.
For the participants, the programmes offer an opportunity to acquire skills that can help them participate more actively in the local economy and build more secure futures.
For the wider community, investing in young people can strengthen livelihoods and create opportunities for constructive engagement, mentorship and positive social development.
However, the success of the initiative will depend not only on the number of boys enrolled but also on whether they complete their courses, acquire recognised competencies and transition into employment or viable businesses.
Continued engagement with local employers, technical training institutions and potential partners could help the centre strengthen the programme’s long-term impact.
A shared responsibility to end gender-based violence
Gender-based violence remains a challenge that requires coordinated action from families, community leaders, civil society organisations and public institutions.While women and girls frequently bear the brunt of such violence, engaging men and boys in prevention efforts is an important part of challenging harmful attitudes, promoting respectful relationships and encouraging non-violent ways of resolving disputes.
The Hope Center for Girls initiative seeks to bring these elements together by combining economic empowerment with a commitment from community elders to participate in reform and prevention efforts.
For the agreement to achieve its intended objectives, vocational training will need to be complemented by sustained community education, dialogue on gender equality, clear responses to reported cases of abuse and support services for survivors.
It will also be important to establish measurable indicators of progress, including changes in community attitudes, participation by elders, referrals and responses to reported cases, and the economic outcomes of the boys enrolled in training.
The involvement of community elders could help ensure that discussions about gender-based violence take place within local structures that residents know and trust, while the organisation’s empowerment programme offers a practical entry point for engaging young men.
Ultimately, the partnership presents an opportunity to demonstrate how community-based organisations can bring together livelihood development and social change in pursuit of safer communities.With 68 boys already undertaking technical courses, Hope Center for Girls has begun putting its commitment into practice.
The next test will be whether the agreement inspires lasting changes in community attitudes and strengthens collective action against gender-based violence.The initiative sends a clear message: ending gender-based violence requires more than protecting those at risk; it also requires engaging men and boys, challenging harmful norms and building communities where everyone can live with dignity, safety and respect.
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