How To Guides

1. How to identify and advance equitable social norms: 

This brief introduces the definition of social norms, including gender norms, and how they relate to GBV, including how, by identifying context-specific social norms, program implementers can promote equitable norms in their program activities.

2. How to Use USAID’s Interactive Maps on the Prevalence of Child, Early, and Forced Marriage and Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: 

CEFM and FGM/C are harmful GBV practices that affect millions of women and girls, in all their diversity, around the world. This guide helps USAID missions, operating units, and implementing partners identify where these practices are occurring globally, including “hot spots” at the subnational level.

3. How to implement a survivor-centered approach in GBV programming: 

A survivor-centered approach focuses on the empowerment of survivors by creating a supportive environment for healing. This is the hallmark of quality GBV programming as it empowers survivors and promotes their dignity and agency. This Infographic contains a brief overview of survivor-centric approaches.

4. How to Integrate Mental Health and Psychosocial Interventions in Gender-Based Violence Programs in Low-Resource Settings:

This how-to note explains how mental health and psychosocial support can complement and bolster gender-transformative prevention approaches that address root causes of violence such as gender inequality and power imbalances.

5. How to Embed Self- and Collective Care in Organizations Addressing Gender-Based Violence: 

The need to embed self-care and collective care within organizations addressing GBV is clear — both as an ethical imperative and a core component of quality programming. This how-to note aims to support USAID and implementing partners in deepening their understanding of self- and collective care and why both are critical for GBV work. 

1. Theory of Change: 

The CEFMU and FGM/C  theory of change aims to help guide USAID’s decision-making related to investments and action; identify potential impacts and outcomes; and provide common language and frameworks for those working across USAID, including implementing partners. It is intended to provide a high-level roadmap for USAID’s work in this area through 2030. 

2. Implementation Plan: 

The eight-year implementation plan (until 2030) provides a road map for USAID to achieve its vision of a world in which girls, boys, and children of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, and sex characteristics are free from the risk of CEFMU and are equitably valued and empowered, with safe and enabling environments that support them to realize their full potential. It outlines a plan for USAID to leverage its investments with governments, funders, implementing partners, and women- and girl-led organizations across the globe to strategically invest in gender-transformative, context-specific, evidence-based, sector-specific, and cross-sectoral programming and research.

3. Learning Agenda: 

The learning agenda builds on a theory of change that describes how USAID engagement in efforts to address CEFMU can contribute to a more gender-equal world and offers a set of strategic questions for which USAID intends to produce evidence and findings. These will support USAID and a broader global community of actors to work more effectively by informing the design and implementation of CEFMU-related strategies, programs, projects, and activities.

4. Custom Indicators:

These custom indicators can be used by USAID and implementing partners to assess progress toward CEFMU results. They are intended for use in combination with USAID standard indicators related to gender equality to assess progress toward intended CEFMU results across the socioecological framework.

5. Interactive CEFMU and FGM/C Maps: 

These interactive maps on CEFM and FGM/C describe their prevalence in countries where these practices occur, including “hot spots” (areas of higher prevalence) at the subnational level. The maps also show how education, wealth, and other secondary indicators interact with the prevalence of CEFM and FGM/C.