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Good practice Imported

SASA! Community Mobilisation Programme against Intimate Partner Violence — Uganda

Uganda · Kampala · See the Uganda profile · See the Kampala profile

Evidence: Randomised controlled trial Top 4% 100/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

SASA! is a community mobilisation model to prevent intimate partner violence (IPV), developed in Kampala, Uganda. A cluster RCT (2007–2012) showed 52% lower physical IPV incidence in intervention communities. Now adapted in 50+ countries worldwide.

-52%
Past-year physical IPV (women) (2007–2012)
ARR 1.28 (95% CI 1.07–1.52)
Acceptance that a woman can refuse sex (2007–2012)
50+
Countries adapting SASA!
SASA! Community Mobilisation Programme against Intimate Partner Violence — Uganda SASA! Community Mobilisation Programme against Intimate Partner Violence — Uganda

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Raising Voices
Period
2007–present
Keywords
gender-based violence prevention, community mobilisation, intimate partner violence, HIV prevention, social norms

Context

SASA! (Kiswahili for 'now') is a community-mobilisation model to prevent intimate partner violence, developed by Raising Voices and implemented by CEDOVIP in Kampala, Uganda. It trains ordinary community members as activists who shift social norms around gender and power through four phases — Start, Awareness, Support, Action — over roughly 24–36 months.

Results

An independent cluster randomised controlled trial in Kampala (2007–2012; Abramsky et al., BMC Medicine 2014) found 52% lower past-year physical intimate partner violence in intervention communities (adjusted risk ratio 0.48) and significantly greater acceptance that a woman can refuse sex (ARR 1.28). SASA! has since been adapted in more than 50 countries.

Implementation

Implementation detail (cost, timeline, staffing, conditions for success) is not yet available for this practice.

Commonly funded by

Philanthropic / foundation funding

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

Where it's been adopted

Documented replications and adaptations of this practice elsewhere.

PlaceWhenAdopterOutcome
Kigoma, Tanzania — Women's Promotion Centre Rural adaptation of SASA! for violence-against-women and HIV prevention (Raising Voices adaptation study).
Jacmel, Haiti — Beyond Borders Culturally adapted SASA! (Rethinking Power) for Haitian communities.
Dadaab, Kenya — International Rescue Committee Humanitarian-setting adaptation of SASA! in refugee camps.
Iraq — Humanitarian partner (Raising Voices adaptation project) Humanitarian-setting adaptation of SASA! in Iraq.

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