1. 3 rd QUARTER PROGRESS REPORT, OCTOBER TO NOVEMBER, 2014 Project Title : “Men’s involvement in fostering gender equality, peacebuilding and prevention of SGBV”

2. 3 rd Quarter Narrative Report Outline 1.HEADING 2.INTRODUCTION and SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES 3.PROGRESS REPORT 3.1 Narrative 3.2 Progress of Activities Chart 4.PARTNERSHIPS BUILT 5.IMPACT OF PROJECT ON COMMUNITY/INDIVIDUAL 6.LESSONS LEARNT 7.CONCLUSION

3. 3 rd QUARTER October to December 2014  Project Title: “Men’s involvement in fostering gender equality, peacebuilding and prevention of SGBV”  Duration: 12 months  Reporting period: October to December, 2014  Locations covered: Sinoe County (Tuzon Community), Grand Gedeh County (Tiama Town), Gbarpolu County (Belle Yella Town), Grand Bassa County (Gboyee Tar Town), Grand Cape Mount / Bomi Counties (Melama Town).  Implementing organization: Rights and Rice Foundation (lead) in partnership with WANEP and DOMAFEIGN  Total budget: $ 102, 646.50 USD  Amount received: 44,003 USD  Expenditure for period : 15,047USD  Indicate Mid Term or Final Report: 3 rd Quarter Progress Report  Project objectives: Women and girls in five targeted communities feel secure in their communities and able to engage in their activities without fear of violence.  Beneficiaries: 250 male leaders from five communities as listed in PCA 1.0 Heading

4. Narrative Report: 2.1 Introduction: Rights and Rice Foundation (RRF) and UN Women on May 20, 2014 signed an agreement for implementation of the above mentioned project covering a period of 12 months. The goal of the project is to foster increased awareness and growing social sanctions for SGBV, resulting to decrease in gender based violence and creating enabling environment for the voices and needs of women to be addressed contributing to the national aspirations of sustainable development and building lasting peace. It is planned to achieve the following targets: UN Women wishes to increase the number of male networks for gender equality across different communities in Liberia, including men from urban and rural communities, youth, religious and traditional leaders, utilizing a new curriculum which is currently under development. The objective of the curriculum is to enable men to challenge the traditional masculine norms, to become advocates of gender equality and to actively promote positive social changes in their families and communities through a peer-to-peer mentoring mechanism. The project with RRF has the following major activities: Training of 250 existing and potential male group leaders in project communities; Hosting of dialogue sessions in project communities; Men’s campaigners/ recreation and sensitization in project communities; Alternative sensitization events in Project communities; Tracking of five human success/interest stories; Networking and collaboration with CSOs, CBOs, other agencies of the GOL, UN Agencies. Summary of achievement During the current period of drop/liftmen of the national state of emergency as a result of some improvement in the fight against EVD in and around the country, especially the project communities, the project has concentrated its work on; finalizing project preparation and mobilization activities, sensitization of project county and community leaders as well as recruitment of 250 male leaders which included verification and confirmation of 15 community volunteers. Under this period, the project teams developed and filed tested project instruments and training technique as a preparatory stage of kicking off full training activities after the TOT. We continue to work on finalizing the training and other working instruments that will be needed once we start work in the field actively after the pending TOT. In collaboration with UN Women and IPs, reviewed and developed revised schedule of services, facilities and payment (Work Plan). 2.1 Specific Objectives : “Women and girls in five targeted communities feel secure in their communities and able to engage in their activities without fear of violence”. 85% of men trained are actively engaged in networking and advocacy on women’s rights and SGBV.

5. 3 rd Quarter Narrative of Progress Report Contd. Activities planned, ones carried out and achievement during the reporting period Methodology and approaches employed during this reporting period Focus group discussions with key informants, buzz groups, individual interview using informal and formal questionnaires, mobilization, sensitization of community residents, planning and review meetings among project partners, filed visitations, networking and among others were very useful during the period under review. Partners' review and planning meetings Those meetings were focused on brief updates of project activities by partners, review of project activities; review of work plan, and structure reporting system (monthly and quarterly). These meetings resulted to a revised work plan, a set agreed on criteria for the selection of the 250 males, schedules for monthly and quarterly project reports. The meetings also helped the partners to redesign strategies for community entry and social mobilization that helped the field staffs to succeed in carrying out the ten county and community forums held in the five project communities taking into account EVD. Verification and confirmation of recruited community volunteers, field testing of training techniques as well instruments. From October 17 to 26, 2014 a week long filed exercises were carried out in the five project communities of Bomi/Cape Mount, Gbarpolu, Sinoe, Grand Bassa and Grand Gedeh Counties. During these visits, the project teams verified and confirmed fifteen (15) community based volunteers who will be trained to serve as local facilitators in rolling out training activities with little more than 250 registered male leaders at community levels with supervision from the field officers during the next quarters. The fifteen volunteers were selected by UN Women in closed collaboration with IPs from among more than 25 community recommended individuals who took the comprehensive writing test during joint mission field exercises. The training of the newly recruited community volunteers will be done as agreed in PCA, by the implementing partners after receiving week long training from UN Women through its international consultant PROMUDO on the content of the Men’s involvement in fostering gender equality, peacebuilding and prevention of SGBV new curriculum. In the process of preparing for the training of 15 recruited community based volunteers, the project teams organized and developed training techniques handout, filed tested the handout with fifteen local recruited community volunteers including some registered male leaders and male counterparts. The field testing was done through buzz groups, handout revision, QAs and demonstration. The handout on training techniques designed and tested will be jointly used across project communities by training teams alongside with the new men’s curriculum developed by UN Women through its international consultant PROMUDO. 3.1 Narrative

6. Narrative of Progress Report contd. Identification and recruitment of 250 male leaders and public health awareness against EVD spread RRF in co partnership with WANEP and DOMANFEIGN, under the reporting period, conducted general community mobilization, project awareness, development and filed testing of training techniques, while recruitment of 266 male leaders done in the five project communities of Bomi/Cape Mount (Melama Town), Grand Bassa (Gboyee Tarr Town), Grand Gedeh (Tiama Town), Sinoe (Tuzon) and Gbarpolu (Belleh Yallah) Counties with community residents including intergenerational groups of elders, youth, women, chiefs, and local district and county authorities. About three hundred sixteen (316) community residents participated in these structured meetings at district, county and community levels from November 17 to 24, 2014. The project teams adopted various methodologies such as buzz group discussions, community forums, small group discussion and individual interview using informal and formal questionnaires across the five project communities as listed in the proposal. In addition, on October 17, 2014 through November 17, 2014, ten community forums were held in more than eight communities including project communities bringing together about four hundred thirteen community leaders including Youth, Women leaders, the County Gender Coordinators, physical challenged persons, media and other well-meaning citizens to discuss the continue excavation of EVD with emphasis on Signs, symptoms and preventive measures of the deadly Ebola disease. In these meetings, Citizens expressed their appreciation to UN women for the empowerment of implementing partners for their immense contributions and concerns for those rural communities. The forums were aimed at raising project awareness with the intention of managing project beneficiaries’ expectations and create more sensitization on Ebola awareness into account EVD mandate passed on the National Government of Liberia forbidden large gathering, frequent washing of hands with detergent/soap, the urgent need to respect curfew and the state of emergency. The communities also received preventive hand washing materials and buckets with as a mean of helping to eradicate the deadly EVD out of Liberia and how we can sustain these preventive measures. It was also observed that other service providers including NGOs, private, individuals and public are involved with the EVD awareness as well. Putu Mining Iron Ore Inc. Community Relation department is creating awareness around the Putu belt with especial focus on Tiama Town. Community residents are also adhering to EVD mandate and following all preventive measures.

7. 3 rd QUARTER IMPLEMENTATION PHOTOS

8. 3 rd QUARTER Narrative Report: CONTD. 4.0 PARTNERSHIPS BUILT : Yes, under this project, the lead organization (RRF) is co-partnering with two Liberian NGOs; WANEP and DOMAFEIGN and has became to collaborate/network with CBOs/CBOs (AMU-LU in Zwedru City) and others in the project communities both local and international. The MoGD county coordinators in project counties contributed through mobilization and sensitization toward the project results achieved during this reporting period. 5.0 IMPACT OF PROJECT ON COMMUNITY/INDIVIDUAL : As the result of strategic project mobilization and sensitization in all project communities, female counterparts (males) are confusing act of SGBV against women as well as girls and committing themselves to change positively during and after implementation. “Indeed this is a good beginning for positive change by saying the true” said T. Kpan Gbargbeh, Magistrate of Tuzon Community in Sinoe County. 6.0 HUMAN INTEREST STORY : Not yet until full implementation of project, monitoring of training and others eventful activities taking place at community levels will be built on in the collection of these stories. 7.0 LESSONS LEARNT:. At this point; there is a need to adjust project strategies only regards to the originally planned timeline, work plan and budget based on the current situation faced the project in terms of implementation, as projected during the design and planning of the process. For example, the revised Schedule of Services, Facilities and Payments (Work Plan). 8.0 CONCLUSION: RRF and her partners will continue to fuel in on more preparation, managing project beneficiaries’ expectation while maintaining the momentum generated at the genesis of the implementation at community levels and equipped to move on with project field activities when the curfew (12 am – 6 am) is lifted over project communities with an indicators that Ebola Virus is eliminated from the relevant authorities. RRF and her co-partners with supports from UN Women and other donors, will continue strategic community engagement on sensitization of preventive measures in the fight against the EVD spread and elimination across the nation most especially the project communities. RRF and partners are also engaged at various levels in the sensitization and awareness building around the Ebola in some counties, working with the National CSO Ebola Task Force.

9. 3 rd QUARTER Narrative Report: RIGHTS AND RICE FOUNDATION DECEMBER 8, 2014 Monrovia