Unite for a Better Life: Lessons on Programme Adaption for a Humanitarian Context

The project team from the Paris School of Economics share their lessons learnt in adapting the Unite for a Better Life (UBL) curriculum to help prevent intimate partner violence among Somali Refugees in Dollo Ado, Ethiopia. They outline the background to their HIF funded project and the adaptation process before identifying the following lessons in adaptation:

1. Evidence-based programming is the most effective way to achieve sustainable and meaningful change for communities. Formative research is therefore critical to understand the determinants of violence in a given setting and ensure the programme content is grounded in evidence.
2. Programme content should be adapted for a particular context, taking into account literacy level, religion, culture, and language, while ensuring programme fidelity.
3. While it is imperative that the UBL programme be delivered by trained facilitators from the community, some aspects of programme delivery may need to be adapted for the context. This potentially includes:
   • Timing, frequency and location of sessions
   • The community or cultural practice through which sessions are delivered
   • Risk mitigation and ethical considerations

Read the report to find out more.