Abstract
Since the onset of the Syrian conflict, women have faced heightened risks of gender-based violence (GBV), particularly intimate partner violence (IPV). To address these risks and prevent IPV, in Phase 1 of the Building Local Resilience in Syria Initiative (BLRS), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), piloted a combined economic and social empowerment intervention delivered through FAO’s Farmer Field Schools (FFS) in Homs and Rural Damascus. This intervention integrated agro-processing vouchers with the Economic and Social Empowerment (EA$E) curriculum targeting couples. While the pilot demonstrated reductions in women’s reported experiences of economic and emotional IPV and improvements in joint decision-making, it showed limited effects on men’s reported perpetration of economic IPV and gender attitudes.
Building on these findings, Phase 2 of the BLRS introduces key adaptations to strengthen men’s engagement, expand inclusion to women-headed households, and reinforce community-level norm change through Dimitra Clubs. The programme will be implemented in Aleppo and Rural Damascus, targeting approximately 1,500 participants, including couples and women breadwinner–household member pairs and an equal number of participants through Dimitra Clubs. Participants will receive agro-processing vouchers alongside an adapted EA$E curriculum that emphasizes shared financial planning, communication, gender-equitable practices, and recognition of women’s economic contributions. Dimitra Clubs will complement these efforts by fostering community dialogue and promoting gender-equitable norms.
The evaluation is guided by a theory of change that links stronger women’s businesses, improved intra-household communication, and shifts in gender attitudes and norms to reductions in IPV and improvements in household welfare. By addressing financial stress, enhancing joint decision-making, and engaging both men and broader community networks, the intervention aims to mitigate risks of backlash while promoting sustainable behavioral change.
This study evaluates the effectiveness of these interventions. This impact evaluation addresses three primary research questions: (1) What are the impacts of the EA$E curriculum on women’s experiences of economic and emotional violence and men’s perpetration of economic violence? (2) What additional impacts are observed when the EA$E curriculum is combined with participation in Dimitra Clubs? and (3) Through which pathways (individual wellbeing, women’s empowerment and time use, intra-household relationship quality, gender attitudes, or community gender norms) do these impacts occur?
To answer these questions, we will conduct a three-arm randomized controlled trial across 84 eligible villages. Villages will be randomly assigned to receive FAO programming activities as follows: (i) Control will receive economic support only (Vouchers only), (ii) Treatment 1: will receive Vouchers + EA$E + only light nudges to attend Dimitra Clubs, and (iii) Treatment 2 will receive Vouchers + EA$E + intense linkages with Dimitra Clubs. Findings from this study will contribute to the evidence base on integrated economic and social empowerment interventions in fragile and conflict-affected settings, with implications for the design of gender-transformative programming aimed at reducing GBV and improving household welfare.