2016 – Present
Client
Oxfam in Papua New Guinea
Location
Papua New Guinea
Collective Action has been working with Oxfam in Papua New Guinea (OiPNG) since 2016 to strengthen their violence prevention program through research, program design, monitoring and evaluation, and capability strengthening.
We are leading the design and trial of the Community Healing Program – an innovative trauma-informed violence prevention program. Using the principles and practices of participatory action learning, co-creation, and human-centred design, we worked closely with OiPNG staff, civil society organisations (which are primarily led by women survivors of violence), and community members to design and trial the program.
The Community Healing Program was designed to address the context-specific conditions and factors driving family and community violence in rural and remote PNG, including intergenerational cycles of trauma and violence. The program aims to interrupt the intergenerational transmission of trauma by supporting personal and collective healing and equipping participants to create safe communities for future generations.
The Community Healing Program uses a multidisciplinary approach to address the complex interaction between biological, social, cultural, and psychological factors that drive the trauma-violence cycle. It builds on the work of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, researchers, and violence prevention practitioners, who have long advocated for the use of healing-centred approaches to address intergenerational cycles of trauma and violence.
The Community Healing Program is being trialled in four communities in PNG. Using an action learning cycle, we work with Oxfam staff and partners to adapt and improve the program in response to feedback from participants and the experiences of partners.
The Healing Program received the World Bank Group and Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) Development Marketplace Award for innovation in the prevention and response to gender-based violence.
“Alison is a dedicated person who delivers quality products on time and is willing to go the extra mile. She has expertise in developing gender-based violence prevention programs with solid monitoring and evaluation component integrated into it. We have found that she takes an empowering approach to working with our national staff.”
Charlotte Kakebeeke | PNG Programme Director, Oxfam in Papua New Guinea
