Capacity Building in East Timor: IRC's Gender Based Violence Program

The IRC began working in East Timor in a relief capacity during the period leading up to the referendum on independence held in August 1999. The IRC provided immediate relief and aid services to the population and, as the situation stabilized, started to implement a range of programs on child and youth development, child tracing and family reunification, and water and sanitation. The objective of the workshop was to conduct an independent evaluation of one of their former programs. The program had sought, overall, to raise awareness of gender-based violence in East Timor and, as part of this, to build capacity amongst local NGOs to enable them to better address gender-based violence (GBV) in their communities.