Following the start of the project activities in May 2023, we conducted our first inception workshop from July 3rd to July 7th, 2023 in Kampala. The workshop was a unique opportunity to gather representatives from the consortium partners, IRC Technical Advisors working on project-related topics such as Child protection, Education, Inclusion, Safeguarding and Women Protection and Empowerment, as well as the Director of the Violence Prevention and Response Unit.

Through various sessions on grant-making, capacity-sharing and other technical thematic, the consortium members developed a common understanding of the project objectives, deliverables, and challenges, and lay the foundation for our future work. We engaged in insightful discussions, shared our experiences and expertise, and got to know each other on a deeper level. It was inspiring to witness the collective passion and commitment from all participants as we worked towards our shared goal of empowering both CSOs and adolescent girls in Africa and the Middle East.

The workshop served as a platform to plan activities for the upcoming months (inception phase) and beyond. We collaboratively identified key milestones and mapped out a strategic action plan to guide our efforts. Through co-creation and collective brainstorming, we built strategies to ensure that the project remains in line with our feminist principles.