Amidst Trump’s DEI Funding Cuts, It’s Time to Reimagine Gender Violence Prevention – Women’s eNews
As the Trump administration cuts funding for global gender equality efforts around the globe, organizations working toward gender justice and the prevention of violence against women and children are struggling to stay afloat. The response from private foundations and philanthropic organizations has been mixed. While some have made bold decisions to move forward with transformative philanthropy, others have exited the space.
But as an African feminist working in the gender justice space for over nine years, I believe the current moment presents a rare opportunity to consider the bigger picture. To truly prevent violence in the long term, we must develop and promote cost-effective prevention strategies that are rooted in our everyday lives. We must move beyond treating violence prevention as a short-term, funded project and instead reimagine it as what feminist scholars call a ‘systems-change’ project.
Systems-change thinkers argue that interventions do not always produce neat, sequential and contained outcomes; instead, an ongoing process of innovation and learning is needed to bring about social change. It’s an approach uniquely suited to our current moment, as organizations react and re-strategize within the violence prevention field. In more robust years, organizations might have focused solely on ways to manage the limited funding that trickles down to them, implementing long-term prevention programmes within a short timeframe. But with a systems mindset, violence prevention groups can continue to identify small but strategic opportunities to shift attitudes and perceptions about gender and power, whether through community-led dialogues, inclusive media campaigns, or gender-transformative parenting programmes.
Prevention strategies that encourage self-reflection and the expression of love and respect among couples, as well as promote community relations and gatherings, contribute to systems thinking. These approaches emphasise that change is not just about men and boys unlearning harmful behaviours—it is about everyone examining how their actions impact the health and safety of those around them. For example, Investing in Children and their Societies (ICS-SP), a Kenya-based organisation, has demonstrated how thoughtfully designed, low-cost prevention strategies can create long-term impact. Through its Skilful Parenting programme, ICS-SP uses community facilitators, peer learning, and culturally grounded content to shift parenting norms and prevent violence in homes. The approach proved to be scalable and cost-effective, leveraging existing programmes and services. Over the past 30 years, their work has culminated in a notable partnership with UNICEF and the Government of Kenya to co-develop the Kenya National Positive Parenting Programme (NPPP), which they are now supporting in its nationwide rollout.
Bespoke online courses and digital guides provide additional opportunities. One such resource, The Learning Lab, by Prevention Collaborative, brings practitioners and researchers into conversation with evidence and feminist ideas, guiding them to think more deeply about how to shift harmful norms, support individuals, and build safer communities.
To be sure, embracing low-cost systems change thinking for violence prevention does not mean abandoning the call for adequate funding and resources. Long-term, flexible, and core funding remains critical for practitioners to do their work safely, consistently, and effectively. But to sustain progress in the years ahead, we must do both. We need funding that supports the delivery of quality and scalable violence prevention programmes, systems-thinking that contextualises prevention strategies at low cost, and movement-building efforts that prioritise care and solidarity within the field. Only then can we shift towards deep, systemic change.
For violence prevention to be effective, it must be adaptable, communal, and deeply embedded in local realities. It cannot rely solely on bilateral funding or shifts in funding. It must be an ongoing process of transformation and systemic perspectives driven by everyone, including those who experience and resist violence firsthand. Now is the time for a fundamental shift in how we understand and address violence. It is a moment to reclaim agency and prioritise collective participation in building a violence-free environment.
About the Author: Oluwatobiloba Ayodele is an Associate with Prevention Collaborative and a Public Voices Fellow on Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse with The OpEd Project.
