SASA! which means ‘now’ in Swahili, is a community mobilization approach for preventing violence against women in the community by influencing community norms. The SASA! methodology targets whole communities, adolescent girls and young women, parents and partners of adolescent girls and young women to influence community norms.

Phases of SASA!
a) Start phase: Comprises of training SASA activists and sensitizing other key resource persons including health workers, community development officers, police, LCs and religious leaders. In this phase, a baseline survey to measure knowledge, attitudes, and practices is conduced. In addition, community qualitative dialogues are conducted to supplement the survey. Local activists start to engage the communities during this phase using the power posters to talk about the relationship between power, violence and HIV.

b) Awareness phase: Activists are retrained on the activities in the new phase as they continue with activities of phase 1. The media is engaged to increase awareness of gender-based violence. At the end of this phase a follow-up KAP survey supplemented with community dialogues is done to assess changes in KAP. Other activities including film shows and drama are used to increase awareness. There is a public event involving district and community leadership, and the general public to increase awareness of GBV.

c) Support phase: This phase continues with the activities of the first two phases plus extended training of leaders, health workers, police officers, teachers, government officials, religious leaders, and cultural leaders in the support and management of survivors of violence..

d) Action phase: This phase continues with activities of the first three phases. In addition, interviews to influence community norms changeare conducted with i) Men within a variety of community roles ii) Parents who have decided not to marry off their daughters too young, iii) School administrators who have created policies against violence, interviews with women, andiv) men and youth who have taken action in their community to promote community norms that support non-violence and power balance between men and women