Research
At Ujamaa-Africa/NMNK we believe that all projects should include a monitoring and evaluation component to ensure that project’s effectiveness in the community it serves. We practice rigorous scientific methodology, undergo thorough peer review and publish our findings in well known international journals. Click on the links below to view our current projects and previously published findings.
Publications
In this study of Ujamaa's Mashinani program, researchers from Standford University found that employing three complementary interventions (formal business training, microfinance, and IPV support groups) lowered IPV by almost 70% andresulted in higher daily profit margins. "These data support the notion that employing multiple interventions concomitantly might possess synergistic, beneficial effects, and hold promise to address profound poverty and interrupt the devastating cycle of IPV." Read More
ublished In The Journal Of Health, Education And Behavior; This Study Demonstrated That The Ujamaa Program Impacts More Then Just The Incidence Of Sexual Assault. Our Girls Empowerment Defense Program Also Cuts Pregnancy Related School Dropout IN HALF. Read More]
Malawi RCT Shows Reduction In Sexual AssaultIn 2016 Ujamaa Pamodzi, Ujamaa Kenya's Malawian Counterpart, Completed A Large RCT In Partnership With Johns Hopkins University Involving Over 10,000 Girls From 3 High Risk Malawian Districts, Lilongwe, Dedza And Salima. As A Resounding"Proof Of Concept" Our Intervention There Reduced Sexual Assault Amongst Upper Primary And High School Students By Over 40% In The Intervention Group With No Significant Change In The Control. Read More
This Study Investigated The Effects Of A Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Educational Curriculum On Improving Male Attitudes Toward Women And Increasing The Likelihood Of Intervention If Witnessing GBV, Among Adolescent Boys In Nairobi, Kenya. In Total, 1,543 Adolescents Participated In This Comparison Intervention Study: 1,250 Boys Received Six 2-Hr Sessions Of The “Your Moment Of Truth” (YMOT) Intervention, And 293 Boys Comprised The Standard Of Care (SOC) Group. Data On Attitudes Toward Women Were Collected Anonymously At Baseline And 9 Months After Intervention. The Percentage Of Boys In The Intervention Group Who Successfully Intervened When Witnessing Violence Was 78% For Verbal Harassment, 75% For Physical Threat, And 74% For Physical Or Sexual Assault. Read More
In 2013, We Started Our First Dual Track/Boys-Girls Intervention Study Where We Taught Girls Self Defence And Boy’s Transformation In The Same Schools. We Targeted Schools Outside The Slums With Lower Incidences Of Sexual Assault. 1173 Girls And 1250 Boys Participated In The Study. The Annual Incidence Of Rape Fell From 11.5% To 6.5% In This Group Of Girls, With 57% Of The Girls Using Skills Acquired To Thwart Rape At Least Once. In Addition, Boyfriends And Friends As Perpetrators Of Sexual Violence Dropped By 22% In The Year Following The Intervention. The Results Of This Study Will Be Published In Early 2014. Read More
RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAIn August 2013 We Initiated A Randomized Control Trial (RCT) In Primary Schools For 12,800 Girls And Boys In Primary Schools, Class 5-8 In Nairobi. The Study Shows That We Were Able To Reduce The Annual Incidence Of Sexual Assault By 37%. 35% Of The Participants Used The Skills Taught At Least Once To Stop Someone From Sexually Assaulting Them. This Study Was Designed And Conducted In Partnership With Researchers From The Departments Of Pediatrics And Statistics At Stanford University. The Results Will Be Published Soon. Read More
1250 Adolescent Boys From Five Slums Participated In Six – 2 Hour Sessions Designed To Raise Boys’ Awareness Of The Social Stereotypes That Promote GBV In Kenya. Attitudes Towards Girls And Women Improved Significantly After The Training And Were Sustained 1 Year Later. In Addition, More Than Half Of This Group Of Boys Successfully Intervened To Stop Physical Or Sexual Assault Against A Girl Or Woman In The Year Following The Classes. This Study Was Published In “SAHM Journal”. Read More
In December 2012 We Just Concluded Our 2012 Girls Study Which Followed 1,568 High School Girls In The 6 Major Slums In Nairobi. They All Received The Ujamaa/NMNK 6 Week Self Defense And Personal Empowerment Course At The Beginning Of 2012. We Then Returned After One Year To See If The Classes Had An Impact On The Incidence Of Rape. The Results Are Once Again Dramatic.
- High Annual Incidence Of Rape At 17.8% In The Past One Year Prior To The Intervention.
- Reduced The Annual Incidence To 11.0% After The Self Defense/Personal Empowerment Training.
- Over 50% Of The Girls Used The Skills To Stop A Rapist In The Year Following The Intervention. This Study Was Published In “The Pediatrics”
This Study Investigated The Relationship Between Empowerment-Defense Training And The Reduction In Rape In The Urban Slum Of Korogocho, Nairobi. We Proved For The First Time That Empowerment-Defense Can Dramatically Reduce The Incidence Of Rape In A High Risk Population Of Girls. In Korogocho One In Four Girs Were Being Raped Every Year. The Year After They Had Taken Self-Defense Classes The Incidence Decreased To 1 In 9.Other Study Highlights Include:
- High Annual Incidence Of Rape At 24.6% In The Past One Year Prior To The Intervention.
- Reduced The Annual Incidence To 9.2% After The Self Defense/Personal Empowerment Training. Over 50% Of The Girls Used The Skills To Stop A Rapist In The Year Following The Intervention.
- A 47% Decrease In The Incidence Of Pregnancy Related School Dropouts.