The main objective of this study is to understand the links and outcomes of adoption of a cleaner cookstove/fuel and exposure to a personal empowerment training on women's health outcomes in a Congolese refugee camp in Rwanda, with a focus on gender-based violence (GBV).
This randomized controlled trial examines the impacts of a phased-in integrated technology -behavior change intervention on women's health with a focus on gender-based violence. In a population of approximately 1500 Congolese households in Kigeme refugee camp in Rwanda, two interventions are randomly deployed in the camp. The first intervention is the Inyenyeri cookstove/pellet fuel system, a Tier 4 clean cookstove system; the second intervention is a behavior change intervention (referred to as I-ACT, Individual-Agency-Centered Training) designed to foster personal agency and empowerment, given to women and, if applicable, their male partner. Analyses will be done with interviews on 1500 women (ages 18-45) from these households that may have received one, both or none of the interventions, either as the full sample or the sub-sample of partnered-only women.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
1,555
The Inyenyeri cooking systems includes a tier 4 clean cooking system with biomass pellets that are purchased through the unconditional cash transfer program in the refugee camp
The I-ACT (Individual, Agency-Centered Training) empowerment workshop consists of behavioral exercises drawn primarily from positive psychology, that provide the tools to foster a growth mindset by allowing participants to understand the link between their thoughts, beliefs, and past actions to their future actions. Conducted in a workshop setting, this locally adapted version of the I-ACT curriculum consists of two days for women and a 1 day workshop for their male partners (as applicable)
Plan International, Rwanda
Kacyiru, Kigali, Rwanda
Rates of gender-based violence
Change in gender-based violence (GBV) over time as assessed through an adapted ASIST-GBV screening tool to identify physical violence, sexual violence, harassment, emotional violence and reproductive coercion between non-partners and intimate partners in humanitarian settings.
Time frame: 6 months
Number of households reporting uptake and consistent use of clean cooking system and fuel
Change in uptake and use of the clean cooking system as measured through pellet purchase and reported pellet use behavior
Time frame: 6 months
Number of participants reporting minor psychiatric disorders
Changes in the number of participants reporting minor psychiatric disorders as determined by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) as a result of the empowerment intervention.
Time frame: 6 months
Number of participants reporting anxiety and depression
Changes in the number of participants reporting anxiety and depression as determined by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL) as a result of the empowerment intervention.
Time frame: 6 months
Number of participants reporting emotional symptoms of trauma
Changes in the number of participants reporting emotional symptoms of trauma as determined by the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ) as a result of the empowerment intervention.
Time frame: 6 months
Number of participants reporting increased economic and social empowerment
Change in rates of reported uptake of economic activities (such as small businesses or savings) as well as participation in social groups and local training programs
Time frame: 6 months
Number of participants reporting reduced food insecurity
Change in reported incidence and severity of food insecurity as determined through a culturally adapted modification of the food insecurity experience scale (FIES) associated with food-related distress during the past month
Time frame: 6 months
Number of participants reporting increased self-efficacy
Changes in self-efficacy (as assessed by the New General Self-Efficacy Scale) as a result of the empowerment intervention.
Time frame: 6 months
Number of participants reporting increased grit
Changes in grit (Grit scale (Duckworth, et al)) as a result of the empowerment intervention.
Time frame: 6 months
Number of participants reporting increased social agency
Changes in social agency (as assessed by Ryff's psychological well-being scales) as a result of the empowerment intervention.
Time frame: 6 months
Number of participants reporting increased quality and quantity of social networks
Changes in quality of social networks in the form of network size, network density and stove homophily resulting from either the empowerment training or the improved cookstove program as determined by reported social ties and characteristics of those social ties.
Time frame: 6 months
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