The multimillion-tala Samoa Spotlight Initiative program has begun the disbursement of grants to nine local organisations to support their work to end violence against women and girls. 

The donor-funded program held an orientation session on Thursday this week with nine successful applicants who would be funded under the UNDP Civil Society Low-Value Grants category. 

The small grants will support civil society organisations to build and strengthen existing efforts to end violence against women and girls (EVAWG). The grant is not restricted to just EVAWG work but can be used for diverse activities. It will also assist these organisations to build internal and institutional capacity or foster collaborative partnerships.

The Samoa Spotlight Initiative program hopes that these low-value grants will go into strengthening advocacy and prevention initiatives using creative cultural arts and sports, strengthening response services, case management, and referrals.

The nine recipients of the Samoa Spotlight Initiative program low-value grants are as follows: Tofa Sinasina, Light of Hope - Toe Fuataina, Samoa Cultural Centre, Ailao Club of Samoa, ADRA, Nuanua o le Alofa (NOLA), Samoa National Council of Women (SNCW), SUNGO, and Samoa Victim Support Group (SVSG). 

These civil society organisations are taking the lead to empower, advocate and contribute to the promise of ensuring that "every woman, every girl, lives a life free of violence". 

The initiative provides a model for partnership with donors, civil society, and all UN partners to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner leveraging comparative expertise. The grant funding will go into the efforts to provide an enabling environment for the implementation of all the goals. 

The grant distribution is part of the Samoa Spotlight Initiative's large-scale investment to reduce violence against women and girls and thereby improve their lives. The nationally-owned program is funded by the European Union (EU) through a dedicated partnership with the United Nations (UN) to end violence against women and girls.