Social norms change at scale: Insights from SASA!

SASA! is a holistic community mobilization approach to preventing violence against women (VAW). It is designed to catalyze community-led change of norms and behaviours that perpetuate gender inequality, violence, and increased vulnerability of women to HIV. At its foundation, SASA! is a gendered analysis of power and power inequalities—not only of the ways men use power over women and the consequences for intimate relationships and communities but also of how women and men can use their power positively to effect and sustain change at the individual and community levels.

This case study is part of a series of five published by Raising Voices. The collection is designed for funders, practitioners, and activists. It seeks to identify key elements for success, highlight challenges, and provide recommendations for adapting and scaling the methodologies of The Community for Understanding Scale Up (CUSP) members and, more broadly, social norms change interventions. The case studies draw on over 120 years of combined experience and practice-based learning among five CUSP programs.