Intervention with Microfinance for AIDS and Gender Equality – Women Deliver

South Africa’s IMAGE study targeted women living in the poorest households in rural areas and combined financial services with training and skills-building workshops on gender and cultural norms, communication, intimate partner violence, and HIV prevention. The program also encouraged the participation of boys and men. Study results revealed that, two years after completing the program, the participant group reported 55% fewer acts of violence by their intimate partners in the past year compared to the group that did not participate. After the program, participants were also found to disagree more often with statements that consented to physical and sexual violence towards an intimate partner.