This type of program combines financial empowerment interventions (such as microfinance, savings or transfer programs, etc.) with social empowerment interventions (such as school support, healthcare, and personal skills training, among others).
The aim is to offer women greater bargaining power and the potential to leave violent relationships (through the financial component), while at the same time seeking to help those women (and, in some cases, men) to reflect on the drivers and social determinants of violence, as well as to acquire more social skills, develop new levels of self-confidence, and become aware of tools to transform gender relations (through the social component).
These programs can vary according to their duration, intensity, and combination of interventions. Some prioritize interventions of less than a year and combine strategies such as microcredit with group empowerment techniques that address issues like power relations and gender. Group work usually involves between 10 and 15 sessions, and is mainly aimed at women, although in some cases their partners can take part in the activities.
Other programs combine several components and last longer. They may include microcredit and sessions to promote social and vocational skills, for example, or combine financial transfers and community savings groups with school and healthcare support, social skills training, and community dialogues on violence prevention.