In an effort to improve the health and well-being of hard to reach, under served, and vulnerable populations and advance the prevention of IPV, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) invested in a pioneering effort to evaluate eight diverse IPV prevention programs for immigrants and refugees. LTG Associates was the National Program Office. Strengthening What Works (SWW) was designed to identify promising practices to prevent IPV among immigrant and refugee populations in the U.S. and to increase organizational capacity for evaluation among the eight grantee organizations. SWW focused on developing culturally appropriate, rigorous and replicable evaluations of existing prevention interventions that have not been subject to rigorous evaluation. SWW has allowed grantees to refine their programs and identify practice-informed models for prevention that can now be shared with peers and leveraged to advance IPV prevention efforts.
Despite the different community-based approaches and their diverse ethnic populations, the reports suggest that reinforcing positive cultural and social norms and/or promoting healthy relationships mindful of different cultural contexts are critical elements for effective IPV prevention programming within immigrant and refugee communities.