A/HRC/41/3 E/CN.6/2019/7 above all promoting and/or providing services such as psychological counselling, medical care and shelters, as well as access to justice through the provision of legal aid. The training of service providers is also an important component of projects aimed at enhancing the access of women and girls to essential, safe and adequate services. In 2018, the trust fund supported the work of 19 grantees that helped almost 4,600 women and girls to gain access to specialized support services. 25. In the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Women’s Forum-Tetovo is using a small grant from the trust fund to impleme nt a three-year project to provide survivors of domestic violence with access to coordinated, multisectoral support services. Survivors of domestic violence have been recruited to participate in the first cycle of workshops, and the Women’s Forum has worked to increase public information and initiate dialogue about domestic violence in the Tetovo region. Various media materials have been designed, published and distributed, which has contributed to greater awareness of domestic violence and the services ava ilable to survivors. This has been successful in helping women to speak out against violence and to obtain access to services and support, as reflected in a significant increase in the number of cases of domestic violence reported. 26. In Liberia, a final evaluation of a project implemented by the organization Episcopal Relief and Development to address violence within the family and the community in six districts in Grand Cape Mount and River Cess counties revealed that there had been a significant reduction in reported violence by intimate partners (down to 5 per cent from 14.8 per cent) and non-partners (down to 2.6 per cent from 16.1 per cent). A very high number of faith leaders (97 per cent) who participated in the project and spoke out against gender-based violence at various events. As a result of the success and learning potential generated by the project, the organization was invited to submit a new proposal for expanding it under the trust fund ’s “by invitation only” window and has successfully advanced to the selection process. The new project includes: expanding the faith-leader toolkit for preventing and responding to gender-based violence; further developing the facilitation guide to help empower Christian and Muslim faith leaders to speak out against violence against women in their communities and support survivors more effectively; and expanding and integrating youth engagement work. The project is aimed at 14 districts in four counties, and sustainability will be ensured through continued enga gement with members of the Inter-Religious Council of Liberia and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, as well as through the grantee ’s work to support survivors through services, in particular the provision of a safe house in every coun ty. C. Fostering the implementation of laws and policies 27. Many trust fund grantees are working to bring legislation into line with international human rights standards; implement laws, regulations and protocols to end harmful traditional practices; and encourage States to fulfil their obligation to exercise due diligence in order to prevent violence, protect victims and ensure their right to justice. In 2018, trust fund grantees were instrumental in advocating for new national laws and policies to protect survivors and bring perpetrators to justice. For example, in Ecuador, a project implemented by ACDemocracia was aimed at ensuring that women and girl who were survivors of violence in the Ambato, Pelileo and Baños territories had greater access to a more effective justice system. The project was also aimed at promoting the application of normative frameworks and policies for the protection of women’s rights by influencing legislative reform and changing cultural norms. It was able to provide at least 20,000 people with information on the right of women to live free from violence through the use of various publicity initiatives, including broadcasts in the national and international media. ACDemocracia, along 18-21716 7/16