Building a Powerful Presence for Women for Women France to Continue the Fight Against Domestic Abuse

Talan Collaborates with a French Organization to Develop a Comprehensive Digital Hub for Domestic Abuse Victims

Headquarter

France

Employees

0-100

Technology Focus

Multilingual

Project Focus

Website, Information, Social Services

TYPO3 since

2022

Empowering Women on a Global Scale

Women for Women France (WFWF) is a French nonprofit who aims to enable anyone who has been confronted with domestic violence in France to assert their rights, regain their independence and thrive. The goal was to create a world-first multilingual online resource centre for all victims of domestic abuse in France, as well as the professionals who support them. Reflecting their mission statement—'Developed by foreign-born women, for foreign-born people'—Women for Women France partnered with Talan in the spring of 2021 to create the first of its kind: a portal to help aid in the fight against domestic abuse and provide straightforward, accessible support.

TYPO3 was selected as the CMS for this project because of its ability to handle complex requirements and deliver robust performance. In 2023, Women for Women France received the TYPO3 Award in the NGO category and was also honored with the prestigious TYPO3 Website of the Year award, recognizing its exceptional global impact and influence.

Jonathan Iroulin from Talan Solutions, at the 2023 TYPO3 awards

From Vision to Impact: The Journey of WFWF to Become an Influential Player in French Advocacy

The goals of this project centered on supporting and providing resources for victims of domestic abuse, ensuring inclusivity for non-French-speaking audiences and individuals of all genders. The latest World Health Organsiation data states 1 in 3 women would experience a form of domestic violence in their lifetime, therefore, this resource would need the capacity to reach a large audience.

"The solution created by Talan took an extremely complex need and made it feel simple from both a victim’s perspective, but also from a client perspective. Regular updates are really simple for our team to manage. But the most important thing: users, victims, are telling us how the Multilingual Online Resource Centre has been a literal life-saver.”

–Sarah McGrath, CEO Women for Women France

A primary goal for this website was to simplify access information about specific social, economic, legal and administrative areas in France, highlighting resources and aid that’s available in a straightforward way. To showcase this information simply and effectively, it was critical that the website was multilingual and had the capability of processing information without delay. Talan was selected as the partner of choice after a presentation during which they proposed solutions in line with WFWF’s expectations. With an emphasis on open communication from the start, the partnership was successful due to weekly meetings, progress tracking and prioritizing actions in alignment with one another. The project was divided into several iterations and reviewed thoroughly before moving on to the next phase.

TYPO3 Implementations for an Indispensable Cause

After attending T3CON19, Talan was introduced to Language Wire and quickly identified it as the ideal solution for Women for Women France’s translation needs, seamlessly integrating with TYPO3. Knowing that the site would need to support at least 15 languages from the outset, Talan recommended implementing Solr to provide fast, relevant search functionality across the diverse multilingual content.

TYPO3 was a natural fit due to its native performances. As well, the page tree structure offered by TYPO3 ensured easier organization for users and editors alike. Talan was the ideal agency to bring this vision to life due to their team's TYPO3 integration and development expertise, particularly with extension development and settings. Their implementation of a comprehensive roadmap supported the globalization of Women for Women France in the following ways:

Directory of Support Organizations

A directory of support organizations was expanded, further assisting users who were in search of local aid.

Mapping Feature

A cartography feature provided a visual aid for users to map out organizations originating from the directory. This feature enhanced accessibility and showcased nearby support through an interactive visual medium.

Expansion to New Territory

A blueprint was created that could be implemented for similar portals in other regions and countries—adapting the model to different legal, social, and cultural contexts while maintaining a high standard of support.

Guide Maintenance

It’s vital to ensure information provided is updated and current. These guides need to be up to date to relay accurate and timely information to those in need.

Additional Languages

While there were 15 languages supported initially, it is important for the organization to continue catering to a diverse audience targeting both French and non-French speaking users.

Key Outcomes and Evidence

The impact of Women for Women France has been measurable and significant.

User Engagement & Reach

To date, 911,208 individual users have been reported accessing the portal over two years. Additionally, 1,430,338 guides were consulted proving a sizable reach and high engagement. The portal reports approximately 3,000 daily users which reflects its ability to handle high volumes of traffic efficiently and without interruption.

Service Provision

The demand for this portal proves itself in the facilitation of over 500 daily connections to local support services.

Client Feedback

The encouraging feedback and testimonials from survivors and local services underscore Women for Women France and the impact they have. They are regarded amongst French associations as a pioneer as this set the precedent for similar future portals.

Operational Efficiency

Due to its robust, scalable nature and multilingual components, TYPO3 was the perfect CMS solution to ensure operational efficiency. Ongoing updates are managed by Talan.

Women for Women France and Beyond

The completed project went live in June 2022. Since then, Women for Women France has served as a model hub for providing resources and information to victims and service providers. Their work has supported victims of domestic abuse, provided simple and accessible information in 15 different languages, and served as a reference in France and to the rest of the world.

Learn more about the history of the project.