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Getting Girls Back To School During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Kenya: Lessons From The 4ts Initiative, George Odwe, Chi-Chi Undie Apr 2022

Getting Girls Back To School During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Kenya: Lessons From The 4ts Initiative, George Odwe, Chi-Chi Undie

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

No abstract provided.


Gendered Effects Of Covid-19 School Closures: Kenya Case Study, Faith Mbushi, Natalie Wyss, Emily Eunyoung Cho, Karen Austrian, Eva Ireri Muluve, Laura Muthoni, Beth Kangwana Mar 2022

Gendered Effects Of Covid-19 School Closures: Kenya Case Study, Faith Mbushi, Natalie Wyss, Emily Eunyoung Cho, Karen Austrian, Eva Ireri Muluve, Laura Muthoni, Beth Kangwana

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief summarizes a case study that assessed the gendered impact of COVID-19 school closures in Kenya. COVID-19 school closures escalated education inequalities especially for girls and young people in rural areas. These closures exacerbated adolescent mental health issues, food and economic insecurity, and experiences of violence. COVID-19 response programs implemented by both the Government of Kenya and non-state actors were not able to fully mitigate the impacts of school closures for adolescents, teachers, or schools. Continued efforts to understand the implications of school closures and to support vulnerable students are needed.


Economic Opportunities For Refugees: Lessons From Five Host Countries, Md. Noorunnabi Talukder, Abdullah Al Mahmud Shohag, Eashita Haque, Md. Irfan Hossain, Joseph Falcone, Ubaidur Rob Dec 2021

Economic Opportunities For Refugees: Lessons From Five Host Countries, Md. Noorunnabi Talukder, Abdullah Al Mahmud Shohag, Eashita Haque, Md. Irfan Hossain, Joseph Falcone, Ubaidur Rob

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The majority of refugees around the world are in protracted refugee situations, living in exile for at least five years with no sign of a durable solution. There are three possible durable solutions: repatriation, local integration, and resettlement. Repatriation remains the main durable solution, but the circumstances should be conducive for return to the country of origin. In the meantime, local integration gives refugees some certainty about what to do with their lives. Local integration is a process with three interrelated dimensions: legal, economic, and social. This report examines the level and extent of local integration of refugees in terms …


Getting Girls Back To School In Kenya: The 4ts ('Trace, Track, Talk And Return') Initiative Implementation Report, George Odwe, Chi-Chi Undie, Ann Gachoya, Truphena Kirongo, Fredrick Kiiru, Jane Njogu Sep 2021

Getting Girls Back To School In Kenya: The 4ts ('Trace, Track, Talk And Return') Initiative Implementation Report, George Odwe, Chi-Chi Undie, Ann Gachoya, Truphena Kirongo, Fredrick Kiiru, Jane Njogu

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Covid-19 pandemic led to devastating economic and social disruptions globally including in the education sector. The pandemic disrupted access to both sexual and reproductive health services and safe spaces. As a result, many girls faced vulnerabilities that inhibited access to basic education, including risks of child marriage, early pregnancy, gender-based violence, female genital mutilation/cutting, sexual exploitation, and child labor. The negative impact of Covid-19 on girls' education underscores the need for interventions addressing the effect on school re-entry and retention. Kenya has a favorable policy environment for supporting retention within, and re-entry into, schools for vulnerable girls. Notable core …


Promises To Keep: Impact Of Covid-19 On Adolescents In Kenya, Presidential Policy And Strategy Unit (Kenya), Population Council Jun 2021

Promises To Keep: Impact Of Covid-19 On Adolescents In Kenya, Presidential Policy And Strategy Unit (Kenya), Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Around the world, reports have highlighted the educational, health, and societal challenges that people have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Few reports, however, have exclusively covered the effects on adolescent girls and boys, especially in Kenya. Given the limited data on the impact of the pandemic on adolescents, this study set out to collect data and outline the challenges facing Kenyan adolescents in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Kenya, adolescents aged 10 to 19 years comprise about 24 percent of the country’s population. This study captured data on school enrollment, experiences of sexual and gender-based violence, time spent …


The Adolescent Girls Initiative-Kenya—Executive Summary: Two-Year Follow Up Results, Population Council Mar 2021

The Adolescent Girls Initiative-Kenya—Executive Summary: Two-Year Follow Up Results, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In Kenya, early pregnancy is a challenge for girls that often has immediate effects on their educational opportunities, future implications for their social, health, and economic outcomes, and immediate and ongoing negative impacts on their children. Early pregnancy is an outcome shaped by a myriad of issues affecting an adolescent girl’s life—including community norms on gender roles, violence, and the social value of girls; barriers to formal education; household poverty; lack of economic independence; experience of violence; and social isolation. For girls to achieve well-being in early and late adolescence, no single-sector intervention—whether it be education, health, wealth creation, or …


Endline Results Brief: What Works To Improve Outcomes For Kenya's Adolescent Girls?, Population Council Mar 2021

Endline Results Brief: What Works To Improve Outcomes For Kenya's Adolescent Girls?, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Adolescent Girls Initiative–Kenya is a study that evaluates the long-term impact of a multisectoral intervention targeted at adolescent girls aged 11 to 15 years from Kibera and rural Wajir. The intervention consists of four components: a community-based violence-prevention program, an education conditional cash transfer (CCT), health-focused girls-empowerment clubs, and wealth creation for girls via financial education and savings. A random selection of 6,000 girls were exposed to different components of the intervention. Key results, noted in this brief, are: conditional cash transfers are a key driver of improvement in education outcomes, and of delaying sexual debut and pregnancy in …


Experiences Among Adults And Adolescents During The Covid-19 Pandemic From Four Locations Across Kenya—Study Description, Timothy Abuya, Karen Austrian, Adan Isaac, Beth Kangwana, Faith Mbushi, Eva Muluve, Daniel Mwanga, Thoai Ngo, Mercy Nzioki, Rhoune Ochako, Jessie Pinchoff, Ben Tidwell, John Wanyungu, Corinne White Nov 2020

Experiences Among Adults And Adolescents During The Covid-19 Pandemic From Four Locations Across Kenya—Study Description, Timothy Abuya, Karen Austrian, Adan Isaac, Beth Kangwana, Faith Mbushi, Eva Muluve, Daniel Mwanga, Thoai Ngo, Mercy Nzioki, Rhoune Ochako, Jessie Pinchoff, Ben Tidwell, John Wanyungu, Corinne White

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

To control the spread of coronavirus, the COVID-19 National Emergency Response Committee (NERC) in Kenya, chaired by the Ministry of Health (MOH), has implemented prevention and mitigation measures. To inform the Government of Kenya’s shorter- and longer-term response strategies, the Population Council COVID-19 study team utilizes rapid phone-based surveys to collect information on knowledge, attitudes, practices and needs among a longitudinal cohort of heads of household sampled from existing prospective cohort studies. The first was carried out across five Nairobi urban informal settlements; the baseline survey (n=2,009) was conducted March 30–31 with subsequent follow-up surveys conducted April 13–14 (n=1,764), May …


Kilifi, Kenya: Adult Covid-19 Perceptions, Prevention Practices And Impact—Responses From The First Round Of Adult Data Collection In Kilifi, Kenya, Population Council Nov 2020

Kilifi, Kenya: Adult Covid-19 Perceptions, Prevention Practices And Impact—Responses From The First Round Of Adult Data Collection In Kilifi, Kenya, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Between August 15 and 18, 2020, a COVID-19 phone survey was completed with 1,288 adults in Kilifi, Kenya, along the coast of Kenya, north of Mombasa. The households were part the Evaluation of the Nia Project cohort. The COVID-19 pandemic and associated social distancing and lockdown measures have had a large economic, health, and social impact on respondents. Many are earning less income due to COVID-19 even as costs of household items have risen, and a substantial percentage report experiencing food insecurity. Relative to need, very few adults are receiving assistance in the form of cash, vouchers, or essential items. …


Social, Health, Education And Economic Effects Of Covid-19 On Adolescent Girls In Kenya: Responses From The First Round Of Adolescent Data Collection, August 2020—Kisumu, Population Council Nov 2020

Social, Health, Education And Economic Effects Of Covid-19 On Adolescent Girls In Kenya: Responses From The First Round Of Adolescent Data Collection, August 2020—Kisumu, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Between August 15 and 18, 2020, a COVID-19 phone survey was completed with 603 10–19-year-old adolescents in Kisumu, Kenya, a port city on Lake Victoria. Households were part of the DREAMS program and evaluation cohort. This brief concludes that COVID-19 public education campaigns in Kisumu should focus on addressing the health, economic, and social impacts of lockdowns. Knowledge of symptoms and transmission is relatively high, and most adolescents still say they are interacting with a lot of people when they go out. Ensuring mask wearing, handwashing, and staying home unless urgent is critical to reducing transmission. Ensuring access to educational …


Wajir, Kenya: Adult Covid-19 Perceptions, Prevention Practices And Impact—Responses From The First Round Of Adult Data Collection In Wajir, Kenya, Population Council Nov 2020

Wajir, Kenya: Adult Covid-19 Perceptions, Prevention Practices And Impact—Responses From The First Round Of Adult Data Collection In Wajir, Kenya, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

From July 16–30, 2020, a COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes, and practices phone survey was completed with 1,322 adults in Wajir, Kenya. Households were part of the ongoing Adolescent Girls Initiative–Kenya cohort across 79 villages in Wajir, an underdeveloped area of Kenya. The pandemic and associated social distancing and lockdown measures have had a large economic, health, and social impact on respondents. Many are earning less income, and a substantial percentage are experiencing food insecurity. Relative to need, very few adults are receiving assistance. Among the recommendations in this brief are that public education campaigns focus on ensuring that people know that …


Social, Health, Education And Economic Effects Of Covid-19 On Adolescent Girls In Kenya: Responses From The First Round Of Adolescent Data Collection, August 2020—Kilifi, Population Council Nov 2020

Social, Health, Education And Economic Effects Of Covid-19 On Adolescent Girls In Kenya: Responses From The First Round Of Adolescent Data Collection, August 2020—Kilifi, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Between August 15 and 18, 2020, a COVID-19 phone survey was completed with 1,603 10–19-year-old adolescents in Kilifi, Kenya, north of Mombasa. Households were part of the Evaluation of the Nia Project cohort. This brief concludes that COVID-19 public education campaigns in Kisumu should focus on addressing the health, economic, and social impacts of lockdowns. It should be clarified that one can have COVID-19 and not show symptoms and can infect others even if asymptomatic, and common myths surrounding COVID-19 should be addressed. The need to expand the options for students to access educational materials during the period of school …


Social, Health, Education And Economic Effects Of Covid-19 On Adolescent Girls In Kenya: Responses From The First Round Of Adolescent Data Collection, August 2020—Wajir, Population Council Nov 2020

Social, Health, Education And Economic Effects Of Covid-19 On Adolescent Girls In Kenya: Responses From The First Round Of Adolescent Data Collection, August 2020—Wajir, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Between July 16 and 30, 2020, a phone survey was completed with 1,234 adolescents ages 10–19 in Wajir, Kenya. All participants were part of the ongoing Adolescent Girls Initiative–Kenya cohort covering 79 villages in Wajir County, an underdeveloped area in Northeastern Kenya along the border with Somalia. As noted in this brief, adolescents in Wajir have been impacted by COVID-19 and related mitigation measures, primarily through school closures and economic losses. Many have been unable to continue learning or schoolwork from home while schools have been closed, and meal distribution to address rising food insecurity is needed. The pandemic has …


Kenya: Gender Effects Of Covid-19—Responses From Fourth Round Of Data Collection In Five Nairobi Informal Settlements (Kibera, Huruma, Kariobangi, Dandora, And Mathare), Population Council Nov 2020

Kenya: Gender Effects Of Covid-19—Responses From Fourth Round Of Data Collection In Five Nairobi Informal Settlements (Kibera, Huruma, Kariobangi, Dandora, And Mathare), Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Responses from the fourth round of COVID-19 data collection in five Nairobi informal settlements are described in this brief. On June 13–16, 2020, phone interviews with 1,529 adults were completed. Results suggest that women are more likely than men to report increased tension, arguing, and household violence related to COVID-19 mitigation measures. Women are twice as likely to take on more unpaid domestic work compared to men due to coronavirus. While women were earning less than their male partners prior to COVID-19, this gap has widened. Of those in a partnership, 44 percent say both they and their partner are …


Social, Health, Education And Economic Effects Of Covid-19 On Adolescent Girls In Kenya: Responses From Data Collection In Five Nairobi Informal Settlements (Kibera, Huruma, Kariobangi, Dandora, And Mathare), June 2020—Nairobi, Population Council Nov 2020

Social, Health, Education And Economic Effects Of Covid-19 On Adolescent Girls In Kenya: Responses From Data Collection In Five Nairobi Informal Settlements (Kibera, Huruma, Kariobangi, Dandora, And Mathare), June 2020—Nairobi, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Between June 13 and 16, 2020, a phone survey was completed with 1,022 adolescents ages 10–19 in Dandora, Huruma, Kariobangi, Kibera, and Mathare, Kenya. All participants were part of cohorts that the Population Council was following prior to COVID-19. As noted in this brief, adolescents living in these informal settlements have been severely impacted by COVID-19 and the mitigation measures put in place mainly due to school closures and economic stress. Social protection and food distribution is needed, with attention to reaching adolescents experiencing hunger. There appears to be more pressure on boys to work or look for income, while …


Kenya: Covid-19 Perceptions, Stigma And Impact—Responses From Fourth Round Of Data Collection In Five Nairobi Informal Settlements (Kibera, Huruma, Kariobangi, Dandora, And Mathare), Population Council Nov 2020

Kenya: Covid-19 Perceptions, Stigma And Impact—Responses From Fourth Round Of Data Collection In Five Nairobi Informal Settlements (Kibera, Huruma, Kariobangi, Dandora, And Mathare), Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Responses from the fourth round of COVID-19 data collection in five Nairobi informal settlements are described in this brief. On June 13–16, 2020, phone interviews with 1,529 adults were completed. Results suggest that people are relaxing restrictions on mobility and moving more freely three months into the pandemic. While perceived risk of coronavirus has stayed about the same, the proportion that said they are at high risk because they interact with a lot of people jumped up since May, the proportion reporting they avoid public transportation decreased, and the proportion saying they are staying indoors more also decreased. Stigma is …


Kisumu, Kenya: Adult Covid-19 Perceptions, Prevention Practices And Impact—Responses From The First Round Of Adult Data Collection In Kisumu, Kenya, Population Council Nov 2020

Kisumu, Kenya: Adult Covid-19 Perceptions, Prevention Practices And Impact—Responses From The First Round Of Adult Data Collection In Kisumu, Kenya, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Between August 15 and 18, 2020, a COVID-19 phone survey was completed with 858 adults in Kisumu, Kenya, a densely populated port city on Lake Victoria. The households were part the DREAMS program and evaluation cohort. The COVID-19 pandemic and associated social distancing and lockdown measures have had a large economic, health, and social impact on respondents. Many are earning less income due to COVID-19, and a substantial percentage report experiencing food insecurity. Relative to need, very few adults are receiving assistance. Among the recommendations in this brief are that public education campaigns focus on addressing stigma, and that those …


Social, Health, Education And Economic Effects Of Covid-19 On Adolescent Girls In Kenya: Results From Adolescent Surveys In Kilifi, Nairobi, Wajir, And Kisumu Counties, October 2020, Population Council Nov 2020

Social, Health, Education And Economic Effects Of Covid-19 On Adolescent Girls In Kenya: Results From Adolescent Surveys In Kilifi, Nairobi, Wajir, And Kisumu Counties, October 2020, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Between June and August 2020, a COVID-19 mobile-phone survey was completed in four locations across Kenya with 3,921 adolescents ages 10–19. A total of 1,022 interviews were completed in Nairobi, 602 in Kisumu, 1,063 in Kilifi, and 1,234 in Wajir. Households in each site were sampled from underlying cohort studies conducted by the Population Council. As noted in this brief, awareness of COVID-19 and adoption of preventive behaviors is high. Most adolescents have not had COVID-19 or know anyone who has, but all are being impacted by the mitigation policies (e.g., physical distancing measures and school closures). With phased school …


Nairobi Informal Settlements: Covid-19 Perceptions, Prevention Practices And Impact—Round 3, Population Council May 2020

Nairobi Informal Settlements: Covid-19 Perceptions, Prevention Practices And Impact—Round 3, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This presentation provides an overview from the third round of data collection from a phone survey conducted May 10–11, 2020, in five informal settlements in Nairobi (Kibera, Huruma, Kariobangi, Dandora, and Mathare). Total number of interviews completed was 1,750 (87 percent of Round 1); 37 percent of participants were male, 63 percent were female. Almost all resided in the same location as in the previous interview three weeks prior. The presentation covered myths and misconceptions on COVID-1; risk of being infected; what individuals would do if they had symptoms of COVID-19; testing; stigma; movement outside the home; handwashing behavior; use …


Kenya: Covid-19 Perceptions, Prevention Practices, And Impact—Responses From Third Round Of Data Collection In Five Nairobi Informal Settlements (Kibera, Huruma, Kariobangi, Dandora, And Mathare), Population Council May 2020

Kenya: Covid-19 Perceptions, Prevention Practices, And Impact—Responses From Third Round Of Data Collection In Five Nairobi Informal Settlements (Kibera, Huruma, Kariobangi, Dandora, And Mathare), Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief presents findings from Round 3 of data collection in five Nairobi informal settlements (Kibera, Huruma, Kariobangi, Dandora, and Mathare). On May 10–11, 2020, phone interviews were completed with 1,750 adults, representing 87% of the original COVID-19 KAPstudy cohort. The average age of respondents was 36 years, and 63 percent were female. Almost all resided in the same location as in the previous interview three weeks prior. Overall, most participants are impacted economically and socially by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated social distancing and lockdown policies. Many report losing their source of income while also reporting increased costs of …


Adolescent Girls Initiative–Kenya: Endline Evaluation Report, Karen Austrian, Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Beth Kangwana, Nicole Maddox, Yohannes Dibaba Wado, Benta Abuya, Valsa Shah, John A. Maluccio May 2020

Adolescent Girls Initiative–Kenya: Endline Evaluation Report, Karen Austrian, Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Beth Kangwana, Nicole Maddox, Yohannes Dibaba Wado, Benta Abuya, Valsa Shah, John A. Maluccio

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Early pregnancy is a challenge for girls in Kenya that often has immediate effects on their educational opportunities, future implications for their social, health, and economic outcomes, and negative impacts on their children. For girls to achieve well-being in early and late adolescence, no single-sector intervention—whether education, health, wealth creation, or prevention of violence—will be adequate. The Adolescent Girls Initiative–Kenya (AGI-K) delivered multisectoral interventions to over 6,000 girls aged 11–15 in two marginalized areas of Kenya: the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi and Wajir County in Northeastern Kenya. These interventions were carried out for two years (2015–17) and comprised a …


Nairobi Informal Settlements: Covid-19 Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices And Needs—Round 2, Population Council Apr 2020

Nairobi Informal Settlements: Covid-19 Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices And Needs—Round 2, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

To control the spread of coronavirus, the Kenyan Ministry of Health COVID-19 Taskforce has implemented initial prevention and mitigation measures. Of concern are the densely overcrowded, poor urban slums where sanitation and social distancing measures are near impossible. COVID-19 would spread rapidly and be devastating under these conditions. To inform the Taskforce strategy, the Population Council COVID-19 study team utilizes rapid phone-based surveys to collection information on knowledge, attitudes and practices among ~2,000 heads of household sampled from existing prospective cohort studies across five Nairobi urban slums. Iterations of the survey will be conducted every 1-2 weeks. Baseline findings on …


Kenya: Covid-19 Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices And Needs—Responses From Second Round Of Data Collection In Five Nairobi Informal Settlements (Kibera, Huruma, Kariobangi, Dandora, Mathare), Population Council Apr 2020

Kenya: Covid-19 Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices And Needs—Responses From Second Round Of Data Collection In Five Nairobi Informal Settlements (Kibera, Huruma, Kariobangi, Dandora, Mathare), Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

To control the spread of coronavirus, the Kenyan Ministry of Health COVID-19 Taskforce has implemented initial prevention and mitigation measures. Of concern are the densely overcrowded, poor urban slums where sanitation and social distancing measures are near impossible. COVID-19 would spread rapidly and be devastating under these conditions. To inform the Taskforce strategy, the Population Council COVID-19 study team utilizes rapid phone-based surveys to collection information on knowledge, attitudes and practices among ~2,000 heads of household sampled from existing prospective cohort studies across five Nairobi urban slums. Iterations of the survey will be conducted every 1-2 weeks. Baseline findings on …


Nairobi Informal Settlements: Covid-19 Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices—Preliminary Findings, Karen Austrian, Timothy Abuya Apr 2020

Nairobi Informal Settlements: Covid-19 Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices—Preliminary Findings, Karen Austrian, Timothy Abuya

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

To control the spread of coronavirus, the Kenyan Ministry of Health COVID-19 Taskforce has implemented initial prevention and mitigation measures. Of concern are the densely overcrowded, poor urban slums where sanitation and social distancing measures are near impossible. COVID-19 would spread rapidly and be devastating under these conditions. To inform the Taskforce strategy, the Population Council COVID-19 study team utilizes rapid phone-based surveys to collection information on knowledge, attitudes and practices among ~2,000 heads of household sampled from existing prospective cohort studies across five Nairobi urban slums. Iterations of the survey will be conducted every 1-2 weeks. Baseline findings on …


Kenya: Covid-19 Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices—Preliminary Findings, Population Council Apr 2020

Kenya: Covid-19 Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices—Preliminary Findings, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

To control the spread of coronavirus, the Kenyan Ministry of Health COVID-19 Taskforce has implemented initial prevention and mitigation measures. Of concern are the densely overcrowded, poor urban slums where sanitation and social distancing measures are near impossible. COVID-19 would spread rapidly and be devastating under these conditions. To inform the Taskforce strategy, the Population Council COVID-19 study team utilizes rapid phone-based surveys to collection information on knowledge, attitudes and practices among ~2,000 heads of household sampled from existing prospective cohort studies across five Nairobi urban slums. Iterations of the survey will be conducted every 1-2 weeks. Baseline findings on …


What Works To Improve Outcomes For Kenya's Adolescent Girls?, Population Council Jan 2018

What Works To Improve Outcomes For Kenya's Adolescent Girls?, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This fact sheet outlines results from the Adolescent Girls Initiative–Kenya, a study that evaluates the long-term impact of a multi-sectoral intervention targeted at adolescent girls aged 11 to 15 years from Kibera and rural Wajir. The intervention consists of four different components: a community-based violence-prevention program, an education conditional cash transfer (CCT), health-focused girls' empowerment clubs, and wealth creation for girls via financial education and savings. Results indicate that the approach was a cost-effective way to create positive change across a range of well-being factors for young adolescent girls, including education, health, and economic outcomes.


Adolescent Girls Initiative–Kenya: Midline Results Report, Karen Austrian, Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Joyce Mumah, Beth Kangwana, Yohannes Dibaba Wado, Benta Abuya, Valsa Shah, John A. Maluccio Jan 2018

Adolescent Girls Initiative–Kenya: Midline Results Report, Karen Austrian, Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Joyce Mumah, Beth Kangwana, Yohannes Dibaba Wado, Benta Abuya, Valsa Shah, John A. Maluccio

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Many adolescent girls in Kenya face considerable risks and vulnerabilities that affect their education status, health, and general well-being. In addition to low educational attainment and health risks, other factors that impact education and health outcomes include household poverty, lack of economic independence, limited income-earning opportunities, illiteracy, violence, and social isolation. Younger adolescent girls who live in environments laden with these vulnerabilities are at risk of experiencing negative outcomes such as school dropout, early sexual initiation, unintended pregnancy, early marriage, and sexual and gender-based violence. The Adolescent Girls Initiative–Kenya (AGI-K) delivered multisectoral interventions to over 6,000 girls aged 11–15 in …


Nisitu (Nisikilize Tujengane): Listen To Me, Let’S Grow Together, Population Council Jan 2018

Nisitu (Nisikilize Tujengane): Listen To Me, Let’S Grow Together, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Evidence from several studies, including in Kenya, supports the idea that empowerment and asset-building interventions targeting multiple levels of the socio-ecological environment can improve education, health, economic and social capital, gender-equitable attitudes, and violence outcomes for girls. This brief describes efforts by researchers to test the effects of engaging boys and men alongside girl-centered programming to improve the lives of adolescent girls. In 2017, the Population Council and partners undertook formative research to understand from girls: 1) what are the most influential types of males in their lives; 2) how and what they influence; and 3) what behavior changes among …


The Nia Project: Baseline Survey Instruments, Karen Austrian Jan 2017

The Nia Project: Baseline Survey Instruments, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This document includes all of the Nia Project baseline survey instruments used to collect data in Kenya, providing a multidimensional description of a sample of the participating girls and the schools they attend. The Project is one of the first randomized controlled trials to explore the role of sanitary pad distribution and reproductive health education—individually and in combination—to improve girls’ educational and sexual and reproductive health outcomes. The study collected data from 3,489 girls from 140 schools in three rural Kilifi subcounties: Magarini, Kaloleni, and Ganze.


The Nia Project—Brief, Eunice N. Muthengi, Emily Farris, Karen Austrian Jan 2017

The Nia Project—Brief, Eunice N. Muthengi, Emily Farris, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief provides highlights from the Nia Project conducted in Kenya. The study found that while gaps exist in girls’ capabilities, particularly knowledge and attitudes related to menstruation and reproductive health, the Nia Project has the potential to bridge those gaps. The Project is one of the first randomized controlled trials to explore the role of sanitary pad distribution and reproductive health education—individually and in combination—to improve girls’ educational and sexual and reproductive health outcomes. The findings of this study will make a critical contribution to filling an evidence gap in the field of menstrual health and hygiene management, and …