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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Biruh Tesfa Provides Domestic Workers, Orphans, And Migrants In Urban Ethiopia With Social Support, Hiv Education, And Skills, Annabel Erulkar, Belaynesh Semunegus, Gebeyehu Mekonnen
Biruh Tesfa Provides Domestic Workers, Orphans, And Migrants In Urban Ethiopia With Social Support, Hiv Education, And Skills, Annabel Erulkar, Belaynesh Semunegus, Gebeyehu Mekonnen
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
In Ethiopia, the HIV epidemic is increasingly urban and female. An estimated 7.7 percent of the urban population in Ethiopia is HIV-positive, compared with less than 1 percent of the rural population. Nationally, the female-to-male ratio of HIV infection is 3 to 2. Girls who migrate from rural to urban areas may be less protected, more vulnerable to violence and sexual abuse, and less equipped to avoid abusive situations—all of which may increase HIV risk. The Biruh Tesfa (“Bright Future”) program addresses the social isolation of out-of-school adolescent girls aged 10–19, including rural-to-urban migrants, domestic workers, and orphans. Using a …
Delaying Early Marriage Among Disadvantaged Rural Girls In Amhara, Ethiopia, Through Social Support, Education, And Community Awareness, Eunice N. Muthengi, Annabel Erulkar
Delaying Early Marriage Among Disadvantaged Rural Girls In Amhara, Ethiopia, Through Social Support, Education, And Community Awareness, Eunice N. Muthengi, Annabel Erulkar
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Ethiopia has extremely high rates of child marriage and an HIV epidemic that disproportionately affects females. In the rural Amhara region, 50 percent of girls are married by age 15 and 80 percent are married by age 18. Researchers conducted a survey of more than 1,800 adolescents in the Amhara Region. Based on the findings, in 2004 the Amhara Regional Bureau of Youth and Sports and the Population Council created the Berhane Hewan (“Light for Eve”) project. Berhane Hewan’s goal is to establish effective mechanisms to protect girls at risk of early marriage and to support adolescent girls who are …
Ethiopia Gender Survey: A Study In Seven Regions, Annabel Erulkar, Abebaw Ferede, Worku Ambelu, Woldemariam Girma, Helen Amdemikael, Behailu Gebremedhin, Berhanu Legesse, Ayehualem Tameru, Messay Teferi
Ethiopia Gender Survey: A Study In Seven Regions, Annabel Erulkar, Abebaw Ferede, Worku Ambelu, Woldemariam Girma, Helen Amdemikael, Behailu Gebremedhin, Berhanu Legesse, Ayehualem Tameru, Messay Teferi
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
“Ethiopia Gender Survey: A Study in Seven Regions” is a 2009 population-based survey. Over 8,000 Ethiopian women aged 15 to 49 were interviewed to examine a better understanding of HIV behavior, gender issues and reproductive health in Ethiopia. The information serves as the baseline survey for four initiatives in Ethiopia related to adolescent health and development, gender-based violence, women’s empowerment, and female genital cutting/ mutilation.
Ethiopia Young Adult Survey: A Study In Seven Regions, Annabel Erulkar, Abebaw Ferede, Worku Ambelu, Woldemariam Girma, Helen Amdemikael, Behailu Gebremedhin, Berhanu Legesse, Ayehualem Tameru, Messay Teferi
Ethiopia Young Adult Survey: A Study In Seven Regions, Annabel Erulkar, Abebaw Ferede, Worku Ambelu, Woldemariam Girma, Helen Amdemikael, Behailu Gebremedhin, Berhanu Legesse, Ayehualem Tameru, Messay Teferi
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This report details a survey in Ethiopia that provides a baseline for four new initiatives, including programs devoted to adolescent and youth health and development, gender-based violence, women’s/girls’ empowerment, and female genital cutting/mutilation. The Population Council research contributes to up-to-date and nuanced understandings of HIV behavior, gender issues, and reproductive health among young people in seven regions of Ethiopia. The survey findings underscore the differing experiences of boys and girls as well as the varying conditions in urban and rural areas of Ethiopia; tailored strategies are needed to reach rural boys, rural girls, urban boys, and urban girls. In addition, …
Meserete Hiwot ("Base Of Life"): Supporting Married Adolescents With Hiv Prevention And Reproductive Health In Rural Ethiopia, Annabel Erulkar, Aragaw Lamesgin, Eunice N. Muthengi
Meserete Hiwot ("Base Of Life"): Supporting Married Adolescents With Hiv Prevention And Reproductive Health In Rural Ethiopia, Annabel Erulkar, Aragaw Lamesgin, Eunice N. Muthengi
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
To better understand the lives of adolescents in rural Ethiopia, researchers conducted a survey of adolescents in Amhara Region. The study found that many girls experienced early, unwanted arranged marriages, resulting in early unwanted sexual initiation and pregnancy, as well as social isolation in new marital homes. Based on the findings of this study, the Population Council and the Ethiopian Ministry of Youth and Sports created a program to support girls who are married early, with a view to increasing their social networks, improving their ability to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS, and supporting their reproductive health. This program brief reports …
Building Programs To Address Child Marriage: The Berhane Hewan Experience In Ethiopia, Eunice N. Muthengi, Annabel Erulkar
Building Programs To Address Child Marriage: The Berhane Hewan Experience In Ethiopia, Eunice N. Muthengi, Annabel Erulkar
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The development of a context-appropriate program to delay marriage in rural Ethiopia took place over many years and in stages. The program that ultimately became known as “Berhane Hewan” was developed by building an evidence base of understanding on the populations being served and developing partnerships between the Population Council and like-minded agencies with complementary expertise. The Berhane Hewan pilot demonstrated that significant impacts can be made on the social, educational, and health status of adolescent girls in a short period of time, through well designed and implemented support programs. However, high levels of exposure to all project components, make …
Looking Back, Moving Forward: Promoting Gender Equity To Fight Hiv, Horizons Studies 1999 To 2007, Julie Pulerwitz, Annie P. Michaelis, Ellen Weiss
Looking Back, Moving Forward: Promoting Gender Equity To Fight Hiv, Horizons Studies 1999 To 2007, Julie Pulerwitz, Annie P. Michaelis, Ellen Weiss
HIV and AIDS
In 1997, the Population Council initiated the Horizons Program—a decade-long USAID-funded collaboration with the International Center for Research on Women, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, PATH, Tulane University, Family Health International, and Johns Hopkins University—designing, implementing, evaluating, and expanding innovative strategies for HIV prevention and care. Horizons developed and tested ways to optimize HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs; worked to reduce stigma and improve gender-biased behaviors; and greatly expanded knowledge about the best ways to support, protect, and treat children affected by HIV and AIDS. In all its projects, Horizons strengthened the capacity of local institutions by providing support and …
The Adolescent Experience In-Depth: Using Data To Identify And Reach The Most Vulnerable Young People—Ethiopia 2005, Population Council
The Adolescent Experience In-Depth: Using Data To Identify And Reach The Most Vulnerable Young People—Ethiopia 2005, Population Council
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
“The Adolescent Experience In-Depth: Using Data to Identify and Reach the Most Vulnerable Young People: Ethiopia 2005” is part of a series of Population Council guides that draw principally on data from the Demographic and Health Surveys to provide decisionmakers at all levels—from governments, nongovernmental organizations, and advocacy groups—with evidence on the situation of adolescent girls and boys and young women aged 10–24 years. The data are presented in graphs, tables, and maps (wherever possible), providing multiple formats to make the information accessible to a range of audiences. Section I is the Foreword. Section II offers brief technical notes specific …
Demographic Data For Development In Sub-Saharan Africa, Wendy Baldwin, Judith A. Diers
Demographic Data For Development In Sub-Saharan Africa, Wendy Baldwin, Judith A. Diers
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
More demographic data are being collected throughout the developing world than ever before, but the effective use of that data to further development goals is often lacking. This working paper summarizes case studies on the demand for data in four sub-Saharan African countries, namely Ethiopia, Ghana, Senegal, and Uganda. The project’s objective was to create a detailed portrait of access and demand at the country level, and to determine whether policymakers are getting the data they need to develop sound policies. Common findings across the four countries include an increased external demand from international initiatives that has not necessarily translated …
Addis Birhan ('New Light'): Fostering Husbands' Involvement And Support In Amhara Region, Ethiopia, Annabel Erulkar, Awraris Alemayehu
Addis Birhan ('New Light'): Fostering Husbands' Involvement And Support In Amhara Region, Ethiopia, Annabel Erulkar, Awraris Alemayehu
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Men have traditionally been excluded from initiatives related to reproductive health, family planning, parenthood, and sexuality. While HIV programs frequently recognize the role of men’s risk-taking behavior in transmission of HIV, little is known about men’s sexual and reproductive health. In Ethiopia, the Ethiopia Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Amhara Regional Bureau of Youth and Sports, and the Population Council have been implementing programs for vulnerable girls in Ethiopia, including married adolescents. As programs for married girls became increasingly popular and widely known, demand for support programs arose from their husbands. As a result, qualitative, in-depth interviews were undertaken …
Demographic Data For Development: Ethiopia, Yared Mekonnen, Wendy Baldwin, Sarah Engebretsen
Demographic Data For Development: Ethiopia, Yared Mekonnen, Wendy Baldwin, Sarah Engebretsen
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This case study from Ethiopia is one of four looking at data for social and economic development in sub-Saharan Africa. The case studies identified activities to enhance data demand, utilization, and quality in each of the focus countries. They involved interviews with key stakeholders to solicit their views on country-level data needs, utilization, access, and demand. Recent emphasis on programs for poverty reduction and improved development have highlighted the need for data to identify the specific problem areas and assess the progress of new initiatives. The main sources of data are the census; Demographic and Health Surveys; Welfare Monitoring Surveys; …
Adolescent Girls In Urban Ethiopia: Vulnerability And Opportunity, Abebaw Ferede, Annabel Erulkar
Adolescent Girls In Urban Ethiopia: Vulnerability And Opportunity, Abebaw Ferede, Annabel Erulkar
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
In 2008, the Population Council undertook a survey of out-of-school, adolescent girls (aged 10 to 19) in slum areas of urban Ethiopia—a population that is highly vulnerable to HIV infection. The survey serves as a baseline for HIV prevention programs designed and implemented jointly by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Regional Bureaus of Youth and Sports, and the Population Council. This study provided valuable direction for programmers interested in supporting adolescent girls, particularly early adolescent (10 to 14 years old) and out-of-school girls who are highly vulnerable and in need of dedicated attention. Special efforts are needed to support …
Directory Of Programs For Rural Girls In Ethiopia, Elshaday Kifle, Mekuria Yilma, Emil Parker
Directory Of Programs For Rural Girls In Ethiopia, Elshaday Kifle, Mekuria Yilma, Emil Parker
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Rural girls in Ethiopia face significant challenges on a host of issues including health, education, civic participation, and access to services. Beyond traditional female roles of wife and mother, the livelihood options open to girls and women are narrow. The goal of the Ethiopia “Brain Trust” project is to expand and improve programs for rural girls in Ethiopia. Under the Trust, a team of program practitioners convenes to explore best practices in reaching and supporting rural girls. Currently, 18 organizations are represented in the Trust. In addition, the Trust seeks to improve networking and information sharing among program practitioners working …
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Change Is Possible, Frontiers In Reproductive Health
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Change Is Possible, Frontiers In Reproductive Health
Reproductive Health
Changing long-standing cultural practices—even when such practices are harmful—is difficult, but the impressive success in reducing the acceptability and incidence of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in several settings shows it is possible. Research by FRONTIERS in Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, and Senegal has provided insight into the sociocultural and religious underpinnings of FGM/C and has identified approaches that, over time, have contributed to individual and community decisions to abandon the practice. This information can help reduce the risk of undergoing FGM/C faced by three million girls and women every year. This is one of eight Legacy Papers synthesizing …
Evaluation Of Berhane Hewan: A Pilot Program To Promote Education And Delay Marriage In Rural Ethiopia, Annabel Erulkar, Eunice N. Muthengi
Evaluation Of Berhane Hewan: A Pilot Program To Promote Education And Delay Marriage In Rural Ethiopia, Annabel Erulkar, Eunice N. Muthengi
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The Berhane Hewan Program pilot-tested in rural Ethiopia from 2004–06 was developed to sensitize community members to the dangers of child marriage, prevent early marriage among unmarried adolescents, and provide support for girls who are already married. The program included social mobilization of girls aged 10–19 into groups led by female mentors; support to stay in school or convening of groups outside of school including nonformal education and livelihoods skills; and community-wide conversations on early marriage and reproductive health issues affecting girls. Economic incentives were provided to families who did not marry off their daughters during the project period. Population-based …
Improving Reproductive Health And Hiv Prevention Among Married Adolescents In Amhara, Ethiopia, Annabel Erulkar, Tekle-Ab Mekbib
Improving Reproductive Health And Hiv Prevention Among Married Adolescents In Amhara, Ethiopia, Annabel Erulkar, Tekle-Ab Mekbib
Reproductive Health
The objective of this project is to improve reproductive health (RH), prevent new HIV infections, and promote mutual faithfulness through addressing the HIV and reproductive risk among married adolescents, who are a large, vulnerable, and neglected category of Ethiopian youth. The Population Council partnered with Ethiopia Ministry of Education, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and the Ethiopian Muslim Development Agency to implement the project in Amhara region. The program used religious structures to spread messages about early marriage, HIV, and reproductive health. Local women leaders were trained as mentors of married adolescent girls, convening clubs through which HIV/RH information was conveyed, …
Kenya And Ethiopia: Community And Religious Leaders Are Effective Advocates For Hiv Testing For Young Couples, Population Council
Kenya And Ethiopia: Community And Religious Leaders Are Effective Advocates For Hiv Testing For Young Couples, Population Council
Reproductive Health
Early marriage is common for girls in much of sub-Saharan Africa. A common belief is that marriage protects them from HIV, but studies show that married girls are at much higher risk from HIV and from maternal morbidity and mortality. FRONTIERS conducted operations research in Ethiopia and Kenya to assess the acceptability and feasibility of community-based interventions to raise awareness of the HIV risks of early marriage and promote the use of HIV counseling and testing (C&T) services by couples. The studies were an initial phase in a planned four-year intervention; this brief reports on the feasibility of the approach. …
Leave No Woman Behind, Ethiopia: Baseline Report, Annabel Erulkar, Tekle-Ab Mekbib, Helen Amdemikael, Garry Conille
Leave No Woman Behind, Ethiopia: Baseline Report, Annabel Erulkar, Tekle-Ab Mekbib, Helen Amdemikael, Garry Conille
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
“Leave No Woman Behind, Ethiopia” is an experimental project being implemented in rural areas of Ethiopia’s Amhara region. The project uses the mobilization of women into groups and adult literacy as an entry point for reproductive health education and referrals. Measurement of the program’s impact is being undertaken using a quasi-experimental research design including baseline and endline surveys in six Kebele Associations in rural Amhara. This report presents findings from the baseline survey conducted among more than 3,000 girls and women aged 10–45 in rural Amhara region. The results cover a broad range of topics including education, work, livelihoods, social …
Mainstreaming Emergency Contraception In Ethiopia's Public Sector: Final Project Report, Jill Keesbury, Hailegiorgis Aytenfisu, Spike Bradford
Mainstreaming Emergency Contraception In Ethiopia's Public Sector: Final Project Report, Jill Keesbury, Hailegiorgis Aytenfisu, Spike Bradford
Reproductive Health
The Ethiopian Ministry of Health, the Ethiopian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and ECafrique launched a two-year project in 2004 to mainstream emergency contraception (EC) in the country’s public sector. The project aimed at improving reproductive health care among young women and reducing the country’s abortion rate by expanding access to EC. Overall, its goal was to demonstrate the feasibility of integrating EC within the public sector’s broader contraceptive mix and was guided by the following objectives: to scale-up and promote public sector EC services in five of Ethiopia’s most populated regions; to document the characteristics and use patterns of …
Berhane Hewan ('Light For Eve'): A Program To Support Married And Unmarried Adolescent Girls In Rural Amhara Region, Ethiopia, Population Council
Berhane Hewan ('Light For Eve'): A Program To Support Married And Unmarried Adolescent Girls In Rural Amhara Region, Ethiopia, Population Council
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Berhane Hewan (meaning “Light for Eve” in Amharic) is a program in rural Amhara region designed to assist unmarried girls by imparting the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to avoid child marriage as well as give support to adolescent girls who are already married. With support from UNFPA, DFID, and the Turner Foundation, the program is implemented by the Ministry of Youth and Sport and the Regional Youth Bureaus, with technical assistance from the Population Council. The program promotes functional literacy, life skills, livelihoods skills, and reproductive health education. In developing the project, the Regional Youth Bureau staff felt …
Biruh Tesfa ('Bright Future'): A Program For Poor, Urban Girls At Risk Of Exploitation And Abuse In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Population Council
Biruh Tesfa ('Bright Future'): A Program For Poor, Urban Girls At Risk Of Exploitation And Abuse In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Population Council
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Low-income and slum areas in urban sub-Saharan Africa attract large numbers of rural-urban migrants in search of work and educational opportunities. Many are adolescents from poor rural areas, who risk the hazards of life in the slums in hopes of carving out a better life. These girls arrive knowing little about life in dense urban centers, often with little or no education, and no family members or friends to turn to. Many new arrivals are initially absorbed into domestic work; some eventually drift into sex work either for lack of choice or in pursuit of better pay and fewer working …
Marriage In Transition: Evidence On Age, Education, And Assets From Six Developing Countries, Agnes R. Quisumbing, Kelly Hallman
Marriage In Transition: Evidence On Age, Education, And Assets From Six Developing Countries, Agnes R. Quisumbing, Kelly Hallman
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Marriage is an event of great social and economic significance in most societies. Despite the centrality of marriage in an individual’s life history, the literature on marriage patterns pays little attention to men. This paper examines trends in schooling, age, and assets at marriage for both men and women, and spousal differences in these variables in six countries-Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Mexico, the Philippines, and South Africa-using comparable data sets and methodologies.
Marriage In Transition: Evidence On Age, Education, And Assets From Six Developing Countries [Arabic], Agnes R. Quisumbing, Kelly Hallman
Marriage In Transition: Evidence On Age, Education, And Assets From Six Developing Countries [Arabic], Agnes R. Quisumbing, Kelly Hallman
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Marriage is an event of great social and economic significance in most societies. Despite the centrality of marriage in an individual’s life history, the literature on marriage patterns pays little attention to men. This paper examines trends in schooling, age, and assets at marriage for both men and women, and spousal differences in these variables in six countries-Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Mexico, the Philippines, and South Africa-using comparable data sets and methodologies.
Ecological Degradation, Rural Poverty, And Migration In Ethiopia: A Contextual Analysis, Markos Ezra
Ecological Degradation, Rural Poverty, And Migration In Ethiopia: A Contextual Analysis, Markos Ezra
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The interrelationships between ecological degradation, poverty, and rural out-migration in Ethiopia are examined using data from a Household and Community Survey conducted in 1994-95. The survey, which covered a sample of 2,000 households, collected retrospective data on changes in household composition, including migration of household members, during the period 1984 to 1994. The study hypothesizes that the decision to out-migrate in the impoverished rural areas of northern Ethiopia is influenced by a combination of factors based on individual, household and community characteristics. A multilevel analysis is applied to determine the role of these factors in the decision. The findings show …