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Full-Text Articles in Demography, Population, and Ecology
Abriendo Futuros: A Program For Rural Indigenous Girls In Yucatan, Mexico, Fabiola Romero, Ludivine Cicolella, Silvana Larrea, A. Fallone, Isabel Vieitez Martínez
Abriendo Futuros: A Program For Rural Indigenous Girls In Yucatan, Mexico, Fabiola Romero, Ludivine Cicolella, Silvana Larrea, A. Fallone, Isabel Vieitez Martínez
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The Abriendo Futuros (AF) program builds on the Council’s global experience of designing and implementing successful girl-centered programs in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America and the Caribbean. AF aims to improve the living conditions of Mayan girls (10–18 years) and contribute to the achievement of gender equity in the Yucatan. The program’s community-focused strategy seeks to empower girls through interpersonal communication and participatory workshops. Girls in selected communities are divided into age groups (10–14 and 15–18) that meet weekly with a mentor in safe spaces. The program’s mentors are young women aged 20–30 from the communities, who …
Population Council Annual Evaluation Report: Opening Futures (Abriendo Futuros) For Indigenous Girls In Yucatan, Mexico, Silvana Larrea
Population Council Annual Evaluation Report: Opening Futures (Abriendo Futuros) For Indigenous Girls In Yucatan, Mexico, Silvana Larrea
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This Population Council Annual Evaluation Report includes evaluation activities from December 1, 2015 to December 1, 2019, and future evaluation plans (2019–21), as part of the Opening Futures (Abriendo Futuros) project for indigenous girls in Yucatan, Mexico. The first section describes the finalized analysis of the impact evaluation of the pilot phase; the second section reports the progress of evaluation activities; and the third section includes an evaluation of future plans for the period December 1, 2019 to November 30, 2021.
Climate, Population, And Vulnerability In Pakistan: Exploring Evidence Of Linkages For Adaptation, G.M. Arif, Muhammad Riaz, Nadeem Faisal, Mohammad Jamal Khan Khattak, Zeba Sathar, Muhammad Khalil, Maqsood Sadiq, Sabahat Hussain, Kiren Khan
Climate, Population, And Vulnerability In Pakistan: Exploring Evidence Of Linkages For Adaptation, G.M. Arif, Muhammad Riaz, Nadeem Faisal, Mohammad Jamal Khan Khattak, Zeba Sathar, Muhammad Khalil, Maqsood Sadiq, Sabahat Hussain, Kiren Khan
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The global discussion of climate change and its impacts and causes has changed completely in the past quarter century. Scientific opinion now accepts that rapid warming is occurring and that greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted as a result of human activities are largely to blame. The consequences of taking no action will be catastrophic. Unfortunately, the burden of impact will fall disproportionately on the poor and most vulnerable people who rely heavily on agriculture in countries where average temperatures are already high. Climate change is particularly harmful because it increasingly threatens food security in these countries. Pakistan is one of the …
Understanding Factors Influencing Adverse Sex Ratios At Birth In Bangladesh, Md. Noorunnabi Talukder, Ubaidur Rob, Md. Irfan Hossain, Forhana Rahman Noor
Understanding Factors Influencing Adverse Sex Ratios At Birth In Bangladesh, Md. Noorunnabi Talukder, Ubaidur Rob, Md. Irfan Hossain, Forhana Rahman Noor
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Nationally, the sex ratio at birth has persisted at its natural level of 105 male per 100 female newborns for the past half century in Bangladesh. However, at the regional level, Bangladesh is characterized by an east-west divide in sex ratios at birth. While the western region shows normal sex ratios at birth, the eastern region displays distorted sex ratios. To understand the factors that contribute to regional variations, a household survey was conducted among married women aged 18–49 years who had at least two living children. Views of health-care providers on gender-biased sex selection and of program implementers on …
Addressing Gender-Biased Sex Selection In Haryana, India: Promising Approaches, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Rajib Acharya, Sharmistha Basu, A.J. Francis Zavier
Addressing Gender-Biased Sex Selection In Haryana, India: Promising Approaches, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Rajib Acharya, Sharmistha Basu, A.J. Francis Zavier
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Persistently adverse sex ratios remain a challenge in India despite the enforcement of the PCPNDT (Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques) Act in 1994. Nevertheless, over the decade 2001–2011, positive shifts from very adverse to less adverse levels have occurred in a few states. Two districts in Haryana state—Kurukshetra and Sonipat—whose sex ratios displayed some and no improvement, respectively, are compared in an attempt to find promising programme directions to counter gender-biased sex selection. Comparisons are drawn from the attitudes and experiences of surveyed women and interviews with service providers and programme implementers, about sex-selection technology. Also addressed are differences in …
Follow-Up Study Of Migrant Adolescent Girls In Domestic Service Who Participated In The First Cohort Of The Filles Éveillées ("Girls Awakened") Program, Sarah Engebretsen
Follow-Up Study Of Migrant Adolescent Girls In Domestic Service Who Participated In The First Cohort Of The Filles Éveillées ("Girls Awakened") Program, Sarah Engebretsen
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Circular migration (from rural to urban areas and back) among adolescents is common throughout West Africa, with the principle motivation being the search for economic opportunities, including domestic work. The evidence base on adolescent migration and domestic work is fairly thin. Evidence on programmatic effectiveness generally ends at program completion and does not follow adolescents over time. The current study follows a subsample of migrant adolescent girls in domestic service in urban Burkina Faso who participated in the first cohort of the Filles Éveillées (Girls Awakened) pilot program. Filles Éveillées was designed to provide migrant girls in domestic service with …
Policy Brief: Adolescent Girls And Migration In The Developing World, Population Council
Policy Brief: Adolescent Girls And Migration In The Developing World, Population Council
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
When a migrant girl is successful, she creates a ripple effect through generations: families and future children will be better off because of her ability to finish school, get a job, and stay healthy. Despite the positive potential of migration for adolescent girls, migrant girls are largely ignored in policy and programs designed to reach migrants and adolescents. Because of their age and gender, migrant girls are especially vulnerable to risks such as exploitative employment. If these girls arrive at their destination and settle in safely, their diligence can enable them to capitalize on new opportunities and become productive, contributing …
Girls On The Move: Adolescent Girls & Migration In The Developing World, Miriam Temin, Mark R. Montgomery, Sarah Engebretsen, Kathryn M. Barker
Girls On The Move: Adolescent Girls & Migration In The Developing World, Miriam Temin, Mark R. Montgomery, Sarah Engebretsen, Kathryn M. Barker
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Adolescent girls in developing countries are migrating to urban areas in ever greater numbers. While migration can be risky, for the majority of girls, migration can increase opportunities and economic stability and provide them with the autonomy to make decisions about their lives. Preventing the worst outcomes and helping girls succeed are essential to unlocking the benefits of migration. When migrant girls can take advantage of the benefits, they can be a powerful force for change in the developing world—improving lives and reducing poverty in their communities and countries. This Girls Count report examines the social and economic determinants of …
The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program: Lessons Learned From The Pilot Test Program, Karen Austrian, Natalie Jackson Hachonda, Paul C. Hewett
The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program: Lessons Learned From The Pilot Test Program, Karen Austrian, Natalie Jackson Hachonda, Paul C. Hewett
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Adolescent girls in Zambia face a range of risks and vulnerabilities that compromise their healthy development into young women, and lack the social, health, and economic assets to mitigate these risks. The issues that girls are confronted with include high rates of gender-based violence, unsafe sex that puts them at risk for unwanted pregnancy and HIV infection, school dropout, lack of economic resources and income-generating options, and lack of agency and participation. The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) has three major components: safe spaces groups in which girls meet once a week over the course of two years for training …
Designing, Implementing, And Evaluating A Targeted, Evidence-Based Intervention For A Vulnerable Subgroup Of Girls: A Case Study Of The Filles Éveillées ("Girls Awakened") Pilot Program For Migrant Adolescent Girls In Domestic Service In Urban Burkina Faso, Sarah Engebretsen
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Investing in adolescent girls is crucial in the developing world where a large and growing proportion of the population is under the age of 24. Research has demonstrated that adolescent girls face serious challenges around the time of puberty including withdrawal from (and lack of safety in) public spaces, loss of peers, leaving school, pressure for marriage or liaisons as livelihood strategies, and internalization of harmful gender norms. Investments need to be made at critical moments in early adolescence. While policymakers and development professionals have acknowledged the need to make investments in the poorest girls in the poorest communities early …
Safe And Smart Savings Products For Vulnerable Adolescent Girls In Kenya And Uganda: Evaluation Report, Karen Austrian, Eunice N. Muthengi
Safe And Smart Savings Products For Vulnerable Adolescent Girls In Kenya And Uganda: Evaluation Report, Karen Austrian, Eunice N. Muthengi
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The decision to engage in the development of girl-friendly savings accounts was made as part of the Population Council’s work with adolescent girls in Kenya. In June 2008 the Council and MicroSave Consulting started the Safe and Smart Savings Products for Vulnerable Adolescent Girls. Based on the market research and prior experience with developing programs for adolescent girls, a product concept for a group-based savings account was developed, in which the group model was used to address the legal constraints of minors not being able to hold individual accounts. In Kenya and Uganda, two financial institutions were identified, and the …
Evaluation Of Filles Eveillees ("Girls Awakened"): A Pilot Program For Migrant Adolescent Girls In Domestic Service, Sarah Engebretsen
Evaluation Of Filles Eveillees ("Girls Awakened"): A Pilot Program For Migrant Adolescent Girls In Domestic Service, Sarah Engebretsen
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The Filles Éveillées (Girls Awakened) program was designed to increase social networks and skill building among migrant adolescent girls in domestic service in urban Burkina Faso. The program was piloted over two cycles: 2011–2012 in Bobo Dioulasso, and 2012–2013 in Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso. According to this evaluation report, process evaluation was conducted between the two cycles to assess program effectiveness and suggest improvements for program structure, implementation, and content before launching the second cohort. Changes resulting from this process evaluation included simplifying the sexual and reproductive health program content; reordering the modules and introducing financial capabilities earlier so that …
The Adolescent Girls Vulnerability Index: Guiding Strategic Investment In Uganda, Sajeda Amin, Karen Austrian, Michelle Chau, Kimberly Glazer, Eric P. Green, David Stewart, Marie Stoner
The Adolescent Girls Vulnerability Index: Guiding Strategic Investment In Uganda, Sajeda Amin, Karen Austrian, Michelle Chau, Kimberly Glazer, Eric P. Green, David Stewart, Marie Stoner
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Adolescence (from the ages of 10 to 19 years) is a critical stage of human development during which children experience rapid social, physical, psychological, and emotional changes on the path from childhood to adulthood. The decisions that are made during this period of life affect not only the individual well-being of young people, but also the well-being of the entire society. The Adolescent Girls Multilevel Vulnerability Index (AGI) was developed based on a growing recognition of the need to channel resources to vital—yet highly vulnerable and vastly underserved—populations of adolescent girls in Uganda specifically, and the East and Southern Africa …
The Cost Of Reaching The Most Disadvantaged Girls: Programmatic Evidence From Egypt, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kenya, South Africa, And Uganda, Jessica Sewall-Menon, Judith Bruce, Karen Austrian, Raven Brown, Jennifer Catino, Alejandra Colom, Angel Del Valle, Habtamu Demele, Annabel Erulkar, Kelly Hallman, Eva Roca, Nadia Zibani
The Cost Of Reaching The Most Disadvantaged Girls: Programmatic Evidence From Egypt, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kenya, South Africa, And Uganda, Jessica Sewall-Menon, Judith Bruce, Karen Austrian, Raven Brown, Jennifer Catino, Alejandra Colom, Angel Del Valle, Habtamu Demele, Annabel Erulkar, Kelly Hallman, Eva Roca, Nadia Zibani
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The most disadvantaged adolescent girls are the poorest girls from the poorest communities. They suffer from human rights abuses, lack education and economic opportunity, are affected by HIV/AIDS, and have poor reproductive and maternal health outcomes. To effectively reach these girls so that they can receive critical services such as gathering spaces, life skills, financial literacy, savings accounts, and reproductive health knowledge, they must be targeted as a distinct segment. It is important to invest in building the capacities of local partners and governments to deliver and scale-up low-cost, well-targeted programs. This technical report is intended to assist programmatic officers, …
Filles Eveillées ('Girls Awakened'): A Pilot Program For Migrant Adolescent Girls In Domestic Service In Urban Burkina Faso, Sarah Engebretsen, Gisele Kaboré, Leah Jarvis
Filles Eveillées ('Girls Awakened'): A Pilot Program For Migrant Adolescent Girls In Domestic Service In Urban Burkina Faso, Sarah Engebretsen, Gisele Kaboré, Leah Jarvis
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Young people in Burkina Faso, especially adolescent girls, have few economic opportunities, particularly in rural areas. This drives migration to urban areas in search of employment. In 2010, the Population council conducted formative research on migrant adolescent girls in domestic service in urban Burkina Faso. Findings revealed that girls typically live with their employers and spend long days performing arduous work, leaving little time for schooling, building social networks, and developing skills necessary for adulthood. Most programs designed for this population intervene after something has gone wrong rather than building girls’ protective assets. In response to these findings, the Population …
Baseline And Endline Findings Of Filles Eveillées ('Girls Awakened'): A Pilot Program For Migrant Adolescent Girls In Domestic Service. Cohort 1 (2011–2012), Bobo-Dioulasso, Sarah Engebretsen
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Burkina Faso has the tenth youngest population in the world, with 45 percent of the population below the age of 15. Young people in Burkina Faso, especially adolescent girls, have few economic opportunities, particularly in rural areas. This drives migration to urban areas in search of employment. On their own, girls are physically and economically vulnerable and many are at heightened risk for gender-based violence. The Population Council conducted formative research in 2010 to better understand the situation of migrant adolescent girls in domestic service in urban Burkina Faso, and subsequently designed a safe spaces intervention. The Filles Éveillées (“Girls …
Injectable Contraceptives: Perspectives And Experiences Of Women And Health Care Providers In India, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, A.J. Francis Zavier
Injectable Contraceptives: Perspectives And Experiences Of Women And Health Care Providers In India, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, A.J. Francis Zavier
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This report is the result of a study that aimed to shed light on the feasibility and acceptability of making injectable contraceptives more widely available to women in India. The study focused on injectable contraceptive users, new method adopters, and healthcare providers drawn from the facilities of a range of reproductive health. Healthcare providers were, for the most part, in favor of offering injectable contraceptives, however, they argued strongly for certain prerequisites, such as comprehensive and sensitive counseling and effective follow-up. Findings further suggest that there is a demand for injectable contraceptives among women, and that both women and healthcare …
Assessing Equity Of Access In Programs For Young People, Adam Weiner
Assessing Equity Of Access In Programs For Young People, Adam Weiner
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Young people aged 10–19 make up almost 20 percent of the population in less developed regions. This vast, highly diverse population faces a variety of threats that could disrupt their healthy transition to adulthood, including early marriage and childbearing, school leaving, violence, exploitation, unemployment, and HIV/AIDS. The majority of youth programs fail to reach the most vulnerable; most programs are only accessible to those with greater levels of social and human capital, such as an education or friendship networks. Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 28 describes how the Population Council, recognizing the need for generating …
Taking Programs For Vulnerable Adolescents To Scale: Experiences, Insights, And Evidence, Martha Brady
Taking Programs For Vulnerable Adolescents To Scale: Experiences, Insights, And Evidence, Martha Brady
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The international development community’s desire to alleviate poverty and improve health outcomes presents an extraordinary opportunity to transform the lives of young people, particularly girls. Cycles of illiteracy, poor job prospects, and social isolation can be broken but will require concerted efforts to reach large numbers of vulnerable adolescent girls with robust asset-building programs. Scaling-up effective pilot programs will be critical to achieving these goals. While there is an expanding body of research around scaling up health interventions, less is known or documented about scaling up cross-sectoral programs for adolescent girls. Bringing to scale programs directed toward poor, often invisible …
Scaling For Change: Strategic Investment In The Poorest Girls In The Poorest Communities, Judith Bruce
Scaling For Change: Strategic Investment In The Poorest Girls In The Poorest Communities, Judith Bruce
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
No abstract provided.
The Population Council's Approach: Promoting Healthy, Safe, And Productive Transitions To Adulthood, Population Council
The Population Council's Approach: Promoting Healthy, Safe, And Productive Transitions To Adulthood, Population Council
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood brief provides an overview of the Population Council’s focus on adolescents that began in the early 1990s. The focus has been accompanied by a commitment to move the field of adolescent research and programs from one often narrowly focused on sexuality, reproductive health, and behavior to the broader social and economic issues that underpin adolescent health and well-being. In 1998, with the publication of The Uncharted Passage—a benchmark review of the situation of adolescent girls in developing countries—the current program of work was launched. The Council’s approach has been characterized by …
Summary Of New Lessons: The Power Of Educating Adolescent Girls, Cynthia B. Lloyd
Summary Of New Lessons: The Power Of Educating Adolescent Girls, Cynthia B. Lloyd
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Over the past 15 years, girls’ education in the developing world has been a story of progress, as noted in Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 33. Interest from the development community has grown steadily in response to evidence documenting the benefits of girls’ schooling, and female education is now a major part of global development commitments. Education helps adolescent girls avoid long working hours and early pregnancies, and lowers risk of HIV/AIDS, and secondary education offers greater prospects of remunerative employment. But according to a 2008 United Nations report, 113 countries failed to reach the …
Piloting A Safe Spaces, Asset-Building Program For Adolescent Girls In Urban Ghana, Sarah Engebretsen, Selina F. Esantsi
Piloting A Safe Spaces, Asset-Building Program For Adolescent Girls In Urban Ghana, Sarah Engebretsen, Selina F. Esantsi
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Ghana’s population of 24 million is projected to reach 31.8 million in 2025. This population growth is coupled with rapid urbanization. Urban adolescent females experience a rapid decline in school enrollment, often because they need to provide economic support to families. Girls living apart from families and out of school often lack social networks and have few opportunities to build the critical skills needed for adulthood. The Population Council has a global portfolio of work reaching vulnerable adolescent girls with programs that provide a safe, girl-specific platform where girls can develop core skills, form friendships, receive and give peer support, …
Education During Humanitarian Emergencies: The Situation Of Displaced Children And Youth In Darfur, Sudan, Safaa El-Kogali
Education During Humanitarian Emergencies: The Situation Of Displaced Children And Youth In Darfur, Sudan, Safaa El-Kogali
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
More than 39 million children and youth who live in conflict-affected fragile states do not have access to education. With an increase in the average duration of refugee displacement from 9 years in the early 1990s to 17 years today, whole generations of children have little chance to recoup the potential educational investment lost during their years living in the midst of a humanitarian emergency. The Population Council and the Women’s Refugee Commission launched a research project to identify the link between education and children’s protection and well-being in Darfur, Sudan. The objective was to document the educational environment in …
Investigating School Quality And Learning Outcomes Among Adolescents In Malawi, Christine A. Kelly
Investigating School Quality And Learning Outcomes Among Adolescents In Malawi, Christine A. Kelly
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Education, particularly at the primary level, has long been regarded as an essential input of social and economic development. In addition to its role in increasing the cognitive abilities of students, schooling is recognized as a facilitator of labor force participation, female empowerment, improved health outcomes, and greater civic engagement. As one of the early pioneers in sub-Saharan Africa of free primary education, Malawi’s enrollment figures compare favorably with those of its neighbors in southern Africa. However, as noted in Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 34, primary school completion rates stand at just 35 percent, …
Calling Attention To Young Adolescents: Building The Evidence Base To Inform Policies And Programs, Martha Brady
Calling Attention To Young Adolescents: Building The Evidence Base To Inform Policies And Programs, Martha Brady
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Young adolescence is a critical life-cycle stage marked by a dynamic combination of opportunity and risk. During this time, children undergo tremendous physical, emotional, social, and cognitive changes as well as socialization into prevailing sexual and gender norms. For the majority, young adolescence is characterized by relatively good health and stable family circumstances, but it can also be a period of vulnerability due to a number of rapid transitions that force some young people into adult roles. Most young adolescents experience the onset of puberty (girls earlier than boys), which typically marks an abrupt life change. Some young adolescents will …
Addressing Sexual And Gender-Based Violence (Sgbv) Against Adolescent Girls, Sajeda Amin, Althea D. Anderson
Addressing Sexual And Gender-Based Violence (Sgbv) Against Adolescent Girls, Sajeda Amin, Althea D. Anderson
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The Population Council’s extensive work on adolescent safe spaces and livelihoods programs has demonstrated the pathways of empowering adolescent girls and the substantial benefits for society. Monitoring and evaluation data from these initiatives have produced empirical evidence about threats to girls’ health and well-being that relate to both longstanding and emergent social forces. In developing countries, where the risk of adverse sexual and reproductive health outcomes is high and young girls are at high risk, it is important to address issues related to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and gender norms that relate to these risks. The Council’s work with …
Creating 'Safe Spaces' For Adolescent Girls, Wendy Baldwin
Creating 'Safe Spaces' For Adolescent Girls, Wendy Baldwin
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Adolescence is a time of many transitions and a time to acquire the skills for adult life. Although skills can still be acquired in adulthood, adolescence is a time to lay a foundation of education, financial skills, positive health behaviors, and critical thinking. For many girls in the developing world, the opportunity to move freely in the community becomes limited at the onset of puberty. This may be a well-intentioned protective measure, but the effect can be to limit girls’ opportunity to form strong social networks, gain requisite skills, and learn how to be full members of their community. The …
Costs Of Marriage—Marriage Transactions In The Developing World, Sajeda Amin, Ashish Bajracharya
Costs Of Marriage—Marriage Transactions In The Developing World, Sajeda Amin, Ashish Bajracharya
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Over the past two decades the Population Council has amassed a wealth of information on the causes and correlates of child marriage and documented its adverse effects on the well-being of women and girls. In many parts of the developing world, understanding child marriage is central to designing programs that promote healthy transitions to adulthood. Council research also underscores the importance of rituals and practices of marriage exchange around the globe and documents the considerable variation in these practices. Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 35 synthesizes some broad themes that have emerged from research on …
Youth In India: Situation And Needs 2006-2007—Executive Summary, International Institute For Population Sciences (Iips), Population Council
Youth In India: Situation And Needs 2006-2007—Executive Summary, International Institute For Population Sciences (Iips), Population Council
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This executive summary presents, in brief, findings from the Youth in India: Situation and Needs study, a subnational study undertaken by the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai and the Population Council, New Delhi to collect information on key transitions experienced by youth in India, including those related to education, workforce participation, sexual activity, marriage, health, and civic participation. The magnitude and patterns of young people’s sexual and reproductive practices before, within, and outside of marriage, as well as related knowledge, decisionmaking, and attitudes, is also assessed. The project was implemented in six states of India, namely, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, …