Family, Life Course, and Society Commons^™

Abriendo Oportunidades: Guía Curricular Integrada 2015, Cecilia Garcés, Paola Broll

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

El programa Abriendo Oportunidades tiene como objetivo apoyar a las niñas indígenas en Guatemala para alcanzar su máximo potencial y superar el ciclo de la pobreza. Esta es la tercera versión de la guía curricular basada en activos, diseñada para ser implementado por mentores de la comunidad. Su objetivo es fomentar la reflexión y el diálogo, la hermandad y el pensamiento crítico entre las adolescentes. La guía curricular se basa en el enfoque de respetar y promover los derechos humanos y la equidad de género. Esta guía es una herramienta valiosa para los programas que buscan integrar la educación integral …

Las Adolescentes Indígenas: Una Prioridad De Hoy Para Un Mejor Futuro Nacional En El 2015, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Esta hoja informativa detalla los problemas prioritarios que enfrentan los adolescentes guatemaltecos y presenta las acciones recomendadas para un mejor futuro nacional. Las áreas prioritarias incluyen la educación primaria y secundaria, la salud reproductiva y los medios de vida. La hoja incluye un ejercicio de cobertura—una herramienta simple, rápida y económica que permite entender a quién están llegando los servicios. Permite además identificar problemas comunes entre organizaciones, comprender el acceso diferenciado, identificar vacíos programáticos y modificar el alcance de los programas.

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This fact sheet details the priority problems facing Guatemalan adolescents and presents recommended actions for a better national …

Abriendo Oportunidades Program: Integrated Curriculum Guide (8 To 17 Years Old)—Two-Year Cycle, Cecilia Garcés, Paola Broll

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Abriendo Oportunidades program aims to support indigenous girls in Guatemala to reach their maximum potential and overcome the cycle of poverty. The program created safe spaces for girls at the community level, reaching adolescent girls with an asset-based curriculum implemented by community mentors. This is the third version of the curriculum. It was designed to foster reflection and dialogue, sisterhood, and critical thinking among adolescent girls. The first two versions focused on reproductive health, nutrition, hygiene, communication skills, and financial education. Several of the initial topics, as well as some activities from these previous versions, are included in the …

Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (Agep): Program Overview, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

For Zambian girls, social isolation, economic vulnerability, and lack of appropriate health information and services are critical problems that prevent a healthy transition from girlhood to womanhood. The challenges that girls are confronted with—high rates of gender-based violence, unsafe sex that puts girls at risk for unwanted pregnancy and HIV infection, school dropout, lack of economic resources and income-generating options, lack of agency and participation—are linked together through their root causes. Therefore, the solutions must be interconnected as well. Through the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP), the Population Council and partners are implementing a social, health, and economic asset-building program …

Balika Fact Sheet: Highlight On Schooling, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

School attendance is universal in the Bangladeshi Association for Life Skills, Income, and Knowledge for Adolescents (BALIKA) study area, but the persistence of early and child marriage leads to high dropout rates among girls. Compulsory primary education is free in Bangladesh, and policies to improve access to schooling are generally credited with universal schooling at young ages. Only 1 percent of 12–15-year-olds have never attended school compared to 9 percent among 15–18-year-olds in the study area. The recent expansion of educational opportunity presents new challenges. Bangladesh is unusual by global comparison in the high proportion of girls who are married …

Nutrition Education Curriculum For The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (Agep), Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) in rural and urban Zambia aims to build social, health, and economic assets of adolescent girls. A safe spaces component is at the core of AGEP. Girls groups, under the guidance of a female mentor from the same community, provide a safe and supportive learning environment. The meetings are critical in building social assets for vulnerable girls—including friendships, self-esteem, trusting relationships with adults, and social support. The training content over the course of the year varies from sexual and reproductive health and life skills to financial education and nutrition training. This collection is focused …

The Contracting World Of Girls At Puberty: Violence And Gender-Divergent Access To The Public Sphere Among Adolescents In South Africa, Kelly Hallman, Nora Kenworthy, Judith A. Diers, Nick Swan, Bashi Devnarain

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This Population Council working paper describes a participatory mapping project undertaken with single-sex groups of grade 5 and grade 8–9 children in urban and rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. At grade 5, female self-defined community areas were equal to or larger in size than those of males in both sites. However, wide gender divergence in access to the public sphere was found among grade 8–9 children. Although curtailed spatial access, especially in urban areas, is intended to protect post-pubescent girls, grade 8–9 girls reported most spaces in their small navigable areas unsafe. Reducing girls’ access to the public sphere does not …

Financial Education Curriculum For The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (Agep), Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) in rural and urban Zambia aims to build social, health, and economic assets of adolescent girls. A safe spaces component is at the core of AGEP. Girls groups, under the guidance of a female mentor from the same community, provide a safe and supportive learning environment. The meetings are critical in building social assets for vulnerable girls—including friendships, self-esteem, trusting relationships with adults, and social support. The training content over the course of the year varies from sexual and reproductive health and life skills to financial education and nutrition training. This collection of learning …

Leadership Des Filles Et Mentoring, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

GIRLS FIRST! Perspectives de programmation centrée sur les filles est une série de cinq comptes rendus thématiques qui fournissent des instantanés de la base de connaissances sur la programmation des adolescentes. Ils abordent les cinq priorités stratégiques définies dans la Déclaration conjointe des Nations Unies de 2010, «Intensifier l’action menée pour promouvoir les droits des adolescentes» et fournissent des recommandations fondées sur des preuves. Ce bilan politique décrit meilleurs moyens de cultiver les leaders féminines.

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GIRLS FIRST! Perspectives on Girl-Centered Programming is a set of five thematic reviews that provide snapshots of the knowledge base on adolescent girls programming. …

Priorités Pour L'Éducation Des Adolescentes, Cynthia B. Lloyd

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

L’adolescence marque une période de croissance et de développement rapides sur le plan physique, affectif, et cognitif. Côté féminin, il s’agit d’une étape de la vie durant laquelle l’éducation, si elle est efficace, peut être transformatrice. Un problème majeur, dans la plupart des pays en développement, est que les systèmes d’éducation en place ne cernent et ne réalisent pas leur potentiel d’autonomisation des adolescentes en les dotant de compétences économiquement productives. L’éducation des filles durant l’adolescence peut les tenir à l’abri des risques d’une initiation sexuelle précoce, différer le mariage et la maternité et leur permettre de vivre une enfance …

Safe And Smart Savings For Vulnerable Girls In Kenya And Uganda: The Evolving Model, Lessons Learned, And Recommendations, Karen Austrian, Eunice N. Muthengi, Angela Wambugu, Dennitah Ghati, Elizabeth Kariuki

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

To make a healthy and safe transition to adulthood—completing school, remaining HIV negative, avoiding unwanted pregnancies, and finding a meaningful livelihood—adolescent girls require a combination of social, health, and economic assets. The Population Council and partners designed, implemented, and evaluated Safe and Smart Savings Products for Vulnerable Adolescent Girls—a three-part program to build assets through weekly group meetings led by female community mentors. The program included group meetings, financial and basic health education, and a formal savings account. This brief provides a description of the program model and how it evolved from the pilot to the rollout phases from Kenya …

Girls' Leadership And Mentoring, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

GIRLS FIRST! Perspectives on Girl-Centered Programming is a set of five thematic reviews that provide snapshots of the knowledge base on adolescent girls programming. They address the five strategic priorities defined in the 2010 UN Joint Statement, “Accelerating Efforts to Advance the Rights of Adolescent Girls” and provide evidence-based recommendations. This brief describes the best ways to cultivate girl leaders.

Priorities For Adolescent Girls' Education, Cynthia B. Lloyd

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Adolescence is a time of rapid growth and development physically, emotionally, and cognitively. For girls it is a stage of life during which education, when effectively provided, can be transformative. One of the most significant problems in most developing countries is the failure of education systems to realize their potential for empowering adolescent girls by providing economically productive skills. Education during adolescence can protect girls from the risks of premature sexual initiation and allow them to postpone marriage and childbearing and experience a childhood without the burden of excessive domestic work. Schools have the potential to fully empower girls to …

Young Women: Your Future, Your Money—Workbook For Girls Ages 15–19 In Kenya, Population Council, Microfinance Opportunities

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This workbook was created under the Safe and Smart Savings project, a program to help vulnerable adolescent girls build assets, support networks, and savings. The program combined weekly group meetings facilitated by a female mentor, financial education, health and life skills education, and formal individual savings accounts. The workbook was adapted from “Young Women: Your Future Your Money,” published by Microfinance Opportunities, and is designed to help young girls learn how to save money and gain financial literacy. This version is meant for use by girls ages 15–19 in Kenya. There is an additional workbook designed for girls ages 10–14.

La Educación De Las Niñas En Países En Desarrollo: Aspectos Destacados De La Investigación Del Population Council, Cynthia B. Lloyd

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

A medida que más niñas asisten a la escuela en la adolescencia, la importancia de las experiencias escolares y la calidad de las escuelas para la salud reproductiva y sexual de las adolescentes, así como para una exitosa transición a la edad adulta, es clara. La investigación del Population Council sobre educación busca comprender mejor los patrones y las tendencias en la educación para niñas y más particularmente la relación entre las experiencias escolares, la calidad de las escuelas, y las diversas consecuencias para los adolescentes. Promoción de transiciones a la vida adulta: Sanas, seguras y productivas N° 24 resume …

Young Women: Your Future, Your Money—Workbook For Girls Ages 10–14 In Kenya, Population Council, Microfinance Opportunities

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This workbook was created under the Safe and Smart Savings project, a program to help adolescent girls build assets, support networks, and savings. The program combined weekly group meetings facilitated by a female mentor, financial education, health and life skills education, and formal individual savings accounts. The workbook was adapted from “Young Women: Your Future Your Money,” published by Microfinance Opportunities, and is designed to help young girls learn how to save money and gain financial literacy. This version is meant for use by girls ages 10–14 in Kenya. There is an additional workbook designed for girls ages 15–19.

Young Women: Your Future, Your Money—Workbook For Girls Ages 10–14 In Uganda, Population Council, Microfinance Opportunities

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This workbook was created under the Safe and Smart Savings project, a program to help vulnerable adolescent girls build assets, support networks, and savings. The program combined weekly group meetings facilitated by a female mentor, financial education, health and life skills education, and formal individual savings accounts. The workbook was adapted from “Young Women: Your Future Your Money,” published by Microfinance Opportunities, and is designed to help young girls learn how to save money and gain financial literacy. This version is meant for use by girls ages 10–14 in Uganda. There is an additional workbook designed for girls ages 15–19.

Young Women: Your Future, Your Money—Workbook For Girls Ages 15–19 In Uganda, Population Council, Microfinance Opportunities

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This workbook was created under the Safe and Smart Savings project, a program to help vulnerable adolescent girls build assets, support networks, and savings. The program combined weekly group meetings facilitated by a female mentor, financial education, health and life skills education, and formal individual savings accounts. The workbook was adapted from “Young Women: Your Future Your Money,” published by Microfinance Opportunities, and is designed to help young girls learn how to save money and gain financial literacy. This version is meant for use by girls ages 15–19 in Uganda. There is an additional workbook designed for girls ages 10–14.

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, …

Girls' Schooling In Developing Countries: Highlights From Population Council Research, Cynthia B. Lloyd

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

As more girls from developing countries attend school into their teens, the importance of schooling experiences and school quality for adolescent sexual and reproductive health, as well as for girls’ successful transitions to adult roles, is clear. The Population Council’s research on schooling seeks to foster a deeper understanding of the patterns and trends in schooling for girls and more particularly the relationship between experiences in school, school quality, and various adolescent outcomes. Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 24 summarizes highlights from this research program under five subtopics: the demography of schooling; school attendance and …

Ensuring Education For All In India: Highlighting The Obstacles, International Institute For Population Sciences (Iips), Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Looking at the current educational situation of youth in India, this Population Council policy brief argues that significant investments in terms of appropriate policies and programs are required to enable the country to achieve the Millennium Development Goals of universal primary education and elimination of gender disparity in primary and secondary education, harness its demographic dividend, and enable its youth to participate in and benefit from global development. The brief recommends that policy commitments be met and programs be effectively implemented, and notes the importance of high school education in enabling youth to make a successful transition to adulthood. It …

Understanding Adolescent Girls' Protection Strategies Against Hiv: An Exploratory Study In Urban Lusaka, Joseph Simbaya, Martha Brady, Allison Stone, Maya Vaughan-Smith

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This report provides a descriptive analysis of how adolescent girls and young women in Lusaka, Zambia construct notions of risk and safety, perceive reproductive health and HIV risks, and identify behaviors and actions they can take to protect themselves. Findings suggests stronger social support networks, improved access to the range of reproductive health services and products, and safe and supportive spaces for girls would be beneficial. The report points to several areas for potential program attention, including more focused attention on the structural and environmental drivers of girls’ vulnerability.

L'Adolescence Des Filles Au Burkina Faso: Une Clé De Voûte Pour Le Changement Social, Martha Brady, Lydia Saloucou, Erica Chong

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Although a number of innovative programs have been created to meet their needs, Burkinabé adolescent girls continue to face many threats to their well-being. They still need considerable support and opportunities to improve their social and economic status and health status. This report, using a number of data sources, including Population Council studies and programs, and the Demographic and Health Survey of Burkina Faso, aims to provide a general overview of these young girls’ adolescence—the realities of life and the policy and program initiatives designed for them. The Population Council hopes that this report will make a significant contribution to …

Youth In India: Situation And Needs 2006-2007, Andhra Pradesh, International Institute For Population Sciences (Iips), Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This report is the result of a sub-national study undertaken by the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai and the Population Council, New Delhi, as part of a project to collect information on key transitions experienced by youth in India, including those related to education, work force 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, decision-making and attitudes. The project was implemented in six states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu.

New Lessons: The Power Of Educating Adolescent Girls—A Girls Count Report On Adolescent Girls, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Juliet Young

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The authors of this book demonstrate that education for girls during adolescence can be transformative, and they identify a broad array of promising educational approaches which should be evaluated for their impact. New Lessons provides data and analysis from research on more than 300 programs and projects for adolescent girls. It offers evidence on how proven practices, including scholarships for girls and the recruitment and training of female teachers, can increase the number of adolescent girls attending school and highlights the pedagogical approaches that enhance learning and employment.

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 …

Girls' Adolescence In Burkina Faso: A Pivot Point For Social Change, Martha Brady, Lydia Saloucou, Erica Chong

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

As closer attention is paid to the lives of adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa, girls are found to be clearly disadvantaged, compared with their male counterparts. Burkinabé girls are frequently married at a young age, and more than one-third of married girls find themselves in polygamous unions as second or third wives, married to much older men. Understanding and recognizing girls’ realities is an important first step in planning appropriate and meaningful interventions for them. Girls who are unmarried, “promised,” engaged, or married face different constraints and merit different program approaches. This report by the Population Council aims to fill gaps …

The Experience Of Adolescence In Rural Amhara Region, Ethiopia, Annabel Erulkar, Tekle-Ab Mekbib, Negussie Simie, Tsehai Gulema

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This study aims to broaden the understanding of young lives in rural Ethiopia, specifically, Amhara Region. It finds that over half of the adolescents in the sample had never been to school. The most common reason for boys and girls not attending school was poverty, followed by early marriage for girls, and too many work responsibilities for boys. It finds that over half of the adolescents interviewed were illiterate. The study offers suggestions to address the programmatic needs of rural youth as well as neglected subgroups of adolescents.

The Effect Of A Livelihoods Intervention In An Urban Slum In India: Do Vocational Counseling And Training Alter The Attitudes And Behavior Of Adolescent Girls?, Barbara Mensch, Monica J. Grant, Mary Philip Sebastian, Paul C. Hewett, Dale Huntington

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This Population Council working paper examines whether an experimental intervention for girls aged 14–19 that provided reproductive health information, vocational counseling and training, and assistance with opening savings accounts in slum areas of Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, India had an effect on their attitudes and behaviors. Although the livelihoods program was acceptable to parents and feasible to implement, the project had only a minimal impact on the behavior and attitudes of adolescent girls in the experimental slums. The greatest changes between the baseline and the endline surveys were found in those outcomes that most closely reflected the content of the …

Adolescents And Youth In Pakistan 2001-2002: A Nationally Representative Survey, Zeba Sathar, Minhaj Ul Haque, Azeema Faizunnissa, Munawar Sultana, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Judith A. Diers, Monica J. Grant

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Published by the Population Council's Islamabad office, this is the first comprehensive survey of Pakistani youth. The report provides an unprecedented view of young people's experiences with and attitudes about education, employment, families, and marriage. The report findings confirm the large differences in the current situation of adolescents and youth, males versus females, from different strata of residence and economic status. Addressing these requires government intervention, changes in attitude, and input from the media, women and youth groups, and members of civil society.