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Adolescent Girls Initiative-Kenya: Baseline Report, Karen Austrian, Eunice N. Muthengi, Taylor Riley, Joyce Mumah, Caroline W. Kabiru, Benta Abuya

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Many adolescent girls in Kenya face considerable risks and vulnerabilities that affect their education status, health, and general well-being. The Adolescent Girls Initiative–Kenya (AGI-K) will deliver multisectoral interventions for over 5,000 girls aged 11–14 in two marginalized areas of Kenya: the Kibera slums in Nairobi, and Wajir County in Northeastern Kenya. Implemented by Plan International in Kibera and Save the Children in Wajir, these interventions will be implemented for two years and will comprise a combination of girl-level, household-level, and community-level interventions. A randomized controlled trial will be used to compare the impact of four different packages of interventions to …

Sexual Behaviors And Biomarkers: Baseline Findings, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) is a program for girls ages 10–19 in rural and urban Zambia that aims to find the best ways to improve their social, health, and economic resources. More than 10,000 girls participated in weekly girls’ group meetings, received health vouchers, and opened savings accounts. More than 5,000 girls, unmarried at baseline, were enrolled in a randomized, controlled trial and followed over four years—two years in the program and two years after the program ended. This brief describes the characteristics of enrolled girls at baseline.

Is Agep Building Assets For Vulnerable Girls In Zambia? Preliminary Research Findings, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) is a randomized controlled trial that evaluates a multisectoral program intended to increase girls’ social, health, and economic resources. AGEP involves over 10,000 vulnerable girls aged 10–19 in Zambia. The girls participate in weekly girls’ group meetings (safe spaces), receive vouchers for health services, and open savings accounts. AGEP operates in ten sites—five urban and five rural—across four provinces in Zambia. The AGEP evaluation is based on the randomization of girls to participate in one of four arms of the program: 1) safe spaces only, 2) safe spaces + health voucher, 3) safe spaces …

Adolescent Girls Initiative-Kenya: Program Overview, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Many adolescent girls in Kenya face considerable risks and vulnerabilities that affect their education, health, and general well-being—including early marriage; teenage pregnancy; early, unprotected, and/or unwanted sexual activity; violence; social isolation; and HIV/STIs. For the most part, very young adolescent girls who live in risk-prone environments have not yet experienced these negative outcomes. It is critical, therefore, to intervene early and increase girls’ capacity to overcome these risks before the challenges result in outcomes that may be irreversible. Research has shown that single-sector interventions are not adequate to obtain the range of outcomes needed to help girls enter into adulthood …

Sexual And Gender-Based Violence: Baseline Findings, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) is a program for girls ages 10-19 in rural and urban Zambia that aims to find the best ways to improve their social, health, and economic resources. Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is a pervasive global health problem. Women and girls are most at risk, and consequences include physical injury, psychological trauma, unwanted pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. The AGEP program involves over 10,000 girls participating in weekly girls’ group meetings, receiving health vouchers and opening savings accounts. Over 5,000 girls, unmarried at baseline, are enrolled in a randomized, controlled trial and …

Participatory Research Results From Training With The Mabinti Tushike Hatamu Out-Of-School Girls Program: Tanzania 2015, Kelly Hallman, Ilan Cerna-Turoff, Neema Matee

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Mabinti Tushike Hatamu (Girls let’s be leaders!) program is designed to test and evaluate strategies for reducing the vulnerability of out-of-school adolescent girls in Tanzania aged 10–19 years to HIV/AIDS, pregnancy, and unfavorable life outcomes. MTH is led by the Tanzania AIDS Commission, implemented by Restless Development, and supported by UNICEF. The Population Council developed a strategy for Restless Development to capture the richness of its activities. The Council designed a training session and a companion toolkit in participatory action research for community volunteers, aged 19–23 years, to use within their girl groups. This report describes the findings from …

Provision Of Adolescent Reproductive And Sexual Health Services In India: Provider Perspectives, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, K.G. Santhya, Santosh Kumar Singh, Shilpi Rampal, Komal Saxena

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The recently launched Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) program seeks to enable all adolescents and youth to realize their full potential by making informed decisions concerning their health and well-being and by accessing the services and support they need to implement their decisions. To realize this vision, the RKSK framework acknowledges the strengthening of Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics (AFHCs) and providing correct knowledge and information through counseling services as two of its seven critical components. As the government makes an effort to roll out the RKSK program at scale across the country, reviewing the experiences of the AFHCs established under …

Trafficking Of Minor Girls For Commercial Sexual Exploitation In India: A Synthesis Of Available Evidence, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Sharmistha Basu

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Understanding factors that place minor girls at risk of being trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) and the consequences of trafficking for their health and life-course trajectories is limited by the scattered evidence available on these issues. The role of various stakeholders in trafficking, namely, families, traffickers, and brothel owners, and the role of law enforcement agencies in preventing it are also poorly understood. Further, adequate data consolidating the responses of government and nongovernmental organizations to issues related to CSE of minor girls are lacking. There is a need, therefore, to consolidate this scattered body of evidence and to identify …

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 …

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 …

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

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 …

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 …

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 …

Étude De Suivi Des Adolescentes Migrantes Employées De Maison Ayant Participé À La Première Cohorte Du Programme Filles Éveillées, Sarah Engebretsen

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

La migration circulaire (du milieu rural au milieu urbain et retour), est courante parmi les adolescents et adolescentes d'Afrique occidentale, la principale motivation étant la quête de débouchés économiques, y compris le travail domestique. Les données d’efficacité programmatique disponibles s’interrompent généralement au moment de la conclusion des programmes, sans suivi des adolescents à plus longue échéance. Cette étude suit un sous-échantillon d'adolescentes migrantes employées de maison au Burkina Faso après leur participation à la première cohorte du programme pilote Filles Éveillées. Ce programme a été conçu pour offrir aux filles migrantes employées de maison l’occasion de renforcer leurs réseaux sociaux …

Évaluation De Filles Éveillées : Programme Pilote Pour Adolescentes Migrantes Employées De Maison, Sarah Engebretsen

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Le programme «Filles Éveillées» a été conçu dans le but d’accroître les réseaux sociaux et de développer les compétences des adolescentes migrantes employées de maison au Burkina Faso urbain. Il a fait l’objet de deux cycles pilotes: en 2011-2012 à Bobo-Dioulasso, puis en 2012-2013 à Ouagadougou et Bobo-Dioulasso. Une évaluation de processus a été effectuée entre les deux cycles avant d’évaluer l’efficacité du programme et d’y proposer les améliorations de structure, mise en œuvre et contenu jugées utiles avant le lancement de la seconde cohorte. Cette évaluation a donné lieu aux changements suivants: simplification du contenu programmatique sur la santé …

Growing Up In Rural India: An Exploration Into The Lives Of Younger And Older Adolescents In Madhya Pradesh And Uttar Pradesh, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Iram Saeed, Archana Sarkar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This technical report describes the situation of adolescents according to a baseline assessment conducted in selected villages in India. The objectives of the assessment were to explore the attitudes, practices, and behaviors of adolescent girls, their adolescent brothers and if married, their husbands, with regard to sexual and reproductive matters, including HIV; their perspectives on adolescent girls’ and boys’ vulnerability to HIV and ways in which it can be mitigated; and the perspectives of parents and other critical adults in the community on the vulnerability of adolescent girls and boys to HIV. Results will be used to: (1) enhance adolescent …

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 …

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 …

Comprendre La Vie Des Adolescentes Avant Et Après La Migration: Enquête Réalisée Sur Les Sites D'Origine Auprès D'Anciennes Filles Migrantes Employées Comme Aide-Ménagères, Gisele Kaboré

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Le Population Council met en œuvre un projet en direction des adolescentes migrantes travaillant comme employées de maison dans les zones urbaines au Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou et Bobo-Dioulasso). Ce programme, dénommé «Filles Éveillées», a pour objectif d’élargir les réseaux sociaux des filles et de développer leurs compétences en capacités financières, en santé et hygiène, santé de la reproduction et en compétences de la vie courante. Il offre également aux bénéficiaires l’opportunité d’accéder à l’alphabétisation. Dans un effort d’améliorer ce programme en ville, il s’est avéré opportun de mieux comprendre les circonstances de la vie des adolescentes dans le village avant …

Évaluation De Processus : Programme Filles Eveillées Pour Adolescentes Migrantes Employées De Maison Au Burkina Faso Urbain 2012, Leah Jarvis, Gisele Kaboré

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Le programme «Filles Éveillées» a été conçu pour apporter aux adolescentes migrantes employées de maison les compétences, les connaissances et le capital social qui leur permettent de réduire leurs vulnérabilités et de s’ouvrir de nouveaux débouchés. Les observations tirées de la collecte de données quantitatives et qualitatives ont révélé le succès considérable du programme: il est largement apprécié et a été bien reçu par les participantes, les mentors, les membres de la communauté et tous les autres intéressés. En sa qualité de programme pilote, les obstacles à une mise en œuvre sans incidents auraient été inévitables, mais par leur détermination …

Violence Against Adolescent Girls: A Fundamental Challenge To Meaningful Equality, Judith Bruce

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Societies, rich and poor alike, are increasingly articulating commitments that guarantee girls safe and equal access to entitlements, services, social participation, and economic opportunities. yet threats of violence in many forms intervene to prevent girls from claiming their rights. Many countries stipulate equality between males and females in their constitutions. Theoretically, safe access to resources and facilities is equally afforded to girls and boys, however a far higher proportion of boys and a smaller subset of usually more privileged girls may actually claim their rights and opportunities. The experience of violence is devastating at the individual emotional and physical level. …

Réseaux Sociaux Et Les Capacités Financières Des Filles Employées De Maison À Bobo-Dioulasso, Gisele Kaboré

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Depuis plus d’une année, le Population Council assure la mise en œuvre du projet «Filles Éveillées» ciblant les travailleuses domestiques dans les zones urbaines au Burkina Faso. L’objectif de cette étude est d’avoir une meilleure connaissance des réseaux sociaux des filles—soit avec les personnes dans sa nouvelle communauté soit avec des personnes dans son village à travers la technologie—depuis leurs zones d’origine, sachant que la phase de transit n’est pas bien comprise mais que ça peut influencer le séjour de la fille en ville. Cette étude a pour objectif de cerner les capacités et les modes de gestion financières des …

De La Recherche À La Conception Programmatique Et À La Mise En Oeuvre : Programmation À L'Intention Des Filles Des Milieux Ruraux D'Éthiopie—Boîte À Outils Du Praticien, Annabel Erulkar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Cette boîte à outils décrit comment créer ou améliorer des programmes pour les filles de l’Éthiopie rurale, en vue d'accroître le nombre de programmes organisés à leur intention et de les rendre pertinents et mieux adaptés à leur contexte. La boîte à outils décrit un processus d’élaboration programmatique fermement ancré dans les faits. Les chapitres procèdent dès lors d’un point de départ axé sur la recherche pour identifier et décrire les filles, pour se concentrer ensuite sur le développement programmatique émanant des données, et aboutir enfin sur la mise en œuvre guidée par le suivi et l’évaluation permanents.

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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 …

La Violence Faite Aux Adolescentes : Un Défi Fondamental À La Vraie Égalité, Judith Bruce

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Les sociétés, riches comme pauvres, articulent chaque jour davantage des engagements qui garantissent aux filles un accès égal aux droits, aux services, à la participation sociale et à l’épanouissement économique, pourtant, bien des menaces de violence sous de nombreuses formes interviennent pour empêcher les filles de revendiquer leurs droits. De nombreux pays stipulent l'égalité entre les hommes et les femmes dans leurs constitutions. Théoriquement, l’accès sûr aux ressources et aux aménagements est assuré à parts égales aux filles et aux garçons, mais une bien plus grande proportion de garçons et un sous-ensemble moindre de filles généralement privilégiées peuvent effectivement se …

The Health Of Vulnerable Adolescent Girls: A Strategic Investment For Double Return, Jennifer Catino

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Worldwide there are 1.2 billion adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19. Nearly 90 percent of them live in developing countries, and approximately 600 million are female. While adolescence is normally a time of good health, numerous developmental and social changes occur during this period, many of which have health implications, especially for girls. Most of the girls and young women in the developing world live in conditions that make them vulnerable to health and social risks. They are often poor, out-of-school, married, migrants, members of ethnic minorities, or engaged in unsafe labor. Girls from many of the poorest …

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

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 …

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. …