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Élargir L'Accès Des Adolescentes Aux Espaces Sécurisés, À L'Éducation Financière Et Aux Produits D'Épargne Au Kenya, Karen Austrian Jan 2011

Élargir L'Accès Des Adolescentes Aux Espaces Sécurisés, À L'Éducation Financière Et Aux Produits D'Épargne Au Kenya, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Près d'un milliard de personnes vivent dans des implantations urbaines sauvages et informelles, à savoir des «bidonvilles». Au Kenya, 60% des quelques 3 millions d’habitants de Nairobi vivent dans des taudis caractérisés par des niveaux élevés de pauvreté et de VIH. Kibera est le plus grand de ces bidonvilles. La vie est particulièrement dangereuse pour les adolescentes dans les bidonvilles, car elles font leur transition vers l'âge adulte. Les filles sont davantage susceptibles que les garçons du même âge d'être infectées par le VIH, et l'initiation sexuelle des jeunes filles se produit souvent dans le contexte de violence et de …


Un Seul Programme : Activités Pour Une Approche Pédagogique Unifiée De La Sexualité, Du Genre, Du Vih Et Des Droits Humains, International Sexuality And Hiv Curriculum Working Group, Nicole Haberland, Deborah Rogow Jan 2011

Un Seul Programme : Activités Pour Une Approche Pédagogique Unifiée De La Sexualité, Du Genre, Du Vih Et Des Droits Humains, International Sexuality And Hiv Curriculum Working Group, Nicole Haberland, Deborah Rogow

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

L'éducation sur la sexualité et le VIH peut aider les adolescents à développer leurs capacités à entretenir des relations saines et respectueuses et à se protéger contre les rapports sexuels non désirés et dangereux, les grossesses non désirées et les infections sexuellement transmissibles. Une étude du Population Council de la population de 2015 a révélé que les programmes d'éducation à la sexualité et au VIH qui traitent du genre et du pouvoir dans les relations intimes sont cinq fois plus susceptibles d'être efficaces que les programmes qui ne le font pas. Cependant, la plupart des programmes ne traitent pas encore …


Decrease Of Youth Participation In The Labor Market In The Palestinian Territories: Reasons And Determinants From Gender Prospects [Arabic], Ayman Abdul Majeed Jan 2011

Decrease Of Youth Participation In The Labor Market In The Palestinian Territories: Reasons And Determinants From Gender Prospects [Arabic], Ayman Abdul Majeed

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

It is widely acknowledged that Palestinian youths between the ages of 15–29 have a low participation rate in the labor force. Population Council research has shown that this age group faces many barriers and challenges that make it difficult to pursue work. The prevailing political, economic, social, cultural, and educational conditions are major contributors to the low work participation, in addition to a decreased sense of self-confidence and low self-esteem. The conclusions from the research were to propose practical solutions to help this generation to regain self-confidence and self-esteem and become more active participants in the labor force. There is …


It's All One Curriculum: Activities For A Unified Approach To Sexuality, Gender, Hiv, And Human Rights Education [Chinese], International Sexuality And Hiv Curriculum Working Group, Nicole Haberland, Deborah Rogow Jan 2011

It's All One Curriculum: Activities For A Unified Approach To Sexuality, Gender, Hiv, And Human Rights Education [Chinese], International Sexuality And Hiv Curriculum Working Group, Nicole Haberland, Deborah Rogow

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Education on sexuality and HIV can help adolescents develop the capacity for healthy, respectful relationships and protect themselves from unwanted and unsafe sex, unintended pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections. A 2015 Population Council study found that sexuality and HIV education programs that address gender and power in intimate relationships are five times more likely to be effective than programs that do not. However, most curricula still do not address these issues. It’s All One Curriculum provides a rationale, content, and sample activities for placing gender and rights at the center of sexuality and HIV curricula—both as stand-alone modules and integrated …


Siyakha Nentsha: Building Economic, Health, And Social Capabilities Among Highly Vulnerable Adolescents In Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, Kelly Hallman, Eva Roca Jan 2011

Siyakha Nentsha: Building Economic, Health, And Social Capabilities Among Highly Vulnerable Adolescents In Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, Kelly Hallman, Eva Roca

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Young people growing up in South Africa face many challenges. HIV, orphanhood, early pregnancy, and limited employment prospects are some of the major obstacles to a healthy and productive adulthood. In KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), the province with the highest HIV prevalence rates, the impact of HIV and AIDS is felt especially strongly, and already-disadvantaged adolescents face the prospect of falling even further behind socially and economically because of the disruption of key relationships in their lives. The Isihlangu Health and Development Agency and the Population Council developed and piloted a life-orientation program, Siyakha Nentsha, to improve the lifelong skills and well-being …


Rethinking The Time Allocation Of Egyptian Females: A Matching Analysis, Rana Hardy Jan 2011

Rethinking The Time Allocation Of Egyptian Females: A Matching Analysis, Rana Hardy

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This study explores the extremely biased division of labor within Egyptian households. The effects of marriage on women’s market and domestic labor supplies are important aspects of this study conducted by the Population Council for its working paper series on gender and work in the Mideast-North Africa region. New explanations for married women’s low participation rates are proposed. A matching model is estimated to determine how selection into marriage alters the time allocation of women. The empirical results show that marriage significantly affects both types of work with married women spending about eight hours less on market work weekly relative …


Protecting Young People From Sex Without Consent, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy Jan 2011

Protecting Young People From Sex Without Consent, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Over the last decade, a growing body of evidence has laid to rest any illusion that the young are protected from unwanted sexual advances or forced sex both within and outside of marriage. Studies have established the prevalence of unwanted sex within marriage among young women and its risk factors; the association between poverty and forced sex among adolescent girls in South Africa; levels and correlates of forced sex reported by young people in Ethiopia and Kenya. Evidence has established that sex without consent among the young exists in every region of the world, and that girls, as well as …


Piloting A Safe Spaces, Asset-Building Program For Adolescent Girls In Urban Ghana, Sarah Engebretsen, Selina F. Esantsi Jan 2011

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, …


Introducing Adolescent Livelihoods Training In The Slums Of Allahabad, India, Monica J. Grant, Barbara Mensch, Mary Philip Sebastian Jan 2011

Introducing Adolescent Livelihoods Training In The Slums Of Allahabad, India, Monica J. Grant, Barbara Mensch, Mary Philip Sebastian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

While all adolescents in India face a rapidly changing economic environment, girls’ life choices are very different from boys’. Girls are much less likely to be engaged in economic activities, and when young women do participate in income-generating activities, it is often in unremunerated home-based work. Even when young women are paid for their labor, they may not retain control of their income. The Population Council and its partners are promoting a “livelihoods approach” that aims to expand the decision-making power of young women by building social networks and developing financial and income-generating capacities. This approach attempts to provide technical …


Safe And Smart Savings Products For Vulnerable Adolescent Girls In Kenya And Uganda: Results From The Uganda Pilot Evaluation, Karen Austrian Jan 2011

Safe And Smart Savings Products For Vulnerable Adolescent Girls In Kenya And Uganda: Results From The Uganda Pilot Evaluation, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This presentation was given at the Global Youth Economic Opportunities Conference in Washington DC, USA in 2011. It looks at results from a Uganda Pilot Program to provide financial education among girls and increase asset building in the form of Girls Savings Programs. Results from this study saw that savings programs build social, health, and economic assets for girls.


Addressing Sexual Violence And Hiv Risk Among Married Adolescent Girls In Rural Nyanza, Kenya, Chi-Chi Undie Jan 2011

Addressing Sexual Violence And Hiv Risk Among Married Adolescent Girls In Rural Nyanza, Kenya, Chi-Chi Undie

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Married adolescent girls form a large segment of Kenyan youth, yet they are largely overlooked by researchers and program managers concerned with the lives of adolescents. In settings such as Nyanza Province, Kenya, rates of HIV infection are extremely high, and evidence is increasing in some settings that girls who are married are much more likely to be infected, compared with their unmarried sexually active counterparts. Research indicates that the risk of HIV infection following forced sex is likely higher than following consensual sex. Finding ways to tackle sexual violence and HIV infection simultaneously has therefore become a major public …


Education During Humanitarian Emergencies: The Situation Of Displaced Children And Youth In Darfur, Sudan, Safaa El-Kogali Jan 2011

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 Jan 2011

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 Jan 2011

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 Jan 2011

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 …


Les Programmes De Lutte Contre Le Mariage Des Enfants : Cerner Le Problème, Sajeda Amin Jan 2011

Les Programmes De Lutte Contre Le Mariage Des Enfants : Cerner Le Problème, Sajeda Amin

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

L'élimination du mariage des enfants est à l'ordre du jour des Nations unies et des pays individuels depuis fort longtemps. En effet, tous les pays où le mariage des enfants se produit sont signataires de chartes et pactes internationaux qui en découragent la pratique. Malgré ces accords, le mariage avant l’âge de 18 ans persiste et souvent sans le consentement de la jeune mariée. Les chercheurs du Population Council ont pour objectif d’empêcher le mariage des enfants et de soutenir les filles mariées dans plusieurs pays, dont le Bangladesh, le Burkina Faso, l’Égypte, l’Éthiopie, le Guatemala, l’Inde, le Kenya, le …


Abordar La Violencia Sexual Basada En El Género (Sgbv) Contra Niñas Adolescentes, Sajeda Amin, Althea D. Anderson Jan 2011

Abordar La Violencia Sexual Basada En El Género (Sgbv) Contra Niñas Adolescentes, Sajeda Amin, Althea D. Anderson

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

El trabajo exhaustivo del Population Council sobre espacios seguros de adolescentes y programas de vida ha demostrado los caminos para otorgarle poder a las niñas adolescentes y los beneficios sustanciales para la sociedad. El monitoreo y información de evaluación de estas iniciativas han producido evidencia empírica acerca de numerosas amenazas a la salud y bienestar de las niñas que se relacionan con las fuerzas sociales de la larga data y las emergentes. En países en desarrollo, donde el riesgo de resultados negativos de la salud sexual y reproductiva son altos y las niñas jóvenes están particularmente en alto riesgo, es …


Pilotage D'Un Programme Visant À Sécuriser L'Espace Et À Renforcer Les Ressources Des Adolescentes Vivant Dans Les Zones Urbaines Du Ghana, Sarah Engebretsen, Selina F. Esantsi Jan 2011

Pilotage D'Un Programme Visant À Sécuriser L'Espace Et À Renforcer Les Ressources Des Adolescentes Vivant Dans Les Zones Urbaines Du Ghana, Sarah Engebretsen, Selina F. Esantsi

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

La population du Ghana compte 24 millions d’habitants et devrait atteindre 31,8 millions d’habitants en 2025. Cette croissance démographique va de pair avec l’urbanisation rapide. Les adolescentes qui vivent en milieu urbain connaissent rapidement une diminution du taux de scolarisation, souvent parce qu'elles doivent apporter un soutien économique à leur familles. Les filles qui vivent à l’écart de leur famille et qui ne sont pas scolarisées sont souvent dépourvues de réseaux sociaux et ont peu d'occasions d’adquérir des compétences nécessaires à la vie adulte. Le Population Council dispose d’un portefeuille mondial d’activités consacrées aux adolescentes vulnérables avec des programmes qui …


Addressing The Needs Of Girls At Risk Of Early Marriage And Married Adolescent Girls In Burkina Faso, Sarah Engebretsen, Gisele Kaboré Jan 2011

Addressing The Needs Of Girls At Risk Of Early Marriage And Married Adolescent Girls In Burkina Faso, Sarah Engebretsen, Gisele Kaboré

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Early marriage occurs frequently in rural areas of Burkina Faso and curtails girls' ability to complete their education and fulfill their potential. Once married, girls tend to be less mobile and have limited social networks compared to unmarried girls, and married girls are expected to begin childbearing almost immediately. Given their young age, pregnant adolescents may be at risk of complications during childbirth. Despite the large number of married girls and girls at risk of early marriage in Burkina Faso’s rural areas, few programs address the issue of early marriage directly. Furthermore, the country lacks services tailored to their needs. …


Scaling Up Asset-Building Programs For Marginalized Adolescent Girls In Socially Conservative Settings: The Ishraq Program In Rural Upper Egypt, Nadia Zibani, Martha Brady Jan 2011

Scaling Up Asset-Building Programs For Marginalized Adolescent Girls In Socially Conservative Settings: The Ishraq Program In Rural Upper Egypt, Nadia Zibani, Martha Brady

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In 2001, the Population Council and partners designed and implement an intervention program to address the needs of out-of-school adolescent girls in rural Upper Egypt. As noted in Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 12, the pilot, referred to as Ishraq (“Sunrise”), was launched in four rural villages of el-Minya governorate in Upper Egypt, the country’s least developed and most disadvantaged region. Targeting girls aged 13–15, this program was designed to promote literacy, impart life skills, build social networks, and foster leadership and self-confidence through sports. By establishing girl-friendly spaces in which participants could meet, learn, …


Creating 'Safe Spaces' For Adolescent Girls, Wendy Baldwin Jan 2011

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 …


La Atención Y Prevención De La Violencia En Contra De La Mujer En Guatemala: Directorio De Servicios, Diana Del Castillo, Elvia Raquec Jan 2011

La Atención Y Prevención De La Violencia En Contra De La Mujer En Guatemala: Directorio De Servicios, Diana Del Castillo, Elvia Raquec

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

La violencia contra la mujer es un grave problema de salud pública, constituye una violación de los derechos humanos y es una manifestación de extrema inequidad de género dentro de una sociedad. El problema de violencia en contra de la mujer en Guatemala es uno de los más severos en Latinoamérica. La mayoría de las víctimas son mujeres pobres de áreas rurales, jóvenes, con edades entre los 13 y 30 años. Este Directorio de proveedores de servicios y recursos para la atención y prevención de la violencia en contra de las niñas, adolescentes y mujeres se realizó como parte del …


Day Of Dialogue On Multipurpose Prevention Technologies: Toward Clarity In Nomenclature, Martha Brady, C. Elizabeth Mcgrory Jan 2011

Day Of Dialogue On Multipurpose Prevention Technologies: Toward Clarity In Nomenclature, Martha Brady, C. Elizabeth Mcgrory

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The report summarizes a half-day meeting convened by the Population Council to clarify the wide variety of nomenclature and concepts associated with multipurpose prevention technologies (MPTs). The first section outlines where different types of products are reviewed within the FDA and existing processes that could be applied to MPTs. This is followed by a section that reviews what guidance exists and what else may be needed for review of products like MPTs that address two (or more) indications, including those with a single active, two actives, and multiple components. This meeting identified some of the specific opportunities and challenges for …


Women's Job Search Behavior In The Egyptian Labor Market, Somaya Abdel Mowla Jan 2011

Women's Job Search Behavior In The Egyptian Labor Market, Somaya Abdel Mowla

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This study evaluates the difference between male and female job search behavior in the Egyptian labor market and the changes in this behavior between 1998 and 2006, in order to examine the effect of transition toward a market-oriented economy on job search activity. The paper also investigates the determinants of women’s job search behavior. The results reveal three alarming facts that raise worries about women’s labor force participation and their future labor market outcomes: women were less active job searchers than men, the gender gap in job search has widened, and this gap is even wider when excluding registration in …


First Generation Of Gender And Hiv Programs: Seeking Clarity And Synergy, Judith Bruce, Nicole Haberland, Amy Joyce, Eva Roca, Tobey Nelson Sapiano Jan 2011

First Generation Of Gender And Hiv Programs: Seeking Clarity And Synergy, Judith Bruce, Nicole Haberland, Amy Joyce, Eva Roca, Tobey Nelson Sapiano

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In the past decade, there have been expanding resources to address the underlying gender dimensions of HIV. This has been particularly urgent in sub-Saharan Africa as the female-to-male infection ratios in young populations has reached 3 to 1 and sometimes above. The phrase “gender and HIV” has become commonplace yet does not provide any specific guidance as to target audiences, content, or measurable results. It can include everything from microcredit programs for HIV-positive women, to workplace programs seeking to change negative male norms, to efforts to increase respect for diverse sexual and gender identities. This review, conducted by the Population …


National Efforts Toward Fgm-Free Villages In Egypt: The Evidence Of Impact, Ghada Barsoum, Nadia Rifaat, Omaima El-Gibaly, Nihal Elwan, Natalie Forcier Jan 2011

National Efforts Toward Fgm-Free Villages In Egypt: The Evidence Of Impact, Ghada Barsoum, Nadia Rifaat, Omaima El-Gibaly, Nihal Elwan, Natalie Forcier

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This report is a midterm evaluation and documentation of the process and approach of the FGM-Free Village Model implemented in Egypt by the National Council of Childhood and Motherhood with assistance from the Population Council. In a comparison of responses from women and men in intervention groups to those in nonintervention (control) villages, data analysis shows that the program has been successful in changing views and attitudes toward female genital mutilation (FGM). FGM is an entrenched generational practice, and eradicating it in a community requires concerted effort over an extended period of time. This evaluation strongly recommends that efforts be …


Empowering Adolescent Girls In Rural Bangladesh: Kishori Abhijan, Sajeda Amin Jan 2011

Empowering Adolescent Girls In Rural Bangladesh: Kishori Abhijan, Sajeda Amin

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In 2001, UNICEF initiated a pilot intervention to test whether livelihoods opportunities could ameliorate early marriage and other adverse outcomes for girls in rural Bangladesh. Kishori Abhijan (“Adolescent Girls’ Adventure”) aimed to lower school dropout rates, increase girls’ independent economic activity, and raise the age at which girls marry. Life-skills training consisted of enhancing self-esteem and leadership skills and providing education related to gender roles and discrimination, health and nutrition, and legislation and legal rights, particularly early marriage and girls’ and women’s rights. Livelihoods training included vocational skills. As noted in Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief …


Delaying Early Marriage Among Disadvantaged Rural Girls In Amhara, Ethiopia, Through Social Support, Education, And Community Awareness, Eunice N. Muthengi, Annabel Erulkar Jan 2011

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 …


Girls' Schooling In Developing Countries: Highlights From Population Council Research, Cynthia B. Lloyd Jan 2011

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 …


Expanding Safe Spaces, Financial Education, And Savings For Adolescent Girls In Kenya, Karen Austrian Jan 2011

Expanding Safe Spaces, Financial Education, And Savings For Adolescent Girls In Kenya, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Almost 1 billion people around the globe live in urban informal settlements, or “slums.” In Kenya, 60 percent of Nairobi’s nearly 3 million inhabitants live in slum areas characterized by high levels of poverty and HIV. Kibera is the largest of these slums. Life is particularly perilous for adolescent girls in slums, as they make their transition to adulthood. Girls are several times more likely than their male age-mates to become infected with HIV, and sexual initiation for girls often occurs in the context of violence and coercion. Poverty is a driving force behind these and other vulnerabilities. As described …