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Building Assets Toolkit: Developing Positive Benchmarks For Adolescent Girls—Asset Cards [Portuguese], Judith Bruce, Sarah Engebretsen, Kimberly Glazer

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

[In Portuguese] The Building Assets Toolkit is an approach for developing programs for specific segments of girls that will prepare them to better face the challenges of growing up. It will help program managers understand the needs of the girls in their community, engage stakeholders at different levels and with different viewpoints, and build concrete and meaningful programming for adolescent girls.

This document contains the Building Assets Toolkit’s Asset Cards (110), set of Age Cards (age 6 to 20), and Program Planning Worksheet (sample provided). The Age Cards are to be printed out and placed according to the instructions. The …

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 …

Does Education Improve Health In Low- And Middle Income Countries? Results From A Systematic Review, Stephanie Psaki, Barbara Mensch, Erica Chuang, Andrea J. Melnikas

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Despite enormous progress in expanding school enrollment globally, improvements in health have not always followed, raising important questions: Does education, in fact, enable women, men and their families to be healthier? And if so, how? To fill this gap in knowledge, the GIRL Center conducted a systematic review of the evidence for the effects of education on health in low- and middle-income countries.

Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (Agep): Endline Results—Executive Summary, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Adolescent girls in Zambia face a range of risks and vulnerabilities that challenge their healthy development from girls into young women, and they often lack the social, health, and economic assets that are necessary to mitigate these risks. The issues that confront vulnerable girls—high rates of gender-based violence, unsafe sex that puts girls at risk for unwanted pregnancies and HIV infections, school dropout, lack of economic resources and income-generating options, and lack of agency and participation—are interdependent and have similar causes. The vulnerabilities confronting Zambian adolescent girls formed the basis for designing the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP), which 1) …

Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (Agep): Financial Literacy And Savings—Two-Year Follow-Up, Karen Austrian, Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Natalie Jackson Hachonda, Paul C. Hewett

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Through the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP), the Population Council and partners implemented a social, health, and economic asset-building program in Zambia for over 11,000 vulnerable adolescent girls aged 10–19 years. The AGEP intervention was comprised of three major components: 1) weekly safe spaces groups in which girls met once a week for two years for training on sexual and reproductive health, life skills, and financial education; 2) a health voucher that girls could use at contracted private and public facilities for general wellness and sexual and reproductive health services; and 3) a savings account that was designed by the …

Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (Agep): Health, Karen Austrian, Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Natalie Jackson Hachonda, Paul C. Hewett

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) intervention was conducted over two years to support more than 11,000 vulnerable adolescent girls in Zambia. It was led by the Population Council in partnership with the Young Women’s Christian Association of Zambia (YWCA), the National Savings and Credit Bank of Zambia (Natsave), and the Government of Zambia. To assess the impact of AGEP on mediating and longer-term demographic, reproductive, and health outcomes, Population Council researchers designed and implemented a longitudinal, cluster randomized controlled trial across all program areas. This brief presents the final AGEP findings, highlighting, in the Zambian context, what can be …

Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (Agep): Nutrition, Paul C. Hewett, Amanda L. Willig, Jean Digitale, Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Natalie Jackson Hachonda, Jere R. Behrman, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Adolescence is a critical period in the lives of young people and potentially a time to reap lasting benefits from interventions that improve general, sexual, nutritional, and maternal and child health. The government of Zambia is committed to improving the nutritional status of adolescents and pregnant women and their children. Nonetheless, adolescent girls in Zambia remain at risk for macro- and micro-nutrient deficiencies that have deleterious effects on growth, development, and maternal and child health. The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) nutritional curriculum, developed in partnership with PATH, was tailored to provide age-appropriate information and covered six sessions on nutrition. …

Adolescent Girls Empowerment Programme: Endline Technical Report, Karen Austrian, Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Paul C. Hewett, Natalie Jackson Hachonda, Jere R. Behrman

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The theory of change behind the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) posited that adolescent girls are empowered by building social, health, and economic assets that they can then draw on to reduce vulnerabilities and expand opportunities. In the long term, they will then increase their likelihood of completing school, delaying sexual debut, and reducing risks of early marriages, unintended pregnancies, acquisition of HIV, and other possibly detrimental outcomes. This endline report indicates that, while there were some changes for the program participants in the medium and long term, they did not translate into longer-term effects on reproductive and demographic outcomes …

Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (Agep), 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 them 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. Through the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP), the Population Council and partners implemented a social, health, and economic asset-building program for vulnerable adolescent girls in Zambia. This brief summarizes …

Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (Agep): Sexual And Gender-Based Violence, Karen Austrian, Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Natalie Jackson Hachonda, Paul C. Hewett

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Acceptability and experience of sexual and gender-based violence is alarmingly high among adolescent girls in Zambia. Even more striking is the very young age from which notions of violence are ingrained and experience with violence begins. This brief summarizes the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) evaluation which demonstrated that in the Zambian context, a program focused on changing norms among girls themselves is not enough to impact attitudes toward and experience of violence. Social and cultural norms are shaped by households, schools, communities, and all of the adults that girls interact with in these places—even the mentors of their own …

What Works To Improve Outcomes For Kenya's Adolescent Girls?, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This fact sheet outlines results from the Adolescent Girls Initiative–Kenya, a study that evaluates the long-term impact of a multi-sectoral intervention targeted at adolescent girls aged 11 to 15 years from Kibera and rural Wajir. The intervention consists of four different components: a community-based violence-prevention program, an education conditional cash transfer (CCT), health-focused girls' empowerment clubs, and wealth creation for girls via financial education and savings. Results indicate that the approach was a cost-effective way to create positive change across a range of well-being factors for young adolescent girls, including education, health, and economic outcomes.

Adolescent Girls Initiative–Kenya: Midline Results Report, Karen Austrian, Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Joyce Mumah, Beth Kangwana, Yohannes Dibaba Wado, Benta Abuya, Valsa Shah, John A. Maluccio

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Many adolescent girls in Kenya face considerable risks and vulnerabilities that affect their education status, health, and general well-being. In addition to low educational attainment and health risks, other factors that impact education and health outcomes include household poverty, lack of economic independence, limited income-earning opportunities, illiteracy, violence, and social isolation. Younger adolescent girls who live in environments laden with these vulnerabilities are at risk of experiencing negative outcomes such as school dropout, early sexual initiation, unintended pregnancy, early marriage, and sexual and gender-based violence. The Adolescent Girls Initiative–Kenya (AGI-K) delivered multisectoral interventions to over 6,000 girls aged 11–15 in …

Insights And Evidence Gaps In Girl-Centered Programming: A Systematic Review, Nicole Haberland, Katharine Mccarthy, Martha Brady

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Increased attention to the needs of adolescent girls has led to a growing number of programs in low- and middle-income countries. Questions remain, however, about what aspects of program design are most effective. This hinders efforts to effectively allocate resources, scale up programs, and replicate results across settings. This review looks at how the number of program components, involvement of supporting actors who influence the lives of girls, supplemental “booster” activities, intervention exposure level, and community saturation level influenced outcomes for girls. While findings suggest the importance of multicomponent programs and longer program exposure, each area requires further rigorous research …

Activity Spotlight: Zika Prevention, Breakthrough Research

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In collaboration with Breakthrough ACTION, an affiliated project led by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs, Breakthrough RESEARCH is supporting and strengthening USAID’s Zika response efforts to optimize social and behavior change programming to minimize negative pregnancy outcomes in USAID’s priority countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Breakthrough RESEARCH is leading an evidence review of commonly promoted Zika preventive behaviors and with Breakthrough ACTION will develop a process for prioritizing these behaviors using criteria considering efficacy, feasibility, and potential impact. A key outcome of this process will be an evidence-based list of priority prevention behaviors shared via …

Training Locally Elected Representatives To Act As Change Agents To Promote Egalitarian Gender Norms: Lessons Learned From The Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore Programme—Policy Brief, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This policy brief describes an intervention, the Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore (Two Steps Towards Equality) project in Patna district, India that sought to train locally elected representatives to act as change agents to promote egalitarian gender norms among men and women in their communities, and the effects of exposure to the project among members of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs, local self-governance bodies) and men and women from the community. The project was undertaken by the Population Council, together with partners, the Centre for Catalysing Change and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and with support from …

Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (Agep): Evaluation—Round 4 Update, Karen Austrian, Paul C. Hewett, Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Jean Digitale

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

To assess the impact of the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) on mediating and longer-term demographic, reproductive, and health outcomes, Population Council researchers designed and implemented a longitudinal, cluster randomized controlled trial across all program areas. A baseline survey was conducted in 2013 prior to program implementation and data have been collected annually. A third round of data collection in 2015 produced the midline findings, measuring the program effect immediately at the end of AGEP. Details of the midterm results were published in a full technical report, executive summary, and brief. The focus of this brief is to provide an …

Adolescent Health: Priorities And Opportunities For Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (Rksk) In Uttar Pradesh [Hindi], Sapna Desai

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Government of India in 2014 signaled its commitment to adolescent health through introduction of a national strategy, Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK). Targeting adolescents aged 10–14 and 15–19, the program aims to ensure universal coverage of health information and services for all adolescents—those in and out of school, married or unmarried, and in vulnerable groups. Envisaged as a paradigm shift to address adolescent health beyond sexual and reproductive health, RKSK spans six domains: nutrition, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, injuries and violence including gender-based violence, substance misuse, and non-communicable diseases. This policy brief presents evidence on adolescent health …

Empowering Women And Addressing Marital Violence Through Self-Help Groups: Evidence From Rural Bihar—Policy Brief, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In recognition of the need to reverse gender disparities, India has instituted numerous policies, laws, and programs intended to empower women and to protect women from violence. However, evidence on what works and what does not work to change notions of masculinity and femininity, reverse the widespread acceptability of marital violence at community level, and reduce women’s experience of intimate partner violence remains limited in the country. The Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore (Two Steps Towards Equality) was implemented among married women who were members of self-help groups (SHGs) and their husbands. The Population Council together with partners implemented the …

Ensuring Adolescents In Uttar Pradesh Stay—And Learn—In School, Sapna Desai, Neelanjana Pandey

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Government of India has invested in improving education through two key programs for universal access to, and retention in, secondary education. In Uttar Pradesh, the Population Council found high levels of enrollment among younger adolescents, with limited gender disparity. Retention beyond elementary school, however, was low, and learning outcomes—literacy and numeracy—were poor. This policy brief focuses on two challenges to preparing Uttar Pradesh’s adolescents for the future: universal enrollment and retention in secondary school. The brief outlines recommendations that the government invest in secondary schooling, improve school facilities, support and evaluate quality teaching inputs and curriculum changes, remove economic …

Executive Summary—Understanding The Lives Of Adolescents And Young Adults (Udaya) In Bihar, India, K.G. Santhya, Rajib Acharya, Neelanjana Pandey, Santosh Kumar Singh, Shilpi Rampal, A.J. Francis Zavier, Ashish Kumar Gupta

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

A program of research titled, “Understanding the lives of adolescents and young adults (UDAYA) in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh,” implemented by the Population Council, aimed to understand the factors that determine healthy transitions from childhood to adolescence and adulthood. The goal of UDAYA is to establish the levels, patterns, and trends in the situation of younger (10–14) and older (15–19) adolescents and assess factors that influence the quality of transitions they make. The specific objectives of UDAYA are: 1) to explore the situation of adolescents, with a focus on assessing the extent to which both younger and older adolescents have …

Executive Summary—Understanding The Lives Of Adolescents And Young Adults (Udaya) In Bihar, India [Hindi], K.G. Santhya, Rajib Acharya, Neelanjana Pandey, Santosh Kumar Singh, Shilpi Rampal, A.J. Francis Zavier, Ashish Kumar Gupta

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

A program of research titled, “Understanding the lives of adolescents and young adults (UDAYA) in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh,” implemented by the Population Council, aimed to understand the factors that determine healthy transitions from childhood to adolescence and adulthood. The goal of UDAYA is to establish the levels, patterns, and trends in the situation of younger (10–14) and older (15–19) adolescents and assess factors that influence the quality of transitions they make. The specific objectives of UDAYA are: 1) to explore the situation of adolescents, with a focus on assessing the extent to which both younger and older adolescents have …

Feasibility Of Screening And Referring Women Experiencing Marital Violence By Engaging Frontline Workers: Evidence From Rural Bihar, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, K.G. Santhya, Santosh Kumar Singh, A.J. Francis Zavier, Neelanjana Pandey, Rajib Acharya, Komal Saxena, Aparajita Gogoi, Madhu Joshi, Sandeep Ojha

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Population Council, together with partners, the Centre for Catalyzing Change, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, with support from UKaid, implemented the Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore (Two Steps Towards Equality) project in rural areas of Patna district in Bihar, India. The project engaged frontline workers (FLWs) to screen women for their experience of marital violence, inform them about their options in case of such an experience, and provide basic counseling and referral to women reporting the experience. Overall, the findings from the implementation of the Do Kadam program have been encouraging. They suggest that interactions …

Girls Creating Opportunities For A Brighter Tomorrow: Integrated Curriculum Guide (8 To 17 Years Old)—Two-Year Cycle (Adapted For Belize), Cecilia Garcés, Paola Broll

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In 2004, the Population Council in Guatemala launched the “Abriendo Oportunidades” (AO) Program with the purpose of supporting indigenous girls in reaching their maximum potential to overcome the cycle of poverty. The program compiled many valuable lessons, often from young mentors working directly with girls and adolescents. Constant dialogue among the Council’s team led to the current version of the curriculum guide. This is the third version of the AO curriculum guide, designed as a tool to foster reflection and dialogue, sisterhood, and critical thinking among adolescent girls. The guide is promoted as a valuable tool for programs seeking to …

More Than Brides Alliance (Mtba): Mariage N’Est Pas Un Jeu D’Enfat, Rapport De Référence Mali, Andrea J. Melnikas, Sajeda Amin, Sarah Engebretsen, Mouhamadou Gueye

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

L’Alliance « Plus qu’une épouse » vise à améliorer la vie des adolescentes et propose des interventions dans plusieurs domaines (la santé reproductive, l’éducation, les normes de genre et les moyens de subsistance, entre autres). Dans le cadre d’une évaluation des interventions visant à retarder l’âge du mariage, le Population Council a mené des enquêtes de référence sur les adolescentes dans les régions de Sikasso et Ségou au Mali. Les résultats suggèrent que des interventions sont nécessaires pour répondre aux vulnérabilités rencontrées par les filles qui vivent dans ces communautés. La collecte de données supplémentaires contribuera à examiner certains de …

More Than Brides Alliance (Mtba): Mariage N’Est Pas Un Jeu D’Enfat, Rapport De Référence Niger, Grace Saul, Andrea J. Melnikas, Sajeda Amin, Sarah Engebretsen, Aissa Diarra, Chaibou Saadou

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

L’Alliance « Plus qu’une épouse » vise à améliorer la vie des adolescentes et propose des interventions dans plusieurs domaines (la santé reproductive, l’éducation, les normes de genre et les moyens de subsistance, entre autres). Dans le cadre d’une évaluation des interventions visant à retarder l’âge du mariage, le Population Council a mené des enquêtes de référence sur les adolescentes dans des zones sélectionnées dans deux régions au Niger (Tillabéry et Maradi). Les objectifs de l’étude de référence étaient les suivants : 1) fournir un point de référence permettant de mesurer les changements découlant de l’intervention à mi-parcours et à …

More Than Brides Alliance: Baseline Report, Niger, Grace Saul, Andrea J. Melnikas, Sajeda Amin, Sarah Engebretsen, Aissa Diarra, Chaibou Saadou

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The More Than Brides Alliance (MTBA) seeks to improve the lives of adolescent girls and includes activities across multiple domains (reproductive health, education, gender norms, and livelihoods, to name a few). The Population Council conducted baseline surveys of adolescents in select areas of two regions in Niger (Tillaberi and Maradi) as part of an evaluation of MTBA interventions to delay marriage. The goals of the baseline study were to: 1) provide a benchmark against which changes resulting from the intervention may be measured at the midline and endline periods; 2) provide information about the current situation and context for adolescent …

Reducing Violence Against Women And Girls In India: Lessons From The Do Kadam Programme, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

A key challenge underlying the gap between policy and program commitments in India and the reality of women’s lives is the dearth of evidence on what works and what does not work to change notions of masculinity and femininity, reverse norms at the community level that condone marital violence, and reduce women’s experience of intimate partner violence. The Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore (Two Steps Towards Equality) program aimed to fill this evidence gap. Do Kadam was implemented by the Population Council, the Centre for Catalyzing Change, and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, with support from the …

School Related Violence, Sanitation Facilities At School, And Menstrual Hygiene Management: What Is The Evidence For Their Effect On School Attendance And Learning, And How Might Population Scientists Advance This Research Agenda?, Barbara Mensch

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of School Violence On Education In Malawi, Stephanie Psaki, Barbara Mensch, Erica Soler-Hampejsek

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In response to a global policy effort to increase school enrollment, in 1994 Malawi became one of the first low-income countries to eliminate primary school fees. Since then, Malawi has achieved nearly universal primary enrollment, however enrolling young Malawians in school has not translated into keeping them in school. This policy brief describes the nature and consequences of school violence in rural Malawi—a common experience for both girls and boys. There is little evidence that school violence disrupts schooling as expected, with the exception of sexual violence experienced at school by boys. Violence at home is also common, and may …

The Effect Of A Gender Transformative Life Skills Education And Sports-Coaching Programme On The Attitudes And Practices Of Adolescent Boys And Young Men In Bihar, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Rajib Acharya, Neelanjana Pandey, K.G. Santhya, A.J. Francis Zavier, Santosh Kumar Singh, Komal Saxena, Aparajita Gogoi, Madhu Joshi, Sandeep Ojha

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The importance of starting young to change youths’ attitudes and behaviors—especially of young boys—has been widely acknowledged, but a key challenge has been the limited evidence on the kinds of programs that have succeeded in making such changes. In order to fill this gap, the Population Council, together with partners, the Centre for Catalysing Change and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and with support from UKaid, implemented the Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore (Two Steps Towards Equality) project among boys. Implemented in rural areas of Patna district, India this project sought to promote, among adolescent boys and …