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Full-Text Articles in Family, Life Course, and Society

Understanding The Dynamics Of Hiv Testing Services In South African Primary Care Facilities, Tonderai Mabuto, Bhakti Hansoti, Salome Charalambous, Christopher Hoffmann Jan 2018

Understanding The Dynamics Of Hiv Testing Services In South African Primary Care Facilities, Tonderai Mabuto, Bhakti Hansoti, Salome Charalambous, Christopher Hoffmann

HIV and AIDS

Facility-based HIV testing services remains underutilized in many settings, including South Africa—even in the context of opt-out testing. Additionally, linkages to care are often not made in a timely manner after an HIV diagnosis, limiting access to ART and the possibility of viral suppression. This brief summarizes findings from formative research conducted by Project SOAR and The Aurum Institute to understand the dynamics of HIV testing services and the key constraints to its optimal delivery.


What Do We Know About The Hiv Risk Characteristics Of Adolescent Girls And Young Women In Kenya? Findings From Dreams Implementation Science Research, Population Council Jan 2018

What Do We Know About The Hiv Risk Characteristics Of Adolescent Girls And Young Women In Kenya? Findings From Dreams Implementation Science Research, Population Council

HIV and AIDS

The Population Council is conducting implementation science research in Kenya to build needed evidence to inform community-based, girl-centered interventions. DREAMS programs in Kenya are implementing a core package of interventions in the highest HIV-burden areas to address HIV risk among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW)—a population in which AIDS is the leading cause of death in the region. This brief summarizes key findings from a survey of 1,778 AGYW, more than half of whom are enrolled in DREAMS programming.


What Do We Know About The Hiv Risk Characteristics Of Adolescent Girls And Young Women In Zambia? Findings From Dreams Implementation Science Research, Population Council Jan 2018

What Do We Know About The Hiv Risk Characteristics Of Adolescent Girls And Young Women In Zambia? Findings From Dreams Implementation Science Research, Population Council

HIV and AIDS

The Population Council is conducting implementation science research in Zambia and other countries across sub-Saharan Africa to build needed evidence to inform community-based, girl-centered HIV-prevention programming. Critical to this process is understanding adolescent girls’ and young women’s (AGYWs’) knowledge, attitudes, sexual behaviors, and characteristics of their sexual partnerships that may put them at risk of HIV acquisition. This results brief summarizes key findings from a cross-sectional survey of 1,915 AGYW, half of whom were 15–19 years old and the other half 20–24 years old, residing in urban districts of Lusaka and Ndola. The findings in this brief were shared at …


Early Results Demonstrate The Importance Of Early Treatment Of Hiv And The Feasibility And Acceptability Of Community-Based Antiretroviral Treatment Delivery For Female Sex Workers In Tanzania, Project Soar Jan 2018

Early Results Demonstrate The Importance Of Early Treatment Of Hiv And The Feasibility And Acceptability Of Community-Based Antiretroviral Treatment Delivery For Female Sex Workers In Tanzania, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

Project SOAR in collaboration with the National AIDS Control Program of the government of Tanzania, National Institute of Medical Research, and Jhpiego’s Sauti Program, is conducting implementation science research to investigate the delivery of community-based antiretroviral treatment (ART) services to female sex workers (FSWs) in Tanzania. This brief summarizes key findings from a baseline survey administered to a cohort of FSWs enrolled in the study, qualitative interviews with FSWs conducted three months after the start of the community-based ART services, and routine monitoring data. Early findings support the feasibility and acceptability of Sauti’s community-based antiretroviral treatment model—important first steps in …


Feasibility And Acceptability Of Hiv Self-Testing Among Men Who Have Sex With Men In Nigeria, Population Council Jan 2018

Feasibility And Acceptability Of Hiv Self-Testing Among Men Who Have Sex With Men In Nigeria, Population Council

HIV and AIDS

HIV self-testing (HIVST) provides an alternative to facility-based HIV testing services, particularly for key populations such as men who have sex with men (MSM), who face barriers to testing due to stigma, discrimination, and criminalization. This brief reports on a study in Nigeria that demonstrates high acceptability for HIVST among MSM. Lessons learned from this study indicate that the scale-up of HIVST in Nigeria must include provision of adequate pre- and post-test counseling information, as well as the availability of helpline support to improve linkage to care for those who test positive. Future research should explore how HIV retesting can …


Evaluating A Multidisciplinary Integrated Management Team Intervention To Improve Maternal And Child Outcomes And Hiv Service Uptake And Retention In Lesotho, Project Soar Jan 2018

Evaluating A Multidisciplinary Integrated Management Team Intervention To Improve Maternal And Child Outcomes And Hiv Service Uptake And Retention In Lesotho, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

Pregnant and postpartum HIV-positive women face a particularly complex set of barriers to prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) uptake at the policy, health facility, community, and individual levels. They are vulnerable to poor retention in care and adherence to treatment, especially in the first three months after initiation of treatment and the postpartum period. In addition, counseling and support for primary prevention among HIV-negative pregnant women is almost nonexistent in PMTCT programs. This brief describes the IMPROVE study—a multidisciplinary integrated management team intervention to increase maternal and child health and HIV service uptake and retention—that Project SOAR is …


Modeling The Expected Cost-Effectiveness And Impact Of Oral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis In Uganda And Swaziland, Project Soar Jan 2018

Modeling The Expected Cost-Effectiveness And Impact Of Oral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis In Uganda And Swaziland, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

Clinical trials have shown that oral antiretrovirals (ARVs) containing tenofovir/emtricitabine used by HIV-negative individuals to prevent HIV acquisition, called oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), are safe and effective in several populations. Prior modeling work has demonstrated that oral PrEP is most cost effective when targeted to populations at very high risk of infection, with risk dependent on a combination of individual behavior and epidemic contexts. This brief describes a study Project SOAR is conducting to assist Uganda and Swaziland in making critical decisions about oral PrEP introduction and scale up by modeling the expected cost effectiveness and impact of oral PrEP …


Proposed Metrics To Measure Quality: Overview, Anrudh K. Jain, John Townsend, Saumya Ramarao Jan 2018

Proposed Metrics To Measure Quality: Overview, Anrudh K. Jain, John Townsend, Saumya Ramarao

Reproductive Health

The first quality-of-care framework in family planning was articulated over 25 years ago and a considerable amount of work has been done since then to measure quality in the context of routine service delivery, yet, we do not have agreed-upon indicators to measure quality that can be applied uniformly across different health systems and social contexts. This paper takes a slightly different approach and uses a common definition of quality from the outset. Indicators of quality are required for describing the nature of family planning services and quality of care offered by a health service delivery program, and for improving …


Namibia Has A Strong Foundation For Implementing The Treat All Guidelines And Reaching The Unaids 90-90-90 Targets, Project Soar Jan 2018

Namibia Has A Strong Foundation For Implementing The Treat All Guidelines And Reaching The Unaids 90-90-90 Targets, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

In late 2015, the World Health Organization announced new treatment guidelines recommending that anyone who has tested positive for HIV should begin antiretroviral therapy (ART) as soon as possible. In light of this policy, the Government of Namibia included “treat all” in the 2016 National Guidelines for ART, and began nationwide implementation in April 2017. Project SOAR is generating evidence on how the national rollout of the treat all guidelines and decentralization of ART services affect client-level treatment outcomes, quality of ART services, and treatment costs in Namibia. This brief highlights baseline findings that provide a snapshot of ART services …


Indigenous Adolescent Girls’ Empowerment Network (Imagen): Adapting The Girl Roster™ For Lakota Communities, Kelly Hallman, Stephanie Martinez Jan 2018

Indigenous Adolescent Girls’ Empowerment Network (Imagen): Adapting The Girl Roster™ For Lakota Communities, Kelly Hallman, Stephanie Martinez

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief reports on a first-of-a-kind meeting between the Population Council’s GIRLCenter and organizations such as the White Buffalo Calf Woman Society (WBCWS) that work locally with Native American communities to understand the specific needs of adolescent girls in Indian Country. This followed an inaugural meeting of the Indigenous Adolescent Girls’ Empowerment Network (IMAGEN) with its wealth of insight concerning the needs of the Native communities they serve, and the GIRL Center’s myriad programmatic tools and resources that have been tried and tested in global settings for several decades. The IMAGEN Approach is an adaptable process that links these two …


Girlsread! Girls’ Rights: An Empowerment Curriculum, Natalie Jackson Hachonda, Nicole Haberland, Barbara Mensch, Pamela Nyirenda, Diana Bulanda-Shalala Jan 2018

Girlsread! Girls’ Rights: An Empowerment Curriculum, Natalie Jackson Hachonda, Nicole Haberland, Barbara Mensch, Pamela Nyirenda, Diana Bulanda-Shalala

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This curriculum guide is designed to help female mentors in the GirlsRead! program in Zambia to directly engage girls in critical thinking about gender inequalities and discrimination, and help them build the assets and confidence needed to act on their own behalf and as progressive voices in their communities. GirlsRead! participants are girls in grade 7—the last year of primary school—when they are at high risk of leaving school. The curriculum includes 19 sessions that cover a range of topics from gender equality to sexuality to rights, in meetings that provide a space and opportunity for girls to regularly interact …


Exploring Barriers And Opportunities For Pre-Eclampsia And Eclampsia Prevention And Management In Ethiopia, Pooja Sripad, Hussein Ismail, Amy Dempsey, Karen Kirk, Charlotte E. Warren Jan 2018

Exploring Barriers And Opportunities For Pre-Eclampsia And Eclampsia Prevention And Management In Ethiopia, Pooja Sripad, Hussein Ismail, Amy Dempsey, Karen Kirk, Charlotte E. Warren

Reproductive Health

The Ending Eclampsia Project is a five-year cooperative agreement between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Population Council, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health Ethiopia, which seeks to expand access to quality underutilized interventions and commodities for the prevention and treatment of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (PE/E). This report presents qualitative findings from formative research conducted to: 1) assess the policy and health systems environment related to PE/E prevention and management, 2) identify potential bottlenecks in the supply chain, 3) investigate PE/E knowledge, attitudes, and practices at policy, health system, and community levels, 4) describe the barriers …


A Study Of Employment Outcomes Among Technical And Vocational Secondary Education Graduates In Egypt [Arabic], Salma Nasser, Ali Rashed Jan 2018

A Study Of Employment Outcomes Among Technical And Vocational Secondary Education Graduates In Egypt [Arabic], Salma Nasser, Ali Rashed

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In Egypt, some 450,000 students graduate from technical and vocational schools each year. Yet just over 50 percent are employed immediately following their graduation. This brief explores the kinds of jobs that are available to these graduates, and the factors that affect the remaining 50 percent who do not join the work force. The report aims to understand the types of training that best prepare students for the available jobs, differences in opportunities for male and female graduates, and connections between work and the home and/or community circumstances that may hinder employment. The report offers recommendations for improving the education …


Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (Agep): Endline Results—Executive Summary, Population Council Jan 2018

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 Jan 2018

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 Jan 2018

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 Jan 2018

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 Jan 2018

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 …


Climate Change, Resilience, And Population Dynamics In Pakistan: A Case Study Of The 2010 Floods In Mianwali District, Zeba Sathar, Muhammad Khalil, Sabahat Hussain, Maqsood Sadiq, Kiren Khan Jan 2018

Climate Change, Resilience, And Population Dynamics In Pakistan: A Case Study Of The 2010 Floods In Mianwali District, Zeba Sathar, Muhammad Khalil, Sabahat Hussain, Maqsood Sadiq, Kiren Khan

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In 2010, Pakistan experienced massive flooding that went on uninterrupted for more than eight weeks, and seriously affected more than 20 million people. This study explores the effects of the floods on one of the most adversely affected districts, Mianwali, in Punjab province. The study focuses on four areas pertaining to resilience: movements and migration processes; shifts in poverty levels and living conditions; changes in livelihood activities; and health-seeking behavior, particularly fertility-related processes. This study highlights the need to include demographic and health information in the analysis of natural disasters. The report marks the beginning of a research agenda that …


Marriage And Sexual And Reproductive Health Of Rohingya Adolescents And Youth In Bangladesh: A Qualitative Study, Sigma Ainul, Iqbal Ehsan, Eashita Haque, Sajeda Amin, Ubaidur Rob, Andrea J. Melnikas, Joseph Falcone Jan 2018

Marriage And Sexual And Reproductive Health Of Rohingya Adolescents And Youth In Bangladesh: A Qualitative Study, Sigma Ainul, Iqbal Ehsan, Eashita Haque, Sajeda Amin, Ubaidur Rob, Andrea J. Melnikas, Joseph Falcone

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This qualitative study focuses specifically on displaced Rohingya adolescents and youth (ages 14–24) and explores how the crisis has impacted their sexual and reproductive health (SRH), marriage practices, safety and security, and related attitudes and aspirations. This research aims to identify approaches to improve adolescents’ knowledge of SRH issues and their access to and uptake of services, and to identify gaps in programming knowledge and practice. Findings from this formative research and recommended actions will help the Government of Bangladesh, donors, and other relevant stakeholders to mobilize resources and deliver SRH services in a more organized and efficient way and …


Pedaleando Hacia El Futuro: Una Oportunidad Para Incrementar Y Mantener La Asistencia Escolar De Niñas Adolescentes Encomunidades Indígeneas Del Árearural En Guatemala, Paola Broll Jan 2018

Pedaleando Hacia El Futuro: Una Oportunidad Para Incrementar Y Mantener La Asistencia Escolar De Niñas Adolescentes Encomunidades Indígeneas Del Árearural En Guatemala, Paola Broll

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Population Council Guatemala, con el apoyo de UNFPA y otros donantes, desarrolló la estrategia de expansión y escala de Abriendo Oportunidades (AO) a través de conglomerados geográficos con abordaje ecológico. La provisión de 250 bicicletas fue un componente adicional de AO para probar su efectividad en el aumento de movilidad y la asistencia escolar en cuatro municipios guatemaltecos. Este reporte describe como el proyecto fue exitoso en el aumento de la movilidad, reinserción, y finalización del ciclo escolar 2017 de sus participantes. Los resultados muestran como la dotación de las bicicletas incrementó en 24% la reinserción escolar del ciclo 2016 …


Pedaling Toward The Future: Increasing And Maintaining The School Attendance Of Adolescent Girls In Indigenous Communities Of Rural Guatemala, Paola Broll Jan 2018

Pedaling Toward The Future: Increasing And Maintaining The School Attendance Of Adolescent Girls In Indigenous Communities Of Rural Guatemala, Paola Broll

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Population Council Guatemala, with the support of UNFPA and other donors, developed a strategy of expansion and scale up of Abriendo Oportunidades (AO) through geographic conglomerates with an ecological approach. They provided 250 bicycles as an additional component of AO to assess its effectiveness in increasing mobility and school attendance in four municipalities in Guatemala. This brief describes how the project was successful in increasing mobility, reinsertion, and completion of the 2017 school year among its participants. Results show that the provision of bicycles to adolescents participating in the Abriendo Oportunidades program increased school reintegration from the 2016 cycle to …


Skill Retention After School-Leaving: Analysis Of Data From The Malawi Schooling And Adolescent Study, Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Barbara Mensch, Stephanie Psaki, Monica J. Grant, Christine A. Kelly, Paul C. Hewett Jan 2018

Skill Retention After School-Leaving: Analysis Of Data From The Malawi Schooling And Adolescent Study, Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Barbara Mensch, Stephanie Psaki, Monica J. Grant, Christine A. Kelly, Paul C. Hewett

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The skills young people develop in school provide an essential foundation that can either be reinforced or deteriorate depending on the strength of the foundation and opportunities after leaving school. This brief describes findings from an analysis of a longitudinal data set of Malawian adolescents aged 14–17 attending school when first interviewed in 2007. The study investigated whether literacy and numeracy skills at school-leaving—among those who dropped out before completing secondary school—were retained several years after. Results show a significant gender difference in skill level after school-leaving for English skills, even after controlling for initial skill level and grade attainment, …


Community-Level Assessment Of Droughts In Odisha: Effects, Resilience, And Implications, Sangram Kishor Patel Jan 2018

Community-Level Assessment Of Droughts In Odisha: Effects, Resilience, And Implications, Sangram Kishor Patel

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

India has been severely affected by drought—one-third of the country is either drought-prone or classified as desert. Odisha’s geographic location makes it vulnerable to various natural disasters and climatic risks so the Population Council conducted a study there to explore the impact of drought on people and their resilience, as well as examine the perceptions of state-level infrastructure and institutional initiatives to strengthen responses to droughts. The study found that farmers, laborers, and the poor are severely affected physically, financially, and psychologically as a result of consecutive droughts that have affected agriculture and livelihoods. The report notes a number of …


Community-Level Assessment Of Floods And Cyclones In Coastal Odisha, India: Impact, Resilience, And Implications, Sangram Kishor Patel Jan 2018

Community-Level Assessment Of Floods And Cyclones In Coastal Odisha, India: Impact, Resilience, And Implications, Sangram Kishor Patel

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

India is among the countries that have been severely affected by both floods and cyclones. In 2012, the Government of India estimated that nearly 12 percent of India’s land is prone to floods and river erosion. The Population Council conducted formative research in the state of Odisha to explore the people’s perceptions on impact and resilience to cyclones and floods, and to examine the state-level infrastructure and institutional initiatives to strengthen responses to these events. Findings reported in this brief indicate that flooding and cyclones have had a disproportionate affect on vulnerable groups, including women, children, the elderly, and disabled …


Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (Agep), Population Council Jan 2018

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 Jan 2018

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 …


Child Domestic Work And Transitions To Commercial Sexual Exploitation: Evidence From Ethiopia, Annabel Erulkar Jan 2018

Child Domestic Work And Transitions To Commercial Sexual Exploitation: Evidence From Ethiopia, Annabel Erulkar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

There are an estimated 17.2 million child domestic workers in the world, and the vast majority are girls. Domestic work keeps children out of school, confined to the home, socially isolated, and burdened with excessive domestic duties. Furthermore, evidence is emerging that domestic work is a feeder profession for sex work. In 2015–16, the Population Council undertook a study of migrant, out-of-school girls in Ethiopia. The domestic work conditions described in this brief create unbearable conditions for girls who enter into commercial sex work as an alternative, hoping for an improvement in their work situation. The study found that a …


Forced Child Unions: From Legal Reform To Social Disruption—Formative Research In Five Communities In Chisec, Alta Verapaz, Paola Broll, Cecilia Garcés Jan 2018

Forced Child Unions: From Legal Reform To Social Disruption—Formative Research In Five Communities In Chisec, Alta Verapaz, Paola Broll, Cecilia Garcés

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Evidence has shown that child early and forced marriage/unions (CEFM/U) are harmful to the rights and development of girls and adolescents. It has also shown that increasing the minimum marriage age is not enough to eradicate this phenomenon because of the underlying practices of social institutions at the community level. This report details an investigation undertaken when a modification to the Civil Code was approved, then modified, in order to increase the minimum age of marriage in Guatemala. The investigation aimed to identify the norms, practices, and attitudes prevailing in the school, family, religion, government, and economy with regard to …


Girlsread! E-Reader Curriculum, Natalie Jackson Hachonda, Nicole Haberland, Abdul-Kahad Alhassan, Beatrice Ani-Asamoah, Pamela Nyirenda, Barbara Mensch Jan 2018

Girlsread! E-Reader Curriculum, Natalie Jackson Hachonda, Nicole Haberland, Abdul-Kahad Alhassan, Beatrice Ani-Asamoah, Pamela Nyirenda, Barbara Mensch

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Zambian adolescent girls are at risk for premature school leaving and HIV infection due to a host of contextual factors including child marriage, early childbearing, harmful gender norms, and intimate partner violence. This report describes the GirlsRead! program, whose overall goal is to enhance learning and increase progression to secondary school among Zambian adolescent girls in grade 7, the last year of primary school. Through GirlsRead!, the Population Council, together with FAWEZA and Worldreader are aiming to improve school retention by bolstering girls’ learning outcomes, furthering social connections, improving critical thinking skills, increasing agency, and fostering community norms supportive of …