Organizations involved
Population Council, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Itad, Save the Children, Plan International
Summary
The Adolescent Girls Initiative-Kenya (AGI-K) (2013-current) is a randomised, controlled trial that tests combinations of initiatives—in health, violence prevention, wealth creation, and education—to determine which initiatives improve adolescent girls’ (10-14 years old) lives most. The initiative is implemented in rural Wajir and urban Kibera, Kenya.
Social norms of interest
Gender-based violence (GBV), girls’ education, sexual and reproductive (SRH) health, economic empowerment
Behaviours of interest
GBV, school completion, self-efficacy, SRH knowledge, financial literacy and savings, economic status
Project components
AGI-K is testing the following four layered packages: (1) Violence prevention, which includes community dialogues on the prevalence and persistence of violence against girls, coupled with funded community projects to address these challenges; (2) Violence prevention + education, which also includes a cash transfer conditional on school enrolment at the start of each term and regular attendance throughout the term; (3) Violence prevention + education + health, in which girls meet in safe space groups once a week with a female mentor who delivers a health, life skills, and nutrition curriculum; and (4) Violence prevention + education + health + wealth creation, in which girls also participate in additional financial education sessions integrated into the safe space curricula and open savings accounts or home banks.
Social norms measurement
Social norms were assessed using baseline/midline/endline surveys
Key findings to date
At the end of the two-year program, AGI-K midline results show positive impacts for girls across a broad range of health, social, educational, and financial indicators in both Kibera and Wajir. Individual results varied across both sites. In Kibera, AGI-K had significant effects on violence reduction, primary school completion and schooling self-efficacy, sexual and reproductive health knowledge, social safety nets, financial literacy and savings behaviour, and household economic status. In Wajir, AGI-K had statistically significant effects on primary school enrolment, positive gender norms and self-efficacy, financial literacy, and savings behaviour. Furthermore, results show that layering multiple interventions to holistically address girls’ complex needs can increase overall positive impact on girls’ lives.
