Empower 5,000 married girls in Ethiopia with CARE

The goal of the project is to bring measurable, positive change to 5,000 married adolescent girls in Amhara region’s South Gondar zone (shaded on map). The project aims to achieve this change through better economic opportunities and improved sexual and reproductive health (SRH) for these girls. 

It has been a great start to the project and already we are seeing that the program is helping girls take a larger role in decision making, negotiation and communication. After participating in project activities, girls reported that they were able to discuss their ideas with family and friends and better assert themselves to get what they ask for. Girls assisted by the project are also showing remarkable changes in their lives, behaviors and their involvement in deciding household matters. They also report that their newly-learned life skills are earning them more possibilities for participation and respect in their communities. 

The project team successfully completed pilot phase implementation, adaptation and preparatory work. Key highlights include:

• Registered 2,275 girls to participate in the project;  
• Completed a baseline survey/study;
• Trained 300 married adolescent girls to work as project facilitators;
• Nineteen CARE and partner staff assessed successes and challenges from the pilot phase to improve the current project implementation;
• Selected 19 kebeles (neighborhoods) for upcoming program activities;
• Conducted Village Savings and Loan Association training for 33 project staff and partners, which covered concept, methodology and implementation of the savings-based model;
• Organized a leadership workshop for 104 newly-selected kebele leaders and regional partners;
• Organized an eight-day workshop to educate project and partner staff about business skills development, value chains and marketing;
• Conducted community meetings in all target kebeles, which were attended by  6,782 people;
• Formed Social Analysis and Action (SAA) groups and selected group facilitators – a total of 1,200 SAA group members and 80 facilitators, including 40 women;

Thank you for your support of this transformative work, the ripple effect when one girl is given a voice and empowered to use is huge. As this project illustrates, it impacts her health, her children, family finances and even future generations. Already we are seeing a considerable reduction of early marriage arrangements in the villages where we have been working and increased use of health facilities. We couldn’t do this without the generous support of our donors and partners, thank you!

• Abebu was a fifth-grader when she got married.. (DOCX)