Population Council Research that makes a difference

Girls are on the move

	Biruh Tesfa (Bright Future) creates safe spaces and helps build support networks for adolescent girls in urban slums of Ethiopia. Photo by Zeleman Productions, courtesy of the Population Council.

Adolescent girls between the ages of 10 and 19 in developing countries cannot always reach their potential because they may lack opportunities to gain appropriate schooling and viable livelihoods within their communities. As a result, many leave their parents' homes for new and unfamiliar surroundings in search of brighter prospects. While it has long been known that adolescent girls migrate, they have seldom been acknowledged in migration policies, programs, and research. As a result, there is little evidence to help us understand the opportunities and challenges they may face.

The Population Council examines the lives of migrant girls and develops and evaluates programs and shapes policies to help them. Our initiatives build migrant girls' skills in health and hygiene with a focus on sexual and reproductive health, and improve their financial knowledge and capabilities. In early 2013, Girls on the Move: Adolescent Girls & Internal Migration in the Developing World, a volume authored by Population Council experts, will be released by the Coalition for Adolescent Girls.

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Resources

• Read more about Girls on the Move: Adolescent Girls & Internal Migration in the Developing World, forthcoming in 2013 (in English; en français)
  
  
• Read about Filles Eveillées (Girls Awakened), a Council project in urban Burkina Faso, provides migrant girls in urban Burkina Faso with essential skills and knowledge: Migrant Adolescent Girls in Domestic Service: Building the Evidence Base on a Vulnerable Population
  
  
• Learn more about Biruh Tesfa (Bright Future) a Council program that creates safe spaces for out-of-school girls to meet friends and build support networks: Biruh Tesfa: Safe Spaces for Out-of-school Girls in Urban Slum Areas of Ethiopia
  
  

• Watch a video about Filles Eveillées (in English; en français)
  
  
• Watch a video about Biruh Tesfa (in English)
  

 

Header image: Mentor with Filles Eveillées leading a skill-building intervention. Photo by Ollivier Girard, courtesy of the Population Council.

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About the Population Council
The Population Council confronts critical health and development issues—from stopping the spread of HIV to improving reproductive health and ensuring that young people lead full and productive lives. Through biomedical, social science, and public health research in 50 countries, we work with our partners to deliver solutions that lead to more effective policies, programs, and technologies that improve lives around the world. Established in 1952 and headquartered in New York, the Council is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization governed by an international board of trustees.

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Contact

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