Population Council Research that makes a difference

Minimal economic opportunities and limited schooling in rural Burkina Faso drive adolescent girls to migrate to urban areas. Many of these girls find work in domestic service, where they have few opportunities to continue their studies, build social networks, and develop skills needed for adult life. Services available to these girls often focus on mitigating negative outcomes in their lives rather than preventing such outcomes through skill development. Population Council researchers and local partners are implementing and testing a skill-building intervention entitled Filles Eveillées or Girls Awakened for 300–400 girls in domestic service in Bobo Dioulasso (ages 11–16) and Ouagadougou (ages 15–18).

Filles Eveillées: Safe spaces for girls in domestic service in Burkina Faso.

Through provision of girl-only groups led by female mentors, the intervention will build skills in health and hygiene with a focus on sexual and reproductive health, numeracy and financial capabilities, and life skills. The project team will engage employers and other stakeholders to ensure support for this program. A program evaluation will measure changes across intervention domains from baseline to endline. Roundtable discussions will allow for dialogue on promising intervention approaches and expansion of the evidence base on working with this vulnerable population.

The program evaluation will contribute to the evidence base on this population and will be disseminated to a larger audience of policymakers, program planners, and donors. The project will strengthen the capacity of partner organizations to design, implement, and evaluate targeted evidence-based programs for girls in domestic service.