PROJECT
India: Building Livelihood Skills and Opportunities for Adolescent Girls in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and Vadodara
There remains a gap in our understanding of the types of programs that might expand life opportunities for adolescent girls in rural India. Developing livelihood skills and opportunities is one promising avenue through which girls are exposed to new knowledge and life/livelihood skills, strengthen their peer networks, and gain exposure to the outside world. However, the feasibility and effectiveness of such interventions have rarely been tested.
The goals of this project have been to:
expand the capacity of a key Indian microfinance NGO, the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), to reach adolescent girls with its programs for improving their social and economic well-being;
identify and develop effective approaches for expanding livelihood opportunities for unmarried and married adolescent girls that can be replicated more broadly within SEWA and can also inform adolescent livelihood programming in other organizations in India and other developing countries;
improve the understanding of work roles and how participation in livelihood activities affects the self-confidence, negotiation skills, ability to influence decisions related to marriage and childbearing, and future livelihood opportunities of adolescent girls;
provide leadership development, savings opportunities, and livelihood skills to approximately 750–900 girls between the ages of 13 and 19 years, including information on reproductive and sexual health, gender, and skills training; and
evaluate and disseminate the results of this intervention.
A subproject focusing on understanding the savings behaviors and preferences of adolescent girls and exploring their control over economic resources was undertaken in one urban site (Ahmedabad) and two rural sites (Banaskantha and Kheda).
This project is unique in at least two ways. It is one of the few studies that will show empirically the feasibility of a livelihood skills program in influencing the lives of adolescent girls, many of whom have had limited education and access to resources. It will also assess whether livelihood programs for adult women can be replicated or must be adapted for adolescent girls.
Kishori mandals
Kishori mandals (adolescent groups) formed by SEWA have formed the core of the intervention. During each year of the intervention (2002–04), ten mandals of 15–30 girls aged 13–19 years were created (five in Ahmedabad and five in Vadodara), forming a total of 30 groups over three years. Girls meet three or four times a week, and mandal activities are coordinated by a sahayika (peer leader).
In addition to providing a safe and legitimate space for girls to meet, group activities include basic awareness raising; visits to banks, post offices, and nearby cities intended to broaden girls’ horizons beyond their own villages; and vocational skill-building. Baseline and endline surveys were implemented to assess the extent to which the intervention resulted in girls’ having greater agency in their own lives. The first and second cohorts of adolescent mandal members formed the study population.
Results
Analysis of endline survey data is ongoing to assess the effectiveness of the intervention in enhancing the extent to which adolescent girls demonstrate control over their lives. To supplement survey findings, 60 in-depth interviews were conducted with a subsample of survey respondents.
Findings from the baseline data were presented at the Second Asia-Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health (Bangkok, October 2003) and at the National Consultation on Young People: Towards a Healthy Future (New Delhi, May 2004). Preliminary findings from the endline survey were presented at the meeting of the Global Forum for Health Research—Forum 9 (Mumbai, September 2005)
The subproject on savings behaviors and preferences of adolescent girls has also been completed, and a draft report has been prepared. In-depth interviews were undertaken with 76 adolescent girls who were involved in savings activities of SEWA. The findings suggest that generally older, urban, and better-educated young women displayed greater control and awareness of their own savings accounts, were more familiar with banking procedures, and were more likely to have family support for controlling their savings. The findings also indicate that adolescent girls are interested in gaining access to savings products that are fully in their control and that are flexible and sensitive to the sporadic nature of adolescent savings opportunities.
Location
Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and Vadodara, India
Duration
June 2000–July 2006
Population Council researchers
Shireen Jejeebhoy, Shveta Kalyanwala
Non-Council collaborators
Jennefer Sebstad (consultant)
Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Ahmedabad
Donors
The Ford Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation
The Summit Foundation/The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region
See Also
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