Important interventions supporting the livelihoods of young women and adolescents
By: Urdang, S
Published by: United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), 2007
Via: Eldis
The urgency of addressing the vulnerability of young women and adolescent girls of all backgrounds, but particularly the poor, cannot be over stated. Innovative, far-reaching and rapid responses are needed to impact whole generations so that the Millennium Development Goals to reduce poverty can be within reach. This paper sets out to explore the relationship between economic independence, vulnerability to HIV infection, the level of sexual and reproductive health among women and adolescent girls, and gender-based violence. It focuses in particular on southern and eastern Africa and looks at the role of microfinance, as this is often the only potential source of income for poor young women and adolescent girls. Vocational training is also reviewed. The authors make recommendations in five main areas that are important for interventions supporting livelihoods directed at young women and adolescents:
- a situational analysis and base line survey that includes a full assessment of the gendered social, cultural, economic and political contexts for the intervention is essential in order to identify as fully as possible the challenges and opportunities for young women and link these directly to their vulnerability to HIV infection; programmes need to go beyond satisfying the practical, short term survival needs to addressing the strategic (empowerment) interests of the young women and adolescent girls
- a participatory monitoring and evaluation tool needs to be introduced from early stages of the intervention
- thorough documentation of the process will provide important lessons for replication and upscaling
- microfinance interventions for young women and adolescent girls need to take into account the differences between providing such services for older women, and for young women/adolescent girls
- macro level: policy at the state level needs to be reviewed and revised, with the provision of resources, a re-examination of attitudes towards young women as small scale (and bigger scale) entrepreneurs
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