Empowering Adolescent Girls in a Crisis Context : Lessons from Sierra Leone in the Time of Ebola
In Sierra Leone, the empowerment and livelihoods for adolescents (ELA) initiative sought to enhance adolescent girls’ social and economic empowerment by providing life skills training, livelihood training, and credit support to start income-generat...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Brief |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2019
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/848841562216765266/Empowering-Adolescent-Girls-in-a-Crisis-Context-Lessons-from-Sierra-Leone-in-the-Time-of-Ebola http://hdl.handle.net/10986/32115 |
| Summary: | In Sierra Leone, the empowerment and
livelihoods for adolescents (ELA) initiative sought to
enhance adolescent girls’ social and economic empowerment by
providing life skills training, livelihood training, and
credit support to start income-generating activities. The
Ebola crisis occurred during the project, resulting in
curbed implementation. In contrast, younger girls (12 to 17
years old) who resided in communities that benefitted from
the program in high Ebola disruption areas were more likely
to be in school and saw their numeracy and literacy levels
improve. However, as younger women spend less time with men
in the presence of ELA, men likely shift their attention to
older girls: the evaluation finds an increase in unwanted
and transactional sex by older girls in areas highly exposed
to the Ebola crisis. As the program was implemented, the
Ebola epidemic hit Sierra Leone. First, in an effort to stem
the spread of the disease, the government-imposed
quarantines, limited travel, and closed public spaces such
as markets in certain areas, which significantly impacted
the economic activities of men and women. Second, schools
were closed for an entire academic year. Finally, Sierra
Leone’s limited health resources were diverted into caring
for patients and preventing the spread of the epidemic,
limiting their ability to attend to other issues such as
sexual and reproductive health. These results show how safe
spaces interventions can be effective even in the face of
large-scale shocks such as Ebola crises as seen in
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, as well as
other shocks constraining economic and social life, by
buffering girls from the adverse effects of crises. |
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