Conducted in Niger by EVIHDAF in partnership with GAGE/ODI, this study aims to assess the barriers and facilitating factors for the improvement of adolescent sexual and reproductive health in the ‘FOUNDATIONS’ Project.
It is a 6-year long activity implemented in Niger, Sierra Leone and Mali by a consortium made up of Save the Children Canada, ODI/Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE), the International Rescue Committee, Equipop and SickKids Centre for Global Child Health. The FOUNDATIONS program aims at building capacities of adolescent girls and empowering them to exercise their rights to Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH).
How advanced is the project? (May 2024 data)
As such, a baseline evaluation is carried out in four intervention villages (Oura, Magaria, Maiguijé and Awaché) of the Téssaoua department in the Maradi region where the FOUNDATIONS project is active, and in a control site (Gararé village) where the project is not active. On April 1st – 5th, 2024, the EVIHDAF research team trained 10 research assistants in Maradi on the study tools: 1) Discussion of community norms; 2) Community and institutional mapping; 3) Body mapping; 4) In-depth interviews with adolescents aged 10-19; 5) Individual interviews with key informants. A second training session was held from April 18th to 20th, 2024 in Maradi, the analysis of enumerators’ transcripts from the 2nd pre-test revealed significant improvement in their ability to engage participants in discussions around social norms related to ASRH.
Data collection took place from April 23rd to May 3rd, 2024, in four sites, in the Tessaoua department. Difficulties were encountered in the control site (Gararé village), where the FOUNDATIONS program does not exist. This made data collection a little difficult, as respondents had difficulty understanding the questions. However, data collection was quick and easy in intervention sites, where the program operates. It should also be noted that some vulnerable groups (such as people with disability) were difficult to reach, given their absence (perhaps they were hidden) in the sites; this reduced the study sample. Transcription of interviews and discussions is ongoing.
