Policy brief

Supporting Adolescent Girls’ Well-Being in Climate- and Conflict-Affected Areas of East and West Africa

This policy brief synthesises evidence on interventions to support the financial and psychosocial wellbeing of adolescent girls in vulnerable pastoral areas, highlighting gaps to inform future programmes and policies.

Éditeur SPARC
Par Tom Kipruto Erik Waga Jeeyon Kim Maha Elsamahi
Gender equality and social inclusion Africa

In East and West African pastoral areas that are affected by conflict and climate change, adolescent girls face harmful gender norms, have limited opportunities for education, and are exposed to gender-based violence. 

Instability in pastoral areas forces families to adopt survival strategies that increase girls’ vulnerabilities, such as withdrawing them from school or arranging early marriages to offset economic burdens. Climate-induced displacement compounds these risks: displaced adolescent girls in settings face heightened exposure to violence, exploitation and gender-based violence.

These issues must be addressed if adolescent girls are to be empowered and their communities are to be resilient.

This policy brief synthesises evidence on interventions to support the financial and psychosocial wellbeing of adolescent girls in vulnerable pastoral areas, highlighting gaps to inform future programmes and policies.

Between May and July 2024, 24 documents were reviewed, and eight specialists, from Mercy Corps, Girl Effect, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), Ipsos, Freely Hope, and the Population Council, were consulted.

Findings include: 

An adolescent girl stands in front of a chalkboard and holds a book
October 2018, Gombe, Nigeria: A young woman teaches everything from financial literacy to sexual health to a group of 25 girls from her community.
Credit © E. Millstein / Mercy Corps

Source URL: https://www.sparc-knowledge.org/node/354