Girl Empower: Studying the Impact of Mentorship, Asset Building, Caregiver Discussion Groups, and Cash Transfers on Reducing Girl's Vulnerability to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

Not Applicable

• Conditions: Sexual Violence; Adolescent Behavior
• Interventions: Behavioral: Girl Empower Program

• Registration Number: NCT03756467
• Lead Sponsor: Population Council

Brief Summary

Girl Empower (GE) is a program designed to equip girls with the skills and experiences necessary to make healthy, strategic life choices and to stay safe from sexual exploitation and abuse.

Detailed Description

The GE program is unique in its approach because it addresses girls' needs holistically. The girls' activities will take place in girl-only safe spaces located in their communities and contains the following components: Mentorship: girls have access to older female mentors. Mentors both provide weekly group-based and one-to-one interaction with girls as well as teach them critical skills; Asset building: Girls will have access to life skills and financial literacy training. This includes setting up savings accounts so girls practice their financial literacy skills, Monthly caregiver discussion groups among guardians of program girls, Capacity building and training of local health and psychosocial service providers to provide quality services to survivors of gender-based violence Intervention communities will either receive the GE program alone or the GE program with the plus small cash transfers to the girls' families as an incentive to attendance in weekly sessions (GE+).

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2017-07-12
• Status Verified: 2018-11
• Study First Submitted: 2018-11-26
• Study First Submitted QC: 2018-11-26
• Last Update Submitted: 2018-11-27
• Study First Posted: 2018-11-28
• Last Update Posted: 2018-11-29
• Primary Completion: 2018-12-31
• Study Completion: 2018-12-31

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: UNKNOWN
• Sex: Female
• Target Recruitment: 2200

Inclusion Criteria

• Healthy, eligible girls aged 13 to 14 years of age.

Exclusion Criteria

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Arm 2	Girl Empower Program	1) the Girl Empower life skills curriculum, facilitated by local mentors; 2) caregiver discussion group, facilitated by IRC staff; and 3) savings account start-up
Arm 3	Girl Empower Program	1) the Girl Empower life skills curriculum, facilitated by local mentors; 2) caregiver discussion group, facilitated by IRC staff; and 3) savings account start-up.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Sexual Violence Index	40 weeks	The primary outcome of interest is an index of sexual violence at the individual level.; The index is composed of four questions in the endline survey instrument. The construction of the index, and a detailed description of its components is described in the pre-analysis plan (PAP) document uploaded under the "Analysis Plan" in this registration.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Liberia; 🇱🇷 Monrovia, Liberia