The Impact of an Adolescent Girls Employment Program : The EPAG Project in Liberia

Adoho, Franck ; Chakravarty, Shubha ; Korkoyah, Dala T., Jr. ; Lundberg, Mattias ; Tasneem, Afia

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: ACCESS TO EDUCATION;    ACCESS TO FAMILY PLANNING;    ADOLESCENT GIRLS;    ADOLESCENT HEALTH;    ADOLESCENTS;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-6832
RP-ID  :  WPS6832

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

This paper presents findings from theimpact evaluation of the Economic Empowerment of AdolescentGirls and Young Women (EPAG) project in Liberia. The EPAGproject was launched by the Liberian Ministry of Gender andDevelopment in 2009 with the goal of increasing theemployment and income of 2,500 young Liberian women byproviding livelihood and life skills training andfacilitating their transition to productive work. Theanalysis in this paper is based on data collected during tworounds of quantitative surveys in 2010 and 2011, the secondof which was conducted six months after the classroom-basedphase of the training program ended. Strong impacts arefound on the employment and earnings outcomes of programparticipants, relative to a control group ofnon-participants. The EPAG program increased employment by47 percent and earnings by 80 percent. In addition, theimpact evaluation documents positive effects on a variety ofempowerment measures, including access to money,self-confidence, and anxiety about circumstances and thefuture. The evaluation finds no net impact on fertility orsexual behavior. At the household level, there is evidenceof improved food security and shifting attitudes towardgender norms. These results reinforce the highly positivefeedback received from focus group discussions with programparticipants. Finally, preliminary cost-benefit analysisindicates that the budgetary cost of the EPAG businessdevelopment training for young women is equivalent to thevalue of three years of the increase in income among programbeneficiaries. These preliminary results provide strongevidence for further investment and research into youngwomen's livelihood programs in Liberia.