Young Women Christian Association – Training Manual

For Zambian girls, social isolation, economic vulnerability, and lack of appropriate health information and services are critical problems that prevent a healthy transition from girlhood into womanhood. The issues that girls are confronted with –high rates of gender based violence, child marriage, unsafe sex that puts girls at risk for unwanted pregnancy and HIV infection, school dropout, lack of economic resources and income generating options, lack of agency and participation –are linked with one another through their root causes. Therefore, the solutions must be interconnected as well.

The “safe spaces” component is the core of this program. The girls group, to which each girl belongs, is meant to provide a safe and supportive learning environment. Regular and reliable girls’ group meetings, under the guidance of a female mentor from the same school, are critical in building social assets for the girls – including friendships, self-esteem, trusting relationships with adults, social support, etc.

The objectives of the program included in this curriculum are to:

1. Increase adolescent girls’ knowledge of reproductive health and sexuality.
2. Reinforce and promote attitudes and behaviors that will lead to a better quality of life for adolescent girls.
3. Instill skills among adolescents to enable them to overcome the challenges of growing up and becoming responsible adults including communication skills, decision-making, assertiveness, setting goals, and resisting peer pressure.
4. Create safe spaces for girls affected and at risk of child marriage.