Where We Work : Tanzania : Empowerment and Livelihood for Adolescents

 

Begun in 2008, the Empowerment and Livelihood for Adolescents (ELA) programme is already making a difference in the lives of vulnerable Tanzanian teenage girls. Funded by the Nike Foundation and organised into 100 clubs for 13 to 20 year olds, the programme provides a safe place for them to socialise and take part in group activities as well as a forum for talking about issues in their lives. Many of the older members who are out of school have taken training in income generating skills. In 2010, we plan to disburse microfinance loans to these members so they can launch their own businesses.

Programme Description

BRAC's programme for adolescents is designed to socially and financially empower youth aged between 13 and 19. Targeted exclusively at vulnerable teenage girls, the programme combines innovative livelihood and life skills training with a customised microfinance programme.

The objectives of the ELA Programme

• To create confidence and a sense of self-worth
• To cause positive behaviour change
• To improve the quality of life for young people

Programme Components

Adolescent Clubs

ELA services are provided through dedicated clubs that provide a safe, non-threatening environment for adolescent girls. The girls are able to freely socialise and share each other's experiences, as well as find support for dealing with personal challenges. The clubs act as both social spaces, where girls can win positive recognition from their peers, and training venues for skill development courses. Each club organises daily team sports - such as netball – as well as dancing and other recreational activities.

Adolescent Leaders

The clubs and training courses are managed by the adolescents themselves. Two girls from each club are selected and trained by BRAC to be adolescent leaders. They have to be at least 19 years old. These leaders are responsible for the management of all club activities and for conducting the training courses. Training for the leaders covers facilitation and life skills and is provided through:

• Six days basic training
• Six days training on conducting life skills training
• One-day refreshers (bi-monthly)
• One-day orientation
• One-day refresher for life-skills training

Life Skills Training Course

The life skills training course is offered to all the girls attending the clubs. The goal of the training course is to equip adolescents with the necessary knowledge and skills to improve their lives and to prevent child marriage. The objectives of this course are:

• To coach adolescent girls to be conscious, conscientious and confident citizens
• To raise their awareness of relevant social issues such as gender imbalance, early marriage and drug addiction
• To enhance understanding of general health, hygiene, HIV/AIDS and reproductive health issues
• To develop leadership skills
• To develop negotiation and conflict resolution skills

Income Generation Skills Training

The older teenage girls who are out of school are able to choose a training course in one income generation activity that is of interest to them. As many of the centres are in rural areas, the courses are mostly linked to agriculture. The following types of courses have proven to be beneficial and appropriate for girls entering into microfinance for the first time:

• Vegetable cultivation
• Poultry rearing
• Food processing
• Tailoring and other non-farm businesses

BRAC has found that a lack of financial literacy is a constraint to adolescent empowerment. The courses are designed in the context of the local economies and we offer several options to each girl. In our experience, the adolescents are keen observers of market opportunities. They are given training on basic market analysis techniques and are encouraged to select a business that suits them.

Appropriately Designed Microfinance

The key differences between ELA and BRAC's regular microfinance programmes are the targeted age groups and the average loan size. The average loan size of ELA is much lower compared to a comparable loan cycle in the regular microfinance programme. The unique features of the adolescent microfinance programme are:

• Credit Officers who are female adolescents
• Smaller first loan sizes compared to adults
• 16 years is the minimum age for borrowers (in compliance with financial regulations)

Community Participation

We involve parents and guardians in the process of adolescent empowerment through parents meetings, mothers’ forums and workshops for community leaders. Much of the frustration faced by the adolescents is due to isolation and lack of adult understanding of the issues they face. Their parents and the communities in which they live may deliberately or subconsciously contribute to discrimination against girls and the violation of their rights. Given that the adults have often had little or no formal education themselves, they may not be fully aware of the causes and depth of the problems faced by adolescents.

Life skills course subjects

• Critical thinking
• Creative thinking
• Decision making
• Effective communication
• Coping with stress
• Coping with emotion
• Problem solving
• Empathy
• Self-awareness
• Negotiation
• Interpersonal relationships