Engaging communities in prevention of teenage pregnancies

An educated girl is an educated community

This motto of Go Girl Ghana is the inspiration for a new project of The Constellation in 2021.

Context

Facilitators from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, India and Indonesia, working in the field, are noticing how lockdown measures during Covid-19 seem to have a special impact on the lives of girls and young women in all continents. No or limited access to education and (teenage) pregnancies are among the side-effects that decrease their chances for a future where they can live to their full potential.

• What will those young women do, when they will have the opportunity to join forces and take actions for their own future?
• How can we help build communities that stand around girls and boys, and help them flourish?
• What are the good practices that emerge locally that can be transferred to other places?

Starting from April 2021, teams and partners of The Constellation in Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, India, and Indonesia intend to learn together on those questions starting from their experience.

The Dream

Local facilitators, teams and partners of The Constellation will start engaging communities in processes that prevent unwanted teenage pregnancies and enhance the opportunities for girls to enjoy education. We will build and exchange good practice that helps girls flourish.

Go Girl – Step by Step

• Local facilitators are leading SALT-CLCP processes in each of the five countries. In some of the places experienced facilitation teams are already in place. In some places new facilitators need to be trained. Training of (new) local facilitators will happen, depending on the local circumstances (including Covid-19 situation) through a mix of online and offline training and accompaniment. The training will be given by experienced coaches of The Constellation and will build on years of experience in using training modules of the Online SALT Programme.
• In each of the participating communities the facilitators will engage with youth in the selected communities, who take ownership in:
  • Stimulating inclusive and open conversations, where stigma and taboos are broken. 
  • Creating local solutions for actions and behaviour change that lead to less teenage pregnancies and more and consistent access to education.
• The Constellation is organising online Learn and Share Moments. During those events both facilitators and community members of the participating sites will exchange what they are learning while they are rolling out the SALT-CLCP process. In each event one specific topic of common interest will be explored. As much as possible the experience from the five sites will be brought forward which will help all to find locally adaptable solutions. Where needed and possible we will invite resource persons. The events will be documented and the main outcomes will be shared throughout the network of The Constellation and its partners. Facilitators in the project will take turns in facilitating the online events. Participating communities will prepare physical packages that represent their own local actions and learnings. The packages will be posted to other participating sites.
• The Constellation has experienced different ways of evaluating the impact of the SALT-CLCP methodology. See https://the-constellation.org/evaluations/. The Constellation will work out an evaluation process that is capable of capturing the finesses of the changes, whereby as much as possible communities are taking the lead in monitoring and evaluation.

Budget

The above activities accumulate to a total budget of 50’000 Euro. Most local sites already have a modest sum available to get started but all of them need additional funds. The Triodos Foundation is contributing 10’000 euro, The Trust for Local Response covers project management with 8’000 euro, and individual members of The Constellation have donated around 1600 Euro.

All contributions to the local processes as your investment in the future, are welcome on our crowdfunding site.

Local partners

Cameroon

• Local partner: Cho Nagafor Foundation: https://cnfoundation.ch/. The foundation is active on the themes health, education and livelihood. SALT-CLCP is new for the organisation as an approach to community actions. The Constellation will train and accompany a team of three local facilitators as well as the CEO of the organisation online with the Online SALT Programme. Given travel restrictions for Covid and safety, one international coach will give intensified online support to the team in training.
• Community: Mbengwi / Bamenda North West Province
• Contact person: Doreen Bieri

Ghana

• Local partner: Go Girl Ghana: https://www.gogirlghana.org/. In 2018 The Constellation and Go Girl Ghana partnered in creating supporting communities around girls so that they can enjoy education. Now, Go Girl Ghana gives name to this international project and is happy that their work with girls and their communities in Ghana is inspiring groups in other countries as well. Go Girl Ghana is currently collecting data about the increasing number of teenage girls and school drop-out. As soon as travel is possible The Constellation will train a group of new facilitators.
• Community: Awutu-Senya district
• Contact person: Leonie Heppener

India

• Local Partner: Faith Foundation: https://faithfoundationshillong.org/. The foundation is working with 3 villages in the State of Meghalaya.  The project is about improving the sexual and reproductive health and nutrition of adolescents to bring about behaviour change to reduce the numbers of teenage pregnancies and marriages and to also work with young mothers in creating access to sexual reproductive health services needed by them. The project will also address the well being of Adolescent girls and the taboos around sexuality. An experienced coach of The Constellation based in New Delhi is training the local facilitators from a distance. When travel is possible she will bring two support visits to strengthen the process and to elicit the learning.
• Community: Sylleiular, Umsawriang and Umktieh Lawsiatsniang, Bhoirymbong Block in Ri Bhoi District in the State of Meghalaya.
• Contact person: Shannon Massar

Indonesia

• Local partner: IndoCompetence – The Constellation team in Indonesia will facilitate the SALT-CLCP process with three villages on Java. The team is linked with those communities through the government’s Family Planning programme. IndoCompetence will make sure local champions in the villages will be able to foster the community response, while experienced facilitators guide the process during visits as well as virtual follow-up.
• Community: 1. Kampung KB “Kimas Jaya” Dukuh Tengah Village 2. Kedungwungu Villag; 3. Bandung: Kampung KB Ngahiji

• Contact person: Wiwin Winardi.

Kenya

• Local Partner: Kenya Competence Team and l’Afrikana. Kenya Competence Team is one of the oldest local SALT teams of The Constellation. It gained a wealth of experience in the area of community ownership of HIV/AIDS. The team will now accompany youth from the Refugee Group l’Afrikana. The increase in vulnerability for young women around Kivuli centre, Kabira especially, since Covid-19 has been immense.  L’Afrikana is experiencing drop ins from girls who have been raped, teenage pregnancies, school dropouts and young women who are in vulnerable situations.  A process that includes the community, the families, and empowers the girls is a need that will strengthen the team and allow transfer and release and self-development for those who pass through our program.
• Contact person: Meble Birengo