A community based intervention to increase girls’ opportunity to learn: Study design, intervention and sample characteristics

• In Event: Stepping up the game: What has changed for girls a year after the onset of an education intervention

Abstract

This is an ongoing community-based intervention with an aim of addressing low education participation among poor and marginalized girls in urban informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya. The intervention was initiated in 2013. We recruited into the study girls in primary grades 6, 7 and 8 and aged between 12 and 19. The intervention has three components: 1) After-school homework support and mentoring in order to increase girls’ opportunity to learn, thereby enhancing their transition to secondary school; 2) Primary-to-secondary school transition subsidy to meet indirect costs associated with joining secondary grade 1; and 3) Parental and community intervention to empower parents and the community to provide and support education and schooling of girls who are at risk of not completing primary education, and thereby not transitioning to secondary school. Baseline data collection was conducted in June 2013 and the midline in 2014. The midline results shows that: 1) 69% of the 2013 grade 8 girls transited to secondary schools in 2014. Of these, 42% joined private secondary schools; while progression was at 89%; 2) drop out between 2013 and 2014 was low (1%); 3) proportion of girls receiving extra tuition and being supported in their homework increased by 24% and 16% percentage points to 79% and 62% respectively and in favour of the treatment groups; 5) the loss to follow-up was 8.7%. In line with the EFA goals, the intervention complements the Kenya Ministry of Education policy of improving access to quality education among vulnerable populations.

Authors

• Maurice Mutisya, African Population and Health Research Center

• Benta A Abuya, African Population and Health Research Center

• Moses Ngware, African Population and Health Research Center

• Milka Perez Nyariro, African Population and Health Research Center