From the minds of adolescents: What has worked for girls in an education intervention in the Slums of Nairobi

• In Event: Adaptive management: girls’ education challenge transition baseline findings and their impact on project interventions in Zimbabwe and Ethiopia

Proposal

Quality education enables young people to make rational choices and enhance opportunities in life (World Bank, 2004). For girls, and their countries benefits include: reduction in household poverty (UNESCO, 2011); smaller family sizes; delayed marriage; improvement in child health; and, improved economic status of women, their families and communities (Hervish & Feldman-Jacobs, 2011). This paper highlights the benefits that accrued to girls from a three year intervention study, titled, ‘Advancing learning outcomes for transformational change (A LOT-Change)’. A LOT-Change project is a three-year implementation study with the goal of increasing efforts towards securing the future of children living in urban informal settlements. The intervention is implemented by Miss Koch and Utena Youth organization in Korogocho and Viwandani respectively. These are two urban informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. The project sought to improve learning outcomes, transition to secondary school, leadership skills and social behaviour among girls and boys aged 12–19 years. This qualitative paper looks at the narratives from girls, boys and their parents and seeks to answer the question: What are the perceptions of adolescents, their parents and community members on the impact of the intervention on learning outcomes, behaviour, leadership and knowledge at the end of the intervention? Data comes from the qualitative component of the endline evaluation study that was conducted by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) in the months of July-August 2018. The narratives focus on girls’ perceptions and what works for them to enhance their education. We also explore the minds of adolescent boys, to establish from their perspective what would work to promote girls education. Including the views of boys is important as they are the future partners, who will potentially be key decision makers in the society. Qualitative findings from this evaluation study show that girls and boys improved in the following ways: improved numeracy skills and literacy skills, improved self-confidence, and particularly girls were able to model the way in their schools and communities. Boys were challenged to a level of realization that they are not limited by context. This further encouraged girls by strengthening them as champions within the two communities that the intervention was being implemented. Communication improved across the board among the beneficiaries—girls and boys were able to communicate with each other and with their parents hence contributing to better support from parents. The leadership component through the motivational speaking enabled boys to be motivated in their school work, and in turn support girls. Moreover, there was trickle down effects as those boys who had internalized the leadership skills also passed it on to other peers—both girls and boys in Viwandani. Additionally, those girls and boys who previously were not able to speak up for their rights were able to. This they did when interacting with their peers and teachers. Speaking up for ones rights was a prerequisite for managing peer pressure. The leadership component also enabled them to develop their public speaking skills within the community and at competitions organized by the Ministry of Education that brings together all primary schools across the Country. Why were these benefits possible in the course of the three year intervention? Many of the adolescents who were interviewed attributed the successes they experienced to among other things, the uninterrupted mentorship sessions that were delivered by the mentors within the two communities of Korogocho and Viwandani. From their perspective these sessions were delivered on time, and not characterized by many disruptions that are often seen in some of the classrooms that they sit in, which include noise making, teachers are on other activities—like answering phone calls while in class—which sometimes may take up to 20 minutes in a 35 minute class session. In conclusion, community based interventions involving young people, for young people can contribute positively to their education notwithstanding the difficult context of an urban slum.

Authors

• Benta Abuya, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)

• Nelson Gichuhi Muhia, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)