World bank Liberia Program: Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and Young Women (EPAG)

• In Event: 2-183 - Youth-Led Early Childhood Care and Education Programs: Characteristics and Potential Impact Across Multiple Global Contexts

Integrative Statement

Introduction: In response to high youth unemployment and the vulnerabilities of young women in Liberia, the Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and Young Women (EPAG) project was launched in 2010 as a skills and employment program to improve young women’s participation in the workforce. Since 2010 the program has reached almost 5,000 trainees through either a Business Development Skills track (BDS) to train women to open micro-businesses or various Job Skills tracks (JS) targeted to sectors with high demand for workers. In 2015, given low access to quality ECCE in Liberia and only 29% of preschool teachers having formal training, the EPAG team identified an opportunity to incorporate ECCE practitioner training as a Job Skills training track. A pilot was launched in 2016 which trained 60 young women as preschool teacher assistants or caregivers/nannies. A second ECCE round took place in 2017-18 with another 60 women.
Hypothesis: The EPAG ECCE track was designed to tackle three issues with one investment. It aimed to (i) improve women’s employment opportunities, (ii) increase self-esteem and empowerment, and (iii) increase the workforce to deliver quality childcare and preschool services.
Methods: The training program consists of three months classroom training, followed by a three-month internship. As with the broader EPAG project, the ECCE track targets vulnerable, mostly unemployed young women aged 16-24. Basic numeracy and literacy is required, and trainees should not be in school or other training programs. To comply with Ministry for Education requirements, trainees must be high school graduates for the ECCE track. Life skills and business development skills training are other core components of the EPAG program, which also includes a Business Plan Competition - for the ECCE track it focused on opening a low-cost ECD Center.
Results: The EPAG ECCE pilot achieved a number of successes. Completion rates were high with 60 women completing the training and 93% placed in internships, mostly as teaching assistants. Six months after graduation, 90% of the women were in employment (compared to 31% at baseline), with 54% in ECCE related work. Graduates reported increased self-esteem, emotional empowerment, self-discipline and optimism about the future, as well as increased control over financial resources. Graduates had increased savings, encouraged by a stipend and savings scheme linked to attendance. Several refinements were made in the second ECCE round which included: aligning more systematically with Ministry for Education ECCE training pathways; ensuring internships are with ECCE centers that serve lower-income demographics and focusing on ways to increase the impact at these schools; increasing the formality and monitoring of the internships; and providing further support with ECCE specific employment opportunities.
Conclusion: A third ECCE round is planned for 2018-19. In addition, a complementary initiative will be introduced to support graduates to establish quality and sustainable ECCE centers, which serve vulnerable children and provide a meaningful income to the women involved. The package of support will include start-up funding, further training, school-based mentoring, and a set of ECCE and business tools.

Authors

• Frances Bowen, World Bank Group
  Presenting Author

• Amanda Devercelli, World Bank Group
  Non-Presenting Author