Participatory action research method actively engaging adolescent girls; Evidence of Success

• In Event: Roundtable Session (Tuesday VI)
  In Refereed Round-Table Session: Active youth engagement in program design, data collection, and analysis: strong positive data

Proposal

To protect and empower girls, programs must start with the girls themselves who are often the last people to be consulted, if they are consulted at all. This program does not treat adolescent girls as passive beneficiaries, but as the change makers though a human (woman) centered design whereby the researchers were themselves young women selected from their communities, backed up by the expertise of TAMASHA. The researchers were trained in a variety of participatory methods which enabled the girls ages 12-17 to discuss freely among themselves and give a clear picture of their lives, their needs and what was required to meet those needs and fulfil their rights, on the basis of which a program was developed with them and other stakeholders in the community. Meeting the girls where they are in their lives, and building on their vision – is foundational as an innovative participatory action research program working with girls ages 12-17 and their communities, initially in Newala District, one of the least developed and poorly resourced districts of Tanzania and now scaling across numerous Tanzania rural regions, including Lushoto where TAMASHA and Asante Africa are working together with added components based on the lessons learned from Newala.

This approach empowers young women to define their own needs, lead and interpret research on the issues that affect their lives, and educate their peers using activities that they have developed. The organization actively contextualizes training materials by engaging local girls and young women to tell their stories, thereby self-identifying their programming needs and interests. Based on girls’ input, the organization adds a strong core component on life skills and livelihoods that includes entrepreneurship training, business development, in-house interest-free small loans, and group savings. The rationale for this component came both from a desire to more safely meet the pressing economic needs of adolescent girls, including many adolescent mothers and the possibility of establishing revolving loans that would eventually help sustain girl programming.

Evidence demonstrates how the organization has reached a highly vulnerable segment of adolescent girls who would otherwise have very little support or opportunity. The social support, mentoring, knowledge, skill building, leadership and income generation opportunities is changing the ways girls see themselves and the way they are seen in their communities. The presenter has documented successes of young women, both out of school and in school, who have collaboratively created economic projects and have advocated for and supported each other when in trouble or at risk with support from other key actors including older women and the young men with who they work. The presenter summarizes the process, implementation of the theory of change and the findings of the participatory action research with lessons for researchers, development practitioners and policymakers working with adolescent girls.

Sommer, M (2010) The changing nature of Girlhood in Tanzania; Influences from Global Imagery and Globalization. Girlhood Studies 3; pages 116-136.

Levine, RO (2008). Girls Count; A Global Investment and Action Agenda. Center for Global Development

https://www.icrw.org/publications/using-participatory-research-and-action-to-address-the-hiv-related-vulnerabilities-of-adolescent-girls-in-tanzania/

https://www.icrw.org/publications/vijana-tunaweza-newala/

Keywords: participatory action research ; girl led program design; human centered design

Authors

• Richard Mabala, TAMASHA, Retired Director - HakiElimu Board Director

• Annagrace Felix Rwehumbiza, TAMASHA , Tanzania