Girls First

  • P Project/Program

? Activity Status: Unknown

Key Information

Bihar empowers marginalized adolescent girls in Bihar with knowledge, skills and support to improve their personal resilience and physical health, and to self-advocate for their right to stay in school and delay marriage.

Girls First attendees are 12-16 year old girls living in rural poverty. The typical attendee is the first generation in her family to attend school; is at high risk for trafficking, and will have few, if any, positive employment prospects beyond menial or household labor. Most are at risk for marriage at 14-16 years of age.

Girls First provides a holistic empowerment program, combining personal resilience training with curriculum in adolescent health. The 6-month program provides in-depth training in:

  • character strength development
  • social-emotional and communication skills
  • problem-solving and conflict resolution
  • nutrition, reproductive and sexual health, safe water, HIV/AIDS, malaria prevention and similar

Girls learn to advocate for their rights, set goals, and make positive decisions that can help them to improve their circumstances and realize their dreams.

Lead Implementing Organization(s)

Location(s)

South Asia

India

Activity URL

https://corstone.org/girls-first-bihar-india/

Government Affiliation

Unknown

Years

Not applicable or unknown

Partner(s)

Bihar Education Project Council

Ministry Affiliation

N/A

Funder(s)

Not applicable or unknown

COVID-19 Response

Unknown

Geographic Scope

National

Meets gender-transformative education criteria from the TES  

Unknown

Areas of Work Back to Top

Education areas

Attainment

  • Primary completion
  • Primary enrollment
  • Primary to secondary transition
  • Secondary completion
  • Secondary Enrollment

Other skills

  • Life skills/sexuality education

Cross-cutting areas

  • Early/child marriage
  • Economic/livelihoods (including savings/financial inclusion, etc.)
  • Empowerment
  • Gender equality
  • HIV and STIs
  • Other aspects of sexual and reproductive health
  • Social and gender norms and beliefs
  • WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene)

Program participants

Target Audience(s)

Girls (both in school and out of school), Youth

Age

12 - 16

School Enrolment Status

Some in school

School Level

  • Lower primary
  • Upper primary
  • Lower secondary
  • Upper secondary

Other populations reached

Not applicable or unknown

Participants include

  • N/A

Program Approaches Back to Top

Health and childcare services

  • Sexual and reproductive health services (including family planning)

Life skills education

  • Gender, rights and power
  • Sexual and reproductive health (including puberty education)
  • Social and emotional learning (SEL) skills building

Women's empowerment programs

  • Advocacy/action
  • Empowerment training

Program Goals Back to Top

Education goals

  • Improved critical thinking
  • Improved social and emotional learning/skills and mindsets
  • Increased grade attainment
  • Increased primary school completion
  • Increased progression to secondary school

Cross-cutting goals

  • Changed social norms
  • Improved critical consciousness
  • Improved health - other
  • Improved sexual and reproductive health
  • Increased agency and empowerment
  • Reduced child marriage