The Impact of Youth Clubs on Women's Empowerment in Niger

In collaboration with the Government of Niger, researchers are evaluating the impact of adolescent girls’ club, young men’s clubs, or both on women’s empowerment outcomes. Espaces Sûrs (ES), or Safe Spaces, provide life skills training for young girls to improve their knowledge related to sex, reproduction, and marriage so that they can make more informed life choices. These clubs host weekly sessions for groups of 25 girls mentored by an older woman. Adolescent girls between the ages of 10 to 19 are eligible to participate, with a focus on girls not currently enrolled in school. In these interactive sessions, girls discuss a variety of topics, including hygiene and health, body and sexuality, managing money and saving, but also self-esteem, decision-making, and public speaking. Additionally, the program involves the community through home visits and community dialogue sessions. Clubs des Futurs Maris (CFM), or Future Husbands Clubs, introduce young men to topics related to women’s empowerment and discuss social norms related to male fertility. The meetings aim to foster attitudes and behaviors that favor women empowerment. These clubs gather non-married men between the ages of 15 and 24. From the 395 villages identified by the implementing NGO, researchers randomized villages into four groups: 1) ES clubs only 2) CFM clubs only 3) Both ES and CFM clubs and 4) comparison. Through surveys, researchers will measure the impact on women’s empowerment through various indicators, including marital status, educational and professional aspirations, educational achievements, labor market outcomes, health knowledge and behaviors.