Married and Out of School Girls

In 2018 we started work with married girls and adolescent mothers – a group that is hard to reach, marginalized, and at higher risk of violence and health complications from early pregnancy and childbirth. We delivered workshops with Female Community Health Volunteers that included health, safety, family planning, mental well being, financial literacy, negotiation and communication skills. In 2018 we worked with 100 adolescent mothers.

Under our upcoming program, starting in 2019, as a Girls Education Challenge Leave No Girl Behind partner we will be working in the Central Terai for the next five years, addressing the needs of adolescent girls, boys, and married girls across different local governments through both our core Her Turn and His Chance programs and new life-skill development programming for the married out of school adolescent girls.

In the Central Terai, the rate of adolescent marriages is the highest (23%) of any region (65.8% for women aged 20-49). Enrollment rates of girl students are the lowest of any region in Nepal at primary and secondary levels, as are the net attendance rates of girls in primary education. Girls’ high dropout rates result in limited access to information and peer support networks – a major barrier to psycho-socially healthy and safe lives.