The Impact of an Adolescent Girls Employment Program : The EPAG Project in Liberia

This paper presents findings from the impact evaluation of the Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and Young Women (EPAG) project in Liberia. The EPAG project was launched by the Liberian Ministry of Gender and Development in 2009 with the goa...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors:	Adoho, Franck, Chakravarty, Shubha, Korkoyah, Dala T., Jr., Lundberg, Mattias, Tasneem, Afia
Format:	Policy Research Working Paper
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2014
Subjects:	ACCESS TO EDUCATION ACCESS TO FAMILY PLANNING ADOLESCENT GIRLS ADOLESCENT HEALTH ADOLESCENTS ADULT EDUCATION ADULTS AFTERNOON SESSIONS AGE GROUPS AGE OF MARRIAGE ATTENDANCE RATE ATTRITION AVERAGE ATTENDANCE BARGAINING BARGAINING POWER BASIC LITERACY BASIC NEEDS BASIC SOCIAL SERVICES BEHAVIOR CHANGE BULLETIN CHILDCARE CHILDREN PER WOMAN CIVIL CONFLICT CIVIL UNREST CIVIL WAR CLASSROOM COMPUTER SKILLS CONDOM CONDOM USE CONDOMS CONTRACEPTIVE USE CONTROL OVER RESOURCES CURRICULA CURRICULUM CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT EFFECTIVENESS DEVELOPMENT POLICY DISCRIMINATION DIVISION OF LABOR EARLY PREGNANCY ECONOMIC CONDITIONS ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT ECONOMICS EDUCATED GIRLS EDUCATION SYSTEM EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT EDUCATIONAL ENROLMENT EDUCATIONAL LEVELS EMERGENCIES EMPLOYMENT GROWTH ENROLLMENT ENROLLMENT LEVELS ENTREPRENEURSHIP TRAINING FAMILY MEMBERS FAMILY PLANNING METHODS FEMALE EMPOWERMENT FEMALE LITERACY FERTILITY RATE FERTILITY RATES FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS FOOD INSECURITY FOOD SECURITY FOOD SUPPLIES FORMAL EDUCATION FORMAL SCHOOLING GENDER EQUALITY GENDER NORMS GIRLS HEALTH DECISIONS HIGH SCHOOL HIV HOUSEHOLD ASSETS HOUSEHOLD DUTIES HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY HOUSEHOLD LEVEL HOUSEHOLD SIZE HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS HUMAN DEVELOPMENT ILLITERACY IMPACT ON FERTILITY INCOME INCOME-GENERATING ACTIVITIES INFORMATION SERVICES INFORMED CONSENT INTERCOURSE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION INTERNSHIPS INTERVENTIONS INVENTORY JOB CREATION JOB OPPORTUNITIES JOB TRAINING LABOR FORCE LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION LABOR MARKET LABOUR LABOUR FORCE LARGE FAMILIES LARGE POPULATIONS LEARNING LEVELS OF EDUCATION LIFE SKILLS LIFE-SKILLS LIFETIME FERTILITY LITERACY PROGRAM LITERACY TRAINING LOW LEVELS OF EDUCATION LOWER LITERACY MARKET FAILURES MARRIED WOMEN MEAT MOTHER MOTIVATION NUMBER OF CHILDREN NUMBER OF PEOPLE NUMERACY NUTRITION OLDER CHILDREN OPPORTUNITIES FOR EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY COSTS ORPHANS OUTPUTS PARTICIPATION RATES PERSONALITY PILOT PROJECTS POLICY DIALOGUE POLICY DISCUSSIONS POLICY IMPLICATIONS POLICY MAKERS POLICY RESEARCH POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER POLITICAL ECONOMY POPULATION COUNCIL PREGNANCIES PREGNANCY STATUS PRIMARY EDUCATION PRIMARY SCHOOL PROBLEM-SOLVING ABILITY PRODUCTIVITY PROGRESS PUBLIC HEALTH QUALITY LEARNING REFUGEE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESOURCE ALLOCATION RETENTION RATE RISKY SEXUAL BEHAVIOR RURAL AREAS SAFETY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE SCHOOL EDUCATION SCHOOLING SECONDARY EDUCATION SECONDARY SCHOOLING SELF-CONFIDENCE SERVICE PROVIDER SERVICE PROVIDERS SEX SEX RATIOS SEXUAL BEHAVIOR SEXUAL BEHAVIORS SEXUAL PARTNER SEXUAL PARTNERS SEXUAL RISK SEXUALLY ACTIVE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT SKILLS TRAINING SOCIAL FACTORS SOCIAL NORMS SOCIAL SKILLS SPILLOVER SPOUSES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TECHNICAL SKILLS TECHNICAL TRAINING TRAINEES TRAINING COSTS TRAINING MATERIALS TRAINING PROGRAMS UNEMPLOYMENT UNEMPLOYMENT RATE UNEMPLOYMENT RATES UNMARRIED WOMEN URBAN AREAS VOCATIONAL EDUCATION VOCATIONAL TRAINING VULNERABILITY WAGE SUBSIDIES WAGES WOMAN WORKFORCE YOUNG GIRLS YOUNG MEN YOUNG PEOPLE YOUNG WOMEN YOUNG WORKERS YOUTH YOUTH EMPLOYMENT AFRICA GENDER POLICY GENDER INNOVATION LAB WOMEN AND YOUTH EMPLOYMENT
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/04/19338849/impact-adolescent-girls-employment-program-epag-project-liberia http://hdl.handle.net/10986/17718

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Summary:	This paper presents findings from the impact evaluation of the Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and Young Women (EPAG) project in Liberia. The EPAG project was launched by the Liberian Ministry of Gender and Development in 2009 with the goal of increasing the employment and income of 2,500 young Liberian women by providing livelihood and life skills training and facilitating their transition to productive work. The analysis in this paper is based on data collected during two rounds of quantitative surveys in 2010 and 2011, the second of which was conducted six months after the classroom-based phase of the training program ended. Strong impacts are found on the employment and earnings outcomes of program participants, relative to a control group of non-participants. The EPAG program increased employment by 47 percent and earnings by 80 percent. In addition, the impact evaluation documents positive effects on a variety of empowerment measures, including access to money, self-confidence, and anxiety about circumstances and the future. The evaluation finds no net impact on fertility or sexual behavior. At the household level, there is evidence of improved food security and shifting attitudes toward gender norms. These results reinforce the highly positive feedback received from focus group discussions with program participants. Finally, preliminary cost-benefit analysis indicates that the budgetary cost of the EPAG business development training for young women is equivalent to the value of three years of the increase in income among program beneficiaries. These preliminary results provide strong evidence for further investment and research into young women's livelihood programs in Liberia.

The Impact of an Adolescent Girls Employment Program : The EPAG Project in Liberia

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