Plan International Canada

Purpose

The project will help empower adolescent girls in Benin and Cameroon. It will give them access to improved, adolescent-friendly services in the areas of education, sexual and reproductive health and rights and economic empowerment by creating an integrated package of core, community-level activities for adolescents. The project uses an approach that put girls at the center of its actions, working in collaboration with parents, community leaders and governments, to advance gender equality and empower adolescent girls. The project also addresses persistent challenges to girls’ rights and wellbeing, including discriminating social practices. Project activities include: (1) increasing girls’ knowledge regarding their rights, and child protection; (2) strengthening adolescent girls’ and boys’ groups that conduct peer-to-peer education on gender equality, rights and child protection and monitoring of related services; (3) changing attitudes of families, communities and leaders to contribute to a gender equitable social environment conductive to the realization of adolescent girls’ rights; and (4) providing training to service providers to deliver improved services to adolescent girls in sexual and reproductive health, education and vocational training, and child protection. The project engages adolescent girls and service providers across various sectors, including health, education and children’s rights to increase their life skills, and active participation in decision making and governance bodies. The project expects to directly benefit nearly 123,367 people, including 57,000 adolescent girls.