Background
Methods
Research design
The DREAMS GO! Girl Club Intervention Classification | |||
---|---|---|---|
10–14 years | 15–19 years | 20–24 years | |
Primary Individual Interventions | -Social asset building -HIV testing services -Condom information -Screen for case management | -Social asset Building -HIV testing services -Condoms -Access to contraceptive -Information and services | -Social asset building -HIV testing services -Condoms -Access to contraceptive -Information and services |
Secondary Individual Interventions | -Combination of socio-economic approaches (VSL) for caregivers -Food security/ nutrition -Post violence care -Access to contraceptive information and services -Back to School Support | -Combination of socio-economic approaches (VSL) -Food security/ nutrition -Post violence care -Back to school support -Parenting skills -Case management | -Combination socio-economic approaches (VSL) -Food security/nutrition -Post violence care -Back to school support -Parenting skills |
Study sites
Sampling and data collection
Data analysis
Ethical considerations
Results
Social demographic characteristics of study participants
Characteristic | Number (N = 23) | % |
---|---|---|
Age | ||
12 | 5 | 22 |
13 | 9 | 39 |
14 | 9 | 39 |
Education Status | ||
In School (Primary) | 18 | 78 |
Out of School | 5 | 22 |
Housing (Living with) | ||
Both parents | 15 | 65 |
Single parent | 5 | 22 |
Other (relatives) | 3 | 13 |
Reasons for joining the go girl clubs
Other participants especially the out of school girls described joining the clubs as an opportunity to do something with their time since they were not engaged in any activities at home:“I wanted to find out where I can go to report if my parents abuse me. And I also wanted to know how I can prevent getting HIV/AIDs.” IDI 1, Zomba
Apart from personal reasons to join Go Girls Club, most participants reported that the decision to join the clubs was influenced by their community leaders, teachers, neighbors, friends, and parents.“When I had stopped going to school, because I had nothing to do at home, when it was morning; the sun would set while I was at home... So, when this organization came, our treasurer is the one who came to pick us saying ‘there is an organization, don’t just stay here at home. What you would have been learning at school, you will be learning here at the club. So not to waste time, this organization wants children between 10 up to, he said 14.” IDI 2, Machinga
“I was told about the Go Girls Club by my teacher who is also a chief. He told us that we should start coming here for club activities...” IDI 5 , Zomba
Although the participants reported various reasons for joining the clubs, there was a general impression in their responses that a majority liked attending the clubs. This was also noted when participants were asked to report on the challenges that they encountered regarding club participation. Interviews revealed few challenges reported by the club participants. For instance, several participants reported that some VYAs in the community who had not joined the Go Girl clubs discouraged them from joining and participating in the clubs. These non-club members were reported to have said negative things about the Go Girls clubs, and this mostly stemmed from misconceptions about the clubs. The following extracts are illustrative:“I started in September. I joined because of my friends, right? A lot of them, right? were saying ‘let’s go and join, let’s join.’ So, I said ‘I will not join, because I do not know what I will learn there. I stopped going to school a long time ago. So if I should be going there, what will I learn?’ And they said, ‘go, go’ so I went.” IDI 3, Machinga
“Now us, many people were discouraging us saying ‘don’t go there, it is satanic.’ But us, we did not care, we went there so that we could learn. So what made me to join the Go Girl club is learning...” IDI 11, Zomba
“That time we were going they used to say, ‘you are busy going to Go Girl Club but you don’t receive anything there.’ So, we did not pay them attention. We just went.” IDI 4′ Zomba
“Most of our friends do not like to join this group, we don’t know why really. Those who like the program are few.... Some of them say the program encourages sex, and even when you tell them that there is a lot that you would avoid, they do not take it. They believe that this encourages a lot of girls to have sex or have unprotected sex.” IDI 3, Machinga
Influence on gender norms and roles
“...also that at home my brother was not doing any house chores and after learning about gender I explained it to my brother that he doesn’t have to differentiate work between men and women. And he started working for example, when I cook in the afternoon he cooks in the evening, and he also fetches water.” IDI 9, Zomba
“We learnt that there is no difference between boys and girls, girls can do what boys do… it changed me because I explained to my parents that a boy and a girl can do similar work. We now do similar work with my brothers.” IDI 7, Zomba
Influence on child abuse practices
Another girl narrated a similar history of abuse at home and how this changed after attending the club:“As for me, the problems that I meet is that my father beats me and one day they made me sleep outside, so I told them [club facilitators] ... For example, one day they told me to sweep the compound and that day I said that I am tired, someone else should do it today, so they didn’t give me food and beat me. So, I told them [club facilitators] and they came to speak with my parents.” IDI 7, Zomba
“We were also being abused by parents but ever since we joined Go Girl clubs they stopped because we explained to them everything we learned from one community (Project running the Go Girl clubs) ...They teach us examples of child abuse like overworking a child, forcing girls into marriage, leaving children to take care of babies, and absenting us from school... Like making a girl baby sit her siblings without going to school” IDI 5, Zomba
Influence on life skills and social networks
“At first before joining one community when we were back from school, we were not doing household chores but rather just playing but now we do household chores and thereafter do our studies.” IDI 6, Zomba
“I have learnt also about how to strengthen the club... Being people who are united… (silent for some time), because people who can be united, do great things together.” IDI 3, Zomba
“they said that we should know each other; for instance, me and my friends we should know each other so my friend needs to introduce herself, then the rest of us will do the same thing by mentioning our names too.... They said that the advantage of knowing each other is that if your friend is involved in an accident then you can be able to assist her that is if you know her. Yes.” IDI 1, Machinga
Support to go back to school
“Me, through the Go Girl Club, village banks were introduced in our village, my mother managed to join the village bank. She borrowed money from there and do business. The profits from the business are used to get me necessities for my school.” IDI 5, Zomba
However, there were several participants who had decided to drop out of school because they did not see a future in their studies, and therefore chose to stay home. These participants reported that at the Go Girl Club they listened to motivational talks given by girls who had worked hard at school despite facing similar challenges as them, including poverty, and made it in life. They said through the motivational talks they learned about the importance of education in their lives and decided to back to school.“[in the club] we received school bags, pencils, erasers, notebooks, uniforms and we also got tested for HIV.” IDI 7, Machinga
“I have benefited from Go Girl Club that I did not really know the reason for my going to school, but I have known now. Through Go Girl Club I have learnt that it is up to you to choose which job you want after finishing school. So, I was convinced, I went to continue with school.” IDI 8, Machinga
“For example, I had stopped going to school. But when I started learning at Go Girls, I continued with school and they encouraged us about school. And also, I learnt about my dreams that ‘it is up to you to decide which job to work in the future when you finish school.’ So I would like that when am done with my school, I should be a supervisor in the One Community Project.” IDI 8, Zomba
Influence on sexual and reproductive health knowledge and behaviors
“I have benefited, right? Because I did not know that us; pregnancy how can we avoid it? Or AIDS how can we avoid it? We did not know. And also that people do cleanliness when they are on their monthly periods, we did not know; most of us; right? Because we learnt that while we were young. So we learnt it there at One Community.” IDI 2 Machinga
Apart from acquiring knowledge, some of participants reported application of this knowledge in their lives. A total of five participants said they were in sexual relationships. Except for one participant who was 13 years old, the rest of those who were sexually active were 14 years old. All five participants who were in sexual relationships reported condom use during sex.“The difference is that at this other place [school] they hide some of the issues from us while at the Go Girls club they tell us everything...Maybe the teachers hide these issues from us because we are still young, that is why they chose to hide the issues from us.” IDI 3, Zomba
In addition, some of the participants reported testing for HIV. These participants included both those who were in sexual relationships and those who were not. Participants reported that through the clubs they were linked to HIV testing services. Interviews suggest that this linkage to HIV testing happened at the community level where club participants were referred to mobile/outreach clinics to access HIV testing services. Furthermore, participants also reported a linkage to HIV testing at the health facility where there was a project person through which the clubs could book an appointment for the club participants to access a service.“We learnt a lot on sex issues for example, I wouldn’t have known that when having sex with my boyfriend I should use a condom. I also learnt that if you have plain [unprotected] sex you might get pregnant.” IDI 7, Machinga
“I got tested. They assisted us with accessing HIV testing services. Yes, they (mobile/outreach clinics) come here to provide us with the HIV testing services” IDI 4, Machinga
“At that time, they told us that if one wants to get tested we should go to the hospital there is One community personnel so if you make an appointment with…. you will just have to meet that person.” IDI 6, Zomba