Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP)

Through the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP), the Population Council and partners implemented a social, health, and economic asset-building program for vulnerable adolescent girls in Zambia. Council researchers also conducted a rigorous four-year impact evaluation of the program using a randomized cluster design. The study followed girls for the two-year intervention period and for two years after completion of the intervention. Communities where AGEP was implemented were randomly assigned different components of the intervention—including the full program (safe spaces, savings accounts, and health vouchers), safe spaces with a health voucher, and safe spaces only. The outcomes for AGEP participants were compared to those of control group participants. Study instruments include a survey that measures self-esteem, social networks, attitudes and behaviors related to gender, work and savings activity, nutrition status, literacy and numeracy skills, cognitive function, sexual and reproductive health knowledge, and sexual behavior. In addition, study participants aged 15 and above were tested for HIV and HSV-2 and anthropometric measurements (height and weight) were collected for the study participants and their children. Baseline data for program and control girls were collected between July 2013 and January 2014 prior to program initiation.