Financial Empowerment and Behavioral Education

Study Background

Many teenagers are at significant disadvantage because of poverty. When faced with extreme poverty, some families sell off their daughters into marriage in order to gain wealth in form of money, property or other forms payments paid to the parents by a groom or his family. As a result, the girls are forced to drop out of school and get married at a very young age, girls who marry early have little decision making power within the marital homes and greater likelihood of illiteracy. Lower labor force participation, earnings, low saving culture and less control over productive house hold assets.

 Child marriage may influence female labor force participation in a number of ways, including through a reduction in expected returns from participation in paid employment due to lower educational attainment and an increase in relative value of un paid households. Lack of engagement in the labor force may have long-term implications not only for women and their families, but in addition at the aggregate level it may significantly reduce economic growth in communities or societies .The issue of poverty and lack of financial resources have brought a number of social problems to teenagers mostly these from financially disadvantaged families, we have often witnessed exchange of sex for pads involving men taking advantage of lack of funds by young girls to meet such basic needs which result into severe outcome for such innocent souls including unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, HIV and other STDS. At some time, family economic stability influences the quality of family relationships where poverty adversely impact parent-child communication and involvement. 

TMRHP is conducting intervention baseline study on financial status and behavioral health  in Luweero, Nakaseke and Nakasongora district in Uganda among adolescent girls (aged 14-19) targeting 1000 girls who will meet the inclusion criteria will be enrolled in the study, go into screening and baseline interviews. Data will be collected via a multidimensional survey instrument, which combines existing evidence-based measurement tools as well as adapted scales and questions developed specifically for girls in sub-Saharan Africa.

Approach

1. Data Collection

TMRHP study has four assessment points: baseline, 12, 24 and 36-months follow-up. Data will be collected using a 90-minute instrument administered by trained Ugandan interviewers. Participants will be assessed on the following topics;

  • Households characteristics
  • Community Background
  • Family Relationship and communication
  • Social support and social participation
  • Exposure to violence
  • Personal health
  • Sexual risk behavior
  • Education parameters
  • Family socioeconomic status
  • Saving culture
  • Households characteristics
  • Menstruation practices
  • Mental health
  • HIV/AIDS knowledge and prevention
  • Youth Risks and sexual Behaviors
  • Biomarkers

2. Sampling and setting

A total of 1000 will be enrolled, girls between 14-19 years of age at study initiation. Adolescents who eligible to participate will meet the following inclusion criteria 1)female; 2)age 14-19 years including teen mothers; 3) living within a family; 4;coming from disadvantaged families including orphans;5) geopolitical Districs of Luweero, Nakaseke and Nakasongola

3.  Recruitment and Selection

Potential participants and their parents/caregivers will be identified with the local administration and study institutions. Parents/caregivers will be given flyers notifying them of the study and will be invited to meet with project coordinator for a one-on-one information meeting. During the meeting, parents/caregivers and adolescents will be informed verbally and in writing, the purpose of the study, voluntary participation, and extent of their participation, benefits as well as protection and confidentiality issues. Caregivers will be required to sign consent form and adolescents including teen mothers sign assent forms.

4. Study Design and Intervention 

TMRHP will examine the impact and costs associated with an innovative combination intervention that aims to prevent early pregnancies, poverty and risk behaviors that causes HIV and other STIs among adolescent girls in Uganda. Participants will receive the usual care of services offered to all adolescent children in the region. Specifically, in Uganda, an Adolescent sexual and reproductive Health curricula which are considered usual care, received by all enrolled participants. The Adolescent sexual Reproductive Health content is dispersed across a range of academic subjects in secondary schools. In each class, students will receive information about sexual activity, HIV prevention, and gender studies relevant to that subject. Will make sure that teachers and students all receive sex and health handbooks. The content related to dangers of early pregnancies, HIV and sexual risk-taking behaviors including delaying sex, using condom, preventing forced marriage and sex. As well as Preventing substance abuse. This curriculum also includes education of gender equality and importance of delayed marriage. Prior to the study, the research team will be holding induction meetings for all local leaders and teachers of selected schools involved to ensure uniform delivery of the ministry of Education approved sex education curriculum.

Areas Covered

IN THE EFFORT TO MAKE FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT AND IMPROVE FAMILY SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS, THE FOLLOWING AREAS WILL BE EXAMINED

Poverty levels questions

  • How many sets of clothes do you have?
  • Do you have a blanket?
  • How many pair of shoes do you have?
  • How often do you eat meat or fish in a week?
  • How many meals do you take in a day?
  • How often do you take milk in a week?
  • In a week, how many days do you drink tea with sugar?
  • Have you got breakfast today

Saving behavior questions

In addition to basic needs and food consumption, respondents will be asked other questions related to living arrangements, including types of housings, availability of electricity and other facilities

  • Do you have money saved in any financial institution?
  • Have you ever deposited money in the bank, how did you get the money to save?
  • Do you or your parents earn monthly income?
  • What do you normally spend your money on?
  • Have you ever saved money towards specific Goal?
  • What is your level of confidence towards saving for specific goal?

Youth Development Accounts (YDA)

In the efforts to eliminate poverty and encourage savings among Adolescents from poor homes both those who are teen mothers not, will be enrolled on matching saving program at financial institution accredited by the bank of Uganda. Each account will be opened in the name of the adolescent, with her primary caregiver as co-signer, until she turns 18 years of age, at which time a co-signer will no longer be required. This is consistent with the Ugandan banking law which prohibits children below age of 18 from independently entering into a binding contract and operating a bank account. The matching funds will be kept in separate account from the participants’ own savings. When a girl is ready to pay for school fees, the check for matching funds will be written in the name of the school she attends or directly wired to the school’s bank account. This process will be intended to eliminate the risk of the family pressure on the girl to withdraw money set aside for education and skilling training.

Participating girls will be allowed to use up to 30% of their total matched savings to invest in a family-based income-generating activity. The remaining 70% of the savings will be restricted to fund the education and skills training of participating adolescent girls. In consistent with our financial management workshops during our intervention period. Financial literacy workshops will also be conducted in collaboration with financial institutions which will be holding the YDAs accounts. The work shop will cover 4 basic principles of financial management including income generation, use of financial institutions, asset-building and saving.

Apart from financial and economic empowerment, as well as multiple family group interventions. The program will provide a detailed understanding of participants in the key following areas: Community background and satisfaction, demographics, social report, family background and functioning, educational outcomes and plans, poverty and asset ownership, financial saving habits, mental health, menstruation practice, gender norms, youth sexual risk behaviors. These baseline data will act as yardstick from which change will be measured at 12,24, and 36 months-post intervention. The overall baseline survey data will illustrate how adolescent girls currently view themselves, their families, their communities and their future.