Siyakha Girls strengthened the economic resilience of vulnerable adolescent girls and young women through financial literacy, vocational training and internships in male-dominated trades, layered with social asset building and referrals to HIV and social protection services. PEPFAR has included the Siyakha Girls model in their technical guidance for evidence-based DREAMS programming for economic strengthening.
USAID THROUGH FHI 360
BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE
2018 – 2019
Zimbabwe has experienced severe economic and political challenges, with key economic and well-being indicators declining drastically over the last two decades. The majority of the population lives below the national poverty line, many of whom experience multidimensional poverty comprised of income poverty, low educational attainment, and poor health and standards of living. Among those most affected are adolescent girls and young women whose economic vulnerability increases their susceptibility to HIV, early pregnancy and marriage, and gender-based violence.
In response to these challenges, Bantwana developed and piloted the Siyakha Girls (Building Girls) comprehensive livelihood model. Layered with linkages to essential health and social protection services, Siyakha Girls prepared vulnerable adolescent girls and young women who did not complete secondary school for formal, informal or self-employment. Under FHI 360’s ASPIRES project, and building on the 2018 Zimbabwe Employment Market Opportunity Analysis, this innovative model coupled life skills, job preparation, and financial literacy with vocational training and practical internship experience in high-growth, male-dominated sectors. Social asset building empowered the adolescent girls and young women with negotiation, communication, and other soft skills to mitigate violence, pressure, discrimination, and stigma in the workplace. To ensure the relevance of training for immediate economic prospects, participatory micro-value chain analyses conducted by young women themselves identified entry points and niche areas in their chosen industries in Bulawayo.
In addition to full-time or self-employment as key benefits of the program, group and individual savings components enabled participants to augment their income to meet basic needs and to acquire start-up equipment (e.g., sewing machines for textile-manufacturing).
The 7-step model, diagrammed here, has been recognized as a promising youth livelihood strategy for DREAMS partners:
By the end of the project:
