Preliminary evidence from a 2009 global evidence review suggested that
community-based child protection mechanisms are likely to be more effective and
sustainable if they are linked with formal aspects of the child protection system. To
test the value of nonformal-formal linkages, this action research uses a quasiexperimental
design to test the effectiveness of a community owned and driven
intervention that seeks to reduce teenage pregnancy. In each of Moyamba and
Bombali Districts, there were two clusters of three communities in different but
comparable chiefdoms. One cluster was an intervention cluster, whereas the other
was a comparison cluster. In the intervention clusters, community members from
three villages worked collaboratively to develop an intervention that addressed a
child protection concern of their choosing. In both intervention clusters, the
communities elected to focus on teen pregnancy, an issue that had been
documented as a key concern in previous ethnographic work. The intervention,
which was developed by the community, included components on family planning,
sexual and reproductive health education, and life skills and was implemented in
partnership with NGOs and District Ministry of Health partners.
Using a survey of adolescents (13-19 years of age), this study reports on mid-term
(T2) changes in contrast to the baseline (T1) findings:
• Exposure to the intervention was found to increase with age, and was
particularly high among individuals who had a partner but were unmarried.
The latter individuals had 1.7 times the odds of attending a presentation
when compared to those who were married.
• Between baseline (T1) and T2, the percentage of teenagers aged 15-17 in
intervention areas who were willing to ask their partners to use a condom
increased by 17.1 percentage points, whereas the control villages showed a
decrease of 6.2 percentage points.
• Girls and adolescents under 15 years in intervention areas showed a
significant increase in their intention to use condoms regularly, while the
opposite was true in control areas.
• Similarly, adolescents who were exposed to the intervention’s programs
were nearly twice as likely (1.74 times the odds) to report intending to say
no to unwanted sex.
• Sexual activity was also found to have increased between T1 and T2 in
control areas, while no increase occurred in intervention areas, suggesting
possible signs of impact of the program.
Although it is too soon to discern the full effects of the intervention, these findings
suggest that the intervention is on its way toward achieving intermediate results
that will ultimately help reduce teenage pregnancy and contribute to the evidence
base on community based child protection programming.