Project profile — Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for Out-of-School Adolescent Girls (SHE SOARS)

• Zambia (35.00%)
• Kenya (30.00%)
• Uganda (35.00%)

• Population policy and administrative management:
Population policy and administrative management (13010) (30.00%)
Reproductive health care (13020) (40.00%)
Family planning (13030) (20.00%)
STD control including HIV/AIDS (13040) (10.00%)

• Gender equality (principal objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (significant objective)
• Participatory development and good governance (not targeted)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (principal objective)
• Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• Nutrition (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)

This project aims to improve the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of adolescent girls in Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia, particularly girls who have dropped out of school. Project activities include: (1) providing training and support on SRHR and life skills to adolescent girls; (2) providing training and support on financial literacy and entrepreneurship to adolescent girls; (3) building understanding and support for adolescent girls’ rights among parents, community leaders, men and boys; (4) building the capacity of health care providers and health care managers to deliver appropriate and respectful sexual and reproductive health care to adolescent girls and boys; and (5) building the capacity of youth groups and women’s rights groups to advocate for improved laws, policies and services concerning adolescent SRHR. The project expects to benefit over 200,000 girls and young women between the ages of 10 and 19. CARE is implementing this project in partnership with the Centre for Reproductive Rights, Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights, and Restless Development.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased equitable use of SRHR health services by diverse groups of women, adolescent girls, and children’s rights holders, particularly out of school adolescent girls; (2) improved provision of gender and adolescent responsive, inclusive and accountable health services by health care providers for diverse groups of women adolescent girls and children’s rights holders; and (3) improved effectiveness of key stakeholders, particularly women and girls’ rights organizations to advocate for evidence-based, accountable and equitable adolescent SRHR policies, legal frameworks and services.

Results achieved as of March 2024 include : (1) established 471 girls clubs (10,698 participants) and 347 role model boys clubs (6,908 participants), providing a safe space for participants to learn about adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in target countries; (2) trained 2,015 health care providers (1,303 women and 712 men) as Trainer of Trainers in gender and youth-responsive curricula in target countries; (3) provided sub-grants to strengthen their advocacy work through SHE SOARS to 6 women rights organizations and 6 youth-led organizations received; and (4) onboarded 6 women as Canadian Youth Public Engagement Champions for Care Canada and SHE SOARS. These champions create content on social media to engage the public on women’s and girls’ SRHR.

• Proactive disclosure