WHAT MAKES PROGRAMS SUCCESSFUL (OR NOT) IN TRANSFORMING GIRLS’ LIVES? – GUATEMALA
Receiving Training on different issues:
“Training about issues (that are) not taught in school, for example, family planning. A woman can have a say in that. The girls don’t know this. Even when they have their period they don’t know about this.” Hilda (Stage 4 – Reflection with Nike Foundation staff).
A strong role for Girl Leaders in girl clubs:
“The program has a girl leader in each community, who recruits girls to the clubs and follow up their involvement in the group, regularly visiting girls and their families to maintain attendance. The girl leader passes the learning she receives in trainings to the girls in the clubs. The girl-to-girl learning is in Spanish and her mother tongue…they travel and negotiate with adults and local authorities” (Paper Animation about AO learning, Stage 4).
Activities at the club:
“They play games and share as a group and learn how to make handicrafts.” (Paper Animation about AO learning, Stage 4).
Girls’ club as a safe space:
“In this space, they lose fear and shine, and learn to participate in the group. Girls grow in self-esteem, they are able to speak in front of others” (Paper Animation about AO learning, Stage 4).
Learning about self-esteem and negotiation:
“Besides learning about self-esteem, they learn to negotiate with their parents” (Paper Animation about AO learning, Stage 4).
Cascading leadership system:
“The girl leader talks with her parents to negotiate her role in the program. She receives training to learn how to relate with the girls at the club, she speaks with local authorities to receive their approval to run the program and she relates with her mentor and office staff. The girl interns undertake similar activities to the girl leaders, but they also relate to professionals who act as their tutors in other partner organisations.” (Paper Animation about AO learning, Stage 4)
Economic empowerment:
“(The girl leader and intern) receives a monthly stipend for her work.” (Paper Animation about AO learning, Stage 4)
Having a role in the program as a girl leader and intern has been pointed out as a cause of change, economic empowerment. In many cases this has lead to more formal education opportunities; including going back to school or accessing university. (See Stage 3 Report Guatemala, pile sorting exercise, HOW change happens in girls lives).
Peer-to-peer support to overcome gender-based violence:
“Many girls confront gender-based violence at home or in other places. The program provides them with training given by mentors to girl leaders and interns. Girls doing their internship at DEMI accompany specific cases alongside the tutor and learn the steps to take to denounce gender-based violence. During the internships, she realises that many women confront the same problems as she does.” (Paper Animation about AO learning, Stage 4)
RECOMMENDATIONS – GUATEMALA
More variety of techniques & trainings
“Include a greater variety of techniques to help girls understand self-esteem and offer more
trainings on different themes as well as more handicrafts.”
Paper Animation about AO learning, Stage 4
Use PV methods
“Support the new girl leader and provide her with training of diverse techniques, such as the
ones learnt by the participatory video girl leaders.”
Paper Animation about AO learning, Stage 4
Improve relationships between outgoing girl leaders and new girl leaders
“Establish good relationships between outgoing girl leader and new girl leaders in each
community, so the new girl leader feels supported and the group doesn’t disintegrate in the
transition. Create meetings between the new girl leader, the mentor and local authorities.”
Paper Animation about AO learning, Stage 4
Provide counselling and orientation to overcome gender-based violence
“If girls in the club are confronting gender-based violence, it’s important that the girl leaders
and girl interns replicate training on how to overcome violence, speak up and find out how to
denounce it.” Paper Animation about AO learning, Stage 4
