Piloting a safe spaces, asset-building program for adolescent girls in urban Ghana

Ghana’s population of 24 million is projected to reach 31.8 million in 2025. This population growth is coupled with rapid urbanization. Urban adolescent females experience a rapid decline in school enrollment, often because they need to provide economic support to families. Girls living apart from families and out of school often lack social networks and have few opportunities to build the critical skills needed for adulthood. The Population Council has a global portfolio of work reaching vulnerable adolescent girls with programs that provide a safe, girl-specific platform where girls can develop core skills, form friendships, receive and give peer support, increase their social networks, and receive mentoring from trusted adults. The Council selected an appropriate site for a pilot project with adolescents in urban Ghana. Known as Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS), this initiative aimed to provide clinical health care for women and children as well as easily accessible family planning services. Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 40 explores the establishment of the CHPS pilot and initial observations