Results from the Basmeh & Zeitooneh (B&Z) intervention to empower adolescent girls and young women at risk of child marriage and poor reproductive health among the Syrian refugee population in Lebanon

This report presents results from the final evaluation of a social, health, and economic asset-building program implemented by the Lebanon-based non-governmental organization (NGO) Basmeh & Zeitooneh (B&Z) and aimed at reducing the social isolation of vulnerable adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 10–21 years old living in the Shatila and Burj al Barajneh refugee camps in South Beirut. The program sought to help girls gain the skills and knowledge they need to avoid child marriage and adolescent pregnancy and to make a healthy transition to adulthood despite the numerous challenges they face. The program focused on two sub-populations of girls at heightened risk of poor health and social outcomes: 10–15- year-old girls who are out of school and 13–21 year-old girls who are married. The report presents findings from the most recent iteration of this program, which took place in two phases—Round 2 between May and September 2022 and Round 3 between November 2022 and March 2023—and built upon a previous round of the program—Round 1—which was also conducted in partnership with Population Council (between May and September 2021)