Yes I Do Zambia incl COVID-19 prevention SUMMARY 
Millions of adolescent girls all over the world are facing a limited future because of early marriage (EM) and teenage pregnancies. With this project, by changing the attitude of community members and other key persons and informing adolescent girls and boys, adolescents will be empowered to stand up for their sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Through education and economic empowerment, supported by the relevant legislation and policies, the project will give adolescents alternatives beyond EM and teenage pregnancies. The project will be implemented between 2016 and 2020 by Plan International Nederland, together with partners Rutgers, Choice, KIT and the Netherlands’ Embassy (located in in Harare, Zimbabwe). Next to Zambia, similar projects under the same framework will be carried out in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Indonesia and Pakistan. Sustainability will be achieved a.o.  through strengthening of local CSOs, involvement of and cooperation with key stakeholders including local government representatives, community and religious leaders and private partners. Key research gaps will be identified with the key stakeholders and direct beneficiaries and will be addressed to improve evidence based lobby and advocacy towards preventing CM and TP. Further strategies to enhance sustainability will be developed in the course of the project implementation. Deep-rooted norms and expectations about girls and boys make families and communities feel the need to control the sexuality of girls by marrying them off. Gender inequality is putting girls in a subordinate position with regard to boys and men in (sexual) relationships. For example, girls cannot refuse to have unprotected sex and this is resulting in a high level of teenage pregnancies. Girls and boys lack a voice, as well as the support to break through these norms and practices. The means and structures available for adolescents to organise themselves and claim their rights are limited and they have little access to adolescent-friendly and good quality SRHR information and services. There are close links between EM and teenage pregnancies and girls' lack of education. Indeed, girls’ access to education is very restricted, which makes it difficult for them to find jobs later. It also hampers their economic independence. Legislation to outlaw EM is either inadequate or is being poorly implemented. Final beneficiaries are girls between the age of 12 – 24 years, married and unmarried. Throughout the project, different trainings will be given to influence the attitudes and behaviour of parents and community and religious leaders, as harmful practices such as EM and teenage pregnancies are deeply rooted in social norms. Plan supports the building of a social movement aimed at transforming these harmful social and gender norms. Community members from different backgrounds and of different ages who are the gatekeepers will be stimulated to engage in dialogue in relation to these practices, together with young people. The programme will create an enabling environment for young people and, particularly, support boys and girls who, based on their new knowledge, take action and, for example, influence service providers on SRHR.

Also different activities focusing on improving access to adolescent SRHR information and Comprehensive Sexuality Education will take place. Actions for improvement of the access to adolescent SRH and child protection services will be undertaken by for instance training health staff, teachers and peer educators. The capacity of health care providers will be built to deliver quality and youth-friendly SRH services. As a result of these activities, the project will ensure that young people are referred to the SRH services they need and can take informed action on their SRHR.

Also, the project will seek opportunities for girls to stay in school and develop economic prospects. Enrollment in secondary education is enhanced sensitizing activities for parents, teachers and the community that educating girls will benefit the entire family and the community. Parents and school teachers will be made aware of the positive correlation between education and EM and teenage pregnancies. By involving the private sector, the programme will provide opportunities to adolescent girls to gain access to a business network. Besides economic empowerment through education, the programme will also directly work towards girls’ economic empowerment by increasing their access to credit and income-generating activities through village saving and loan associations. It will help young women acquire entrepreneurial skills and access financial and business advisory services to enable them to start their own business.

Through lobby and advocacy activities the project will motivate policymakers and duty bearers to put EM and teenage pregnancies, and adolescent SRHR issues in general, high on the political agenda, by increasing their awareness and understanding of the issues and their role as duty bearers. EM and teenage pregnancies mutually reinforce one another. Social and gender norms perpetuating EM are deeply embedded in communities and this situation can only be changed if community leaders and most of the people, including boys and men, support the change. Key persons in the communities, including boys and men, will be turned into allies in the process of changing these norms, thereby helping to address the problem of EM and teenage pregnancies. A general lack of information about SRHR and poor quality and access to the relevant services are perpetuating the above-mentioned problems. Adolescent boys and girls are being informed about SRHR and given a voice to claim these rights. Girls are being given more control over their lives. This is being achieved by changing these norms and people’s behaviour, strengthening networks and structures for social mobilisation and embedding these in communities, and by involving the government and the private sector in improving SRHR and services. All these will help to reduce EM and teenage pregnancies. This programme is a follow up of the Plan regional EM programme (18+) in Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique, in which adolescents are being trained as agents of change to make their voice heard in claiming their SRH rights. The programme is being implemented by the Yes I Do alliance in which each partner is adding value by implementing part of one or more of the intervention strategies.