The Population Council provided technical assistance and strengthened capacity for Rapariga Biz, a large-scale UN program in 20 districts across Nampula and Zambezia provinces in Mozambique. The program was established to reduce child marriage and early pregnancy through a set of multisectoral interventions. The partnership between the Council and UNFPA-Mozambique generated useful lessons regarding the opportunities and challenges of using the community-based girl groups (CBGG) model in low-resource settings, especially when implemented at scale. In CBGG programs, girls and young women meet regularly with a leader (e.g., a mentor) who uses a variety of pedagogical methods to address sexual and reproductive health, HIV prevention, life skills, economic and financial outcomes, and other topics. This case study describes nine lessons that are priorities in Mozambique, elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa, and beyond—especially as investment grows in programming for adolescent girls. The lessons described in this document are relevant for donors, planners, and implementers.

Temin, Miriam, Arune Estavela, Craig Heck, Natalie Jackson, and Joana Mendes. 2021. "Positioning community-based girl group programs for success: Lessons learned from the Population Council's technical assistance partnership with UNFPA-Mozambique's Rapariga Biz," brief. New York: Population Council.

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