The goal of the Impact Evaluation of the Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (EPAG) is to provide 2500 young Liberian women with livelihood and life skills training and facilitate their transition to productive work. Data collected during the baseline survey provide a comprehensive socioeconomic profile of the 2008 young women who applied for and met the eligibility requirements for the EPAG program in June/July 2010.
The purpose of the baseline survey is twofold: (i) to benchmark the socioeconomic status of each study participant as a measure of comparison against the midline and endline survey data; and (ii) to investigate the validity of the treatment and control groups, confirming that there are no, or few, statistically significant differences in observable characteristics between the treatment and control groups.
The program consists of six-months of classroom training followed by six-months of placement and support (including micro-enterprise advisory services and internship and job placement assistance). Girls are trained in business development skills (BDS) and or job skills (JS) targeted to sectors with high demand for workers. In Round 1, 65% of trainees received Business Development Skills Training (BDS) and 35% were trained in Job Skills (JS). All JS trainees also receive training in entrepreneurship skills. All participants receive life skills training specifically designed for Liberian girls.