Lessons from Plan-It Girls: evidence and implications for future programming

An evaluation of the two-year Plan-It Girls programme in India shows the potential of a gender-transformative, ecosystem approach to strengthen adolescent girls’ confidence, gender-equitable attitudes and preparation for work—with impacts varying across age groups and contexts.

Plan-It Girls was a two-year programme delivered in schools across Delhi and two districts of Jharkhand, India, reaching over 5,700 girls and 5,200 boys. It combined a curriculum for girls on gender, life skills and employability with activities engaging teachers, mothers/parents, community members and adolescent boys, based on the idea that supporting girls’ empowerment also requires creating a more enabling environment around them.

The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) conducted a mixed-methods evaluation, with the quantitative impact evaluation undertaken between 2017 and 2019 and a complementary qualitative study conducted in 2020. The evaluation examined four groups of girls: younger and older adolescents in the urban site (Delhi) and rural sites (Jharkhand), to understand how the programme worked across different ages and settings.

The findings show a mixed but encouraging picture. Girls’ self-esteem improved significantly in three of the four cohorts, while self-efficacy improved among both younger and older girls in Jharkhand. Gender-equitable attitudes improved among girls in both age cohorts in Delhi, but not in Jharkhand. Employability outcomes also improved in some groups: younger girls in Delhi showed gains in economic self-efficacy and preparation for future work, while older girls in Jharkhand showed improved career decision-making efficacy.

The report draws out practical lessons for future programming, including the value of engaging multiple stakeholders, timing school-based sessions to avoid conflict with exam periods, and using youth facilitators from backgrounds similar to those of participants as relatable role models.

This resource is from the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), an organization working to generate evidence based, gender transformative solutions that advance the economic and social status of women and girls worldwide.

Key messages

• Plan-It Girls reached 5,744 girls and 5,253 boys across ten schools in Delhi and two districts of Jharkhand over two years. It combined the P.A.C.E. curriculum for girls with activities engaging adolescent boys, teachers, mothers/parents and community members. The gender-transformative, ecosystem approach shifted select empowerment and employability indicators, although impacts varied by age and location.
• Girls’ self-perception improved across cohorts, with gains in self-esteem and self-efficacy varying by age and location.
• Gender-equitable attitudes improved among girls in the urban site (Delhi) in both age groups, but not in the rural site (Jharkhand).
• Engaging adolescent boys, parents, teachers and community members contributed to creating a more supportive environment for adolescent girls.
• Facilitators from backgrounds similar to participants acted as relatable role models and were important to the programme’s success, but needed support to address their own gender biases and build confidence in facilitating sensitive topics.
• Programme effects varied by age and location, highlighting the importance of tailoring programme design to the different contexts and needs of younger and older adolescents and girls in urban and rural settings.