Transforming Gender Norms among Very Young Adolescents: An innovative intervention and evaluation in Nepal

Can gender bias be changed? More specifically, can participation in eight 2-hour sessions over a 3-month period lead to a shift in gender norms among very young adolescents (VYAs), girls and boys at the critical ages of 10 to 14 years old? It was this question that Save the Children and Georgetown University’s Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) addressed through CHOICES, a curriculum-based pilot program of creative, participatory activities and innovative evaluation techniques. Implemented over a three-month period in Nepal, CHOICES achieved its aims. The evaluation of the program demonstrated that even relatively brief interventions can empower VYAs to challenge the gender norms of their society and make changes in their own lives in the direction of gender equity.