Evidence - SBC Impact
Compelling, credible, recent, direct impact data
Evidence - SBC Impact
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Mentor-Facilitated Life Skills Programming - Greater Odds of Believing in Delaying Marriage and Child-Rearing

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Strategy researched
Mentor-facilitated life skills programming, with some also providing caregiver sessions

Impact achieved
3 evaluations demonstrated moderate improvements in psychosocial well-being, social support, and attitudes toward rites of passage. For instance, safe space participants in one study exhibited greater odds of believing in delaying marriage and child-rearing until after the age of 18 (adjusted odds ratio [aORs] of 1.88 and 2.04, respectively). Girls who participated reported one additional year for the highest grade of school a participant believes should be completed versus those who did not participate. Among those married or living with someone as if married, girls in the treatment arm were 43% less likely to be married at the end of the programme compared to those in the control arm.

Country of study
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Bangladesh, and Pakistan

Research methodology
Systematic review with 7 studies (2 of them cluster RCTs)

Journal
Trauma, Violence, & Abuse; 2021

Journal paper title and link
The Effectiveness of Women and Girls Safe Spaces: A Systematic Review of Evidence to Address Violence Against Women and Girls in Humanitarian Contexts

Excerpt from Abstract
"In conflict and postconflict settings, the incidence of violence against women and girls (VAWG) is exacerbated, resulting in increased negative social, economic, health, and psychosocial effects. In an attempt to prevent and respond to the occurrence of VAWG in humanitarian settings, Women and Girls Safe Spaces (WGSS) have been promoted as a promising intervention....While none of the studies reported reductions in exposure to or incidence of VAWG among program participants, three evaluations demonstrated moderate improvements in psychosocial well-being, social support, and attitudes toward rites of passage."

Why the focus on direct impact data?

A common challenge from policy makers, funders, community members, people directly experiencing development issues, and governments is: Demonstrate your Impact. Prove that what you are doing works. The high quality, highly credible data presented on the cards below is designed to help you answer that question for your social change, behaviour change, community engagement, communication and media for development, strategy formulation, policy engagement and funding initiatives. At this link filter the research data to your specific interests and priorities

Why a playing cards design?

There is a physical pack of cards with this data (to get a copy please request through the comment form for any card). The card approach allows for easy identification and selection of relevant direct impact data in any context. For example if talking with a donor and you need to identify proof of impact say "take a look at the 7 of Hearts". Quick access can be provided to high-quality data for many areas of your work – funding, planning, policy, advocacy, community dialogue, training, partner engagement, and more. A card deck is also engaging, easy to use and share, a conversation starter, and a resource - and they are fun and different. So we kept that design for the online images as it can serve similar purposes. 

What are the criteria for inclusion?

The impact data presented meets the following high standard for inclusion criteria:

  • Positive change or trend in a priority development issue;
  • Social change or behaviour change strategy or process;
  • Randomized Control Trial or Systematic Review methodology;
  • High quality peer review journal published;
  • Numeric impact data point
  • Published since 2010.