Adolescent girls advisory board
For every girl, leadership opportunities
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What is the adolescent girls advisory board (AGAB)?
The Adolescent Girl Advisory Board (AGAB) is a group of 12 adolescent girls advocating for their rights and those of their peers, focusing on promoting girls' education, health, and empowerment. The group actively participates in developing, monitoring, and evaluating programs and strategies aimed at improving the lives of adolescent girls in the country. These groups enable girls to voice their opinions, participate in decision-making, and become agents of change for interventions targeting adolescents.
UNICEF has established AGAB groups in five locations in Cameroon. These groups address issues such as early marriage, access to education, sexual and reproductive health, climate change, early pregnancies, protection against violence and abuse, etc. Members are selected from adolescent girls who have collaborated with UNICEF Cameroon, U-Reporters, activists from partner organizations, and participants in discussion groups who have demonstrated social commitment and strong communication skills.
The challenge
Adolescent girls in Cameroon face many challenges, and their rights are often neglected.
- Adolescent girls, represent 12% of the 26 million population in Cameroon
- More than 3 in 5 girls don't finish lower secondary school, and nearly 8 in 10 don’t complete upper secondary school
- 42% of girls aged 15-19 are anemic
- Girls aged 15-24 made up 30% of new HIV infections in 2023
- 24% of girls aged 15-19 have started their reproductive lives
- 10% of girls under 15 are married
- 7.7% of girls aged 15-19 have experienced sexual violence
- Nearly 1 in 4 married girls aged 15-19 have faced intimate partner violence
Key results
- Five AGAB groups were established in Yaoundé, Bertoua, Buea, Maroua, and Bikok, with a total of 60 adolescent girls' advisors.
- 63 girl-mothers trained to make washable sanitary towels
- 24 young mothers reached on HPV awareness and 721 adolescents engaged in HIV education, including targeted menstrual hygiene campaigns.
- Several schools undertook reforestation efforts, and over 500 students enhanced their green skills while committing to action on climate change.
- 14 micro-projects covering areas such as girls' education, prevention of child marriage, gender-based violence, early pregnancy, menstrual hygiene management, HPV vaccination, sexual and reproductive health, and climate change were implemented.
- Collaboration with the Ministry of Youth on consultations with adolescents for the development of the National Youth Policy.
- Contribute to regional and national annual reviews of UNICEF's Country Program Document (CPD), advocating for stronger government support for adolescent participation.
For more details
Juliette Haenni | UNICEF Cameroun | [email protected]
Patricia Norolalao | UNICEF Cameroun | [email protected]
Valentine Oloumé | UNICEF Cameroun | [email protected]