Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls Through A School-Based Curriculum: Evidence from Kenya

With Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak, Sreyashi Sharmin, and Junxing Gu (Yale University)

In Kenya, one-third of girls aged 13–17 experience sexual violence. This human rights violation creates substantial barriers to educational attainment and economic mobility. We evaluate the Empowerment Transformation Training (ETT) program, a school-based intervention implemented by Ujamaa Africa, using a large-scale randomized controlled trial. The program delivers gender-specific curricula to Grade 4–12 students to prevent violence against women and girls and promote gender equity.

We estimate causal effects on five primary outcomes: sexual assault incidence, school attendance, academic performance, teen pregnancy/marriage, and personal initiative. Our analysis examines economic mechanisms including human capital formation, social norms, and community externalities. The findings aim to provide evidence for cost-effective prevention strategies and to inform policy decisions on national program scale-up.