Help Prevent Child Marriage in Rural Guatemala

May 2023 GlobalGiving Update:

Since January, the Women’s Justice Initiative has continued to make strides towards strengthening women and girls’ knowledge of their rights, shifting attitudes about violence against women and girls, and improving access to comprehensive legal services. In particular, we are thrilled to share some of the results of the Adolescent Girls Program Impact Evaluation, the success of the culmination of WJI’s project in San Juan Comalapa, and moments of celebration from the graduation of the most recent cohort of Rights Education Program participants.

Adolescent Girls Program Impact Evaluation

In 2022, WJI conducted a comprehensive evaluation, to measure the program’s impact and effectiveness, and to identify areas for improvement. Some of the questions that guided the evaluation included: Does the program work to delay early marriages and unions? Do girls and adolescents value their experiences in the program? What lessons stayed with the adolescent girls years after the intervention?

Some of the most exciting findings of the evaluation include: 

• The program successfully contributed to delaying marriages and unions among girls and adolescents under 18. The rate of singleness in the population surveyed is 81%  and the average age of the participants at the time of the survey was 17.9 years old, therefore the current rate of singleness is a significant indicator of success, as many of the graduates are still vulnerable to the risk factors that influence child marriage and early unions. 
• Less than 3% of program participants under 18 years of age are or have been married or in unions, compared to the national average of 30%. (Source: Girls Not Brides (2022). Child, Early and Forced Marriage and Unions in Guatemala. https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/documents/1776/CEFMU_in_Guatemala.pdf)
• Participants continue to apply key learnings from the program years later: Graduates identified delaying marriages and unions, personal empowerment as a result of knowing their rights, and education as a way to access more opportunities as positive impacts from the program. Participants expressed that the program encouraged them to become economically active through selling the embroidery and cross stitch products they made during the program, earning money for themselves and their families.

Culmination of Tinker Foundation Project in San Juan Comalapa

WJI was thrilled to host Tinker Foundation President Caroline Kronley at the San Juan Comalapa office and in the community of Panabajal on April 18, 2023. Thanks to the generosity of the Tinker Foundation, WJI has provided 803 women in 12 communities with legal rights education, 22 women with the skills and tools to prevent and address violence in their communities through a two-year leadership training program, and provided 736 women with legal services and support. 94% of the women who received legal services were survivors of violence. In addition to the above program results, WJI has become a respected leader and model in San Juan Comalapa for other civil society organizations combating violence against women and girls.

296 Women Graduate from the Rights Education Program 

WJI staff conducted graduation ceremonies for the participants of the Rights Education Program at the end of the quarter in San Juan Comalapa, San José Poaquil, and San Martín Jilotepeque. WJI staff recognized the accomplishments of the Rights Education Program graduates: their dedication to attending the workshops, their courage to face their fears and learn new concepts, and their commitment to ending gender-based violence in their communities. Congratulations to the graduates!