Risk identification 

The risk assessment carried out through community mapping in schools identified major challenges linked to armed conflict, migration, forced displacement, climate emergencies, and gender-based violence, with girls and adolescent women being the most affected. 

1. Structural inequalities limit access to fundamental rights such as health, recreation, and sports, increasing the vulnerability of children, especially girls and adolescent women, and negatively affecting their wellbeing, participation, and safe development. 
2. Migration and forced displacement have created tensions in school integration and community life, weakening students’ sense of belonging and participation. Stigmatization of vulnerable populations was also identified, highlighting the need for stronger protective environments and safe spaces that promote inclusion, rights, and wellbeing.  
3. Climate change risks, particularly flooding during rainy seasons, frequently disrupt educational continuity by affecting school access, attendance, and the functioning of learning spaces.  
4. Security risks linked to armed groups, illegal economies, and violence restrict mobility and generate fear among families. Public spaces are often limited, forcing activities to take place indoors and under strict safety protocols.  
5. The high risk of gender-based violence and harassment against girls and adolescent women reinforces the need to strengthen self-care, consent, protection pathways, and support networks that ensure their safety and participation in education.

Program implementation 

This life skills program was designed for 92 girls aged 10 to 15 living in contexts of migration, internal displacement, and climate change risks. Through participatory and flexible modules, the program addressed topics such as rights, autonomous decision-making, protection from violence, sexual and reproductive health, resilience, and collective organization. The methodology combined experiential workshops, group activities, symbolic narratives, and reflection exercises based on the girls’ interests and learning needs. 

Methodologies and content were adapted to respect local traditional practices while maintaining a rights-based approach, especially regarding women’s participation and youth leadership, ensuring the protection and empowerment of girls and adolescents. 

To measure the methodology’s impact, the Power Index for Girls and Adolescent Women was applied. This quantitative tool uses Likert scales to assess attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs across four domains of power, measuring aspects such as decision-making, self-esteem, rights, safety, support networks, and participation. 

Of the 92 girls who joined the program, 71 completed the Empowerment Index survey before and after participation. Among them, 54 girls (76%) reported improved perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes across the four domains of power after the training. 

In addition to the process of empowering girls in schools,26 female facilitators were trained to acquire the skills needed to replicate the program’s content; among them were two local organizations in the department of Arauca (APOYAR and the feminist collective Amarilla, Rosa, Purpura) and school counselors, with the aim of ensuring the strategy’s scalability and sustainability.  

The program team conducted awareness-raising sessions on the Girls Decide methodology for the entire educational community of the four targeted schools, involving 74 women, 38 men, 307 girls, and 303 boys, sharing the lessons learned, challenges, and messages developed by the girls participating in the program regarding the importance of girls’ participation in decision-making within educational, community, and social settings.  

A process was carried out with the families of the four schools to reinforce the lessons learned through the Girls Decide methodology, with the aim of promoting empowerment, involving 221 women and 98 men. 

In conclusion, through the implementation of Girls Decide, girls and adolescent women strengthened self protection skills, improved access to information, built stronger support networks, enhanced decision-making abilities, and deepened their understanding of their rights, in line with the program’s theory of change.