Biruh Tesfa: Creating a "Bright Future" for Migrant Girls in Urban Areas
Biruh Tesfa addresses vulnerabilities of migrant adolescent girls who have relocated to urban areas and are at risk of coerced sex, transactional sex, and exploitative labor. The program seeks to protect these girls by reducing their social isolation and providing them with health information, including HIV prevention and services to address sexual exploitation and abuse. Through the program, female community leaders mentor out-of-school girls ages 10-19, addressing issues such as reproductive health and violence. Program services ensure that girls have access to health care, rape victims can obtain support services, and a shelter is available for evicted domestic workers (many of whom are migrant girls). Girls also can get identification cards along with vocational training and job placement.
- Adult mentoring
- Girls' clubs
- Functional literacy, life skills, livelihood skills, and health and HIV education
- Linkage to medical care
- Over 3,700 out-of-school girls participate in Biruh Tesfa groups.
