This report examines trends in adolescent childbearing using techniques that focus on the most vulnerable girls, including child mothers, girls with repeat adolescent childbearing, and births that occur in dangerously quick succession. It finds that nearly one third of all women in low- and middle-income countries begin childbearing in adolescence (i.e., at age 19 years and younger), and nearly half of first births to adolescents are to child mothers aged 17 years and younger.

This brief explains the link between four individual level factors—knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and self-efficacy—and family planning outcomes. It also documents social and behavioral change interventions that have addressed these factors and been effective at improving family planning outcomes. The brief finds that, at the interpersonal level, couple communication and joint decision-making is particularly important in the voluntary uptake of contraceptive methods.

Social protection can reduce income poverty and food and economic insecurity, address financial barriers to accessing social services, and promote positive development outcomes throughout the life course— particularly for women and girls. To strengthen the evidence base for social protection's contribution to gender equality, this report proposes and presents an analytical approach to evidence generation on gender-responsive social protection for gender-transformative change.

Iraqi children suffer from repeated displacement and exposure to violent conflict, which have both immediate and long-term impacts on their physical, emotional, mental, and psychosocial well-being. This research report explores women empowerment and children well-being factors in Iraq and looks at how women’s socio-demographic factors and empowerment components are associated with child well-being.

Men caregivers play an important role in ensuring all children receive nurturing care. From supportive services to enabling policies and beyond, this infographic from MOMENTUM Country and Global Leadership shows how men can be supported to provide nurturing care for their children from pregnancy to early childhood.

RCRA and 1,000 Women’s Gardens for Health and Nutrition recently hosted a workshop in Kasese Town for 25 women (among them, 8 adolescent mothers) and five men from villages in five sub-counties. Through expert presentations, experience-sharing, small group work, and brainstorming, participants learned about the global and local causes of climate change actions local participants can take to mitigate negative impacts on their environment, livelihoods, and family health.