Applying the Capabilities Approach to understand grassroots organisations' role in supporting adolescent girls to navigate multiple barriers to contra

The proposed research will apply the Capabilities Approach to understand the impact of women- and girl-led social protection organisations on adolescent girls' (aged 15-19) navigation of contraceptive choices, including choice of method. Specifically, it will apply the Approach as a conceptual framework for assessing the capabilities and "functionings" of adolescent girls in relation to contraceptive choices, thereby expanding the limited existing academic literature applying the Approach to girls' sexual and reproductive rights.

Research themes and questions The research will examine 3 key areas:

Situating adolescent girls' contraceptive use within the Capabilities Approach. What are adolescent girls' desired capabilities in relation to contraceptive choice? How do these compare with their actual capabilities? How do capabilities around contraception influence and intersect with other capabilities?

Adolescent girls' navigation of trade-offs in contraceptive access and choice of method. What factors do girls consider when deciding whether or not to access contraception? What beliefs and attitudes do girls have to contraceptive use and method choice? How do these impact girls' capabilities with relation to contraceptive choice and method?

The impact of WROs on contraceptive choice and access outcomes. What role do grassroots organisations, including girl-led organisations, currently play in girls' capabilities? What norms and behaviours do they promote around contraceptive use? Research methodology

Research will be conducted in collaboration with 3-5 grassroots women's and youth-led organisations who work to achieve positive SRHR or SRHR-adjacent outcomes (e.g. prevent FGM, reduce adolescent girl marriage) for adolescent girls in the 15-19 age bracket. The research will comprise of three main data collection techniques, namely:

Mixed-methods survey of ~500 adolescent girls aged 15-19-years old, half of whom will be service users of participating grassroots organisations. The purpose of this survey is to produce data on girls' capabilities in relation to contraceptive access and method choice.

Semi-structured interviews conducted with the adolescent and girl leaders of the participating organisations will focus on the activities and approaches of grassroots and community-based organisations and perceived impact on girls' navigation of contraceptive access and method choice.

6 Informal, age-centred 'focus group' conversations with service users, of 6-8 participants per group, will seek to further explain findings from the survey and triangulate findings from the interviews. Discussions will focus on how service users navigate decisions around contraceptive access and method choice.

The research will follow a youth-led Participatory Action Research (YPAR) approach, which requires consistent attention to power relationships in the course of the research, and the provision of multiple opportunities for adolescent girls, as the 'researched' demographic, to input into its design and execution. In order to facilitate the research, I propose to undertake Difficult Language Training in Swahili, as well as advanced methods training in ethnography and participatory research methods, including on conducting research with youth populations.

Analysis

Following preliminary descriptive data analysis, a series of rapid workshops will be conducted with the adolescent girls to reflect on themes and patterns in the survey data. Girls' input will contribute to shape research objectives for Phase 2, as well as to design scripts for KIIs and focus groups based on the findings of the preliminary data analysis.

Thematic analysis of qualitative focus group transcripts and KIIs will seek to triangulate, and add depth to, quantitative findings, including providing an explanation of how contraceptive outcomes may be influenced by social norms or other lifestyle factors.