The Haiti Adolescent Girls Network (HAGN) is dedicated to empowering adolescent girls by creating safe, structured environments where they can build essential health, social, economic, and cognitive skills free from violence and discrimination. Since 2016, HAGN’s core programming has focused on establishing community-based spaces facilitated by local mentors, delivering comprehensive training in sexual and reproductive health, financial literacy, leadership, and violence prevention.
In recent years, Haiti has faced an escalating political, economic, and security crisis. Surging violence and acute insecurity have resulted in the internal displacement of nearly 1.5 million people, roughly half of whom are women and young girls. The ongoing crisis often forces families into continuous displacement and poverty. In this volatile environment, girls are too often at risk of gender-based violence, exploitation, severe psychological trauma, school dropouts, and extreme poverty, severely limiting their safety, education, and future opportunities.
With support from the Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund, HAGN will establish 10 adaptable safe spaces to conduct weekly sessions on health, leadership, violence prevention, and financial literacy, led by trained community mentors. HAGN ensures continuous feedback by consulting mentors and community members during the design phase and training former participants to facilitate programming. HAGN also provides direct economic support to highly vulnerable girls to cover educational fees and help launch micro-enterprises.
Through this program, HAGN will directly reach 700 girls and indirectly reach 3,000 community members. HAGN seeks to mitigate the immediate risks of gender-based violence and school dropout while fostering sustainable leadership and resilience of girls within displaced communities. The organization aims to restore safety, dignity, and access to education for vulnerable adolescent girls living amidst severe humanitarian disruption.
To learn more about HAGN, please visit their website and social media pages:
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