Outcome Harvesting evaluation of the Power to You(th) programme in Ethiopia (2021–2023) revealed substantial improvements in youth participation in decision-making, advocacy capacity, and awareness of SRH rights, with community attitudes shifting positively and youth-led networks emerging as powerful agents of change.
Key Findings
Results
Youth participation in decision-making platforms increased substantially through the Power to You(th) programme.
The programme was evaluated between 2021 and 2023 in Ethiopia.
Youth participation in decision-making platforms was identified as a key outcome harvested through mixed quantitative and qualitative data.
Youth-led networks emerged as 'powerful agents of change' contributing to policy shifts.
Increased youth representation in health governance bodies was documented as a policy-level outcome.
Results
Community attitudes toward harmful practices shifted positively, particularly among religious and traditional leaders.
Religious and traditional leaders increasingly advocate against harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation/cutting.
This attitudinal shift was documented through the Outcome Harvesting methodology, which captures both intended and emergent changes.
Sexual and gender-based violence was among the harmful practices targeted by the programme.
The shift among community leaders represents a change in community dynamics identified as an influential outcome.
Methods
Outcome Harvesting methodology effectively documented both intended and unexpected changes in community dynamics and institutional responsiveness.
The evaluation employed a participatory approach engaging youth and stakeholders in identifying and verifying programme outcomes.
Mixed quantitative and qualitative data were drawn upon.
The methodology captured 'unexpected yet influential changes in community dynamics and institutional responsiveness.'
Outcome Harvesting was applied over the programme period of 2021 to 2023.
Results
Advocacy capacity and awareness of sexual and reproductive health rights among youth improved substantially.
Improvements in advocacy capacity were among the substantial findings revealed by the evaluation.
Increased awareness of SRH rights was documented as a programme outcome.
The programme centered youth voices and aimed at fostering transformative community change.
Youth were identified as 'active agents in reshaping SRHR outcomes.'
Results
Youth-led networks contributed to policy shifts including increased youth representation in health governance bodies.
Youth-led networks were described as 'powerful agents of change.'
Policy-level outcomes included increased youth representation in health governance bodies.
These institutional changes represent a shift in how governance bodies respond to youth advocacy.
The findings were captured through a participatory Outcome Harvesting evaluation framework.
Background
The Power to You(th) programme addressed SRHR challenges including gender inequality, child marriage, female genital mutilation/cutting, and sexual and gender-based violence in Ethiopia.
These challenges were described as 'pervasive globally, particularly in Ethiopia.'
The programme was designed to address these issues by centering youth voices.
The evaluation covered programme activities between 2021 and 2023.
The programme aimed at fostering transformative community change through youth engagement.
What This Means
This research evaluated a youth-focused program called Power to You(th) in Ethiopia, which aimed to address serious sexual and reproductive health challenges facing young people, including child marriage, female genital mutilation, gender inequality, and gender-based violence. The evaluation used a method called Outcome Harvesting, which is designed to document real changes that occur as a result of a program — including changes that weren't originally planned for — by actively involving youth and community members in identifying and verifying what actually changed between 2021 and 2023.
The study found that the program led to meaningful improvements in several areas. Young people became more involved in decision-making, gained stronger advocacy skills, and became more aware of their sexual and reproductive health rights. Perhaps notably, community leaders — including religious and traditional leaders who often hold significant influence over practices like child marriage and female genital cutting — began to speak out against these harmful practices. Youth-led networks also contributed to policy changes, including greater representation of young people in health governance bodies. The researchers also documented unexpected positive changes in how communities and institutions responded to youth-led advocacy.
This research suggests that youth-centered programs that give young people real decision-making power and advocacy training can drive meaningful change not just in individual knowledge, but also in community attitudes and formal policy. The findings also indicate that Outcome Harvesting is a useful evaluation tool for capturing complex social changes that traditional evaluation methods might miss, and the authors argue these results support scaling up similar youth-driven interventions in Ethiopia and similar contexts.
Ayele M, Birhan M, Abebe S, Ayeta M, Kassa D, Muluneh M, et al.. (2025). Empowering Youth Through Evidence: Applying Outcome Harvesting to Evaluate Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Advocacy in Ethiopia.. International journal of environmental research and public health. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22111659