The International Rescue Committee (IRC) provided the Girl Empower (GE) program, a sexual-health and protection project, to 772 girls in Nimba, Liberia in 2016. The 32-week mentoring program aimed to equip girls with the skills needed to make healthy, strategic life choices and stay safe from sexual abuse and exploitation; half of the girls’ parents also received a cash transfer (GE+). An impact evaluation found the project was successful at reducing early marriage, increasing safer sex practices, increasing age at first sex, and reducing of the number of sexual partners of participants. This brief explores the cost-effectiveness of the program, given these impacts.

The cost per girl for Girl Empower (GE) was $1,158 and for GE + (Girl Empower plus a cash transfer) was $1,230 (USD 2016).

For an investment of $72 more per girl, a 6 percent cost increase, the piggy-backed cash transfers increased the impact on sexual and reproductive health by more than 50 percent.

Available documents & links