Abriendo Oportunidades is featured in New Security Beat, the blog of the Environmental Change and Security Program at the Wilson Center.
Launched in Guatemala in 2004, Abriendo Oportunidades increases Indigenous girls’ social support networks, connects them with role models and mentors, builds a base of critical life and leadership skills, and provides hands-on professional training and experience.
In the article, Angel del Valle, Guatemala Country Representative, is quoted:
“Recent disruptions in education and health systems brought by the COVID-19 pandemic left an entire generation of adolescent girls with inconsistent access to in-person learning and limited to no guarantees to protect their sexual and reproductive health,” said Ángel del Valle, Guatemala Country Director for the Population Council.
The Population Council’s response? A targeted, evidence-based approach taken in its Abriendo Oportunidades program, which offers mentoring, comprehensive sexuality education, and other skills building that enables girls to claim their human rights and increase prospects for decent livelihoods. “Investing in the poorest girls at the right time—at the onset of puberty and before negative outcomes like school dropout and child marriage start to rise—continues to be a critical goal,” de Valle said.
“World Population Day Shines a Spotlight on Inequities,” published in New Security Beat, is also featured in World Population Prospects 2022: Summary of Results from the UN Population Division.