International Development Minister Lynne Featherstone meets with adolescent girls from the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Programme in Matero and Chibombo, Zambia.

This UK aid initiative is supporting 10,000 vulnerable adolescent girls by using ‘safe spaces’ in which girls will meet weekly with a mentor – usually a young woman from the community - to build their social networks, self-esteem, confidence, communication and life skills.

The scheme will run from 2011 to 2017 in Zambia and will help girls to: - receive training on personal and reproductive health - increase access to health services with health vouchers for a range of age appropriate services - learn money management skills and have access to savings’ accounts.

The programme has a significant research element and will follow girls for two years after the intervention in order to test the longer term impact of the initiative on the empowerment of adolescent girls.

Follow the visit to Zambia

Follow Lynne Featherstone's visit in Zambia on her blog for the Huffington Post UK with live updates on Twitter @DFID_UK and @lfeatherstone.

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