# Empowering Youth Through Evidence: Applying Outcome Harvesting to Evaluate Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Advocacy in Ethiopia

## TL;DR

This paper evaluates a youth-focused program in Ethiopia that improved sexual and reproductive health rights through community engagement and participatory methods.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates how Outcome Harvesting can effectively capture complex, youth-driven social changes in SRHR advocacy.

## Key findings

- Youth participation in decision-making and advocacy capacity significantly improved.
- Community attitudes, especially among religious leaders, shifted against harmful practices.
- Youth-led networks influenced policy changes in health governance.

## Abstract

Adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) challenges, including gender inequality, child marriage, female genital mutilation/cutting and sexual and gender-based violence remain pervasive globally, particularly in Ethiopia. The Power to You(th) programme was designed to address these issues by centering youth voices and fostering transformative community change. This evaluation applied Outcome Harvesting, drawing on mixed quantitative and qualitative data, and employed a participatory approach that engages youth and stakeholders in identifying and verifying programme outcomes between 2021 and 2023. The findings revealed substantial improvements in youth participation in decision-making platforms, advocacy capacity, and awareness of SRH rights. Community attitudes shifted positively, particularly among religious and traditional leaders, who increasingly advocate against harmful practices. Youth-led networks emerged as powerful agents of change, contributing to policy shifts such as increased youth representation in health governance bodies. The evaluation also captured unexpected yet influential changes in community dynamics and institutional responsiveness. These findings highlight the value of participatory approaches in capturing complex social transformations and underscore the role of youth as active agents in reshaping SRHR outcomes. Outcome Harvesting proved effective in documenting both intended and emergent changes, offering valuable insights for scaling inclusive, youth-driven interventions.