Transitions to Adulthood

he transition from childhood to adulthood is often considered a time of growth in selfawareness, opportunities, and knowledge about the world. For girls in rural Egypt, however, this growth often does not occur. As girls reach adolescence, their lives become increasingly confined to the home, their opportunities limited to household chores, and their future prospects restricted to early marriage and childbearing. A comprehensive program in rural Upper Egypt, known as Ishraq (meaning “enlightenment”), has succeeded in expanding the horizons of adolescent girls, increasing their self-confidence and general knowledge as well as promoting their civic engagement. Ishraq is a collaboration between the Population Council, Caritas, CEDPA (the Center for Development and Population Activities), Save the Children, and two Egyptian government agencies, the Ministry of Youth and the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood. Out-of-school girls are among the most disadvantaged adolescents in rural Egypt. Compared with girls attending school, they are more likely to be engaged in poorly paid farm work, more likely to be married early, and at greater risk for malnutrition, early childbearing, and poor pregnancy outcomes. “Considering the many problems faced by adolescent girls deprived of schooling, we recommend programs that will teach them the information and skills that will expand their life choices,” says Martha Brady, researcher at the Population Council. “At the same time, we need to foster family and community support for new and expanded roles for girls.” In 2001, the partner organizations pooled their expertise to design and implement an intervention program to address the unmet needs of out-of-school adolescent girls in rural Upper Egypt. The pilot phase of Ishraq was launched in four rural villages of the Minya governorate in Upper Egypt, one of the country’s poorest regions. Targeting girls ages 13–15, Ishraq offered a series of interlocking opportunities: literacy