Between July 2022 and November 2023, 673 pregnant girls in twelve communities across five districts of Sierra Leone took part in the trial. Girls were assigned to a local mentor to support them during and after their pregnancy.
The mentors provided vital support for the girls, many of whom faced enormous stigma and family abandonment. They helped the girls access antenatal care, meet other pregnant women, reconnect with family and financially support themselves and their babies.
Girls that have taken part in the project have been able to return to school, pursue vocational training in plumbing, electrical installation, hospitality and tailoring or develop their businesses.
The trial is the first to formally evaluate the impact of the 2YoungLives project and demonstrates that it was feasible to run in rural and urban areas of Sierra Leone. LNP started the scheme in 2017 with just three mentors and nine mentees. By 2021 the scheme had 24 mentors and had mentored over 300 girls, with no maternal deaths.
In 2021, 2YoungLives became part of a larger project called CRIBS, a global health group funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which aims to reduce maternal mortality and build research capacity in Sierra Leone.