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Early Childhood Development (ECD) is a holistic concept that refers to the physical, cognitive, socio-emotional, and linguistic development of young children until the time they transition to primary school. This policy brief highlights that developmental gaps in the early years of a child's life do not narrow by themselves over time, are likely to be particularly severe for children born to teenage mothers, and lead to costly consequences for individuals, families, and societies. In turn, this policy brief also documents that strong evidence exist on the significant benefits that quality ECD interventions yield in both the short and longer terms. Different types of ECD interventions are most relevant and are complementary at different times of a child's development. For example, interventions to promote infant and child health and to reduce malnutrition are most effective in the 1,000-day window from pregnancy to a child's second birthday, and programs that enhance both early stimulation and nutrition are more likely to generate long-lasting impacts than nutrition alone. Strong evidence also exists on the positive impacts of high quality center-based programs for young children (i.e. daycares and preschools), including in low and middle-income countries, and these types of programs can also generate positive impacts for other family members, including caregivers and siblings. Finally, providing cash transfers to families can be an effective way to enhance the ECD outcomes of the poorest children, especially when combined with specific health, nutrition, and early stimulation interventions. In sum, this policy brief provides an overview of why early childhood is a critical period of human development and of the several types of ECD interventions that have been proven effective to improve children's development and life-long prospects.

Adolescent Health --- Early Child and Children's Health --- Gender --- Health, Nutrition and Population --- Nutrition

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Decisions during youth have great long-term impacts on human development, which is key to poverty alleviation and economic development. During adolescence, two of the primary transitions are beginning a family and adopting a healthy lifestyle. Youth face many choices and challenges around these key decisions, such as when to initiate sex, when to marry, when to have children, and whether to engage in risky behaviors - all of which affect their future health and future opportunities. Consequences of these early decisions can have long-lasting effects on adolescents and their communities, potentially increasing public health costs and depleting human capital. This note briefly presents program and policy approaches that have been implemented in different contexts for addressing these two key transition periods of youth: beginning a family and adopting a healthy lifestyle. It concludes by presenting a set of programmatic lessons and investment recommendations based on the global evidence.

Adolescent Health --- Children and Youth --- Fertility --- Gender --- Health, Nutrition and Population --- Reproductive Health --- Social Development

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Decisions during youth have great long-term impacts on human development, which is key to poverty alleviation and economic development. During adolescence, two of the primary transitions are beginning a family and adopting a healthy lifestyle. Youth face many choices and challenges around these key decisions, such as when to initiate sex, when to marry, when to have children, and whether to engage in risky behaviors- all of which affect their future health and future opportunities. Consequences of these early decisions can have long-lasting effects on adolescents and their communities, potentially increasing public health costs and depleting human capital. This policy brief discusses a situation analysis of adolescent girls in Malawi with respect to these transitions and highlights the challenges they face. Specifically, issues of reproductive health (fertility, maternal health, use of family planning), early marriage, use of family planning, nutrition and risky behaviors are analyzed and presented.

Adolescent Health --- Children and Youth --- Fertility --- Gender --- Health, Nutrition and Population --- Reproductive Health --- Social Development

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Adolescence is a time of transitions that foster both challenges and opportunities. Indeed, choices made during adolescence not only have immediate consequences but also greatly influence the economic opportunities, health outcomes, and skill sets attained later in life, and yet it is the same period when social norms create pathways largely defined by gender. Poverty and ethnic minority status can further magnify gender discrepancies for youth worldwide, as reductions in household spending on education, health care, and nutrition are often more likely to affect adolescent girls than boys. In Zambia, adolescents make up 24% of the total population, a substantial proportion that is expected to become higher than neighboring countries if current trends continue. The high prevalence of child marriage and teenage pregnancy among Zambian girls greatly contributes to the high fertility and population growth trends, and is also closely interrelated with a range of economic and socio-cultural determinants that perpetuate a vicious cycle for the poorest and most vulnerable girls and have costly consequences for them and for the nation as a whole. In order to initiate the potential for a demographic dividend, Zambia will need to initiate a demographic transition. Reducing child marriage and teenage pregnancy can significantly contribute to the fertility declines needed to accelerate this demographic transition and would lead to better life outcomes for adolescent girls and better opportunities for the next generation. Accordingly, this series of policy briefs focuses on four key areas of interventions (or pillars) as follows: (i) maintaining girls in school; (ii) equipping out-of-school girls with skills; and (iii) beginning a family and supporting girls to adopt healthy lifestyles; and (iv) addressing the child development needs of children born to teenage mothers.

Adolescent Health --- Children and Youth --- Demographics --- Fertility --- Gender --- Health, Nutrition and Population --- Reproductive Health --- Social Development

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The demographic transition in the Sahel region has been slower than that in the rest of the world. Although child mortality rates have declined in recent decades, they are still higher in West Africa than in other regions. Furthermore, the fertility decline has progressed very slowly, with some countries seeing stalls and others even an increase in birth rates. The speed with which this transition takes place has a critical impact on a population's age structure and future potential for economic productivity. The current rates of change in the Sahelian sub region will make it unlikely that countries will achieve an age structure that will create a youth bulge of a healthy, well-nourished, and educated cohort ready to enter a modern labor market to capture a sizable demographic dividend. Once missed, this opportunity for a demographic dividend will not return. This analysis uses quantitative data triangulated with the qualitative findings and policy analyses to identify the triggers necessary to accelerate the demographic dividend in this sub region.

Demographic Change --- Demographics --- Health, Nutrition and Population --- Labor Market --- Labor Markets --- Skills Development and Labor Force Training --- Social Protections and Labor