The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) tasked YouthPower2: Learning and Evaluation (YP2LE) with conducting an impact evaluation of the First-Time Parents (FTP) activity in Tanzania. FTP conducts group sessions with first-time mothers (FTMs) that cover topics such as the importance of antenatal and postnatal health visits, breastfeeding, maternal mental health, family planning (FP) and contraception, gender relations within couples, and natural resource management and the relationship between the environment and human health. These group sessions are paired with routine home visits to participating households. FTP also holds a smaller number of group sessions with the partners of FTMs and their older female relatives (e.g., mothers, mothers-in-law, aunts).

FTP is one component of the broader Population Health and Environment (PHE) Activity implemented by MOMENTUM Integrated Health and Resilience (MIHR). The PHE activity is an integrated, multi-sectoral approach that combines conservation activities and natural resource management efforts, such as microfinance and climate-smart agriculture groups, with increased access to FP services and maternal and newborn health services and education. Several PHE components (e.g., FTP, youth clubs, model household and village) incorporate elements from these sectors. FTP also has elements related to the empowerment of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and gender dynamics in relationships. MIHR selected 15 villages in the Ruaha Rungwa Ecosystem (districts of Iringa and Mufindi) to implement the PHE Activity; these same 15 villages also host the FTP component.

This report documents the impact of PHE+FTP on a range of youth outcomes affecting participating FTMs, compared to FTMs who did not participate in any PHE+FTP interventions. The objective of this evaluation is to provide USAID and other stakeholders, as well as the youth development community in general, with evidence on the impact of cross-sectoral interventions on the target youth outcomes, which include modern contraceptive use, knowledge and attitudes related to sexual and reproductive health and empowerment of AGYW. The evaluation also informs the continued implementation of FTP groups in the RRE and elsewhere by identifying implementation challenges and lessons learned, and by documenting participants’ views on program content to suggest improvements.