Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT02008695

Youth and Adult Microfinance to Improve Resilience Outcomes in Democratic Republic of Congo

The investigators will test the effectiveness of a youth-led animal husbandry microfinance program, Rabbits for Resilience, combined with the adult microfinance, Pigs for Peace (PFP), program on youth, family and community resilience outcomes. The following aims will be completed over the five-year longitudinal, mixed-method, cluster randomized community trial:

Specific Aim 1: Determine the relative effectiveness of a youth-led microfinance combined with the adult microfinance on youth and family resilience outcomes (reduced mental health distress, increased economic stability, improved family functioning) compared to a youth-led microfinance only and adult microfinance only approaches.

* The investigators hypothesize that at six, twelve and 18-months post-baseline youth and adults in households in the youth-led and adult microfinance approach will report improved individual and family resilience outcomes compared to households in the youth-led microfinance only and adult microfinance only approaches.

Specific Aim 2: Determine the relative effectiveness of a youth-led microfinance combined with PFP microfinance on community resilience (e.g. social capital and participation in community groups by youth and adults) compared to youth-led microfinance only and adult microfinance only approaches.

* The investigators hypothesize that at 18-months post baseline in households in the youth-led and adult microfinance will report improved community resilience compared to households in the youth-led microfinance only and adult microfinance only approaches

Specific Aim 3: Determine if changes in youth resilience (caregiving ability, empathy and outlook for the future) mediate the relationship between youth engagement in microfinance and outcomes, as measured by reduced mental health distress, improved family functioning and improved social capital.

Specific Aim 4: Examine youth perspectives on resilience in the context of multiple adversities (war, poverty, loss of family, displacement, victimization). Youth participants (N=50, ages 10-15 years) will be invited (with parent/caregiver consent) to complete at baseline and 18 month post-baseline qualitative interview/group discussion to examine individual, family and community resilience and what that participants perceive as key to buffering the negative health and social consequences of prolonged conflict and other adversities.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Mental Health Disorders

Age range

10 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

PAIDEK, Congo

Bukavu, 2375, Republic of the Congo

About this study

Congolese youth, families and communities have survived the 16 years of conflict and are now faced with significant challenges for rebuilding participants' futures. Developing, implementing and evaluating microfinance programs that combine youth and adults is an innovative strategy to assist households and community efforts by focusing on existing strengths. The study will advance knowledge for youth, families and communities impacted by armed conflicts in six critical areas:

  • 1) increase the investigators' knowledge of youth and adult resilience (mental and physical health, family functioning, social capital) in context of multiple adversities;
  • 2) measurement of resilience from a social ecological and longitudinal, mixed-method perspective;
  • 3) expand investigators' understanding of resilience to develop prevention interventions for youth in early adolescence (ages 10-15 years), an important time to develop healthy transitions to young adulthood (ages 15-10 years);
  • 4) test a youth-led microfinance program combined with an existing and successful adult microfinance program, Pigs For Peace (PFP), that is sustainable and appropriate to the context of a war-affected population;
  • 5) detail resources and infrastructure needed for conducting research in challenging field settings with diverse cultures and languages as well as with limited resources, such as access to mental health professionals;
  • 6) provide guidelines for the ethical conduct of research in settings where participants of diverse ages and backgrounds may have limited knowledge of human rights and ethical research concepts, such as informed consent and assent.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • girls/boys (ages 10-15 years) and women/men head of households (ages 16 years and older)
  • Resident in participating 10 village in Walungu Territory in Democratic Republic of Congo

Exclusion criteria

  • girls/boys under 10 years of age

Treatment and study plan

adult microfinance

Behavioral

Female piglet provided to household member. Participants agrees to repay participants' "loan" by giving two piglets (one to repay the loan and one for the interest on the loan) to the association from the first litter of piglets (on average 6-12 piglets). These piglets are then given to other village member households

Youth microfinance only

Behavioral

One child (10-15 years) receive rabbits loan. The child is mentored by microfinance and community mentors. The child repays the loan to program and other children in the family and community are provided a loan from the repayment.

youth and adult micro finance

Behavioral

One child and adult member of household receive animal loan. The child and adult are mentored and repayment of the loan to the program is provided and the repayment animal is provided to other members of the community

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in baseline Mental health distress at 18 months

    Time frame: Baseline to 18 months post baseline

    The outcome will be collected from multiple sources: 1) one randomly selected program eligible youth; and 2) one parent/caregiver in participating household

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Johns Hopkins University

Other

Collaborators

  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2012
Primary completion
2018
Study completion
2018
First posted
Dec 11, 2013
Registry last updated
Aug 14, 2019

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.