Impact – Breakthrough

+1.9

years increase in age at marriage

6%

decrease in adolescent school dropouts

17%

more girls ( 15-18 years) accessing health services

Our Impact

To date, Breakthrough has reached more
than 5.4 million adolescents and young
people ages 11-25 across India.

Because of this work:

Girls are staying in school, delaying marriage, and choosing their own life paths
Young women are entering education and careers once considered out of reach
Boys and young men are becoming allies by standing up for equality and sharing responsibilities

These shifts ripple outward, strengthening
families, schools, and public systems.

Research

Breakthrough’s research is dynamic and participatory. It bridges theory and practice in our programme design.From pop culture and digital violence to questions of gender social norms embedded within the site of education and the attendant role of teachers in countering them, action research projects across diverse themes are regularly undertaken to probe pertinent aspects of Breakthrough’s programmatic pillars.

Attentive to the rapidly changing world of today, Research at Breakthrough thus aspires to systematically augment the knowledge base of the organisation by distilling best practices while continually building synergies between theory and practice. Feminist schools of thought and participatory methodologies informed by the ground embody the heart and soul of our work. In conjunction with the diverse evaluation work, research charts pathways and strategies of evolution for the organisation that is timely, feminist, future forward and visionary.

Evaluation

Breakthrough’s evaluation systems measure both people-level outcomes and systems-level transformation to ensure sustainable change

Direct Programs with Adolescents and Communities

Uses a quasi-experimental design with both quantitative and qualitative methods.
Tracks outcomes across 13 districts in four states, measuring shifts in adolescents’ knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.
Monitors relational changes in families, peers, and communities, with special attention to youth leadership and collective action.
Assesses how well government engagement extends outreach and sustains impact beyond the program lifecycle.
Transforming Education Systems Through Government Partnerships

Employs a mixed-methods approach with a systems-thinking lens.
Tests the assumption that system-level change enables sustainable people-level outcomes.
Evaluates institutional processes such as capacity-building, policy shifts, and resource allocation within the education ecosystem.

Data for Dialogue

Knowledge gains power when it is shared.

In March 2023, Breakthrough launched Data for
Dialogue, a data-led dialogue platform, with its first hybrid event in Delhi. Under this banner, we convene researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and academics to exchange evidence and perspectives on gender norm change.

Anchored by our Research and Evaluation teams,
Data for Dialogue is a space for collective reflection, bringing evidence from Breakthrough’s work into national conversations, and shaping strategies, practices, and policies to address gender-based discrimination and violence.