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Improving the Quality of Reproductive Health Services for High-Risk, War-Affected Adolescent Girls

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Improving the Quality of Reproductive Health Services for High-Risk, War-Affected Adolescent Girls and Other Vulnerable Youth is an effort to disseminate socially and culturally appropriate information messages to youth in Angola. The project identifies and trains peer educators and other community mobilisers to provide participatory life-skills education for youth. It has also designed and implemented counseling strategies and appropriate supporting materials, as well as established pilot youth-friendly health services. The project's aim is to contribute to behaviour change related to the sexual and reproductive health of youth aged 10-24 living in Anglola's Luanda, Benguela, and Huila Provinces. Specific goals include:
  • expanding and upgrading a comprehensive youth-friendly health services package to serve 150,000 youth, and
  • increasing access to information and education through a multi-channeled communication strategy aimed at reaching 260,000 youth.
Communication Strategies

The project works improve adolescent reproductive health by using behavioural change strategies developed and implemented by youth, for youth, including:

  • peer education
  • behaviour change communication
  • empowerment of young girls
  • life skills education for in and out of school youths
  • counseling
  • youth-friendly reproductive health services
  • population and family life education
  • materials development
  • monitoring and evaluation


According to organisers, "The project's strategy is based on the fact that the provision of basic information is not sufficient to effect behavioral change - meaningful youth participation is required to achieve success. Survey data reveals that even where awareness of how to sexually protect oneself is relatively high, this does not always lead to less risky sexual behaviour. Experience shows that the chances for behavioural change improve when information campaigns address the underlying attitudes, values and skills needed to protect oneself and when those at whom the messages are aimed – Angolan youth – actively participate in the design and implementation of such campaigns."

Development Issues

HIV/AIDS, Reproductive Health, Youth, Girls.

Key Points

As of this writing, 20 youth-friendly health services have been established; 226 teachers and 40 nurses have been trained to disseminate reproductive health information.


This project is part of the Southern African Youth (SAY) Initiative. SAY is a sub-regional HIV and AIDS initiative through which the United Nations Foundation (UNF), the United Nations Fund for International Partnership (UNFIP), and UNAIDS seek to support and scale up HIV and AIDS interventions among the youth of southern Africa.


SAY comprises 9 independent projects located in 8 of southern Africa's most severely affected countries, as well as a sub-regional technical support project (Telling the Story). Through the work of UN country teams, SAY aims to catalyse innovative and expanded national responses to the HIV and AIDS epidemic to meet the needs of the youth in southern Africa, especially girls, who are most vulnerable to HIV infection.

Partners

UNF/UNAIDS

Sources

Southern African Youth Initiative on AIDS: Responding to HIV and AIDS in Southern Africa [PDF].