Implementing Multiple Gender Strategies to Improve HIV and ... - ICRW

COMPREHENSIVE SEXUALITY, FAMILY LIFE, AND HIV/AIDS
EDUCATION
LEAD ORGANIZATIONS:
COUNTRY:
HIV PROGRAM AREA:
Girls Power Initiative (GPI)
Nigeria
Prevention
OVERVIEW:
Comprehensive Sexuality, Family Life and HIV/AIDS Education (SLFHE) is a three-year program that
trains adolescent girls in HIV prevention, sexual and reproductive health, sexuality, and life skills. GPI
trains teachers to implement the curriculum at schools and local centers. The curriculum topics are
personal empowerment, body image, and violence the first year; sexual and reproductive health and
rights, gender-based violence, and HIV and AIDS the second year; and girls’ and women’s rights,
political application of feminist theory, and women in society and culture the third year. Program
graduates can then seek to qualify to work as peer educators. In addition to this three-year program,
SLFHE offers girls life skills training. Evaluation results show that participants are better able to take
on leadership roles and make informed decisions in their relationships, and that the program has
helped reduce harmful traditional practices and increase knowledge of sexuality issues among youth.
The program has benefited from its “training-of-trainers” model by building sufficient local capacity to
implement the curriculum, thereby meeting demand and relieving the burden on GPI to conduct all
trainings.
BACKGROUND
HIV & AIDS
Program Goals
The Comprehensive Sexuality, Family Life and HIV/AIDS Education
(SLFHE) is a three-year program that trains adolescent girls in HIV and
AIDS prevention, sexual and reproductive health, human sexuality,
leadership, and life skills.
Gender Strategies
Addressed
Reducing violence and coercion
Addressing male norms and behaviors
Increasing women’s legal protection
Increasing women’s access to income and productive resources
Other: girls’ empowerment and gender equity
Description of
Intervention
The SLFHE program is a three-year program that educates in-school
adolescent girls ages 10–19 about HIV and AIDS, human rights, gender
equality and life skills. Sessions are conducted in schools, led by teachers
trained by GPI, and in three-hour weekly educational sessions held at GPI’s
four centers, led by trained youth facilitators (GPI program staff and others).
Eight current facilitators are former SLFHE graduates who now work for
GPI after completing their university degree.
Girls can enter the program at any point during their schooling years after
age 10. Participants are divided into four age groups: ages 10–12, 13–14,
15–16, and 17–18. At registration, each girl completes a survey to assess
her knowledge about gender roles in terms of what roles she and her male
siblings play in their homes, and her knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs on
topics such as personal empowerment, body image, self-esteem,
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