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

assertiveness, puberty and gender-based violence (the topics covered by
the first-year curriculum). Her progress is noted through periodic checks
against this baseline assessment. The second-year curriculum addresses
sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender-based violence, and HIV
and AIDS. During this year, the program addresses gender-based violence
and male norms as girls learn more about the norms, attitudes and beliefs
that facilitate gender-based violence, how to negotiate safe sex, and male
involvement in health-seeking. The third-year curriculum addresses girls’
legal protection as well as gender equity by presenting legal information
about girls’ and women’s human rights, political application of feminist
theory, and women in society and culture. Girls’ understanding of all
aspects of the curriculum is tested periodically and compared to baseline. If
a girl's understanding remains unchanged, she repeats that year’s
curriculum.
After a girl has completed the three-year curriculum, she can become a
peer educator and join the GPI Alumnae Association, which receives
support from GPI. To do so, she must design a mini-intervention that
applies the information obtained from the classroom in a real-world setting.
This involves selecting a community, conducting a needs assessment,
analyzing data, producing educational materials to address the healthrelated
challenges of women and girls, and using these materials to hold
educational talks, seminars, or dramas in the community. Through
anecdotal evidence (i.e., reports from community members), she is
assessed on how well she addressed the problem and from there can be
named a peer educator. Peer educators carry out workshops and seminars
in urban and rural schools to share what they learned in GPI with their
peers. Graduates also participate on a weekly television program started by
GPI to raise awareness around these issues.
The SLFHE program helps empower girls not only through the sessions,
but also by offering life skills training outside of the classroom to arm girls
with the knowledge and abilities to make informed decisions about their
bodies and lives. These trainings also foster collaboration among the girls,
balancing the individual focus necessary to master the educational
curriculum. GPI also increases girls’ access to income by providing girls
with economic skills trainings. Earning income can help girls resist being
exploited by men who offer gifts or provide for basic needs.
Target Audience
Adolescent girls, ages 10–18, in school and out of school, residing in areas
with high prevalence of gender-based violence, harmful traditional
practices, female genital cutting practices, HIV, etc.
Level of Intervention • National
• State
• Community
• Individual
Geographic
Location
GPI Centers: Calabar Center in Cross River State; Uyo Center in Akwa
Ibom State; Benin Center in Edo State; and Asaba Center in Delta State.
Timeframe
1994–ongoing
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