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

negotiating condom use. Some stopped sex work or minimized it by
earning money through small business ventures.
Replication and
Scale-up Activities
• A similar Women’s Health CoOp project is being replicated in the
Western Cape.
• An adaptation of the project is being piloted in Russia.
LESSONS LEARNED AND CHALLENGES
Key Findings and
Lessons
• Do not hire staff that are too far removed socially or demographically
(e.g., of a different education or income class level) from the community
you want to reach.
• Hire and cross train a multilingual field staff and establish linkages with
local community service providers for referrals.
• Provide staff with the opportunity to debrief, because the subject matter
in counseling sessions can be difficult (high rates of HIV and stories
about rape in affected communities).
Challenges and
Unforeseen
Outcomes
• The women needed many referrals for job training, job placement,
education and substance abuse treatment services. Staff worked hard
for better service linkages, but women needed help to negotiate
services and fees.
• HIV prevalence and need for medical treatment were high. The women
felt stigmatized seeking treatment at regular clinics and often were
turned away. At their request, a medical program to offer services at
the program site is now underway to meet these needs.
Recommendations
for Replication
• Scale up interventions that help women and men protect themselves
against HIV by transforming harmful gender-based attitudes and
behaviors. Interventions also should teach about the intersection
among drugs, sex and violence.
• Promote the implementation of appropriate gender-based HIV
prevention interventions.
• Ensure that national and global initiatives related to gender become
implementation priorities, and provide adequate resources to translate
them into programs.
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