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

LESSONS LEARNED AND CHALLENGES
Key Findings and
Lessons
Important lessons learned during COH I that have been applied to COH II
include:
• Targeting only groups that tend to exhibit risk behavior (such as unsafe
sex) is not an effective way to reduce the prevalence of STIs.
• Making services more accessible and involving community leaders in
key decisions strengthen program participation.
• Providing employment alternatives to sex workers helps them sustain
positive behavior change.
• Promoting counseling and testing services in the community and
involving sex workers in program activities help change stereotypes of,
and reduce stigma against, sex workers.
• Establishing strong links among project partners is crucial to sustaining
activities.
• Building in research-to-practice and monitoring studies is necessary to
inform and strengthen implementation.
Lessons learned in COH II include:
• It is crucial to involve real peers (individuals who are members of the
intervention target group).
• Information and options should be provided without judgment.
• It is important to help individuals and groups analyze their situations
and develop solutions that are relevant to and meaningful for them.
Challenges and
Unforeseen
Outcomes
• Local communities and authorities were suspicious of and prejudiced
toward services provided to sex workers and other high-risk groups.
• There was a local perception that the blood drawn for HIV testing was
for use in rituals.
• Program sites had difficulty obtaining drugs for treating and managing
STIs from the government store due to depleted supply.
Recommendations
for Replication
• Replication requires official support at the national and local levels.
• It also requires financial support for the necessary equipment and
infrastructure.
• Program implementers must be experts in HIV and STIs as well as in
behavior change theories and approaches.
• It is crucial to use participatory approaches and understand the cultural
norms and behaviors that drive the epidemic in target locations.
• It is important to establish close working relationships with a variety of
stakeholders.
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