HIV/AIDS Prevention & Reproductive Health Project

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discuss the issue of teaching HIV and Reproductive Health. Headmasters are therefore involved from the beginning; they receive briefing on the objectives and approaches of the project. This cooperation continues throughout the project with yearly briefing meetings. Project outcomes As a response to the training teachers have begun to feel more comfortable about teaching issues around SRH. Other teachers seek their advice and they are asked to step in to teach SRH in other classes than their own. In one district the trained teachers upon demand also taught at other schools. The school sessions on Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) have become more lively with students forwarding questions openly including sensitive or intimate issues. For a majority of students the classes on Reproductive Health are their favourite classes at school. Still, when asked how the classes at schools compare to the trainings in most cases the training is more appreciated due to its higher level of interaction and open space for discussions. Teaching SRH remains a challenge and teachers openly describe how they try to deal with sensitive issues. Using questions submitted to the query box helps to introduce sensitive topics. Importantly, teachers value the support of the youth as they have become less shy to ask questions in and out of class. Teachers appreciate as PEs take the initiative to run classes on their own, sometimes even replacing an absentee teacher. Teachers are generally supportive and interested in the development of the youth. Ideally, youth are able to select the teacher they trust to talk about their concerns and more intimate issues. This is not feasible in the current setting. However, as teachers selected are also support teachers of the J/ YRCCs there is an increased likelihood that they teachers provide a set of social qualities. In most cases, these teachers have been NRCS volunteers for long and generally share some social values. Apart from teaching in the classroom, teachers supporting the J/YRCCs are involved in the joint extra curricular activities with the J/YRCCs. This role increases their trustworthiness in front of the youth and facilitates a more open dialogue on both sides. Overall, the programme has contributed to increasing interaction between teachers and students. The youth generally feel well supported by their reference teachers. In one case, for example, after the brother of a PE EXPERIENCES OF PES TO TEACH SRH PEs from Bhaktapur said they stand in for teachers who are absent and talk to their classmates about SRH and HIV and AIDS. They said they would try to make the session as interactive as possible. According to the PEs, this was difficult in the beginning because their class mates would feel shy, especially girls. Both boys and girls, however, started to accept discussions regarding sexual and reproductive health. "Earlier it was quite difficult to show face with opposite sex while teaching reproductive health and we often thought why this topic was taught in the class room? The peer educators program helped us to know about boys and girls' problems, reduce confusion and have more clarity on subject matter, how to care our body and maintain personal hygiene. Nowadays we realize the importance of this topic. This program equally helped us to solve problems and communicate with each other more confidently on difficult subject like sexuality and HIV and AIDS." CAPITALIZATION STUDY HIV/AIDS Prevention and Reproductive Health Project NRCS/SDC 2000-2007 11
forbade his sister to be involved in a street drama performance, the NRCS representative and the support teacher went to talk with the family of the PE. In most cases, teachers appreciate the support of PEs and encourage them to take the lead in organizing events. The example given at one school was that teachers would join as invitees while the youth stay in front of the event. A teacher admitted that PEs may have a better knowledge of life skills as they are closer to their peers in age. Lessons learnt Given the sensitivities that surround sex, SRH teachers often find it difficult to discuss HIV and AIDS with their students. In addition, teachers may not be accustomed to interacting with students in the "participatory" methods, best suited for facilitating these subjects. This situation is made more difficult if teaching curricula and information materials take a knowledgeoriented and biomedical perspective, ignoring the kind of questions that are in the young people's minds. Life skills, in particular, are best learned through "experiential" and "learner-centered" methodologies designed to help young people examine attitudes and practise skills. Interactive teaching techniques allow discussion of social issues relating to relationships and opportunities to practise negotiation, communication, and own choices. Lessons learnt from the project: • Trained teachers serve as resource persons for all issues related to teaching SRH. Other teachers and schools also seek their advice and support. • It is essential that teachers for SRH enjoy the trust of the young people involved. The project benefited from working with teachers who are also NRCS volunteers. In general these teachers had a greater social commitment and do greatly support youth volunteer circles at schools. • If supportive, teachers play an important role to facilitate the work of PEs. They can have a motivational effect as role models. • Teachers who are NRCS volunteers are often also involved in other fields of community development. They are therefore in a good position to create a link between HIV prevention in and out of school. • Teachers value the fact that the young people involved are increasingly asking questions as it helps them to discuss sensitive issues. Similarly, answering questions which youth submit anonymously to a query box helps teachers to address the concerns of youth. • Teachers appreciate that PEs take the initiative to run sessions. They admit that "for some issues PEs are better qualified to talk to the youth." • Using an existing institutional network increases sustainability and facilitates monitoring of project activities. 12 CAPITALIZATION STUDY HIV/AIDS Prevention and Reproductive Health Project NRCS/SDC 2000-2007
Page 1 and 2: HIV/AIDS Prevention & Reproductive
Page 3 and 4: Contents List of Abbreviations III
Page 5 and 6: Study Methodology This capitalizati
Page 7 and 8: the National HIV and AIDS Strategy.
Page 9 and 10: Life skills development of Youth Pr
Page 11 and 12: community. Sessions now include dis
Page 13 and 14: Lessons learnt Adolescents have man
Page 15: national system for distributing IE
Page 19 and 20: PEs disseminate messages related to
Page 21 and 22: increased. "We were accused of bein
Page 23 and 24: Adults furthermore tend not to be v
Page 25 and 26: is not encouraged or allowed at all
Page 27 and 28: female PEs further contributes to r
Page 29 and 30: for Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Ma
Page 31 and 32: Summary of Recommendations • Peer
Page 33 and 34: Annex I Newspaper extracts Advising
Page 35 and 36: Under the initiation of District Re
Page 37 and 38: support.) Do you think there is a y
Page 39 and 40: information materials used? Who dec
Page 41 and 42: III Project documents and consulted

HIV/AIDS Prevention & Reproductive Health Project

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