HIV/AIDS Prevention & Reproductive Health Project

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chapters. Most of the project activities are implemented through schools. Using this institutional network increases sustainability and facilitates monitoring of project activities. In addition to teachers and J/YRCCs the project closely cooperates with the headmasters of schools. They receive a one day briefing workshop during the planning stage of the project and serve then as main reference persons. District chapters usually use the yearly district meetings for headmasters and add one day to discuss the issue of teaching HIV and Reproductive Health. As a result, all sub-chapters and schools in a district are usually aware about the NRCS project. As a consequence schools that were not included felt neglected. The NRCS has developed a policy on mainstreaming HIV in 2000 and has since then integrated HIV in 3 community based programmes and 2 first aid programmes. Activities of J/YRCCs cover different sectors including community sanitation and hygiene, health promotion, clean water and environment, and social and emergency support. Given that activities on HIV will continue as an integrated part of the agenda of J/YRCCs, the project has achieved to mainstream HIV prevention work within the work of the circles. The project adapts a multisectoral approach with a focus on the educational and social development sector and further interventions in the health and private sectors. At its core the project is primarily working with educational institutions and community volunteers and groups. Some interventions are targeting the health sector through promoting youth friendly services and implementing HIV interventions in health camps. Private sector involvement, though minimal, includes working with retail shopkeepers and bus ticket counters. Overall, the project has strengthened the image and credibility of the Red Cross at the district level. Moreover, the NRCS District Chapters planning capacities' especially with regard to HIV prevention initiatives were strengthened. One district chapter, for example, has developed a project proposal to receive additional funding for its HIV programme. The project has been supported by the different sectors and their committees in the district, most of all with regard to the educational sector. Especially in districts where the NRCS is the main actor it largely contributed to initiating and strengthening the DACCs. Lessons learnt An effective response to HIV needs to come from within the communities where the epidemic emerges and begins to spread. While national strategies, coordinating mechanisms, monitoring and evaluation systems are essential they must reach down to the district and local levels. District and community authorities are closer to the front lines of the AIDS epidemic than national governments and they understand local circumstances, needs, social structures, attitudes, and traditions. With technical and financial support district and local authorities are well placed to implement a locally effective response to HIV. District authorities further play an important role with regard to coordination of different responses and mainstreaming HIV. Lessons from the project include: • Using the institutional network of schools increases sustainability and facilitates monitoring of project activities. • District chapters and DACCs can play an important role in designing district HIV strategies. Due to their relatively young existence and yet limited capacities DACCs have until now mainly a coordinating role. • The implementation of project very much depends on the project coordinators at district chapters. While most district chapters demonstrated an impressive commitment to the projects, there is also an example where project implementation was jeopardized by poor implementation. CAPITALIZATION STUDY HIV/AIDS Prevention and Reproductive Health Project NRCS/SDC 2000-2007 25
Summary of Recommendations • Peer educators need a minimum level of external support mainly in terms of further trainings and provision of IEC materials. Small incentives have a high effect but their reliability and continuity needs to be assured. They will otherwise be discouraged if, despite their initiative, support in terms of answered questions and provision of IEC materials is lacking. • Selection of PE should be participatory and based on students' preference rather than teachers' preferences and an effort should be made for equitable representation from all groups. • To increase the capacities of PEs an option may be to provide further training and some additional incentive to a selection of active PEs (2-4 per schools) which in turn have to initiate certain set of activities. Ideally, these PEs are selected by the other youth/PEs and thus have the mandate and trustworthiness of youth to function as their representatives, counsellors and role models. • Women, teachers and youth that work as peer educators for HIV prevention need tools to do their work and additional IEC materials that can be used for sensitization are highly cost-effective. 26 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 and 16: national system for distributing IE
Page 17 and 18: forbade his sister to be involved i
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: for Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Ma
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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