AEGiS-15IAC: Safe youth worlwide: A multi-country experience of scaling up HIV/AIDS prevention for young people.

15th International AIDS Conference

Bangkok, Thailand - July 11-16, 2004

Safe youth worlwide: A multi-country experience of scaling up HIV/AIDS prevention for young people.

Int Conf AIDS 2004 Jul 11-16; 15:(abstract no. TuOrD1119)

Castano F, Atkin L
Margaret Sanger Center International, New York, United States

ISSUES: This abstract focuses on how to scale up HIV prevention programs for young people and presents a framework of "critical components" (CC) to guide such efforts.

DESCRIPTION: Margaret Sanger Center International (MSCI) implemented Safe Youth Worldwide (SYW), a global initiative funded by UNFPA, aimed at identifying effective strategies to prevent HIV among youth, scaling up effective programs, and strengthening national responses to the epidemic in Chad, Dominican Republic (DR), Namibia, Nepal, and South Africa. SYW defined programmatic CC in HIV/AIDS prevention for youth with worldwide application. These include strategies addressing service, policy, and education; guiding approaches, including youth's rights and gender balance; and management capacity to increase NGO sustainability. In each country, MSCI helped partners improve and expand their existing programs using the CC framework. For example, in Nepal and DR the programs added new components, including upgrading curricula for training peer educators, and promoted networking between community-based organizations (CBOs), health facilities, and schools. Working with 16 CBOs and municipalities on the Haiti-DR border, MSCI and its local partner expanded efforts to promote sexual and reproductive rights of young people through political advocacy and community mobilization. In South Africa, SYW involved local media to reduce stigma for people living with HIV/AIDS. In Nepal and Chad, MSCI helped their partners and local CBOs increase sustainability through organizational capacity building, and income-generation activities.

LESSONS LEARNED: The CC framework helps NGOs and CBOs develop comprehensive approaches to HIV prevention. Community participation and stakeholder buy-in are key elements to ensure sustainability.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Scaling up efforts must address NGO's organizational development needs as well as technical programmatic aspects and gender dimensions.

Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Reproductive Rights, HIV Seropositivity, HIV Infections, Organizations, Health Planning Guidelines, Research, Demography, Consumer Participation, Nepal, South Africa, Chad, Namibia, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Adolescent, Humans, prevention & control, organization & administration, education

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