Gender & Life Skills Development
Objective
- To enhance the knowledge, skill and attitude of adolescents & youth on HIV/AIDS, STDs, sexual and reproductive health issues.
Specific Objective
- To prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, support and give priority for the victims of HIV/AIDS both at program and organizational level.
- To make all programs HIV/AIDS sensitive.
- To enable adolescents & youth make evidence based and informed decisions with responsible choices regarding their sexual and reproductive health.
- To empower local community and parents to initiate and bring a more sustainable change in positive behavior and practices of adolescents & youth towards sexual & reproductive health.
- To capacitate health service providers in improving user friendly services.
- To promote male female engagement
- To empower women to claim their rights and fight against any form of gender based discrimination and mistreatment
- To encourage women to play active role in DEC programs and among the community
- To enforce the implementation of organizational gender policy at all levels
Track record
Thematic Areas
Lesson learnt:
Based on the experience DEC has seen throughout the implementation of different SRH projects (such as GUSO, YID and HC), the provision of continues experience sharing platform among teachers and schools was the best practice to motivate teachers and enhance their knowledge skill and attitude. Hence, in this project to keep teachers and School Principal motivated and enhance their knowledge, skill, and attitude, we planned to have continues meeting and school visit among each school.
The participation of School Principals in teachers’ training created a supportive and enabling environment for teachers to facilitate Meharebe as they have a good understanding of Meharebe. This demonstrated through the classroom arrangement for Meharebe facilitated by the School Principals in schools.
Target beneficiaries
Direct beneficiaries of the program mainly targets young people between the age 10-19 years to be able to make an informed and evidence based decisions on their sexual reproductive health.. Therefore, the targets in the program gender and life skills development includes:
- Primary targets: 10-29 adolescent and youth including PWDs, refuges, potential migrants and returnees.
- Intermediary targets: Teachers, School managements, Parents, PTSAs, HEWs, Health, Educational and gender expertise from Go stakeholders at different level, Schools, Youth centers and TVETS.
- The wider communities at large where we are implementing this project
Geographic Target Area
DEC interventions target focuses on Afar, Amhara and Oromia National Regional States and Addis Ababa City Administration. The program Gender and life skills development runs its projects in Oromia, Amhara, Afar, Addis Ababa, and SNNP each area.
Major Activities
Pillar I: Â Increased SRH knowledge and information
- Manual adaptation, Contextualization, translation, duplication and distribution: continuous contextualization of manuals used by the program. Manuals include SRH facilitation manuals both teachers and students “Meharebe” and parents-child SRH communication “Begebeta Zuria”. With the participation of teachers, parents, students, and DEC experts, we review and edit the manuals. Meharbe includes 14 chapter that discuss issues such as and adolescents around body change and drugs, alcohol, conflicts, HIV and STI’s, gender based violence.
Capacity Development
- Conduct Induction and refresher Trainings for facilitators:
- SRHR Education and facilitation for adolescent, youth and parents:
- Training on Gender Transformative Approaches
- Community Sensitization:
- Develop and distribute tailored and interactive IEC/BCC and learning SRH materials:
- Innovation documentation and learning:
- Sharing and learning
- Consistent site visits and follow ups
Pillar II: Strengthened linkage between health sectors and schools
- Strengthening Health Referral Linkage:
- Health service provider’s capacity development:
Pillar III: Increased community support on youth’s SRH
- Parent Dialogue Sessions:
- Whole School Approach (WSA) workshops:
Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) meetings:
Pillar IV: Lobby and Advocacy
- Evidence documentation:
- Sensitization and advocacy on SRH, CM, TP and FGM/C:
- Networking and communication
Tools
Gender and Life Skill Program Department Tools and Approaches
Programs Tools:-
- Meharebe manual: is a manual for education for health and wellbeing. The goal of this approach is to deliver comprehensive sexuality education for in and out-of-school youth through the use of contextualized manuals, with a positive, gender-sensitive, rights-based approaches so young people are offered self-development skills such as self-awareness, self-confidence and self-esteem plus social competencies, such as negotiation skills, communication skills and decision making skills, contraceptive use and the right to refuse sex and also have an pleasurable sexual development, ultimately enabling them to make healthier and enjoyable SRHR choices and decisions. This manual has 13 lessons which include the world starts with me, emotional ups and down, is your body changing too, Boys & Girls, Men & Women, culture and HTP, Human entitlement, pregnancy for boys and girls, STI’s HIV/AIDS and the role you play, love shouldn’t hurt, drug abuse and sexuality, your future, dreams and plans, my top tip peer book and exhibition. During manual contextualization health officers, education officers, directors, various CSOs who engaged in SRHR, teachers, students, etc. were involved.
- Peer Book: is a pocket size book which is a part of Meharebe prepared for students to precisely summarize what they have learnt in all session then to give for their peers who haven’t got a chance to take Meharebe lesson. The book has short summary on each chapter and a space for the students to provide their thoughts on the chapter respectively. This approach helps to address younger people who even were not targeted by the program.
- Yemisrach Manual: is a manual used to establish new and strengthen existed girls club in schools. The manual have 10 chapters with a content of vision setting, time management, talent, communication, hygiene, friendship, gender, ethics, winning behavior, am I on the right track that empower girls in life and social skill. Girls involved in this club will be empowered and be influenced to bring educational achievement, have better social skill and being a role model for their friend, overall they will be capable of achieving their dreams.
- Bgebeta Zuria: is a parent dialogue manual. This manual is for parents to have a comprehensive knowledge and skill on CSE of their children then to have active participation on their SRHR life. After finalizing this session parents would be able to understand their children love and relationships, emotional changes, body changes and be able to discuss freely with them. This manual has 7 chapters which include children emotion, body changes, children right and safety, HTP, teenage pregnancy, STI’s and HIV/AIDS, drug abuse and peer pressure. During manual contextualized SRHR information and education masters were engaged.
- Gender transformative approach (GTA): is an approach that promotes human rights-based approach, discusses power, norms and values. It incorporates empowerment of women and girls and most importantly engaging men and boys in SRH program. This approach helped us as a tool to in achieving the objective of achieving gender equality and male engagement in all of our projects.
- Whole School Approach (WSA): we utilize the Whole School Approach (WSA) in all targeted schools to incorporate key stakeholders such as school management, teachers, parents, education and health offices, student’s involvement, quality of implementations and project sustainability. WSA highly contributes in assuring program quality, increase stakeholder commitment and ensure sustainability
- Meharebe on job training: this approach also called as work based learning that assist Meharebe facilitators to improve their performance during facilitation. This has coaching tools to identify the gap of the facilitators. Based on the gap seen during coaching refresher training is provided.
- Advisory committee meeting: this meeting has involved all stakeholders to sensitize what we are doing. Then invite them to witness the progress we made in our intervention. In parallel we discuss on the support we can get to fill the gap we have in some activities of program implementation. This advisory committee meeting is held quarterly to update them with our implementation. This multi-stakeholder approach has a tendency to facilitate the work, ensures program success and sustainability.
- Girls Friendly Schools Tool (GFS): by using a scoring sheet with four dimensions of safe environment, staffing and management, inclusivity and connectedness and health and protection will be assessed by questioning principals, teachers and staff, female students and with other relevant stakeholders. Developed checklist and discussions questions assist in facilitating multi stakeholder discussions on a school with a view to improving understanding between stakeholders, which can lead to improving girl-friendly measures in schools through multi-stakeholder engagement.
- Youth Friendly Health Service Tool (YFHS): this scoring sheet is used to assess a particular health service with a view to improve understanding between stakeholders, which can lead to facilitating the improvement of existing YFHS through multi-stakeholder engagement by involving managers and staff, young people and relevant stakeholders in already developed closed and open discussion questions. The assessment covers information and education on SRHR, treatment, facility characteristics, staff characteristics and accessibility and involvement of youth. Â
Expected Results
The program Gender and Life Skills Development aims in achieving the following results:
- Enhanced prevention knowledge and awareness on SRH and HIV/AIDS
- Increased community’s support to achieve SRH education using contextualized, evidence based, and age appropriate manuals
- Increased awareness and perception of health experts on sexuality, gender and SRH
- Positive behavioral development and healthy decision making of adolescent and young people is improved
- Enhanced capacity of facilitators, school principals, Advisory Committee offices, religious and traditional leaders, PTA members, and other key stakeholders in the area of SRH
- Promoted understanding of SRH among all teachers of the targeted schools, and the families of the students
- Improved linkage of SRH education and information to religious and clan leaders, health care providers, parents to increase synergy and sustainability of the program
Major Activities
Pillar I: Â Increased SRH knowledge and information
Manual adaptation, Contextualization, translation, duplication, and distribution
Continuous contextualization of manuals used by the program. Manuals include SRH facilitation manuals both teachers and students “Meharebe” and parent-child SRH communication “Begebeta Zuria”. With the participation of teachers, parents, students, and DEC experts, we review and edit the manuals. Meharbe includes 14 chapters that discuss issues such as and adolescents around body change and drugs, alcohol, conflicts, HIV and STI’s, gender-based violence.
Capacity Development
- Conduct Induction and refresher Training for facilitators:
- SRHR Education and facilitation for adolescent, youth, and parents:
- Training on Gender Transformative Approaches
- Community Sensitization:
- Develop and distribute tailored and interactive IEC/BCC and learning SRH materials:
- Innovation documentation and learning:
- Sharing and learning
- Consistent site visits and follow-ups
Pillar II: Strengthened linkage between health sectors and schools
- Strengthening Health Referral Linkage:
- Health service provider’s capacity development:
Pillar III: Increased community support on youth’s SRH
- Parent Dialogue Sessions:
- Whole School Approach (WSA) workshops:
- Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA) meetings:
Pillar IV: Lobby and Advocacy
- Evidence documentation:
- Sensitization and advocacy on SRH, CM, TP and FGM/C:
- Networking and communication
- Monitoring and evaluation
Strategies of Gender & Life Skills Development Program
Expected Results of Gender & Life Skills Development Program
The program Gender and Life Skills Development aims in achieving the following results:
- Enhanced prevention knowledge and awareness on SRH and HIV/AIDS
- Increased community’s support to achieve SRH education using contextualized, evidence based, and age appropriate manuals
- Increased awareness and perception of health experts on sexuality, gender and SRH
- Positive behavioral development and healthy decision making of adolescent and young people is improved
- Enhanced capacity of facilitators, school principals, Advisory Committee offices, religious and traditional leaders, PTA members, and other key stakeholders in the area of SRH
- Promoted understanding of SRH among all teachers of the targeted schools, and the families of the students
- Improved linkage of SRH education and information to religious and clan leaders, health care providers, parents to increase synergy and sustainability of the program
Objectives of Gender & Life Skills Development Program
- To enhance the knowledge, skill and attitude of adolescents & youth on HIV/AIDS, STDs, sexual and reproductive health issues.
- To prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, support and give priority for the victims of HIV/AIDS both at program and organizational level.
- To make all programs HIV/AIDS sensitive.
- To enable adolescents & youth make evidence-based and informed decisions with responsible choices regarding their sexual and reproductive health.
- To empower local community and parents to initiate and bring a more sustainable change in positive behavior and practices of adolescents & youth towards sexual & reproductive health.
- To capacitate health service providers in improving user friendly services.
- To promote male female engagement
- To empower women to claim their rights and fight against any form of gender based discrimination and mistreatment
- To encourage women to play active role in DEC programs and among the community
- To enforce the implementation of organizational gender policy at all levels