Strategies Employed

 Use of Innovative Approach

Comprehensive Sexuality education (CSE)– Use of Age appropriate and culturally sensitive CSE manuals (WSWM and Meharebe)targeting in school and out of school youth.The World Starts with Me (WSWM) is computer based CSE designed for age 13+ and the second manual, Meharebe, is paper based developed for age 11-13. Teacher and peer educators receive trainings on SRH & CSE basic principles and facilitation skill of the manuals by certified master trainers.

ICT tools – Addressing SRH issues in a context like Ethiopia, where most of the times considered as taboo; asks for a very critical and innovative approach. One of the innovative natures of the implementation is using of ICT to address lessons of SRH issues in digitalized form with interactive games.

Online service – provide young people relevant and evidence-based information. The online support centre contains a section where students submit Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRH) questions, which are submitted to online counselors who then send answers to the students’ emails for very personal questions. Answers to questions of a general nature are uploaded on the website for the benefit of other students. Other people can also provide additional answers to any particular student’s question.

User Friendly Manual – To address the young people where use of computer is difficult and also to be cost effective, user friendly manuals with full of interactions for both young people and teachers/facilitators is prepared and utilized.

 Enabling environment

Provision of Leisure Time–Leisure time support like trainings and different facilities to youth centers to increase the interest of young people in engaging themselves in a productive and life improving activities in a way to contribute to their lower engagement in risky behavior like drug abuse.

Link to Health care services – linking all the targeted schools and youth centers with health facilities through referral arrangements. These health facilities are involved in full capacity development program to make the service delivery youth friendly.

Community awareness raising– Empower local community and parents to cause a more sustainable change in positive behaviour and practices towards SRH.

 Partnership/Networking

Stakeholders range from government officials of Regional to district level education, health, youth and sports, women and children Affairs Bureaus and offices actively involving in project planning and implementations.In addition, partnering with like-minded non- governmental organizations for up scaling of best approaches.