UNESCO HIV and AIDS Education Clearinghouse latest additions

Comprehensive sexuality education: advancing human rights, gender equality and improved sexual and reproductive health

In December 2010, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) organized a Global Consultation on Sexuality Education, in Bogota, Colombia, to discuss the most effective approaches to sexuality education that promote human rights, advance gender equality and improve sexual and reproductive health. The consultation brought together some 80 practitioners and programmers from more than 36 countries. The purpose of the consultation was to gain a common understanding of the state of the art in comprehensive sexuality education programmes, both in-school and out of school, and to identify strategies for investing in, implementing, scaling up, monitoring and evaluating effective and sustainable programmes. Participants heard presentations and exchanged views on the fundamental principles of sexuality education, the evidence base for what makes sexuality education comprehensive and effective, and lessons drawn from concrete experiences in the implementation of sexuality education programmes in different settings. This report aims to capture the substantive presentations and discussions, as well as the rich experiences shared, at the consultation.

Challenges in developing national HIV guidelines: experience from the eastern Mediterranean

Objective: To appraise the process of development and clinical content of national human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) clinical practice guidelines of countries in the eastern Mediterranean and to formulate recommendations for future guideline development and adaptation. Methods Twenty-three countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean and United Nations Childrens Fund Middle East and North Africa regions were invited to submit national HIV clinical practice guidelines for review. The guideline development methodology was assessed using an adaptation of the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation (AGREE) instrument and guideline content, using a checklist to evaluate concordance with WHO 2006 generic guidelines. Findings: Twelve countries submitted 20 guidelines developed between 2004 and 2009. Median scores were poor (i.e. < 0.6) for the methodological quality domains of rigour of development, stakeholder involvement and applicability and flexibility. Scores were better for the domains of scope and purpose (median: 0.82, interquartile range, IQR: 0.580.89) and clarity and presentation (median: 0.67, IQR: 0.500.78). Concerning guideline content, recommended first-line treatment and eligibility criteria for antiretroviral therapy (ART) in adults were in line with WHO recommendations in most guidelines. However, recommendations on antiretroviral prophylaxis for the prevention of vertical HIV transmission, diagnosis and treatment of HIV infection in infants, monitoring patients on ART, treatment failure and co-morbidities were often lacking. Conclusion: The large majority of national HIV clinical practice guidelines had methodological weaknesses and content inaccuracies. Countries require assistance with the adaptation process to ensure that guidelines are valid and up to date and accurately reflect WHO global clinical care recommendations for patients with HIV.

Situation assessment of the HIV response among young people in Zambia

The main objective of this situational assessment is to compile and synthesize existing recent information on HIV and young people together with the current AIDS response for young people in Zambia, including programmes, policies, and key partners, and to document gaps and challenges in the response. In this document young people refers to individuals aged 10 to 24 years. It analyzes existing strategic information on HIV and young people and identifies gaps in the evidence and in the current HIV response.

Women who inject drugs: a review of their risks, experiences and needs

This report summarises the existing peer reviewed and grey literature describing evidence on the nature and degree of risks and experiences of women who inject drugs and women whose partners inject. In collecting this literature, a range of search strategies were used in tandem with expert consultations across the key themes. This report explores how women enter into drug use, how they use drugs, the relationships that shape and drive their drug use and their experiences in accessing services and treatment.

Plan stratégique national de lutte contre le SIDA 2007-2011

Le présent document du PSN 2007 à 2011 est structuré en trois chapitres. Le premier chapitre résume la situation de lépidémie du VIH dans le pays ainsi que les projections concernant son évolution future. Les progrès notables enregistrés dans la mise en oeuvre de la stratégie nationale au cours des années 2002 à 2006 sont par la suite relatés, tout en mettant en exergue les faiblesses et les obstacles rencontrés. Le deuxième chapitre du document traite des priorités du PSN, des prestations essentielles de services et des populations clés plus exposées au risque dinfection au profit desquels ces prestations seront délivrées. Il met en évidence, par la suite, les résultats attendus en fonction des quatre axes stratégiques retenus. Le troisième chapitre est réservé à lestimation de la couverture et des besoins financiers du PSN ainsi quaux principaux défis opérationnels à sa mise en oeuvre. La matrice du cadre logique du PSN est ensuite détaillée dans la partie annexe du document, de manière à orienter tous les intervenants des niveaux centraux et périphériques, lors de la formulation de leurs plans opérationnels pour la mise en oeuvre de ce plan.

Tackling violence in school: A global perspective. Bridging the gap between standards and practice

On any given day, more than one billion children around the world attend school. Many of these children enjoy their right to be taught in a safe and stimulating environment. For many others, however, schooling does not guarantee such opportunity. These girls and boys are exposed to bullying, sexual and gender-based violence, corporal punishment and other forms of violence with or without the approval of education authorities. Many are also exposed to schoolyard fighting, gang violence, assault with weapons, and sexual and gender-based violence by their own peers. New manifestations of violence are also affecting childrens lives, notably the phenomenon of cyber-bullying via mobile phones, computers, websites and social networking sites. Given the prevalence of violence in schools, the crucial importance of education in realizing the rights of the child and, moreover, the potential of violence-free schools to act as catalysts for non-violence in the communities that they serve, the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence Against Children dedicated special attention to this issue in the course of 2011. The key areas addressed in this report are: developing holistic, whole-school strategies; building partnerships with children; providing support for teachers and other staff; changing attitudes and addressing social norms; securing childrens legal protection; and consolidating data and research. The report illustrates each of these six areas with recent initiatives aimed at preventing violence against children. It also gives special attention to the issue of violence in schools from the perspective of children belonging to particularly vulnerable groups, including girls, children with disabilities, belonging to minorities or who are indigenous, refugee children and children who are victims of violence and discrimination as a result of their sexual orientation.

Expanding access to comprehensive reproductive health and HIV information and services for married adolescent girls in Nyanza Province

Nyanza Province has been a focus of heightened attention in Kenya since the advent of the countrys HIV epidemic. A 2001 study highlighted married adolescent girls (MAG) as a particularly vulnerable population in Nyanza due to their elevated risk for HIV infection compared to other sexually active girls elsewhere in the country.Given these realities, through the USAID-funded FRONTIERS program from 2006-2008, the Population Council designed and implemented an operations research project to expand access to HIV-prevention information and services for MAG and their partners in Nyanza Province.The objectives of this operations research study were to: 1) identify and design a set of interventions that promote the uptake of comprehensive reproductive health (RH)/family planning (FP) and HIV prevention services and information among married adolescent girls; and 2) expand access to comprehensive RH/FP and HIV prevention services and information among this population.The present study aimed to expand married adolescent girls access to comprehensive RH/FP and HIV information and services and to test the effects of a set of interventions designed for this purpose.

Assessing knowledge, attitude, and practice of emergency contraception: a cross-sectional study among Ethiopian undergraduate female students

The importance of Emergency contraception (EC) is evident in preventing unintended pregnancies and its ill consequences like unintended child delivery or unsafe abortion, which are the most common causes of maternal mortality. Knowing that Ethiopia is one of the countries with highest maternal mortality rate, this study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of EC, and to further elucidate the relationship between these factors and some socioeconomic and demographic characteristics among female undergraduate students of Addis Ababa University. This information will contribute substantially to interventions intended to combat maternal mortality.

Human capital consequences of teenage childbearing in South Africa

Women in South Africa have had fewer children on average since the 1970s, but the rate of teenage childbearing in South Africa has remained the same. Large numbers of young mothers are a cause for social concern in South Africa and other countries because of the adverse impact of teenage childbearing on the education and health of teen mothers and their children. This research brief highlights the findings from recent studies on teenage childbearing in South Africa, in which analysts examined the causal relationships between teen fertility, educational attainment, and health outcomes in urban and rural regions.

Decline in HIV Prevalence among Young Women in Zambia: National-Level Estimates of Trends Mask Geographical and Socio-Demographic Differences

A decline in HIV incidence has been reported in Zambia and a number of other sub-Saharan countries. The trend of HIV prevalence among young people is a good marker of HIV incidence. In this study, different data sources are used to examine geographical and sub-population group differentials in HIV prevalence trends among men and women aged 1524 years in Zambia.

University students and HIV in Namibia: an HIV prevalence survey and a knowledge and attitude survey

With an overall adult HIV prevalence of 15.3%, Namibia is facing one of the largest HIV epidemics in Africa. Young people aged 20 to 34 years constitute one of the groups at highest risk of HIV infection in Namibia. However, little is known about the impact of HIV on this group and its access to healthcare. The purpose of this study was to estimate HIV prevalence, to assess the knowledge of and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS, and to assess access to healthcare among university students in Namibia.

When Girls\' Lives Matter: Ending Forced and Early Marriage in Cameroon

The past decade has witnessed a dramatic increase in awareness about early and forced marriage of girls as a widespread violation of human rights. In short, early and forced marriage exacerbate gender inequality and the likelihood of poor outcomes throughout life. Combining public education about the negative effects of early and forced marriage with positive preventive strategies is valuable. The Association for the Struggle Against Violence Against Women (ALVF) in Cameroon is one such example. ALVF provides counseling, language and literacy training, economic support, and empowerment activities for girls who have fled (or been thrown out from) early or forced marriages to help them overcome their adversities. At the same time, the program seeks to bring about broader social change by highlighting in the public sphere as well as among parents and husbands the plight of girls who were married early and/or by force. Hence, ALVFs prevention strategy is based on a broad understanding of the perceptions, expectations, and motivations that sustain the practice of early and forced marriage. That understanding is based on the experiences of the Cameroonian women who work, or seek help, at ALVF, which are shared in the following case study.

Addressing sexual violence and HIV risk among married adolescent girls in rural Nyanza, Kenya

HIV infection is much higher among adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa than among boys. In settings such as Nyanza Province, Kenya, rates of HIV infection are extremely high, and evidence is increasing in some settings that girls who are married are much more likely to be infected with HIV, compared with their unmarried sexually active counterparts. This brief describes a program addressing the problem of sexual violence and the risk of HIV transmission within marriage in Kenya's Nyanza Province. The program was based on the Population Council's analysis of the 2003 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) as well as on formative research within rural Nyanza.

Capacity development matters: a practical guide

This booklet is a practical guide on what capacity development is and how we are applying it in UNFPA. The first chapter provides an overview of capacity development and some basic definitions; the second highlights examples of practice in action from the field; and the third consists of a series of tools and resources that we have considered useful when developing and implementing capacity development programmes. This guide is primarily meant for UNFPA technical and programme staff but may also serve other United Nations (UN) agencies, partner organizations and Member States.

National strategy for care and support services in primary schools in Tanzania

Education is one of the basic child rights and it is vital for childrens future life. Children should attend school and take full advantage of getting their right for education. The Millennium development Goal 2 is to achieve Primary Education of good quality by the year 2015. The Dakar Framework for Action adapted in the World Education Forum reaffirmed the Global commitment to EFA exists six major goals focused on providing Gender responsive good and quality education to all children and adults. In the cause of implementing various programmes aiming at attaining EFA goals, some limiting factors has been realized. The limiting factors include:- Low school enrolment; Increased absenteeism; Increased dropouts; Increased number of orphans and vulnerable children and youth; Increased number of young people living with HIV; Poor health and nutrition among young people; Increased number of teenage pregnancies. All the limiting factors require critical school based interventions to ensure that all children have access to quality education by 2015. To respond to the limiting factors, SADC regional initiative which was adopted in 2005 provides a Framework for Care and Support to be implemented in the member states. The Framework calls for a mult-sectoral approach to be applied to ensure comprehensive care and support services are provided at school level. The framework recognizes schools as centres of providing care and support which is an additional function of a school. The traditional mandate of a school is a centre of learning. The framework identifies six basic services a school should provide which are:- Education; Food and nutrition; Health; water and sanitation; Psychosocial support; Safety and security. Schools should be friendly to the learners so that they fully benefit from the education that is provided. The current state of care and support service is not adequately provided in schools. Hence, the need for developing Care and Support Strategy is inevitable.

An addendum for higher education and technical and vocational education and training to the HIV and AIDS strategic plan 2008/2012

The purpose of writing the addendum is to give visibility of Higher Education and Technical and Vocational Education Training in the ESSP - HA (2008 2012). The focus of this addendum is HE and TVET institutions, a population which is at risk for and vulnerable to HIV and STIs infection. The main focus of the addendum will be on four main areas or themes that will address risk and vulnerability reduction for both school and workplace populations, namely: prevention education; care and support services; impact mitigation; enabling environment.

Education sector strategic plan on HIV and AIDS (ESSP-HA II) 2008-2012

This is the second Education Sector Strategic Plan on HIV and AIDS for 2008 2012 (ESSPHA II). It is the overarching strategy for all HIV and AIDS interventions in Education Sector whether implemented by Government, civil society, the private sector or development partners. It outlines the Education Sectors strategic plans to address the challenges presented by HIV and AIDS. The strategic plans are situated within the context of the mandate and structure of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT), the ongoing response to HIV and AIDS, national and international commitments to combat and mitigate its impacts. The purpose of the Education Sector Strategic Plan ESSP-HA is to provide strategic focus, accelerate the response of the education sector at all levels, protect learners and education service providers, enhance effective implementation of programmes to reduce new HIV and AIDS cases, and mitigate its impact in the sector. Section One presents an overview of the process of developing the Education Sector Strategic Plan on HIV and AIDS (ESSP-HA) and its purpose. Section Two presents an overview of the current state, the impact of the pandemic and the sectors response. It summarises the implementation of ESSP I for 2003 2007, identifies the current situation, achievements, challenges and lessons learned. Section Three describes the development of the new ESSP-HA II for the period 2008-2012. It provides policy and structural context within which it is developed. Section Four presents the institutional and management framework and structures that will oversee implementation of the plan. Roles and responsibilities of different actors are laid out.

National life skills education framework

The development of a National Life Skills Education Framework (NLSEF) took place at an opportune moment in Tanzanian education. This framework, links closely with national strategies and initiatives in the education sector to improve the overall well-being and learning outcomes for all Tanzanian children and youth. These strategies include: MoEVT HIV and AIDS Strategic plan, the In-Service Training Strategy, Basic Standards for Pre-primary and Primary Education in Tanzania and National Strategy for Care and Support Services in Primary Schools in Tanzania. The report is divided into five main sections. Section A provides a very brief overview of the global context and theoretical underpinning for life skills education. Section B briefly reviews the situation in Tanzania. Section C summarises the main areas of contention for developing the NLSEF, capturing the fact that there is a wide diversity of views on best approaches. Section D provides a narrative overview of the key results and strategies, as well as those risks and assumptions that will have to be addressed if the NLSEF is to guide the effective implementation of life skills education. Section E provides an overview of institutional arrangements required for the effective co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation of the NLSEF.

Review of homophobic bullying in educational institutions

This review has two key purposes: 1. increase understanding of the nature, scale and impact of homophobic bullying in educational institutions; 2. identify effective and appropriate action, based upon documented good practice. The review was designed to provide background information for the participants in the first global UN consultation on the issue of homophobic bullying in educational institutions, which was organized by UNESCO in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in December 2011. The document is structured as follows: introduction; understanding homophobic bullying; good practice: responding to homophobic bullying. The review explores good practice in addressing homophobic bullying in educational institutions in terms of interventions in the following key areas: policies; curriculum and materials; staff training and support; support services for learners; community involvement.

National HIV/AIDS/STI monitoring and evaluation framework

This National HIV/AIDS/STI M&E Framework has been formulated for all stakeholders involved in the HIV/AIDS/STI response in Eritrea. This includes all government Ministries, development agencies, non-governmental organisations and the private sector that are funding, implementing, or benefiting from HIV/AIDS/STI services. The National HIV/AIDS/STI M&E Framework will also include research agencies that are interested in undertaking HIV/AIDS/STI research in Eritrea, as well as potential new stakeholders that are interested in being involved in future. The purpose of this documents is to: a) Give an overview of the HIV response in Eritrea, so as to understand the operational environment within which the national HIV/AIDS/STI M&E Framework will be operationalised (see Chapter 1); b) Provide a situational overview of the HIV/AIDS/STI M&E situation in Eritrea, so as to define the priority areas of focus for the national HIV/AIDS/STI M&E Framework (Chapter 2); c) Define all components (indicators, data sources, information products and dissemination to stakeholders) of the national HIV/AIDS/STI M&E System (Chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6); d) Outline what management structures and processes are needed for the national HIV/AIDS/STI M&E system to be fully functional, and describe the way in which the national HIV/AIDS/STI M&E system will be operationalised (Chapter 7).