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Stories from the Field

Success Stories

Kenya

150 teachers learned about adolescent health

As a result of YMEP's partnership with the Ministries of Education and Health, joint planning is conducted at district level. Several other partners implementing similar programmes have been identified and discussions and sharing of experiences are ongoing.

Through the two ministries, efforts are also being made to ensure expansion of the project. The Ministry of Education has scaled up training within the three programme sites. Within Homa-Bay and Nyando Districts, 50 and 100 teachers respectively have been trained in Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health, including HIV-prevention.

Encouraged to keep up sexuality education

All the schools within the project area have initiated health clubs. At least one health club meeting is held each week. Some of the health club activities include: health talks, gardening, tree planting, outreach to the sick and peer education.
At a teachers' review meeting in Kenya Homa-Bay District, one of the teachers at Mirogi Primary School had the following to say:
"There are marked positive changes in our school as a result of the YMEP programme. (...) In our school, some teachers felt we were moving too far in exposing pupils to sex education. They feared the possibility of the pupils engaging in such practices early. Their fear increased as pupils began drawing and labelling the sexual organs in class and were freely discussing issues on sexuality. This made us coil because parents were equally getting concerned about their children who could openly discuss sexuality topics while asking them 'embarrassing' questions. At some point, we felt like withdrawing from the project and might have done so if it was not for the encouragement of the YMEP staff who visited our school."

"YMEP should talk to parents"

Another teacher from Ndhiwa Primary had a similar story to tell at the teachers' review meeting in Kenya Homa-Bay District.
"We had a similar challenge in our school. Teachers feared the turn of events in school and were worried that they would interfere with the curriculum.
Mentioning reproductive organs was a real issue and parents started questioning what their children are exposed to. We decided to form a guidance and counseling committee to help us deal with the challenges. We intensified discussions with our pupils while impressing upon them the need to become responsible even in their speech. Similar discussions were held with the teachers during staff meetings.
We started seeing a change in attitude. The school administration allowed us to have one hour of YMEP activities every Thursday, and we communicated to the parents about the delay in releasing their children from school.
YMEP as a project should seek to reach out to the parents in order to bridge existing gaps."

Fewer pregnancies among Bondo schoolgirls

Account by teacher at Majengo Mixed Secondary school in Bondo District:
"We have witnessed a great improvement with reduced cases of pregnancies. Last year we had 10 cases; this year only one. We tried counselling the pregnant girl, encouraging her to remain in school. To our surprise, the girl ran away fearing she would be discovered by the school administration.
Although it is a policy that girls who become pregnant should be encouraged to remain in school, it is very challenging, and in most cases, the school management feels that such students send the wrong signals to others, giving the impression that it is permissible to engage in sex. (...) All heads of school need orientation on the YMEP project. This would enable them to give full support to the project, and encourage them to liaise with the guidance and counselling teachers before taking action against pupils engaging in deviant behaviour."

Source: The 2007 Half-year Narrative Report from FHOK

YMEP inspires Ministry of Health

One of the National Trainer of Trainers, trained in the YMEP Programme, recieved a promotion to move to the national office of the Ministry of Health. He has disseminated information on YMEP Programme to the head office staff that are now willing to hold discussions with the programme. Discussions will be held in order to show how the YMEP concept can be integrated into the National framework for Youth Friendly Service Provision.

Source: the Annual Report 2006

Tanzania

YMEP expansion in Arumeru

The district government leaders appreciate the YMEP project and have committed to support it. One of them is the District Medical Officer Dr. Msuya, who said to UMATI staff:
– You know, what you are doing was supposed to be done by my office. Therefore I will never let this project fail. I am looking at how to copy what you are doing. But due to limited resources we are going to start with one ward.

YMEP initiative gets into full council meeting in Songea

The Songea YMEP team has established a strong partnership with the local government. On two occasions the site coordinator has been invited to present the YMEP initiative in Songea. During these meetings he has presented the project for 15 councellors and 10 municipal heads of departments and technical teams, and discussed a possible expansion. The Municipal Full Council agreed to integrate the YMEP project into the district development plan for the financial year of 2007/2008, and one ward will be expanded.

Staying safe during the holiday

In Arumeru, YMEP staff organized an outreach campaign in some schools during the week that schools close for holiday. The aim was to give students key messages on staying safe while on holiday, as there are experiences that a lot of sex (mostly unsafe) takes place during that period because students feel free from school's engagements. UMATI received good feedback from teachers and parents. The schools in Arumeru have about 1,500 students. This outreach campaign estimates to have reached more than 50 percent of them.

Peer educator taught safe sex at football game

The YMEP youth clubs at Songea organized a football match on the 24th of June 2007. A total of 1,650 youths and adults attended the match. As the football was taking place, a YMEP peer educator was providing SRHR information linking with the different events in the football ground. For example when rough was done he linked it to STI’s, and the person got a yellow card. When a big rough was made and the person given a red card, he related it to HIV/AIDS.


	Brief reports on the successful implementation in Arumeru during the summer of 2007. (PDF: 103kb)

Pictures from Shinyanga and Arumeru.


	Voices from Shinyanga on a couple of important results. (PDF: 69kb)

Uganda


	Male-only clinics made more men use sexual and reproductive health services in Arua. (PDF: 8459kb)

Zambia


	Edgar Simbeye, Assistant Project Coordinator, reports on overwhelming support from different sectors of people in all five YMEP programme sites. Download to read the success story. (PDF: 668kb)


	Lwamba Muda, Peer Educator, tells us the story about the young girl who was sexually abused by her boss and was infected with a STI by him. (PDF: 668kb)