Addis Birhan project: Working with boys and men to address young girls\u27 social vulnerability

In Ethiopia, the Ethiopia Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Amhara Regional Bureau of Youth and Sports, and the Population Council implemented programs for vulnerable girls. As these programs increased in popularity, demand for support programs arose from husbands. Qualitative, in-depth interviews were undertaken among adolescents, men, and women in the Amhara Region, exploring the roles of men and women, risk-taking behavior, and patterns of HIV and reproductive health vulnerability. Addis Birhan (“New Light”), a program of the Regional Bureaus of Youth and Sports in Amhara and Tigray and the Population Council for rural men in Ethiopia, targets married men in peri-urban and rural areas in northern Ethiopia. Based on existing curricula from Population Council India, Promundo, and EngenderHealth, the Population Council Ethiopia tailored a curriculum for rural Ethiopian men. Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 6 describes this program and a curriculum that includes modules on gender, relationships, caring for children and families, drugs and alcohol, HIV and AIDS, sexual and reproductive health, and violence

Evaluation of HIV counseling and testing in ANC settings and adherence to short course antiretroviral prophylaxis for PMTCT in Francistown, Botswana

Worldwide, it is estimated that two million children are infected with HIV (USAID 2005). The vast majority of these infections are the result of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of the virus during pregnancy, labor, or breastfeeding. However, there are effective methods for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT). Botswana is one of the first countries in the developing world with a national PMTCT program that uses an efficacious and complex regimen to reduce vertical transmission. At the time of this evaluation (August - December 2005), the standard of care for prevention of MTCT of HIV in Botswana included three-drug antiretroviral therapy for HIV-infected women with a CD4 count of 200 (300 mg AZT in the morning and 300 mg AZT in the evening); four weeks of AZT for their infants; single-dose maternal and infant nevirapine (NVP); and 12 months of free infant formula. Botswana's PMTCT program also provided routine HIV testing for all pregnant women during antenatal care (ANC) to identify HIV-positive women for prophylaxis or treatment. While programs often report the number of individuals beginning AZT and receiving nevirapine for PMTCT, effectiveness is dependent on the level of adherence of individuals to these regimens. To describe adherence of pregnant women to the current PMTCT regimen, the Horizons Program of the Population Council, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Premiere Personnel in Botswana, conducted an evaluation to describe HIV-related services provided to women during their pregnancies, document the content of post-test counseling sessions for HIV-positive pregnant women, whether HIV-positive women remembered what had been discussed, the extent of AZT adherence based on self-reports, and the operational successes and barriers to adherence to AZT for PMTCT

RAPIDS evaluation final report 2005-2009 key findings

RAPIDS (Reaching HIV/AIDS Affected People with Integrated Development and Support) is an intervention funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and is designed to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS in Zambia. The overall goal of RAPIDS is to improve the quality of life of Zambians affected by HIV and AIDS by expanding successful community-based models of home-based care and support to orphans and vulnerable children and people who are chronically ill, as well as through interventions targeting youth with livelihood opportunities and life-skills training, focusing on initiatives supporting abstinence and being faithful

Assessing and improving self-reporting of male circumcision in Zambia and Swaziland

The Male Circumcision (MC) Partnership was established with the support of the Gates Foundation and PEPFAR to scale up MC services in Zambia, in collaboration with the Zambian government. The MC Partnership is a five-year project led by Population Services International (Society for Family Health, Zambia), in partnership with Jhpiego, Marie Stopes International (MSI), and the Population Council. The ultimate objective of this study is to provide researchers and program managers with evidence-based recommendations for the collection of self-reported data on MC status through an assessment of different methods to describe and explain MC. Specifically, the study assessed tools for improving the reporting of circumcision status, including a) a detailed verbal description of male circumcision, b) an illustration of a circumcised and an uncircumcised penis, and c) computerized self-interviewing technology

Orphans and vulnerable youth in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe: An exploratory study of psychosocial well-being and psychosocial support

This Population Council Horizons report presents findings from an exploratory study by the Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative and Catholic Relief Services’ Support to Replicable, Innovative Village/Community-level Efforts Program of vulnerable youth living in and around Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. It describes their demographic characteristics, exposure to stress and trauma, and psychosocial well-being. The report also highlights the relationships between psychosocial well-being outcomes and exposure to stress and trauma, and the differences in psychosocial well-being between males and females, orphaned and nonorphaned youth, and younger and older adolescents. The report concludes with program and research implications

ABC messages for HIV prevention in Kenya: Clarity and confusion, barriers and facilitators

The Horizons Program and FHI/IMPACT developed a collaborative research study to explore how adults and youth in Kenya define and perceive the ABC (abstinence/being faithful/consistent condom use) terms and behaviors. Additional objectives of the study were to identify attitudes and norms around the ABC behaviors that influence perceptions of them, and the role of important actors in transmitting messages about them. Findings highlight potential challenges in promoting each of the ABC behaviors, as well as some positive elements that can be built upon when developing programs. HIV prevention programs that incorporate ABC messages—both in Kenya and elsewhere—should consider a number of lessons highlighted in this study

Evaluation of the informed consent process for male circumcision scale-up in Swaziland

This report evaluates the informed consent process for male circumcision conducted through the Male Circumcision Partnership for Swaziland, led by Population Services International, in partnership with Jhpiego, Marie Stopes International, and the Population Council. The study assesses participants\u27 comprehension of the circumcision process, the informed consent process, as well as the affect of male circumcision counseling on their experience

Key findings from an evaluation of the mothers2mothers program in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The Horizons program of Population Council, in collaboration with Health Systems Trust, completed the first evaluation of mothers2mothers (m2m) as part of its introduction in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. It is the first external evaluation that provides quantitative evidence about the role of the well-known m2m program in complementing services to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT). m2m is a peer support program that aims to provide education and psychosocial support to HIV-positive pregnant women and new mothers, help women access existing health care, and follow up with mothers and babies to ensure they receive appropriate medical care after delivery. The study examined what contribution peer support can make toward improving psychosocial well-being among HIV-positive women, uptake of PMTCT services, and PMTCT knowledge and behaviors. The evaluation shows that a peer support program is effective in helping HIV-positive women adhere to PMTCT recommendations

Evaluation of the informed consent process for male circumcision scale-up in Zambia

This report evaluates the informed consent process for male circumcision conducted through the Male Circumcision Partnership for Zambia, led by Population Services International (Society for Family Health, Zambia), in partnership with Jhpiego, Marie Stopes International, and the Population Council. The objectives of the study were to assess male circumcision clients\u27 comprehension of the informed consent process, examine social norms and practices regarding informed consent for adolescents, compare clients\u27 expectations and experiences, and make additional recommendations for improving the informed consent process

Evaluation of HIV counseling and testing in ANC settings and adherence to short course antiretroviral prophylaxis for PMTCT in Francistown, Botswana

The vast majority of children infected with HIV are the result of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of the virus during pregnancy, labor, or breastfeeding. Botswana is one of the first countries in the developing world with a national prevention program (PMTCT) to reduce vertical transmission. The Horizons Program of the Population Council, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Premiere Personnel in Botswana, conducted an evaluation to describe the adherence of pregnant women to the current PMTCT regimen. The report recommends standardizing post-test counseling content through the use of job aids and adapting existing WHO materials, assessing each client’s understanding of essential HIV information, encouraging provision of at least two post-test counseling sessions for each woman and inviting partners and other family members, and improving the distribution of AZT as well as information about community resources