Insights and evidence gaps in girl-centered programming: A systematic review

Increased attention to the needs of adolescent girls has led to a growing number of programs in low- and middle-income countries. Questions remain, however, about what aspects of program design are most effective. This hinders efforts to effectively allocate resources, scale up programs, and replicate results across settings. This review looks at how the number of program components, involvement of supporting actors who influence the lives of girls, supplemental “booster” activities, intervention exposure level, and community saturation level influenced outcomes for girls. While findings suggest the importance of multicomponent programs and longer program exposure, each area requires further rigorous research to determine whether and under what circumstances they amplify impact

Responding to Cairo: Case Studies of Changing Practice in Reproductive Health and Family Planning

The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo codified views long advocated by women’s health activists the world over. The conference marked a turning point in the history of the population field—one that brought reproductive health and women’s rights to the forefront of the international population agenda. The 22 case studies in this book document changes in practice in reproductive health and family planning programs within 18 countries. The case studies demonstrate the important strides that were made in the years following the conference and point to many challenges that remain. The abolition or modification of population policies that are inimical to women\u27s freedom of choice, integration and expansion of reproductive health services to meet a broader range of women\u27s needs, efforts to address sexuality, gender-based power, and partner relations in the service-delivery context, and the social and economic causes of women\u27s reproductive health problems are discussed

Empowering young mothers in India: Results of the First-time Parents Project

In India, sexual activity among girls and young women typically takes place within marriage. Nationally, as many as 30 percent of adolescent girls aged 15–19 are married, presumably sexually active, and under pressure to bear a first child early in the marriage. While sexual activity for the majority of adolescent Indian girls occurs within the socially sanctioned institution of marriage, marital sex is not inherently safe, voluntary, or pleasurable. Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 8 describes the Population Council’s efforts to support married adolescent girls. The Council, in partnership with the Child in Need Institute and Deepak Charitable Trust, implemented a comprehensive intervention called the First-time Parents Project. The project was based on the hypothesis that the periods following marriage and surrounding the first birth offer a unique opportunity to improve the prospects of young mothers and foster more equitable relations with their husbands. The Council and partners designed a study to assess the effects of the intervention on young women’s reproductive health knowledge and practices, partner communication and support, social networks, and personal agency

Sexuality and HIV education: Time for a paradigm shift

For decades, curriculum-based sexuality education has been a cornerstone of school- and community-based efforts to improve young people’s sexual and reproductive health, and more recently to prevent HIV infection. Unfortunately, public discourse about sex education has been mired in polarizing debates that distract attention from determining how sex and HIV education programs might best achieve the shared goals of many different constituencies. A recent comprehensive review of the impact of school-based sexuality and HIV education programs in developed and developing countries found that two-thirds of the programs reduced the risk associated with one or more reported sexual behaviors. This finding has led experts to recommend broad implementation of adult-led, school-based sex and HIV education that includes key characteristics common to effective programs. Yet, the ongoing HIV epidemic—increasingly affecting females and young people, especially in developing countries—and the human costs of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections underscore the urgent need to optimize sex and HIV education programs. Population Council analyses point to several key areas in need of rethinking, which are reviewed in this Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 22

The (Mis)Reporting of Male Circumcision Status among Men and Women in Zambia and Swaziland: A Randomized Evaluation of Interview Methods

BACKGROUND: To date, male circumcision prevalence has been estimated using surveys of men self-reporting their circumcision status. HIV prevention trials and observational studies involving female participants also collect data on partners' circumcision status as a risk factor for HIV/STIs. A number of studies indicate that reports of circumcision status may be inaccurate. This study assessed different methods for improving self- and partner reporting of circumcision status. METHODS/FINDINGS: The study was conducted in urban and rural Zambia and urban Swaziland. Men (N = 1264) aged 18-50 and their female partners (N = 1264), and boys (N = 840) aged 13-17 were enrolled. Participants were recruited from HIV counseling and testing sites, health centers, and surrounding communities. The study experimentally assessed methods for improving the reporting of circumcision status, including: a) a simple description of circumcision, b) a detailed description of circumcision, c) an illustration of a circumcised and uncircumcised penis, and d) computerized self-interviewing. Self-reports were compared to visual examination. For men, the error in reporting was largely unidirectional: uncircumcised men more often reported they were circumcised (2-7%), depending on setting. Fewer circumcised men misrepresented their status (0.05-5%). Misreporting by women was significantly higher (11-15%), with the error in both directions. A sizable number of women reported that they did not know their partner's circumcision status (3-8%). Computerized interviewing did not improve accuracy. Providing an illustration, particularly for illiterate participants, significantly improved reporting of circumcision status, decreasing misreporting among illiterate participants from 13% to 10%, although misreporting was not eliminated. CONCLUSIONS: Study results suggest that the prevalence of circumcision may be overestimated in Zambia and Swaziland; the error in reporting is higher among women than among men. Improved reporting when a description or illustration is provided suggests that the source of the error is a lack of understanding of male circumcision

It\u27s All One Curriculum: Activities for a Unified Approach to Sexuality, Gender, HIV, and Human Rights Education

Education on sexuality and HIV can help adolescents develop the capacity for healthy, respectful relationships and protect themselves from unwanted and unsafe sex, unintended pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections. A 2015 Population Council study found that sexuality and HIV education programs that address gender and power in intimate relationships are five times more likely to be effective than programs that do not. However, most curricula still do not address these issues. It’s All One Curriculum provides a rationale, content, and sample activities for placing gender and rights at the center of sexuality and HIV curricula—both as stand-alone modules and integrated with topics such as relationships, puberty, and condom use. “It’s All One curriculum: Activities” (Volume 2) presents sensitive information appropriately in a wide range of such contexts in Africa, the Americas, the Arab world, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific. This book is designed primarily for curriculum developers, schoolteachers, and community educators responsible for education in the areas of sexuality/sexual health (including AIDS) and civics or social studies

It\u27s All One Curriculum: Guidelines for a Unified Approach to Sexuality, Gender, HIV, and Human Rights Education

Education on sexuality and HIV can help adolescents develop the capacity for healthy, respectful relationships and protect themselves from unwanted and unsafe sex, unintended pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections. A 2015 Population Council study found that sexuality and HIV education programs that address gender and power in intimate relationships are five times more likely to be effective than programs that do not. However, most curricula still do not address these issues. “It’s All One Curriculum” provides a rationale, content, and sample activities for placing gender and rights at the center of sexuality and HIV curricula—both as stand-alone modules and integrated with topics such as relationships, puberty, and condom use. “It\u27s All One Curriculum: Guidelines” (Volume 1) presents sensitive information appropriately in a wide range of such contexts in Africa, the Americas, the Arab world, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific. This book is designed primarily for curriculum developers, schoolteachers, and community educators responsible for education in the areas of sexuality/sexual health (including AIDS) and civics or social studies

GirlsRead! Girls’ Rights: An Empowerment Curriculum

This curriculum guide is designed to help female mentors in the GirlsRead! program in Zambia to directly engage girls in critical thinking about gender inequalities and discrimination, and help them build the assets and confidence needed to act on their own behalf and as progressive voices in their communities. GirlsRead! participants are girls in grade 7—the last year of primary school—when they are at high risk of leaving school. The curriculum includes 19 sessions that cover a range of topics from gender equality to sexuality to rights, in meetings that provide a space and opportunity for girls to regularly interact with each other. Mentors can use the guide to learn the material they will present and practice facilitating the activities on their own or with a friend