The role of traditional leaders in preventing and addressing sexual and gender-based violence: Findings from KwaZulu-Natal, Northwest and Limpopo provinces in South Africa

The Population Council, in partnership with the Ubuntu Institute, embarked on a program to engage traditional Leaders in three South African provinces (North West, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo) to address sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in rural communities. The overarching goals of the program were to strengthen linkages between the Population Council and traditional communities, generate and share strategic information on SGBV, strengthen prevention and response to child sexual assault, engage new partners to address prevention of and access to SGBV services, and expand access to comprehensive post-rape services by working with traditional leadership structures. Some of the key findings reflect a variety of cross-cutting lessons that can inform future SGBV prevention and response activities with traditional leaders

Developing comprehensive and evidence-based policy and guidelines for antenatal and postnatal care in KwaZulu-Natal

In May 2004, the Maternal Child and Women’s Health department of Kwazulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa requested technical assistance from the Population Council’s USAID-funded FRONTIERS project for developing standardized and comprehensive antenatal and postnatal (ANC/PNC) care policies and guidelines and supportive training and educational materials. The aims and objectives of this project were to: support the development of a comprehensive evidence-based antenatal and postnatal care program in KZN; consolidate lessons learned and evidence around delivery of comprehensive ANC and PNC; revise provincial guidelines to enable comprehensive ANC and PNC services that address PMTCT, partner involvement, syphilis screening, focused visits, and antiretrovirals; develop supportive systems for implementing new guidelines, monitoring and evaluation tools, job aides, and training materials; and build the capacity of healthcare providers and programs, thereby strengthening monitoring of ANC and PNC services. FRONTIERS adopted a participatory process, ensuring buy-in and ownership at all levels through the involvement of all key stakeholders. This approach has not only ensured that local, national, and international research-based evidence fed into the development of the provincial antenatal and postnatal care policies and guidelines, but also that buy-in and ownership were generated at all levels

The prevention and management of HIV and sexual and gender-based violence: Responding to the needs of survivors and those-at-risk

The Population Council seeks to understand the social, economic, political, and physical context of risks for sexual and gender-based violence and HIV. Among the top priorities of Council research are supporting and evaluating efforts to prevent violence and HIV, including creating safe spaces for adolescent girls, and working with men and boys to change gender norms within the community; and comprehensively responding to the needs of survivors (including those who are HIV-infected) by strengthening health systems and integrating services. The purpose of this guide is to provide practical guidance on the steps necessary to establish and strengthen sexual violence (SV) services within existing public health facilities, improve linkages to other sectors, and engage local communities around issues of sexual violence. It includes tips, resources, and tools that will help partners and stakeholders design, implement, and evaluate SV programs

Feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness and cost of models of integrating HIV prevention and counseling and testing for HIV within family planning services in North West Province, South Africa

The Population Council’s USAID-funded Frontiers in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) Program, in collaboration with the National Department of Health and the North West Provincial Department of Health and with support from PEPFAR, initiated a two-phased operations research study to test the acceptability, feasibility, and cost of two different models of integration of counseling and testing for HIV into family planning services in South Africa and to evaluate their effectiveness against standard practice. Based on the studies findings, the report concludes that the integration of HIV prevention activities, including education about prevention, dual protection, and counseling and testing within FP services in public facilities in South Africa is feasible and acceptable to both FP providers and clients. Use of the Balanced Counseling Strategy Plus tool is effective in improving the overall quality of care. Both the testing and referral models were acceptable and effective and so can be used interchangeably depending on client needs and preferences and the skills of the providers. Considering the policy context and the evidence from this study, a number of specific recommendations are proposed

Feasibility, Acceptability, Effectiveness and Cost of Models of Integrating HIV Prevention and Counseling and Testing for HIV within Family Planning Services

This study is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the terms of Cooperative Agreement No. HRN-A-00-98-00012-00 and In-house project 8811 53089. The contents are the responsibility of the FRONTIERS Program and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The activities reported in this document were accomplished due to the important contributions from various institutions and individuals. We wish to acknowledge the following officials who have played critical roles in the process of implementing the study on the integration of C&T within FP services: Members of the Department of Health, North West Province; Maternal and Child Health, Bojanala Region; and the clinics that actively participated in the study. From the Department we want to thank in particular Ms. Pat Chueu, Mr. N. Matjila, Ms. Dikobe, Ms. Mangezi, Mr. D. Baloyi and Mrs. M. Jordan, and all District Supervisors. Special thanks go to the District Information Officers and Lifeline for assisting in the availability of the data, and field workers who conducted the community data collection component of the study. We also want to thank the retired nurses who were extraordinarily helpful in the client-provider interactions