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

Looking back, moving forward: Improving the lives of orphans and other children affected by AIDS, Horizons studies 1998 to 2007

In 1997, the Population Council initiated the Horizons Program—a decade-long USAID-funded collaboration with the International Center for Research on Women, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, PATH, Tulane University, Family Health International, and Johns Hopkins University—designing, implementing, evaluating, and expanding innovative strategies for HIV prevention and care. Horizons developed and tested ways to optimize HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs; worked to reduce stigma and improve gender-biased behaviors; and greatly expanded knowledge about the best ways to support, protect, and treat children affected by HIV and AIDS. In all its projects, Horizons strengthened the capacity of local institutions by providing support and training to colleagues. This synthesis paper presents lessons learned and best practices on one of the key topics that Horizons investigated: improving the lives of orphans and other children affected by AIDS

ABCs for HIV prevention in Kenya: Messages, beliefs, and barriers

A great deal of attention has been focused recently on promoting the “ABCs” of HIV prevention— abstinence or delaying sex, being faithful to one sexual partner or reducing the number of sexual partners, and consistently using condoms during sex. Yet even as programs that focus on the ABCs to prevent sexual HIV transmission are rolled out, questions remain about how well different groups in varied cultural contexts understand the terms, as well as how best to address challenges to adopting the ABC behaviors. The Horizons Program and FHI/IMPACT developed a collaborative research study in 2004 to explore how adults and youth in Kenya define and perceive the ABC terms and behaviors. Additional study objectives, noted in this research summary, 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

Beacon of hope: Evaluation of the Kenya Girl Guides Association HIV/AIDS program for school children

This Horizons report presents findings from an evaluation of the Kenya Girl Guides Participatory Peer Education Program for HIV and AIDS Prevention. The objective of the program was to train Girl Guide patrol leaders as peer educators, who in turn would communicate key information and concepts about such topics as HIV prevention, relationships, and self-esteem to other Girl Guides, and ultimately to their school peers. The results demonstrate that peer education conducted by Girl Guides is a feasible strategy for imparting HIV and AIDS education to school-going youth; however, such a program would need to be branded, strengthened, and appropriately resourced to attain positive results that extend beyond the Girl Guides to include their peers. The results also demonstrate that school girls in this study are operating in an environment where their male counterparts are more than seven times as likely to be sexually experienced, and may be exerting considerable pressure to have sex even on the strongest of girls. HIV risk-reduction programs directed at school girls may be more successful if they also address the risk behavior of school boys