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Sexual and gender based violence in Africa : literature review

RUMBOLD, Victoria
February 2008

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"This literature review is intended to inform partners in the Population Council-coordinated regional network that aims to develop a multi-sectoral and comprehensive response to SGBV (Sexual and Gender Based Violence) in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa. The review is structured around seven components collectively designed to meet the medical, psychological and justice needs of survivors of sexual violence. The components consist of a comprehensive review of region-specific policies, programmatic experiences and best practices relating to the appropriate medical management of sexual violence, enabling effective criminal justice responses to all SGBV cases, and the reduction of levels of violence at the community level"

Repositioning postnatal care in a high HIV environment : Swaziland

WARREN, Charlotte
et al
2008

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This report arose from recognition of the need to provide better care and follow up of mothers and infants in the postnatal period in order to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes in Swaziland. The objectives of the study were to determine if changes to the guidelines on postnatal care would result in improvements to provision of of maternal and newborn care in the postnatal period, increase utilization of postnatal care services among all postpartum (PP) women, and improve the care and follow up of HIV-positive postpartum women and their infants. The study confirmed that the introduction of an improved postnatal package with revised timing and content provided key components of maternal, newborn, and HIV care, and increased the utilization of services among postpartum women and their infants. An assessment of the quality of care during client-provider interactions for all postpartum women demonstrated a fourfold increase in the proportion that included all aspects of care: maternal and newborn health, counseling for HIV, family planning, and improved provider-client relationships

The straight talk campaign in Uganda : impact of mass media initiatives

ADAMCHK, Susan E.
et al
September 2007

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This summary report presents the findings of an evaluation of the Straight Talk mass media communication programmes to inform youth in Africa about sexual and reproductive health, which have been implemented in Uganda since 1993. The campaign was delivered through a radio show and two newspapers - one aimed at primary school children and one at secondary school students

Community based approaches to prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV : findings from a low income community in Kenya

KAAI, Susan-Baek
et al
August 2007

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This is the report of an intervention study in Kibera, an urban slum in Nairobi, to determine what effect three different community-based activities had on the utilisation of key prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services. The interventions included moving services closer to the population via mobile clinics, as well as increasing psychosocial support through the use of traditional birth attendants and peer counsellors as PMTCT promoters

Transcending boundaries to improve the food security of HIV-affected households in rural Uganda : a case study

COON, Katharine
et al
July 2007

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This report provides a case study of a process to bring key technical sectors together with communities in a partnership for reducing food insecurity among HIV-affected households in Tororo, Uganda. Food security is the ability of individuals to consume sufficient quantity and quality of food to meet their daily needs. Food security depends on the availability of food, physical and economic access to it, and the physiological utilisation of nutrients. The case study is based on project documents and qualitative interviews and focus group discussions conducted with participants in the Partners for Food Security PAFOSE project

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

BAEK, Carolyn
et al
June 2007

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Mothers2mothers (m2m) is a peer support programme that aims to provide education and psycho-social support to HIV-positive pregnant women and new mothers' help women access existing health care services to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT); and follow up with mothers and babies to ensure they receive appropriate medical care after delivery. While there has been much interest in innovative psycho-social support programmes that complement PMTCT clinical services, only a few such programmes exist, and there are very little data about their effectiveness. Although m2m is a well known programme with anecdotal accounts of successfully supporting HIV-positive women, it had yet to undergo an external evaluation. The Horizons Program of Population Council, in collaboration with Health Systems Trust, completed the first evaluation of m2m as part of its introduction in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa

Girls' adolescence in Burkina Faso : a pivot point for social change

BRADY, Martha
SALOUCOU, Lydia
CHONG, Erica
2007

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As closer attention is paid to the lives of adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa, girls are found to be clearly disadvantaged, compared with their male counterparts. In Burkina Faso it is estimated that 74 percent of girls aged 15-19 cannot read. Burkinabé girls are frequently married at a young age, and more than one-third of married girls find themselves in polygamous unions as second or third wives, married to much older men. Understanding and recognising girls' realities is an important first step in planning appropriate and meaningful interventions for them. Girls who are unmarried, "promised," engaged, or married face different constraints and merit different program approaches. This report aims to fill gaps in our knowledge regarding adolescent Burkinabé girls so as better serve the needs of this most vulnerable population

Community advocates training manual : the HIV/AIDS prevention project for vulnerable youth in northern Nigeria

POPULATION COUNCIL
2007

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"The Community Advocates training manual is a curriculum developed by Population Council, Nigeria under the HIV Prevention Project for Vulnerable Youth in Northern Nigeria funded by USAID/Nigeria. The curriculum was developed as a tool for training community advocates to conduct advocacy activities on the issues of early marriage, HIV/AIDS and reproductive health. The curriculum is developed on the premise that community representatives can speak out on issues concerning their lives and community, if given the necessary skills"

Expanding pediatric access to antiretroviral therapy in South Africa

MICHAELS, Desireé
et al
August 2006

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This paper presents the results of a rapid situational analysis of the antiretroviral (ARV) rollout in South Africa which found that several ARV programmes are treating children successfully. However, all the institutions surveyed identified a large number of concerns and challenges that need to be overcome in order to improve care for children living with HIV. Key actions required include early identification of HIV-infected children, effective referral, standardised training in pediatric HIV management for health professionals, and increased community awareness and support

Teachers matter : baseline findings on the HIV-related needs of Kenyan teachers

KIRAGU, K.
et al
August 2006

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This paper summarises a baseline study on assessing changes in teachers’ knowledge of HIV & AIDS, risk behaviours (e.g., multiple partners and unprotected sex), and utilisation of voluntary counselling and testing. The workplace model will also aim to assist teachers who are infected with and affected by the disease through helping them to identify and access available treatment, care, and support community resources

Pregnancy-related school dropout and prior school performance in South Africa

GRANT, Monica
HALLMAN, Kelly
June 2006

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Although considerable attention has been paid to the prevalence of adolescent childbearing in the less-developed world, few studies have focused on the educational consequences of schoolgirl pregnancy. Using data collected in 2001 in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, this paper examines the factors associated with schoolgirl pregnancy, as well as the likelihood of school dropout and subsequent re-enrollment among pregnant schoolgirls. This analysis triangulates data collected from birth histories, education histories, and data concerning pregnancy to strengthen the identification of young women who became pregnant while enrolled in school and to define discrete periods of school interruption prior to first pregnancy. We find that prior school performance - defined as instances of grade repetition or non-pregnancy-related temporary withdrawals from school - is strongly associated with a young woman's likelihood of becoming pregnant while enrolled in school, dropping out of school if she becomes pregnant, and not returning to school following a pregnancy-related dropout. Young women who are the primary caregivers to their children are also significantly more likely to have left school than are women who shared or relinquished childcare responsibilities. Furthermore, young women who lived with an adult female were significantly more likely to return to school following a pregnancy-related dropout. Given the increasing levels of female school participation in sub-Saharan Africa, our findings suggest that future studies will benefit from exploring the causal relationships between prior school experiences, adolescent reproductive behavior, and subsequent school attendance

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

GILBORN, Laeila
et al
February 2006

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This is the report of a study to develop a better understanding of psychosocial well-being among vulnerable adolescents and how to measure it, and to explore the effects of participation in psychosocial support programmes on adolescents’ psychosocial well-being. The study focuses on adolescents because of the presence of psychosocial support programmes for this age group in the study area. Adolescence is a distinct stage in psychological development, and vulnerable adolescents, especially those affected by HIV & AIDS, face unique responsibilities and challenges, such as earning wages, managing households, and caring for younger children and sick adults

Social relationships and adolescents’ HIV counseling and testing decisions in Zambia

DENISON, Julie
et al
2006

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Families can play an important role in young peoples' decision-making about getting tested for HIV. To encourage youth to seek voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) and ensure that they receive follow-up care, programme managers need to implement communication strategies that promote discussion about VCT within families and strengthen referral systems to better link HIV-positive youth with care services

Programming for HIV prevention in South African schools : a report on program implementation

REDDY, Priscilla
SHEGS, James
MCCAULEY, Ann
December 2005

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This is an evaluation study conducted in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. It provides insights into whether learners who participated in a fact-based, interactive course had more knowledge about HIV risks, prevention, and care practices; more positive attitudes toward prevention practices and people living with HIV and AIDS; and a higher prevalence of reported safe behaviours, than comparable learners who did not participate in the course

The changing context of sexual initiation in sub-Saharan Africa

MENSCH, Barbara S
GRANT, Monica J
BLANC, Ann K
November 2005

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During the past 20 years, substantial reductions have occurred in the proportion of young women who report marrying as teenagers in sub-Saharan Africa. An oft-stated consequence of a delay in age at marriage is a rise in the proportion of young women who engage in premarital sex. This paper investigates the links between changing age at marriage and premarital sexual behavior in 27 sub-Saharan African countries in which Demographic and Health Surveys were conducted between 1994 and 2003. Using multiple-decrement life tables to examine the competing risks of premarital sex and marriage without prior sexual experience, we answer the largely unaddressed question of how reductions in the prevalence of early marriage have affected the likelihood of initiating premarital sex. Our analysis reveals that although the age of first sexual activity has either remained the same or increased, a shift in the context of sexual debut from marriage to before marriage has taken place in many countries. We assess whether the increase in the proportion of young women who report premarital sex is influenced by an increase in exposure resulting from delayed marriage or by an increase in the rate of premarital sex. The evidence on this point is mixed; in some settings greater exposure explains more of the increase, whereas in others an increased rate of premarital sex dominates

Succession planning in Uganda : early outreach for AIDS-affected children and their families

HORIZONS
MAKERERE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY
PLAN, UGANDA
December 2004

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This is the report on an intervention study that evaluated the effectiveness of a succession planning programme in Uganda. The programme works with children and their families while their HIV-positive parents are still living and in a position to plan for their children’s long-term well-being. The focus of this report is on the impact of the succession planning intervention on HIV-positive parents’ and standby guardians’ efforts to prepare for the future of children who will experience parental loss. The report also presents findings on the impact of the programme on children and discusses the programme and policy implications of the research

Attracting youth to voluntary counselling and testing services in Uganda

KIRUMIRA, Edward
et al
June 2004

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This summary presents findings from exit interviews conducted with youth 14 to 21 years old leaving services at the AIDS Information Center and Naguru Teenage Information and Health Center in Kampala to measure satisfaction by youth with services, and in-depth interviews with counsellors to learn their views of the job and the new youth-focused services

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