Integrated Activity: This activity links to Activity ID 18079.08.

SUMMARY: In FY 2007, the USG will wrap around an activity to be carried out by a local NGO to be

contracted by USAID's Education Office with the objective of better linking children and youth with HIV/AIDS

programming. The USG will provide funds to expand the school curriculum to target prevention messages

to older students to reduce risky behavior and avoid sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS and

unwanted pregnancies. Efforts will be undertaken to expand the EdVie program (radio broadcasts in Creole

which support in-class leaning) and organize extra-curricular school activities such as youth camps to

incorporate appropriate prevention, abstinence and be faithful messages to these youth.This program is

split funded 25% OP and 75% AB.

Background

The USAID Education program supports activities for in-school children and out-of-school youth. In primary

schools, USAID supports a cluster school program reaching over 200 schools in the North and West

Regional Departments which delivers a package of services including teacher, school director, and parent

committee training. These 200 schools, plus an additional 300 schools, receive an in-school interactive

radio instruction program in math and Creole reading in grades two through four. Interactive radio

instruction is an innovative methodology that supports the teacher in the classroom through radio

broadcasts and supporting print materials. The success of this approach in Haiti has led to two additional

interactive radio instruction programs—one in life skills for students in grades five and six and one targeting

out-of-school children and youth (ages 12-18). USAID has an additional program targeting out-of-school

youth ages 15-24. The interactive radio instruction programs are developed by the Fondation Haitienne de

l'Enseignement Prive (FONHEP) and are implemented by a variety of partners, including FONHEP itself.

ACTIVITY 1: Strengthening in-school prevention activities

This activity will build on USAID work promoting life skills education in selected schools and networks

targeted in the urban security "hot spots". Working with the PEPFAR behavior change communication

(BCC) network, the USG will support education NGOs and CBOs to adapt pedagogical kits/guides based on

the basic messages for abstinence and be faithful targeted at in-school youth. This year, efforts will be

targeted at encouraging accurate and consistent messages for younger primary students around abstinence

and health and hygiene. Messages for older primary school students will be incorporated into the curriculum

and will focus, among others, on messages on abstinence, and secondary abstinence, avoiding and

reducing high risk behaviors, reproductive health, dating, sexual violence and referrals for those youth

requiring clinical services for STIs, HIV counseling and testing (CT) or other tests. The in-school component

will strengthen school directors' and teachers' capacity to integrate life skills education in the classroom and

ensure that adequate age-appropriate materials are available. It is envisioned that up to 20 schools will be

selected for intensifying prevention efforts. Approximately 30 (administrators, teachers and parent

volunteers) from each school will be taught in the revised curriculum for a total of 600 adult leaders being

trained. In addition, parent leaders and volunteers will organize sessions within monthly parent teacher

association (PTA) meetings to provide education to adults on HIV/AIDS prevention activities. This will also

provide a forum to sensitize parents and to discuss the life skills education activities being received by their

children. It is envisioned that approximately 50 parents per school will be reached during the year for a total

of 1,000 parents reached during parent meetings. It is anticipated that approximately 100 students per

school will benefit from prevention education. Following teacher training, selected grades will expand life

skills education sessions targeting those youth most at risk. Approximately 2,000 in-school students will be

reached. In addition, in-school extra-curricular activities will be organized to promote HIV/AIDS prevention.

This will include theater workshops targeting children, where the HIV-AIDS prevention messages will be

transmitted; carnivals and fairs with HIV/AIDS prevention activities, and Open House days (Journées Porte

Ouverte) for parents and communities. Summer camps will be organized and include HIV/AIDS prevention

and education. An additional 1,000 school children will be reached with prevention education during extra-

curricular programs.

ACTIVITY 2: Enhancing the EdVie program

Under the current USAID funding for the EdVie program,a series of 27 lessons and accompanying print

material has been developed. In order to expand and deepen programming, the USG will fund in FY 2007

three to five more lessons to be added to the existing program transmissions to provide additional

abstinence and be faithful (AB) messages. Support will be provided to develop and adapt existing HIV/AIDS

materials such as flyers, articles, books, and other information and communication materials in order to

incorporate content. Innovative methodologies will be used in targeting age-appropriate "A" messages to 10

-14 year olds and "AB" messages to 15-18 year olds. New materials, educational games, and participant

guides will be developed/adapted into Creole and used during the weekly radio broadcasts. Reading and

writing contests, debates, and competitions will be organized to encourage wide discussion and diffusion of

correct information regarding HIV/AIDS prevention and preventing transmission.

For each series of radio lessons, schools will organize supplementary activities which provide outreach to

the communities. This could include movie nights, conferences, debates, and community seminars

organized by trained resources persons including PEPFAR-funded implementing partners. It is anticipated

that up to 10 schools will be eligible to add the new HIV/AIDS component to their EdVie program. Each

school will target about 100 students each for a total of 1,000 students reached initially through the EdVie

program. Modest support institutional reinforcement, logistics, equipment, supplies and air time will be

provided to each participating schools. Funds will be provided to organizing supplementary activities holding

community events and forums.

Emphasis Area:

Community Mobilization/Participation10 - 50

Information, Education and Communication10 - 50

Training

Targets:

Number of individuals reached through community outreach that promotes HIV/AIDS prevention through

abstinence (a subset of total reached with AB): 1,000

Number of individuals reached through community outreach that promotes HIV/AIDS prevention through

abstinence and/or being faithful: 3,000

Activity Narrative:

Number of individuals trained to promote HIV/AIDS prevention through abstinence and/or being faithful:

1,600

Target Populations:

In-school Youth

Parents

Teachers

School Administrators

Out of School Youth

Integrated Activity: This activity links to Activity ID 17891.08.

SUMMARY: In FY 2008, the USG will award a contract for the management of the USAID Basic Education

Project. The Mission's new program in basic education will support two program components: 1) Improve

Equitable Access to Quality basic Education; and 2) Strengthen Public Sector Executive Function of the

Ministry of Education. The Basic Education Project will link with other Mission programs in the education,

health, democracy and governance, and economic growth sectors. Linkages will include the HIV/AIDS

Program, Microfinance Program, Food Security Program, Human Rights and Civil Society Programs, and

Programs supporting Populations at Risk. Given the upcoming procurement process and the variables

associated with the start-up of activities, targets posted below are subject to change. This program is split

funded 25% OP and 75% AB.

BACKGROUND: A key component of PEPFAR's prevention programs is awareness building and education

of children and adolescents around HIV/AIDS. This is accomplished through programs implemented

through local NGOs, such as FOSREF, VDH, Plan International, American Red Cross, World Concern and

World Relief that reach youth in after-school programs, church youth groups, youth clubs, scouts and young

farmers associations and other youth groups. PEPFAR is planning to support the efforts of the Multisectoral

Committee for an Integrated National School Health Program that brings together key NGOs working with

youth, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Women's Affairs and the Ministry of Health to develop and

implement a broad-based, multifaceted approach to reaching children and youth. The component of this

effort that PEPFAR will be supporting is the strengthening of the Family Health curriculum for schools

(grades one through nine) to include more AIDS prevention information and to address stigma and

discrimination issues attached to AIDS. This will be done in age-appropriate messages and materials. An

important adjunct intervention to the curriculum improvement will be sensitizing and training teachers and

school administrators about AIDS and about their own prejudices and possible stigmatizing attitudes and

behaviors.

The Ministry of Education's (MENFP) Health, Nutrition and Education Unit, also known as the School Health

Unit, aims to expand the scope and coverage of the national school health program that had thus far been

focused on school feeding and deworming. Of particular interest is the incorporation of HIV/AIDS, other

sexually transmitted infections (STI) and reproductive health into school health curricula, as called for in the

MENFP's "Sectoral Strategic Plan for the Fight against HIV/AIDS in Education", developed in 2000,

although HIV/AIDS was considered the starting point for expansion of school health to a wider set of topics

and issues. Work was begun, but never completed, on the development of a Family Life Education

curriculum that included material on HIV/AIDS, STIs and prevention of unwanted pregnancies. In 2005-

2006, another initiative was undertaken by the MENFP School Health Unit to introduce AIDS prevention in

schools, in partnership with UNESCO and two local NGOs, FOSREF and VDH, using an extra-curricular

approach of awareness building by peer educators, public events, workshops and televised debates. The

one-year pilot project was completed and the MENFP is seeking funds to implement the activities in a larger

number of schools.

In an attempt to address the curriculum development and teacher training issues and to begin to come up

with an integrated school health strategy, the MENFP and the Ministry of Health (MOH) organized a

Workshop on Integrated School Health in October 2006. This was the springboard for the creation of the

Multisectoral Committee on Integrated School Health which has as its objective the development of a school

health strategy and curriculum that covers a broad range of topics and interventions. HIV/AIDS and STIs is

one of the topics. On the health side of the picture, the National Program for the Fight against AIDS has

just completed a Five Year Multi-Sectoral Strategic Plan that includes an important role for the education

sector in light of numerous studies that show that age-appropriate education in primary schools has the

potential of giving youth the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to make a difference in whether or

not they will be infected by HIV during their lifetimes.

ACTIVITIES AND EXPECTED RESULTS

Activity 1: MENFP's School Health Unit Strengthened to Support HIV/AIDS Prevention Education

The newly reinvigorated School Health Unit in the MENFP has, among its mandates, to revitalize school

health and nutrition programs in Haiti's schools. The Unit is a key member of the GOH Multisectoral

Committee on Integrated School Health. In an attempt to expand its scope of activities beyond traditional

school feeding and nutrient provision, the School Health Unit will develop a strategic plan for school health

encompassing a fuller range of health-related interventions, including age-appropriate school curricula for

prevention of HIV/AIDS and addressing stigma and discrimination issues related to the disease. A situation

analysis and review of existing HIV/AIDS prevention curricula and materials currently used in basic

education (grades one through nine) will be conducted. These curricula and materials are currently used by

NGOs, PVOs, churches, and Haitian educational organizations. Training and material support will be

provided to staff in the MENFP School Health Unit to strengthen their capacity to support the delivery of

HIV/AIDS prevention education in the schools. Deliverables may include a situation analysis and review of

existing materials. Background research will be conducted on international best practices in HIV/AIDS

prevention education in schools as a contribution to the National Strategy on School Health and Nutrition.

Activity 2: HIV/AIDS Prevention Curriculum in Grades One through Nine Developed and Pilot-Tested

Based on the results obtained in the background research phase outlined in activity 1, the contractor will

support the development of curricula and materials for use in HIV/AIDS prevention and stigma reduction

education in grades one through nine of formal education. Care will be taken to ensure that messages are

age-appropriate, particularly with funding in the Condoms and Other Prevention technical area. Materials

will be pilot-tested in HBE project and other target schools before wider implementation. Deliverables over

the long term of the project include the development of the curricular framework and materials, training for

teachers and school personnel, and the pilot-testing of materials in project target schools and other schools

identified by MENFP. The final materials will be printed and distributed for wider implementation followed

by an impact evaluation

Emphasis Areas:

Information, Education, and Communication

Training

Targets:

Number of targeted condom service outlets: N/A

Number of individuals reached through community outreach that promotes HIV/AIDS prevention through

other behavior change beyond abstinence and/or being faithful: 2,000

Number of individuals trained to promote HIV/AIDS prevention through other behavior change beyond

abstinence and/or being faithful: 100

Target Populations:

In school youth

Out-of School youth

Activity Narrative: Parents

Teachers

School Administrators

Coverage Areas:

Nationwide