THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF COP08

The COP08 intervention strategy delivered an intensive set of abstinence/be faithful (AB) interventions to a

highly targeted group of beneficiaries (i.e., adolescent girls and their male partners), promoted protective

male norms and behaviors, and linked communities and service delivery points through direct referral. The

AB package consists of community awareness campaigns, peer education, social support activities,

curricula- and non-curricula-based programs, and mass media activities. Community awareness campaigns

are realized through small group discussions, interpersonal communications, and community dialogues.

Trained community advocates reach target groups through their gatekeepers in different places in the

communities to provide HIV prevention messages. Peer education is accomplished through the safe spaces

youth clubs (SSYC) model consisting of a series of 14 modules led by trained peer mentors and reinforced

by social peers of lay religious leaders supporting abstinence and delay in marriage. Social support

activities include life skills training, savings mobilization, and income generation. Curricula- and non-

curricula-based approaches incorporate secular topics of HIV/AIDS prevention, reproductive health,

hygiene, and life-skills in Islamiya school curricula and after-school activities. Mass media activities use

radio spots/jingles and phone-in radio discussion slots to stimulate public dialogue and debate on early

marriage, vulnerability of young girls, protective practices of men, and risk reduction through AB.

This intervention is being carried out through 4 local partners (Adolescent Health and Information Projects

[AHIP], Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria [FOMWAN], Islamic Education Trust [IET] and

African Health Project [AfrHP]) in Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, FCT, Kano, Nassarawa and Niger

States. Faith-based organizations (AHIP, FOMWAN and IET) reach target groups and members of the

communities with AB messages while AfrHP is involved in condom messaging and other prevention

activities.

In COP09, activities will include the above strategies to reach the target groups (young women 10-24

years), their gatekeepers (their husbands and parents) and stakeholders (community and religious leaders

and women leaders) with AB messages, such that three messages overlap to reach targeted beneficiaries.

The peer health methodology that was introduced in COP07 as Safe Space Youth Clubs (SSYCs) with an

initial 24 clubs and expanded to 124 clubs in COP08 will be maintained and further expanded to 150 clubs

in COP09. The curriculum of the clubs takes 6 months to complete, and the best of the graduating young

women will have acquired knowledge and skills to become mentors of succeeding new clubs. The activities

of these clubs will reach young women 10-24 years old who are in-school or out-of-school, single, married,

divorced, widowed or separated and who in most cases have few economic opportunities, life-skills, or

knowledge of reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, and STI issues. The contents of the SSYCs curriculum include

strong HIV prevention messages (AB), condom messages, pre-marital counseling, leadership, skills

development, and financial literacy that will equip the young women with income generating skills and

savings mobilization. Concurrently, members of the clubs will be reached with HIV counseling, interpersonal

communications, and condom messages among other messages.

The second strategy by which the target groups will be reached with HIV prevention messages involves

community awareness campaigns through small group discussions, interpersonal communications and

community dialogues. Youth who are out-of-school, married, divorced, or separated and those who are not

members of SSYCs will be reached through HIV prevention messages by community advocates (5 in each

state; 60 in the network) who were not selected as mentors in each of the project states.

In the project states, target groups also participate actively in Islamiya schools that operate in the evenings

as well as in after-school activities. The community advocates are teachers in these schools. Target groups

will be reached with HIV/AIDS prevention, reproductive health, and hygiene messages. This will form a

forum where members of the SSYCs will network with those who are not members of the clubs and

consequently share their experiences and knowledge of the HIV prevention.

This strategy involves reaching target groups with prevention messages that include social support, life

skills training, saving mobilization and income generation. Members of SSYCs will be given training on

"Financial Literacy" - an Islamic method of teaching the young methods of business acumen and

knowledge of meeting their needs and generating income. When members graduate with the necessary

skills they will be able to form smaller clubs that will be independent and sustainable.

It is intended that a member of the club will be able to share accurate knowledge of HIV prevention with at

least 3 of her peers in schools, within the family and in their communities such that the activities of these

clubs will be able to reach 23,386 beneficiaries (5,386 males and 18,000 females) with an intensive AB

package and 2,400 ‘A-only' messages (600 males and 1,800 females).

The training of local organizations personnel will take place at two levels. Population Council will set up a

training coordinating unit in the program support department of its office to carry out training of trainers. This

will facilitate the training of the project officers, community advocates and mentors in the necessary skills

which enable them to handle step-down training at the community level. The mentors will be equipped with

the right skills to lead members of the girls' clubs in HIV prevention messages, leadership and skills

development. Through this training, local partners will acquire skills and competency that will enable them to

be able to seek funding independently from USG and other sources, as well as to serve as a profit center

for HIV/AIDS prevention activities. 400 individuals will be trained to promote HIV/AIDS prevention through

AB messaging.

Population Councils Condoms and Other Prevention activity will contribute to the Emergency Plan Five-

Year Strategy in preventing new HIV infections among vulnerable youth, especially male counterparts of the

target groups of the project (young women aged 10-24 years). These males include in-school, out-of-

school, husbands of young women, and those engaged to be married and who are most at risk and/or

underserved, by promoting the delay of sexual initiation and abstinence to reduce HIV prevalence or avert

infection.

Activity Narrative: In COP08, community advocates have been sensitized on condom messages and use, and referral points

have been identified for condom distribution in the eight project states. Youth clubs have also been

established. In COP09, the following strategies will be adopted in the implementation of C&OP activities:

1)Community outreach focusing on HIV counseling, training on the use of condoms and condom messaging

and distribution

2)Peer health education among males of different age groups in the communities

3)Specific population awareness campaigns directed to males in communities

4)Provision of STI management and training on STI syndromic management

Twenty community advocates will be trained to promote HIV/AIDS prevention through C&OP messaging

and will be trained on HIV counseling to facilitate referral of male contacts to designated referral points in

the different communities. In COP07 and COP08 an average of 8 referral points were identified in each of

the project states by the focal officers and community advocates who have been working with the local

partner (AfrHP). The COP09 activity will be a continuation of the COP08 community mobilization. In all the

communities where Population Council targets young women 10-24 years of age, there are males of the

same category who are spouses or close associates of these women and the older men who have

relationship with the girls. The trained community advocates will be meeting these young men with HIV

prevention (AB) and correct condom use messages, thus providing balanced ABC messages.

There will also be a step-down training for males in mosques and churches by the trained community

advocates and the trained males will reach their peers in mosques after the Friday prayers. Muslim

marriages and special occasions (usually religious occasions) will provide forums for ABC messages

among males of the same peer group. The behavior change communications component of the project will

develop information, education and communication materials that will facilitate the community mobilization

on condom and other prevention among the males at the community level.

The third strategy targets specific population awareness campaigns at the various locations of the project

states. African Health Project will sensitize the referral points and other locations that are close to where

these men live and will form the initial opening of public private sector condom outlets. A total of 400,000

condoms have been requested from USAID/PEPFAR for distribution in the project locations (64 condom

service outlets). The community and religious leaders will be reached with other prevention messages

through this strategy. Community advocates will be trained to organize community meetings in strategic

locations of each state in the form of ‘days of dialogues,' which was used in COP06 and COP07 to reach

these leaders. Consequently, a community environment conducive to open discussions on sexuality and

HIV prevention will be provided.

AfrHP will collaborate with AHIP and other clinics in the project states to train clinic personnel in each of the

8 project states on syndromic management of STIs such that the services of comprehensive treatment of

STIs will reach many contacts in the states. This will facilitate the existence of a friendly clinic in each of the

8 states where correct education on the use of condom could be given to referred contacts. Activities at the

clinics will include STI counseling for affected individuals. This is another strategy to reach contacts with

condom and other prevention messages.

Through the above strategies, the number of individuals to be reached through community outreach that

promotes HIV/AIDS prevention through other behavior change beyond abstinence and/or being faithful will

be 15,591 (12,000 males and 3,591 females). The strategies will ensure that at least three messages

overlap on the males to be counted in the communities.

Target Populations

In COP07 and COP08, the activities addressed HIV risks for men both as gatekeepers to reach young girls

with information and resources to prevent HIV, but also as MARPs who place married young girls at risk for

HIV. In COP09, condom and other prevention activities will target males around the communities of the

target groups. These are men who are spouses, friends, neighbours and fiancés of the target groups and

they greatly influence the initiation of sexual intercourse among the young women. These males are both in-

school and out-of-school and some are older men who pose the risk of multiple sex partners to the young

women. In most of the project states, there is a culture of male suitors meeting with their prospective future

brides in specific locations in the communities, mostly in the evenings. The activity will explore this practice

to reach these males with HIV prevention messages by using the SSYCs members to train the girls in

attendance who can consequently reaching the males. The activity will also reach out to community and

religious leaders who will facilitate advocacy at the community level and this will go a long way toward

reducing socio-cultural barriers to the interventions. Public dialogues and IEC materials will address

behavior change beyond abstinence and/or being faithful, including targeting those behaviors that increase

risk for HIV transmission, such as engaging in casual sexual encounters, engaging in sex in exchange for

money or favors, or having sex with an HIV-positive partner.

This activity will contribute to the Emergency Plan Five-Year Strategy in preventing new HIV infections

among vulnerable youth—especially unmarried adolescent girls and those engaged to be married—who are

most at risk and underserved by promoting the delay of sexual initiation and abstinence to reduce HIV

prevalence or avert infection.

Links to Other Activities

This project increases demand and creates linkages for ART, HCT, and PMTCT services by partner IPs

through education, promotion and referral by community advocates.

Program Evaluation

In order to assess the level of achievement of objectives of the project and to collect relevant information on

lessons learned that will facilitate further studies and interventions in the project region an endline

evaluation will be conducted in COP09. The planning, fieldwork and the data analysis as well as report

Activity Narrative: generation and dissemination will be carried out in the last half of the COP year.

New/Continuing Activity: Continuing Activity

Continuing Activity: 13091

Continued Associated Activity Information

Activity Activity ID USG Agency Prime Partner Mechanism Mechanism ID Mechanism Planned Funds

System ID System ID

13091 5315.08 U.S. Agency for Population Council 6386 3691.08 USAID Track $1,000,000

International 2.0 Pop Council

Development

6729 5315.07 U.S. Agency for Population Council 4176 3691.07 HIV Prevention $825,000

International Project for

Development Vulnerable

Youth in

Northern Nigeria

5315 5315.06 U.S. Agency for Population Council 3691 3691.06 HIV Prevention $386,000

International Project for

Development Vulnerable

Youth in

Northern Nigeria

Emphasis Areas

Gender

* Addressing male norms and behaviors

* Increasing gender equity in HIV/AIDS programs

* Increasing women's access to income and productive resources

Human Capacity Development

Estimated amount of funding that is planned for Human Capacity Development $25,000

Public Health Evaluation

Food and Nutrition: Policy, Tools, and Service Delivery

Food and Nutrition: Commodities

Economic Strengthening

Education

Water

Table 3.3.02:

THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF COP08

The COP08 intervention strategy delivered an intensive set of abstinence/be faithful (AB) interventions to a

highly targeted group of beneficiaries (i.e., adolescent girls and their male partners), promoted protective

male norms and behaviors, and linked communities and service delivery points through direct referral. The

AB package consists of community awareness campaigns, peer education, social support activities,

curricula- and non-curricula-based programs, and mass media activities. Community awareness campaigns

are realized through small group discussions, interpersonal communications, and community dialogues.

Trained community advocates reach target groups through their gatekeepers in different places in the

communities to provide HIV prevention messages. Peer education is accomplished through the safe spaces

youth clubs (SSYC) model consisting of a series of 14 modules led by trained peer mentors and reinforced

by social peers of lay religious leaders supporting abstinence and delay in marriage. Social support

activities include life skills training, savings mobilization, and income generation. Curricula- and non-

curricula-based approaches incorporate secular topics of HIV/AIDS prevention, reproductive health,

hygiene, and life-skills in Islamiya school curricula and after-school activities. Mass media activities use

radio spots/jingles and phone-in radio discussion slots to stimulate public dialogue and debate on early

marriage, vulnerability of young girls, protective practices of men, and risk reduction through AB.

This intervention is being carried out through 4 local partners (Adolescent Health and Information Projects

[AHIP], Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria [FOMWAN], Islamic Education Trust [IET] and

African Health Project [AfrHP]) in Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, FCT, Kano, Nassarawa and Niger

States. Faith-based organizations (AHIP, FOMWAN and IET) reach target groups and members of the

communities with AB messages while AfrHP is involved in condom messaging and other prevention

activities.

In COP09, activities will include the above strategies to reach the target groups (young women 10-24

years), their gatekeepers (their husbands and parents) and stakeholders (community and religious leaders

and women leaders) with AB messages, such that three messages overlap to reach targeted beneficiaries.

The peer health methodology that was introduced in COP07 as Safe Space Youth Clubs (SSYCs) with an

initial 24 clubs and expanded to 124 clubs in COP08 will be maintained and further expanded to 150 clubs

in COP09. The curriculum of the clubs takes 6 months to complete, and the best of the graduating young

women will have acquired knowledge and skills to become mentors of succeeding new clubs. The activities

of these clubs will reach young women 10-24 years old who are in-school or out-of-school, single, married,

divorced, widowed or separated and who in most cases have few economic opportunities, life-skills, or

knowledge of reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, and STI issues. The contents of the SSYCs curriculum include

strong HIV prevention messages (AB), condom messages, pre-marital counseling, leadership, skills

development, and financial literacy that will equip the young women with income generating skills and

savings mobilization. Concurrently, members of the clubs will be reached with HIV counseling, interpersonal

communications, and condom messages among other messages.

The second strategy by which the target groups will be reached with HIV prevention messages involves

community awareness campaigns through small group discussions, interpersonal communications and

community dialogues. Youth who are out-of-school, married, divorced, or separated and those who are not

members of SSYCs will be reached through HIV prevention messages by community advocates (5 in each

state; 60 in the network) who were not selected as mentors in each of the project states.

In the project states, target groups also participate actively in Islamiya schools that operate in the evenings

as well as in after-school activities. The community advocates are teachers in these schools. Target groups

will be reached with HIV/AIDS prevention, reproductive health, and hygiene messages. This will form a

forum where members of the SSYCs will network with those who are not members of the clubs and

consequently share their experiences and knowledge of the HIV prevention.

This strategy involves reaching target groups with prevention messages that include social support, life

skills training, saving mobilization and income generation. Members of SSYCs will be given training on

"Financial Literacy" - an Islamic method of teaching the young methods of business acumen and

knowledge of meeting their needs and generating income. When members graduate with the necessary

skills they will be able to form smaller clubs that will be independent and sustainable.

It is intended that a member of the club will be able to share accurate knowledge of HIV prevention with at

least 3 of her peers in schools, within the family and in their communities such that the activities of these

clubs will be able to reach 23,386 beneficiaries (5,386 males and 18,000 females) with an intensive AB

package and 2,400 ‘A-only' messages (600 males and 1,800 females).

The training of local organizations personnel will take place at two levels. Population Council will set up a

training coordinating unit in the program support department of its office to carry out training of trainers. This

will facilitate the training of the project officers, community advocates and mentors in the necessary skills

which enable them to handle step-down training at the community level. The mentors will be equipped with

the right skills to lead members of the girls' clubs in HIV prevention messages, leadership and skills

development. Through this training, local partners will acquire skills and competency that will enable them to

be able to seek funding independently from USG and other sources, as well as to serve as a profit center

for HIV/AIDS prevention activities. 400 individuals will be trained to promote HIV/AIDS prevention through

AB messaging.

Population Councils Condoms and Other Prevention activity will contribute to the Emergency Plan Five-

Year Strategy in preventing new HIV infections among vulnerable youth, especially male counterparts of the

target groups of the project (young women aged 10-24 years). These males include in-school, out-of-

school, husbands of young women, and those engaged to be married and who are most at risk and/or

underserved, by promoting the delay of sexual initiation and abstinence to reduce HIV prevalence or avert

infection.

Activity Narrative: In COP08, community advocates have been sensitized on condom messages and use, and referral points

have been identified for condom distribution in the eight project states. Youth clubs have also been

established. In COP09, the following strategies will be adopted in the implementation of C&OP activities:

1)Community outreach focusing on HIV counseling, training on the use of condoms and condom messaging

and distribution

2)Peer health education among males of different age groups in the communities

3)Specific population awareness campaigns directed to males in communities

4)Provision of STI management and training on STI syndromic management

Twenty community advocates will be trained to promote HIV/AIDS prevention through C&OP messaging

and will be trained on HIV counseling to facilitate referral of male contacts to designated referral points in

the different communities. In COP07 and COP08 an average of 8 referral points were identified in each of

the project states by the focal officers and community advocates who have been working with the local

partner (AfrHP). The COP09 activity will be a continuation of the COP08 community mobilization. In all the

communities where Population Council targets young women 10-24 years of age, there are males of the

same category who are spouses or close associates of these women and the older men who have

relationship with the girls. The trained community advocates will be meeting these young men with HIV

prevention (AB) and correct condom use messages, thus providing balanced ABC messages.

There will also be a step-down training for males in mosques and churches by the trained community

advocates and the trained males will reach their peers in mosques after the Friday prayers. Muslim

marriages and special occasions (usually religious occasions) will provide forums for ABC messages

among males of the same peer group. The behavior change communications component of the project will

develop information, education and communication materials that will facilitate the community mobilization

on condom and other prevention among the males at the community level.

The third strategy targets specific population awareness campaigns at the various locations of the project

states. African Health Project will sensitize the referral points and other locations that are close to where

these men live and will form the initial opening of public private sector condom outlets. A total of 400,000

condoms have been requested from USAID/PEPFAR for distribution in the project locations (64 condom

service outlets). The community and religious leaders will be reached with other prevention messages

through this strategy. Community advocates will be trained to organize community meetings in strategic

locations of each state in the form of ‘days of dialogues,' which was used in COP06 and COP07 to reach

these leaders. Consequently, a community environment conducive to open discussions on sexuality and

HIV prevention will be provided.

AfrHP will collaborate with AHIP and other clinics in the project states to train clinic personnel in each of the

8 project states on syndromic management of STIs such that the services of comprehensive treatment of

STIs will reach many contacts in the states. This will facilitate the existence of a friendly clinic in each of the

8 states where correct education on the use of condom could be given to referred contacts. Activities at the

clinics will include STI counseling for affected individuals. This is another strategy to reach contacts with

condom and other prevention messages.

Through the above strategies, the number of individuals to be reached through community outreach that

promotes HIV/AIDS prevention through other behavior change beyond abstinence and/or being faithful will

be 15,591 (12,000 males and 3,591 females). The strategies will ensure that at least three messages

overlap on the males to be counted in the communities.

Target Populations

In COP07 and COP08, the activities addressed HIV risks for men both as gatekeepers to reach young girls

with information and resources to prevent HIV, but also as MARPs who place married young girls at risk for

HIV. In COP09, condom and other prevention activities will target males around the communities of the

target groups. These are men who are spouses, friends, neighbours and fiancés of the target groups and

they greatly influence the initiation of sexual intercourse among the young women. These males are both in-

school and out-of-school and some are older men who pose the risk of multiple sex partners to the young

women. In most of the project states, there is a culture of male suitors meeting with their prospective future

brides in specific locations in the communities, mostly in the evenings. The activity will explore this practice

to reach these males with HIV prevention messages by using the SSYCs members to train the girls in

attendance who can consequently reaching the males. The activity will also reach out to community and

religious leaders who will facilitate advocacy at the community level and this will go a long way toward

reducing socio-cultural barriers to the interventions. Public dialogues and IEC materials will address

behavior change beyond abstinence and/or being faithful, including targeting those behaviors that increase

risk for HIV transmission, such as engaging in casual sexual encounters, engaging in sex in exchange for

money or favors, or having sex with an HIV-positive partner.

This activity will contribute to the Emergency Plan Five-Year Strategy in preventing new HIV infections

among vulnerable youth—especially unmarried adolescent girls and those engaged to be married—who are

most at risk and underserved by promoting the delay of sexual initiation and abstinence to reduce HIV

prevalence or avert infection.

Links to Other Activities

This project increases demand and creates linkages for ART, HCT, and PMTCT services by partner IPs

through education, promotion and referral by community advocates.

Program Evaluation

In order to assess the level of achievement of objectives of the project and to collect relevant information on

lessons learned that will facilitate further studies and interventions in the project region an endline

evaluation will be conducted in COP09. The planning, fieldwork and the data analysis as well as report

Activity Narrative: generation and dissemination will be carried out in the last half of the COP year.

New/Continuing Activity: Continuing Activity

Continuing Activity: 15662

Continued Associated Activity Information

Activity Activity ID USG Agency Prime Partner Mechanism Mechanism ID Mechanism Planned Funds

System ID System ID

15662 15662.08 U.S. Agency for Population Council 6386 3691.08 USAID Track $350,000

International 2.0 Pop Council

Development

Emphasis Areas

Gender

* Addressing male norms and behaviors

* Increasing gender equity in HIV/AIDS programs

* Increasing women's access to income and productive resources

Human Capacity Development

Estimated amount of funding that is planned for Human Capacity Development $25,000

Public Health Evaluation

Food and Nutrition: Policy, Tools, and Service Delivery

Food and Nutrition: Commodities

Economic Strengthening

Education

Water

Table 3.3.03: