Under the Empowering Africa's Young People Initiative (EAYPI), International Youth Foundation's (IYF) AB program in Tanzania continues to be implemented by six local partners as direct sub-grantees: Tanzania Red Cross Society (TRCS), Tanzania Scouts Association (TSA), Tanzania Girl Guide Association (TGGA), Kuleana Centre for Children's Rights, Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA)and the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA). To date, these partners have trained 283 persons to deliver HIV AB messages and reached an additional 265 young people. In FY 2006, the implementing partners trained 5000 and reach an additional 50,000 young persons. These partners will continue to work in the 26 identified districts of Coast (Rufiji, Bagamoyo), Dar es Salaam (Ilala, Kinondoni, and Temeke), Mbeya, Dodoma, Kilimanjaro (Mwanga, Rombo, Hai, Moshi), Arusha, Tabora, Pemba (Chake Chake), Singida, Mtwara, Iringa, Kagera (Bukoba), Ruvuma (Songea), Mwanza (Ukerewe, Geita, Sengerema, Nyamangana, and Kwimba), Mara and Shinyanga.

The project goal is to prevent the spread of HIV among youth aged 10-24. This is divided into four strategic objectives: 1) Scale up skills-based HIV prevention education; 2) Stimulate community discourse on health norms and risky behavior; 3) Reinforce role of parents and key influencers; and 4) Reduce the incidence of sexual coercion and exploitation.

Under the first objective, the six partners will continue to conduct knowledge, attitude and skills-based training at national and district levels using harmonized training materials. Specific targets include boys and girls and both in-school and out-of-school youth. Five thousand young people will be targeted for training as peer educators whereas 50,000 more will be reached through one-to-one and group interactions as well as by outreach. Functional drama groups will continue to be re-oriented and trained on AB approaches. Consequently 15 music, dance and drama outreach events are planned as well as 18 video shows, all designed to deliver BCC messages, incorporate audience feedback and provide opportunity for discussion. The dissemination of age and culturally appropriate BCC materials will be done in conjunction with the outreach activities.

Objective two involves stimulating broad-based commmunity discourse on healthy norms and risk behaviors. The partners will continue to participate in national, district and community level coordination committees and meetings. Key influential leaders including faith leaders, political leaders and community resource persons will continue to be targeted for sensitization, mobilization and advocacy on HIV prevention.

Objective three is the reinforcement of the role of parents and other influential adults; all six implementing partners will select and train adults and young people on parent/adult-to-child/youth communication. This component will reach 4,800 adults through 240 newly-trained facilitors.

Objective four aims to reduce the incidence of sexual coercion and exploitation of young people, and to address the key legislative issues relating to gender, stigma and discrimination. The sub-partners will continue working with the community to identify and act on the identified risk areas, risk behaviors and prevalent vulnerabilities among young people, including intergenerational and transgenerational sex, in the targeted districts. They will also maintain linkages with previously identified and available referral interventions, including youth-friendly VCT centers for young people, and advertise these through peer-peer approaches, outreach and meetings with key influential leaders and community members.

In all these components, the empowering African Young Peoples Initiative will seek to focus especially on younger youth, girls and young women, and young people in especially difficult and vulnerable circumstances. IYF will not only sub-grant, but will continue to provide the needed capacity building for the local sub-partners to effectively achieve the stated goals.