TITLE: Salesian Missions - Life Choices Program

NEED and COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE: Youth account for 60% of the new HIV infections. Four percent

of women age 15-24 and 3% of men age 15-24 are HIV-positive. Most youth have heard about AIDS but

fewer know how to prevent HIV. Seventy-three percent of young women and 68% of young men could

name the two key ways of preventing HIV. To curb the impact of youth HIV/AIDS, Salesian Missions has

implemented Life Choices in 11 centers/schools in Tanzania. Salesian's process encourages youth to

embrace positive roles and responsibilities within their family and community. The approach also serves

out-of-school and underprivileged youth.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Outreach activities reached 6,423 youth. Specifically, 2,847 youth 10 to 24 years of

age were reached with abstinence only messages. Selesian trained 547 individuals to promote HIV

prevention programs through abstinence/be faithful educators. Youth living with HIV/AIDS gave testimonials

about living positively, accessing services, and choices about sexual reproductive health. Fifty-five percent

of school youth accessed VCT services. We will encourage other providers to offer youth friendly testing

and hope these efforts will lead to an increase in out-of-school youth being tested in the future.

Produced LC Program Training Manual with national organization of peer educators (NOPE) in Kenya.

Conducted two one-week sporting events and peer-educator camps that served as a place for learning and

reinforced AB messages. Training of trainers workshops were conducted on reproductive health and

HIV/AIDS, writing, reporting, counselling, gender, and M&E.

ACTIVITIES: 1) LC will be implemented in public and private schools to increase youth outreach in urban

and rural areas. Seventy-nine schools are targeted including approximately 50 primary, 20 secondary, and

10 vocational training centers. Youth will be exposed to 12 hours of the Life Choices curriculum to qualify

as being "reached." LC Curriculum contains 12 sessions on peer education, self-discovery, personal

hygiene, puberty, human sexuality, relationships, sexual exploitation and abuse. Gender issues touch upon

violence, female vulnerabilities, and male norms. Behavior change requires time and outreach activities

continue after youth have been "reached" via school clubs, peer educators, etc.

2) Out-of-school youth reached are found in parishes, Salesian youth centers, and other groups. Out-of-

school youth complete a 12 hour Life Choices program to qualify as "reached" as well. The program

connected with 111 OVCs in FY 2006. In FY 2006 the program trained 48 OVC care givers in Iringa and

Dodoma in human rights, stigma reduction, HIV/AIDS prevention, etc. Youth gave testimonials about living

with or caring for those with HIV/AIDS. This made many youth aware of the importance and the need for

counseling and testing, which led to 55 out-of-school youth to access VCT services. 2a) Reach out-of-

school youth throughout the 11 sites in Tanzania where the LC Program is being implemented.

3) On the job training for trainers will improve quality of performance in record keeping and reporting format.

3a) We will provide in-service training to 14 trainers 3b) Training focuses on conducting survey

assessments, recruiting peer educators and community leaders, and planning monthly activities and

reporting.

4) BCC activities (festivals and sporting events) will provide a safe environment to foster learning and social

interactions that reinforce AB messages. BCC will involve cultural beliefs, gender, sexual violence, drugs

and alcohol abuse, stigma, etc. In FY 2006 Tanzanian youth showcased their talents through a youth

festival and a summer camp. Activities reached 1,170 youth and allowed youth to showcase their skits,

plays, and songs. In FY 2007 the program conducted two sporting events. 4a) Conduct 11 youth festivals

focusing on disseminating the AB message 4b) Reach 20,000 youth with the 11 youth festivals.

5) LC aims to increase access to youth friendly VCT, as lack of job opportunities have placed youth at

greater risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. LC will refer youth to VCT services and hold events where VCT

services are available. LC will collaborate with Marie Stopes to provide VCT services. 5a) Conduct

approximately 10 VCT promotion campaigns during youth festivals and summer camps in FY 2008. 5b)

Counsel and test approximately 800 youth.

LINKAGES: We work at national level with the MoHSW through TACAIDS and NACP. Program collaborates

with the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. The partnership with the Ministry of Planning

Economy and Empowerment has been achieved through the Coordinating Committee of Youth Programs

(CCYP). To increase reach/availability of services to orphans, LC programs partnered with Amani

Orphanage Centre and the Diocese of Shinyanga OVC project. LC will work with Marie Stopes to increase

the number of youth that have access to VCT services.

CHECK BOXES: Gender: The LC Program makes gender an integral component of the curriculum. Human

Capacity Development: In-service trainings provided to all program trainers. Strategic Information: Lists of

those reported to have been reached by the program will be updated and used for follow up programs to

ensure behavior maintenance, modification and change. Wraparound Programs: The program is integrated

within the Salesian youth centers and schools in 11 locations across Tanzania.

M&E: M&E will ensure adequate provision of youth services, and that targets are met. An M&E life choices

matrix is used and disseminated to program managers. Project goals, objectives, and activities are

analyzed. Indicators help improve activity implementation. Attention will be placed on maintaining data

quality through supervision of data collecting staff. Specific steps include: 1) Youth leaders record number

and characteristics of youth attending meetings; 2) Peer leaders provide data to trainers; 3) Trainers and

community leaders track numbers and characteristics of youth peer leaders; 4) Trainers and community

leaders record data about communities reached and activities; 5) Trainers and community leaders track

number and characteristics of youth; 6) Program staff deliver monthly reports to the program manager; 7)

Program manager gathers data, monitors trainers, and submits regular reports to HQ; 8) Knowledge,

attidutde and practice (KAP) surveys measure youth with regard to sexuality, relationships, HIV/AIDS and

STIs.

SUSTAINABILITY: Local communities trust and rely on the Salesian community to be at the forefront of

educational excellence. Sustainability of PEPFAR funds rests on the fact that the LC Program is being

implemented from the 11 Salesian centers and/or schools in Tanzania. Some schools have incorporated the

Life Choices curriculum into their school schedule, allowing for youth outreach to continue throughout the

year even after the 12 hours of the program have been completed. Over time, many more schools

(Salesian and non-Salesian) will incorporate the curriculum within their school schedule, ensuring the

continuity of funds invested via PEPFAR.