Working with young youth INSYGHT Program experience

1. Working with young youth INSYGHT Program experience Yeshiemebet G Giorgis, INSYGHT Adolescent Reproductive health program, manager RH technical advisor Save the children USA Country Office Desalegn Hotel, Oct 9th 2007

2. Program Goal • Reduce the incidence of reproductive health problems and empower adolescents in selected elementary and high schools in Addis Ababa and Oromia

3. Objectives • Improve the reproductive Health knowledge, attitudes and skills • Increase the availability, accessibility and quality of youth RSH related services in health facilities • Promote a positive socio – political environment for youth • Empower parents to promote parental communication and support on youth RSH related issues

4. Beacon school training • The beacon school program has targeted elementary schools to capture youth at their younger age in urban, semi urban and rural areas • The training was conducted in Illubabor Zone, East Wollega Zone, West Wollega Zone and Qellem Wollega zones, East Shoa, west Shoa, North Shoa and 20 elementary schools in Addis Ababa and covered 258 elementary schools in total.

5. Specific objective and contents of the beacon school training program Objective: • To address the Reproductive Health problems and assist younger youth in grade 5&6 and age 10-14, to raise their awareness and knowledge on RH/HIV/AIDS issues and to induce the development of the essential skills of prevention of reproductive health risks,. Contents of Training: • Change of attitude through increased knowledge and life skills in order to avoid HIV/AIDS and RSH problems and risk behaviors. • Promote open discussion among the students and increase their life skill on communication, Decision making, self esteem and problem solving • Decrease stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS

6. Cont… • Enable the students to get access to facilities that can provide a behavior change support towards HIV/AIDS and RSH issues and more • Enable the students to identify institution that supports positive behavior change development • Increase open discussion among the students on HIV/AIDS, ARSH and harmful traditional practices. • Increase the understanding of the students on Gender and sex issues

7. Youth Sphere of Influence Parents Peers Youth Decision Making Policy Community Institutions Partners Culture Religion

8. What do the beneficiaries say • Asegedech Kebede, 13 years old, 6th Grade student at Lechi Gulit elementary school in West Showa Zone of Oromia. • She told her testimony to the supervisors that Beacon School Training makes her very keen and well aware on prons and cones of our decision • She said that she even took the initiative on her own and saved a 10 year old village girl from genital cutting /circumcision. • She decided to communicate the parents of the girl who was going to be circumcised and convinced them. As a result, the circumcision stopped. • Using the skills she got from the training, she talked to her parents, school teachers and elders with out fear. • She also noted that “Female circumcision, abduction and early marriage is common in our community and we should get rid of it by creating such kind of forum”.

9. What do the beneficiaries say • Mesert Bekele is a grade five student in west Shoa Zone, Ejere Woreda in Liti Guliti primary school • She got an opportunity to attend Beacon school training provided to grade five and six students in her school. One day while she is back from her school, she found Emush walking on the street with tears flowing down her checks. Mesert asked her why she was crying and Emush told Mesert that it was a month of April during which all girls will be circumcised in the vicinity and her family are also preparing Tella and bread to celebrate the event of her circumcision. Then Mesert decided to deal with Emush's parent getting ready for the argument and to justify her cause as per the lesson she got from beacon school training about the negative consequences of circumcision. Though Mesert made a tiresome argument with Emush's parents, they were not willing to listen to her and accept her rational behind this harmful practice. At this juncture Mesert finally decided to go to her school and bring the problem to the attention of the girls' advisory committee in her school where they together went to the committee of Prevention and Control of Harmful Traditional Practices office established in their Kebele to get a legal support . Then the Kebele administration provided them a policeman to get Emush’s parents to bring them in the face of law and make them to stop the intention of circumcising Emush and to legally abide by the rules that FGC practice is prohibited and enforced by the Ethiopian law. This was done by the initiative and determination of Meseret to save Emush from a life time psychological, physical harm and trauma that would have been imposed on her.

10. What do the beneficiaries say • Genet Hailu is a teacher trained as trainer for Beacon school training and working at Yekatit 23 elementary school here in Addis Ababa. • At the first round teacher Genet trained a total of 76 students from which 16 were disabled. • With her initiative to include these students in the training they were able to fully participate in the activities using sign language.

11. What do the beneficiaries say • Positive Outcomes from Activity 5, Personal and Environmental Hygiene in Jimmo Arjo • Trained students formed a campaign group to clean the whole town and teach the community on personal hygiene and sanitation. • Dug holes in different locations in the village to collect the wastes and burn it. • Planted various flowers and seedlings in different parts of the town which were formally waste disposal places.

12. Impressions of School Directors, Teachers, and SDC’s on the Training • Indicated that they have been working together with number of school and participated in many activities and programs • Said the beacon school training is really different and very effective to teach the kids. • The methodology used in the training is also a very good experience for the teaching and learning process. • Students are empowered and currently discussing about adolescent reproductive health issues in a very transparent way. This is a new development after the beacon school training. • Most schools participating in the training have witnessed that such a program could bring about the desired attitude and behavioral change if continued with the same pattern and given to the wider school population

13. Achievements of the training • Integration of the beacon school program with ARSH and Anti AIDS club at primary school level • Beach school program introduced in 258 primary schools in Oromiya and Addis Ababa with great leverage • Improved knowledge of the trainees in beacon school training • The trainees from each school in turn have trained a minimum of 60 students from grade 5 and 6 in their school. That is a total of 15,480 youths that are expected to be reached.

14. Cont…. • A total of 19,521 young students participated in the training • Female participation was promoted and was high • Model school like Jimma Arjo (organized and implemented environmental sanitation campaign in the town) • The majority students can explain about Beacon School Activities and teach their peers

15. With whom did we work? • Youth, Parent,Teachers( PTAs) Health personnel, SDCs, GACs, • Government partners- at regional zonal and Woreda level • Religious leaders &, the community • Donors, NGOS and CBOs • Private health facilities and pharmacies

16. Lessons Learned • Continuation of program to older ages, i.e. using Youth Action Kit, Sports for Life • Use of participatory approach – “learning by playing” • Create materials that accurately reflect and fit their perception of their lives • Relationship between teacher and student • Improved academic achievement and communication skills

17. Thank You