“Expanding HIV Prevention in Bangladesh”

Package Name:
“Scale-up of HIV/AIDS Orientation, Training and Services to Young People through Integrated Youth Friendly Health Services (YFHS) and Life Skills-based Education (LSE) including Support to Access to Condoms (ACY)” (GFATM package-902)

Coverage: Chittagong Division

Duration: 2004 to 2012

Introduction

The Global Fund has been supporting middle and low income countries since 2002 to prevent and control AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, with the broader goal of poverty reduction. Bangladesh till date has received three grants to prevent and control HIV/AIDS from the Global Fund since 2004 and all grants are consolidated through RCC program and continue this program till November 2015.
“Expanding HIV Prevention in Bangladesh” is a collaborative project between National AIDS/ STD program (NASP), Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) and Save the Children-USA funded by Global Fund. Under this project, HASAB consortium is assigned to implement  package 902-“ Scale up HIV/AIDS Orientation, Training and Services to Young People through integrated Youth Friendly Health Services (YFHS) and Life Skills based Education (LSE) including support to Access to Condom (ACY)”.

Objective

The objective of this package is expending HIV Prevention in Bangladesh through life skills education by youth organizations, movements and clubs; adapt WHO model for implementing youth friendly health services in the country context; increase the accessibility of condom by the youth when they need one following social marketing strategy; and printing & distribution of briefing materials among the young people and gatekeepers.

Goal of LSE:

Prevent HIV infections among young people (15-24 years age) through culturally and religiously accepted life skills education package. Sensitize and involve govt. officials, policy makers, gate keepers and other stakeholders to piloting the LSE package and share lesson learnt on tested package and handed over the package to govt. for further execution

Goal of YFHS:

Develop model (s) to provide youth friendly clinical services in relation with HIV/AIDS and others through trained personnel at designated health facilities at urban and rural settings (Go-NGO-Private) within existing or modified modality, generating demand among the youth, creating enabling environment by involving the gate-keepers (parents, teachers, religious leaders, community leaders, celebrities etc.) and producing sufficient evidence-base for scaling up the program in the next phase. 

Goal of ACY:

Provide scientific basis for the formulation of a piloting strategy, to improve young people’s access to condom to reduce risk of HIV/AIDS among young through endorsement of the strategy by MOHFW, DGHS, DGFP and other social marketing sectors in Bangladesh.

1. Life Skills Education

To establish support for the fight against HIV/AIDS, YPSA involves the community and creates links with youth by:

• Provision of workshops on HIV/AIDS for organizational leaders and peers involves the community and educates them about facts and figures of the disease
• Holding Experience sharing workshops
• Observing and attending youth events, such as National Youth Day, Friendship Cricket Tournament, Street Drama, etc.

2. Youth Friendly Health Services

Youth must have access to a safe environment where they can be tested or counseled without fear of societal judgment. YPSA does this by:

• Providing training for health service providers about giving youth a secure and healthy environment (e.g., doctors, nurses, paramedics)
• Setting up community meetings to open the dialogues about people's opinions on HIV/AIDS
• Launching youth friendly corners, with specific targets at places where young people gathered

3. Accessing Condoms for Youth

Safe sex practices enable youth to be protected against STIs, HIV and AIDS. Accessing condoms is an important strategy for prevention and this is accomplished by:

Major activities with achievement

• District Advocacy Meeting with local govt. officials of Health & Family planning, Youth & others officials and civil society representatives on LSE, ACY & YFHS.
• Training for Service providers (Non – Doctor) on YFHS.
• Briefing session & Refreshers for the Service providers at HSDPs.
• Orientation training for pharmacists, traditional healers and community workers.
• Orientation training for FWA/HA on YFHS
• Organize Community Meetings with gatekeepers in youth friendly health service delivery point.
• Training for the MTs & Peer Educators for Life Skill Education (LSE).
• Life skills Education on safe sex for young people through peer approach.
• Gate Keeper meeting at community level.
• Conduct orientation training on condom for medicine outlet people and other sellers.

GFATM Package 902 of Chittagong Division Achievement of Pilot Phase to RCC (Till December’10)
Component	Name of the Major Activities	Target	Achievement	Population Coverage
YFHS	Advocacy Meeting on YFHS	16  Meeting	100%	560 Persons
	Services Provider( Non- Doctor) Training	38 Training	100%	1140 Non- Doctor Trained
	Refreshers Training for Non –Doctor Services Provider	24 Training	100%	720 SP( Non-Doctors)
	Orientation training for Traditional Healers, Village Doctor etc	82 Training	100%	2460 NFSP
	Orientation training for FWA/HA on YFHS	8 Training	100%	243 FWA/HA Trained
	Community Meeting	82 Training	100%	2472 Community People
LSE & ACY	TOT for Peer Educators	66 TOT	100%	1360 PE Trained
	Young people Session for safe sex	7957 YP Session	100%	159140 YP Oriented
	Gatekeeper Meeting with Community Key Persons People	581 GK Meeting	100%	27210 People Oriented
	Condom Seller Training	7584 Condom Sellers Oriented	100%	7584               Condom Sellers Oriented

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Working Area:

District	Upzilla	Remarks
Chittagong	City Corporation area, Sitakunda and Rangunia
Cox’s bazar	Sadar, Ramu, Taknef, Chokoria, Pekua & Ukhiya
Rangamati	Sadar and Kawkhali
Feni	Sadar & Chhagolnaiya
Comilla	Sadar & Chaddogram
Brahmanbarai	Sadar & Akhaura
Chandpur	Sadar & Shahrasti

Key out come of GFATM Package-902.

• Youth friendly health service issue has been included”in service training module” of government doctors.
• Due to the youth friendly health care services a positive change towards young generations has taken place among the Doctors and other staffs of government hospitals.
• Theoretical knowledge about HIV/AIDS has increased among the health service providers.
• A new column for young generations aged form 15-24 has been added in MIS register of Government Hospital to ensure the standard youth friendly health services.
• Because of the inclusion of such a new column, now a real statistics of how many young people are having health service can be easily found.