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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Supporting Volunteer Mentors: Insights From A Mentorship Program For Youth-Headed Households In Rwanda, Lisanne Brown, Tonya R. Thurman, Edward Kalisa, Janet C. Rice, Jean De Dieu Bizimana, Neil W. Boris, Leslie M. Snider, Joseph Ntaganira
Supporting Volunteer Mentors: Insights From A Mentorship Program For Youth-Headed Households In Rwanda, Lisanne Brown, Tonya R. Thurman, Edward Kalisa, Janet C. Rice, Jean De Dieu Bizimana, Neil W. Boris, Leslie M. Snider, Joseph Ntaganira
HIV and AIDS
In 2004, World Vision Rwanda (WVR), in collaboration with Tulane University and the Rwanda School of Public Health, implemented a program to provide support through regular visits by an adult mentor to youth living without adult care. After completion of baseline quantitative and qualitative research, WVR implemented the program in two areas of a province in southwestern Rwanda. Over an 18-month period, 156 trained adult mentors visited and supported 441 youth-headed households. The mentor training covered key aspects of child development and skills for addressing key psychosocial issues that were identified through the baseline research. Specifically, the training addressed how …
Our Stories: Women Speak Out Against Hiv And Aids—An Interactive Communication Package For Rural Low-Literate Women, Vijaya Nidadavolu, Moumita Saha, Vijaya Usha Rani
Our Stories: Women Speak Out Against Hiv And Aids—An Interactive Communication Package For Rural Low-Literate Women, Vijaya Nidadavolu, Moumita Saha, Vijaya Usha Rani
HIV and AIDS
The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) estimates that there are over 5.1 million people living with HIV and AIDS in India. Among new infections reported in 2006, 88 percent were reported in the reproductive age group (15–49 years). The virus is spreading rapidly among women, including married and monogamous women, and adolescent girls. Existing literature shows that women's vulnerability is compounded due to their gendered disadvantage in information access, literacy, and decision-making. This disadvantage is particularly acute in the case of married women in rural India. NACO has indicated the need to develop audience-appropriate strategies for communicating HIV-related information. To …
Girls Left Behind: Redirecting Hiv Interventions Toward The Most Vulnerable, Judith Bruce
Girls Left Behind: Redirecting Hiv Interventions Toward The Most Vulnerable, Judith Bruce
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
As we enter the third decade of the HIV pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa, young women—often adolescent girls—are the new face of the disease. In particular, HIV/AIDS is threatening those girls and young women with limited social and economic assets—those who are unable to avoid, manage, or leave unsafe sexual relationships inside and outside of marriage. Girls at risk of sexual exploitation are not a small minority; they are counted in the hundreds of millions. Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 23 explores: structural determinants of risk, failure to reach the most vulnerable, moving ahead with the …
Las Niñas Rezagadas: Dirigir Las Intervenciones De Vih Hacia Las Más Vulnerables, Judith Bruce
Las Niñas Rezagadas: Dirigir Las Intervenciones De Vih Hacia Las Más Vulnerables, Judith Bruce
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Al ingresar en la tercera década de la pandemia del VIH en el África subsahariana, las mujeres jóvenes—a menudo adolescentes—conforman el nuevo rostro de la enfermedad. En especial, el VIH/SIDA amenaza a aquellas niñas y mujeres jóvenes con limitados posibilidades sociales y económicas; quienes que no pueden evitar, controlar o abandonar las relaciones sexuales inseguras, dentro y fuera del matrimonio. Las niñas que están en riesgo de ser explotatas sexualmente no constituyen una pequeña minoría; se calculan en cientos de millones. Promoción de transiciones a la vida adulta: Sanas, seguras y productivas N° 23 explora: los determinantes estructurales de riesgo, …
Reducing The Social Exclusion Of Girls, Kelly Hallman, Eva Roca
Reducing The Social Exclusion Of Girls, Kelly Hallman, Eva Roca
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Across the globe, girls are systematically excluded from participation in social, economic, and political life. The absence of girls in these arenas has implications not only for the young women themselves but also for society as a whole, exacerbating poverty and perpetuating disparities in health, education, and economic achievement. Internationally, this marginalization makes it difficult or impossible for some countries to achieve society-wide goals, such as the Millennium Development Goals identified by the United Nations as benchmarks to reduce poverty. For a number of years, the Population Council has been studying the causes and effects of girls’ social exclusion in …
Les Filles Sont Oubliées : Rediriger Les Interventions En Matière De Vih Vers Les Plus Vulnérables, Judith Bruce
Les Filles Sont Oubliées : Rediriger Les Interventions En Matière De Vih Vers Les Plus Vulnérables, Judith Bruce
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Alors que nous entrons dans la troisième décennie de la pandémie de VIH en Afrique subsaharienne, les jeunes femmes, le plus souvent les adolescentes, sont le nouveau visage de la maladie. Le VIH/SIDA menace en particulier les jeunes femmes et les adolescentes qui se trouvent dans des situations sociaux-économiques peu favorables, celles qui ne peuvent éviter, gérer ni échapper à des relations sexuelles à risque au sein même du mariage or hors mariage. Les filles présentant un risque d'être exploitées sexuellement ne représentent pas une petite minorité; on peut les compter par centaines de millions. Promouvoir des transitions vers l'âge …
Jovens Abandonadas: Redireccionar As Intervenções De Vih No Sentido Das Mais Vulneráveis, Judith Bruce
Jovens Abandonadas: Redireccionar As Intervenções De Vih No Sentido Das Mais Vulneráveis, Judith Bruce
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
No início da terceira década da pandemia do VIH na África Subsariana, as mulheres jovens—muitas vezes adolescentes—são o novo rosto da doença. O VIH/SIDA está a ameaçar, sobretudo, raparigas e jovens com rendimentos sociais e económicos limitados—as que não conseguem evitar, controlar ou sair de relações sexuais inseguras dentro e fora do casamento. As jovens em risco de exploração sexual não são uma pequena minoria, contam-se entre elas centenas de milhões. Promover Transições para a Idade Adulta: Saudáveis, Seguras e Produtivas Nº 23 explora: determinantes estruturais de risco, falta chegar às mais vulneráveis, avançar com os meios que temos e …
Le Contexte De L’Initiation Sexuelle En Évolution Dans La Région Subsaharienne De L’Afrique, Barbara Mensch
Le Contexte De L’Initiation Sexuelle En Évolution Dans La Région Subsaharienne De L’Afrique, Barbara Mensch
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
L'ampleur de l'épidémie du SIDA en Afrique subsaharienne expose particulièrement les jeunes femmes au risque de l'infection par le VIH et requiert une meilleure compréhension des comportements reproductifs, y compris l'initiation sexuelle et les relations sexuelles pré-maritales. La croissance des relations sexuelles pré-maritales est une conséquence inévitable des mariages tardifs dans les pays en développement, en particulier à cause du fait que la période pendant laquelle les filles sont sexuellement mûres et non mariées est prolongée quand le mariage est retardé. Un récent projet du Population Council a fait des recherches sur les liens entre le changement d'âge au mariage …
Reducir La Exclusión Social Des Las Niñas, Kelly Hallman, Eva Roca
Reducir La Exclusión Social Des Las Niñas, Kelly Hallman, Eva Roca
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
En todo el mundo, las niñas son sistemáticamente excluidas de la participación en la vida social, económica y política. La ausencia de niñas en estos terrenos tiene consecuencias, no solo para las mismas jóvenes sino también para la sociedad en su totalidad, ya que se exacerba la pobreza y se perpetúan las disparidades de salud, educación y éxito económico. A nivel internacional, esta marginación dificulta o hace imposible que algunos países logren objetivos en toda la sociedad, como los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio, considerados por las Naciones Unidas como parámetros para reducir la pobreza. Desde hace algunos años, el …
The Experience Of Married Adolescent Girls In Northern Nigeria, Annabel Erulkar, Mairo Bello
The Experience Of Married Adolescent Girls In Northern Nigeria, Annabel Erulkar, Mairo Bello
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Programs for young people in sub-Saharan Africa have been directed largely toward unmarried adolescents, neglecting the fact that a large proportion of adolescents—especially girls—are married in some settings. Early marriage is a common feature of girls’ adolescence in Northern Nigeria, yet few programs are in place to support this sizable and vulnerable group. To suggest directions for future programming, Adolescent Health and Information Projects (AHIP) and the Population Council examined the lives of married and unmarried girls in two geopolitical regions of Nigeria, North West and North East. The study, as described in this report, consisted of secondary analysis of …
Girls' Adolescence In Burkina Faso: A Pivot Point For Social Change, Martha Brady, Lydia Saloucou, Erica Chong
Girls' Adolescence In Burkina Faso: A Pivot Point For Social Change, Martha Brady, Lydia Saloucou, Erica Chong
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
As closer attention is paid to the lives of adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa, girls are found to be clearly disadvantaged, compared with their male counterparts. Burkinabé girls are frequently married at a young age, and more than one-third of married girls find themselves in polygamous unions as second or third wives, married to much older men. Understanding and recognizing girls’ realities is an important first step in planning appropriate and meaningful interventions for them. Girls who are unmarried, “promised,” engaged, or married face different constraints and merit different program approaches. This report by the Population Council aims to fill gaps …
Influencing Girls’ Lives: Acceptability And Effectiveness Of A Livelihoods Skill Building Intervention In Gujarat, Shveta Kalyanwala
Influencing Girls’ Lives: Acceptability And Effectiveness Of A Livelihoods Skill Building Intervention In Gujarat, Shveta Kalyanwala
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
There are 66 million adolescent females aged 13–19 in India. Their lives are characterized by limited education, lack of economic and social opportunities, early marriage and childbearing, and limited influence on decisions affecting their lives. Although programs in India have aimed to empower adolescent girls, they have largely focused on enhancing life skills and awareness. Programs to address women’s social and economic disadvantages have focused exclusively on adult women. To respond to the absence of programs devoted specifically to the social and economic empowerment of adolescent girls and young women, the Population Council partnered with the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) …
The Changing Context Of Sexual Initiation In Sub-Saharan Africa, Barbara Mensch
The Changing Context Of Sexual Initiation In Sub-Saharan Africa, Barbara Mensch
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The magnitude of the AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa puts young women at particularly high risk for HIV infection and calls for a better understanding of reproductive behavior, including sexual initiation and premarital sex. An increase in premarital sex is an inevitable consequence of later marriage in the developing world, if for no other reason than that the period during which girls are sexually mature and unmarried is prolonged when marriage is postponed. A recent Population Council project investigated the links between changing age at marriage and premarital sexual behavior in 27 sub-Saharan African countries. After documenting the decline in …
Obtaining More Accurate And Reliable Information From Adolescents Regarding Sti/Hiv Risk Behaviors, Barbara Mensch, Paul C. Hewett
Obtaining More Accurate And Reliable Information From Adolescents Regarding Sti/Hiv Risk Behaviors, Barbara Mensch, Paul C. Hewett
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
To investigate the quality of self-reported data on sexual behavior, Population Council researchers conducted a study in a rural district of Malawi. They implemented a randomized experiment to assess whether audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (ACASI) produces more valid data on sexual behavior than face-to-face interviews. The Malawi study builds on an experiment conducted as part of a household-based survey of Kenyan adolescents. In Kenya and Malawi, there is clear evidence that mode of interviewing and probing of various sexual partnerships affect the reporting of sexual activity. According to Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 25, ACASI is …
Providing New Opportunities To Adolescent Girls In Socially Conservative Settings: The Ishraq Program In Rural Upper Egypt—Full Report, Martha Brady, Ragui Assaad, Barbara L. Ibrahim, Abeer Salem, Rania Salem, Nadia Zibani
Providing New Opportunities To Adolescent Girls In Socially Conservative Settings: The Ishraq Program In Rural Upper Egypt—Full Report, Martha Brady, Ragui Assaad, Barbara L. Ibrahim, Abeer Salem, Rania Salem, Nadia Zibani
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Adolescent girls in the poorest villages of Upper Egypt, who were kept from school by poverty and other obstacles, face a bleak future that will replicate the poverty and disadvantage of their own families. This stark picture of vulnerability encouraged four long-standing nongovernmental organizations working in Egypt—Caritas, CEDPA (Centre for Development and Population Activities), the Population Council, and Save the Children—to create a multidimensional program for 13–15-year-old out-of-school girls. The pilot intervention, known locally as Ishraq, sought to transform girls’ lives by changing gender norms and community perceptions about girls’ roles in society while bringing them safely and confidently into …
Psychosocial Benefits Of A Mentoring Program For Youth-Headed Households In Rwanda, Lisanne Brown, Janet C. Rice, Neil W. Boris, Tonya R. Thurman, Leslie M. Snider, Joseph Ntaganira, Laetitia N. Nyirazinyoye, Edward Kalisa, Emmanuel Nshizirungu
Psychosocial Benefits Of A Mentoring Program For Youth-Headed Households In Rwanda, Lisanne Brown, Janet C. Rice, Neil W. Boris, Tonya R. Thurman, Leslie M. Snider, Joseph Ntaganira, Laetitia N. Nyirazinyoye, Edward Kalisa, Emmanuel Nshizirungu
HIV and AIDS
In Rwanda, the combined effects of the 1994 genocide and the AIDS pandemic have devastated the lives of children and families. More than 300,000 young people have been “left behind,” not only by parents and other caregivers who have died, but also by extended families and communities who stigmatize and fail to support them. The phenomenon of youth-headed households in the region is a relatively recent development. Despite the long history of fostering in sub-Saharan Africa, family and community safety nets are overstretched. Youth-headed households may be a legitimate coping strategy; however, children living in youth-headed households are less likely …