HORIZONS PROJECT
Responding to the HIV/STI Risks and Health Needs of Men in Dakar, Senegal

Horizons conducted diagnostic research in Dakar, Senegal, that identified high levels of sexual risk for HIV and other STIs among men who have sex with men (MSM), and pointed to the urgent need for culturally appropriate and specifically targeted sexual health services for this key population.

As a follow-up, the project team developed and implemented interventions that included behavior change communication and peer education to support MSM to reduce their risk of HIV/STIs; STI and HIV diagnosis and treatment; and sensitization and mobilization of health managers and providers, the police, and others who interact with MSM and have a direct effect on their ability and willingness to seek sexual health services and to practice preventive behaviors.

Using a pre-test/post-test design, the researchers examined MSM's use of newly developed and more accessible services and the effects of the interventions on their knowledge, attitudes, and sexual practices. The study also examined the effects of efforts to sensitize health practitioners and others who interact with and deliver services to MSM.

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Location

Dakar, Senegal

Duration

Phase 1: March 2000–April 2001
Phase 2: February 2003–December 2005

Horizons and Population Council researchers

Placide Tapsoba, Amadou Moreau

Non-Council collaborators

Karim Seck, Abdoulaye Sidibé Wade (National Program for the Fight Against AIDS)

Abdoulaye Ly (Division of STI/HIV/AIDS, Senegal Ministry of Health & Prevention)

Moustapha Diagne, Mayé Diouf, Dominique Gomis, Cheikh Ibrahima Niang, Youssoupha Niang (Institute of Environmental Sciences, University Cheikh Anta Diop)

Africa Consultants International

Alliance Nationale Contre le SIDA

Centre de Traitement Ambulatoire

Centre Régional “Paul Correa” de Formation sur les MST et le SIDA

ENDA

Family Health International/IMPACT Project

PanAfrican Organization for AIDS Control/Center for Outpatient Treatment

Senegal National AIDS Control Council

USAID/Dakar

Donors

US Agency for International Development

National AIDS Alliance

Publications/Resources on this project

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Related Projects

• Reducing HIV/STI Risk and Improving Treatment for Male Sex Workers in Mombasa, Kenya

• Understanding the HIV Prevention Needs of Men Who Have Sex with Men in Nairobi

See Also

• Senegal

• Horizons Program

• HIV and AIDS

• HIV and AIDS/Prevention

• HIV and AIDS/Stigma and Discrimination

• Reproductive Health

• Reproductive Health/Men and Reproductive Health

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