Horizons | Research Summary | Involving Youth in the Care and Support of People Affected by HIV and AIDS

RESEARCH SUMMARY

July 2003

Involving Youth in the Care and Support of People Affected by HIV and AIDS

Description of the Intervention

All 60 clubs in both intervention and comparison areas received basic training in club management and HIV prevention, and materials for recreational activities (e.g., footballs, netballs, drums). Clubs in the intervention area also received enhanced training in care and support, with an emphasis on how to network with existing resources and services, such as NGOs, OVC programs, clinics, and home-based care (HBC) teams (see Table 2). Kits provided to each club included items to help the caregivers treat sores and prevent infection (gloves, disinfectant, soap, cotton wool, gentian violet, bandages), document their experiences and collect data (pens and notebooks), and reinforce their group identity as youth caregivers (uniform aprons and badges). Replenishing the care and support kits every three months enhanced motivation among caregivers. Each club in the intervention area was also provided with two bicycles to help members reach PLHA in more remote areas.

Table 2. Club activities in the intervention and comparison areas
	Intervention (Luapula)	Comparison (Northern)
Club management training	√	√
HIV prevention training and material support (e.g., condoms and educational materials)	√	√
Care and support training and provision of kits	√
Networking and building partnerships with community care and support services	√
Advocacy activities to reduce stigma and promote acceptance of youth caregivers	√

Developing the care and support training curriculum1 for youth and training the trainers who were drawn from local health professionals took approximately six months (Table 3). The curriculum covered a wide variety of topics, including HIV voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), stigma reduction, community- and home-based care, needs of OVC, children’s rights, protecting the caregiver, and gender and cultural issues in caregiving and prevention. Training also covered monitoring and reporting of activities and included a field component to gain first-hand experience.

Table 3. Stages of care and support training
Stage 1	March–June 2001	Curriculum development with youths and stakeholders.
Stage 2	August 2001	Training of 12 local health professionals as trainers.
Stage 3	September 2001	Training of 300 youth caregivers from 30 clubs and providing kits. Field component: opportunity to visit clinics, VCT centers, and HBC programs.
Stage 4	November 2001	Follow-on training to ensure that every club member had the opportunity to be fully trained. Commencement of ongoing training sessions to address specific needs and concerns raised by caregivers during the course of their work.

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See Also

For additional information please contact:
Horizons
Population Council
4301 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 280
Washington, DC 20008
Telephone: +1 202 237 9400
Facsimile: +1 202 237 8410
E-mail: horizons@popcouncil.org

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This page updated
19 Nov 2007