Population Council Research that makes a difference

CARE International, Family Health Trust, and Horizons worked with the Catholic Archdioceses of Mansa and Ndola to investigate whether young people who provide care and support to people living with HIV and AIDS can help meet their needs and those of family members. Researchers also examined whether such youth-related care and support programs can help reduce community stigmatization of those who are infected or help youth to reduce sexual risk-taking.

A pilot study assessing the impact of young people’s involvement in care and support of people living with HIV and AIDS on their own behavior was conducted from 2000 to 2002. It examined the impact of the implementation of prevention, care, and support activities for young people in Zambia, and found that youth caregivers became a positive resource to their communities. A striking finding was the willingness of youth to explore and challenge traditional gender norms.

To increase the long-term sustainability of these results, an extension program was implemented. Its objectives were to train members of the project management committees to run the program, establish local partnerships and mobilize resources, strengthen the skills of youth caregivers, conduct research to determine the long-term trends in sexual behaviors of youth, and identify and document lessons and good practices for enhancing the scaling-up of this and similar programs in Zambia.

The youth-led efforts largely sustained care activities targeted to people living with HIV and AIDS and their families as a result of continued community support and assumption of leadership roles by youth members. Most groups expanded home-based care to include referrals to newly available services, including voluntary counseling and treatment. Some groups financed and supported their programs by developing income-generating activities or accessing local resources.