Youth Participation in Zambian Youth Peer Education (YPE) Programs

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Youth Participation in Zambian Youth Peer
Education (YPE) Programs

• Presenter
• Christopher Lubasi

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PRESENTATION OUTLINE

• Brief information on Zambia
• Youth Participation in YPE Programs
• Outcomes
• Challenges
• Strengthening Youth Participation and Youth Peer
  Education Programs

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Introduction of Youth Peer Education in Zambia

• The concept was introduced in early 1986.
• In schools, activities were conducted in the Anti
  AIDS Clubs.
• 1997/1998, the concept was integrated in Ministry
  of Health in a package called Youth Friendly
  Health Services
• This was in response to the escalating HIV/AIDS
  pandemic that was known as the Silent Killer

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Youth Particpation in YPE

• Youths recruited in the programs as peer
  educators
• One to two week trainings are conducted
• Youth are sent out in the field to carry out
  pre-planned sensitisation activities
• A range of possible activities conducted
• Transportation and lunch sometimes provided.

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Outcomes of YPE activities

• The activities triggered more open discussion
  among youths on sexual reproductive health
  (SRH) topics
• Awareness activities on SRH targeting youths
  increased
• Increased number of youths participating in peer
  education programs
• Formation of youth CBOs
• More youths visited youth friendly clinics

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Challenges

• Youth involvement in the planning of YPE
  activities is limited
• Attitudes of health staff and policy makers
  towards youth peer educators is not supportive
• Inadequate financial resources
• Voluntarism has low appreciation in Zambia
• Few advancement opportunities
• Lack of incentives (a demotivator)

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• Cultural barriers surrounding sex education still
  dominant in most communities
• Unadopted Youth and SRH Policy in Zambia
• High drop-out and burn-out rate among youth peer
  educators
• Limited access to up-to-date SRH materials and
  information
• No systematic recruitment or retention policy
• Low risk perception by youths
• Lack of transportation

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Strengthening youth participation and peer
education programs

• Establish recruitment retention standards
• Provide greater and improved training
  opportunities for youth peer educators
• Supply programs with IT equipment
• Improve youth-adult partnerships
• Increase youth involvement at all levels
• Increase financial resource allocation