Background
A high migration rate from urban to rural areas has contributed to HIV transmission in the city of Hossana, in southern Ethiopia. The problem is intensified by an unmet need for sexual and reproductive health services, especially for young people. This has led to young people being disproportionally affected by reproductive health problems. Limited awareness of prevention methods, misconceptions about HIV/AIDS prevention and inconsistent condom use are a few of the factors that need to be addressed among youth in order to improve the situation.

About the project
This project was designed to create access to both sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information and services for young people aged 14-24 in Hossana. By training ten youth as peer educators, the project team were able to reach 450 young people and train them on topics like HIV testing, family planning, STIs and condom use. Five nurse counsellors were also trained on SRHR services specifically for youth. In addition to this, the project team arranged street shows and distributed SRHR educational material to over 1600 young people.

Results
By the end of the project, the trained nurse counsellors had begun providing youth friendly services – such as HIV testing, emergency pills and counselling – separate from the adult services. Positive behavioral change was observed among the youth who graduated from the peer education training and this project was integrated with other projects in the area, to ensure that young people in Hossana continue to have access to the SRHR information and services they need to protect their health and well-being.

Year: 2016