Background
In 1999, the North West Department of Health (NWDoH) established youth centers around the province, as part of its commitment to provide youth and adolescent friendly services. The youth centers were envisaged to serve as multi-purpose and safe environments for the youth, and also to provide educational services that would facilitate behavior-change amongst the youth. However, these centers were ill-equipped to respond to the needs of the youth due to the lack of facility- based services that would attract youth to the centers. Some of the shortages included a lack of recreational facilities, skills development and edutainment programs. The centers also missed peer education as a popular approach to HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health.

About the project
The project therefore set out to improve the knowledge of peer educators in sexual and reproductive health rights in Klerkdorp district in the North West Province. This was done through increasing knowledge on Sexual Transmitted Infections and HIV/AIDS, Family Planning Methods and knowledge on unwanted pregnancies, eqipping youth with presentation skills and empowering the trained peer educators to train other youths. Ten youths were chosen from Klerkdorp districts of North West Provence and trained in Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights, presentation and facilitation skills and value clarification.

Results
200 youths had been reached and trained by the trained peer educators.

Year: 2006