Organization: Christian Outreach for Africa (COFA) and Caring Friends
Background/Context:
Students at St. Peter Christian College, located in Mhluzi in Middelburg, South Africa, often face challenging life circumstances that influence the incidence of new sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancies. “You Only Live Once” (YOLO), a curriculum to reduce HIV and teenage pregnancy developed by the South Africa Department of Social Development (DSD), has been provided to high school learners through their regular life skills course. However, observations by the instructor and informal feedback from the learners are consistent with published literature which indicate that student attitudes and health outcomes have not improved. The school community, including youth, parents/caregivers, and staff, is eager to implement a youth-designed intervention that includes faith-based components that reinforce Christian beliefs/values within the discussion and decision about health behaviors, to include sexual activity.
Research Question:
Can a youth-designed, faith-based intervention be a successful complement to the existing school-based SRH curriculum in reducing the incidence of teen pregnancy and STIs and increasing demonstration of positive values-based behaviors?
Study Aims:
- Determine and describe assumptions of school faculty and parents/caregivers regarding influences on youth sexual and reproductive health decision-making
- Determine and describe students’ views on root causes, assumptions, assets, and opportunities to prevent early sexual engagement and other risky behaviors
- Mentor student leadership team to review the findings in 1 and 2 above and develop a youth-led intervention incorporating the Gospel
- Mentor school life skills program instructor and youth to develop full intervention proposal including objectives, strategies, action plan, and budget
- Assess/evaluate impact of youth-led intervention on their chosen outcomes and share results with others
Impact:
High school students at St Peter will create a program that includes their Christian beliefs and values and equips them to follow God’s teachings on healthy relationships and marriage. With God’s guidance, we pray this program will empower youth to prevent HIV infection and teen pregnancy giving them a brighter hope for the future.
Open Positions:
No additional volunteers are needed at this time.
Timeline: March 2024 – June 2025
2 Responses
August 2024 Update: Our enthusiastic youth-led team is in the process of designing an intervention using poetry and debate to engage youth in discussing sexual and reproductive health issues. The team is working on weaving faith and Christian values into the program and has identified local volunteers who are excited to share their knowledge and experience with the learners. We are aiming to have the program ready to implement by the next school year in Mhluzi, January 2025. Thank you for your encouragement and support!
Project Update: We are finalizing a faith-based supplement to the existing sexual and reproductive health training used across South Africa that incorporates all of the great input from the youth and teachers involved in this project. The supplement will be ready in January 2025 for use with high school students attending St Peter’s Christian College. We are working closely with the University of Pretoria to collect baseline data and better understand the impact the program over time. Thank you for your prayers to keep this project on track.