Doing A & B Well: 

Behavioral Change with Youth 

in an Era of HIV/AID

 

by Dr. Carl C. Stecker

Senior Techical Advisor for HIV/AIDS, Catholic Relief Services,

E-mail: cstecker@catholicrelief.org

 

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the international relief and development arm of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Partnering with the Catholic Church, other religious organizations, and NGOs, CRS currently supports more than 80 HIV/AIDS projects in over 30 countries. Many of these projects are involved in HIV/AIDS awareness raising and prevention among youth. As an official Catholic agency, CRS adheres to the official policy of the Catholic Church, which disallows the use of condoms because they also prevent conception. This article does not address the policy; it is merely stated as a condition under which CRS operates.

In Zimbabwe, the Jesuit AIDS Project works with youth in and out of school ages 12–19 years old by training peer educators and promoting “youth against AIDS clubs.” The goal of these clubs is to increase the level of HIV/AIDS information and knowledge among youth; to influence positive behavior practices relevant to preventing the spread of HIV among young people; to reduce stigma attached to HIV/AIDS, impart knowledge of right relationships, lifeskills and gender sensitivity among young people; to foster attitudes of caring and supporting people who are infected and affected by HIV/AIDS; and to increase community and institutional support for young people so that they can effectively participate in their own HIV/AIDS prevention and care initiatives. These clubs meet regularly to discuss issues of sexuality and to support each other in their decisions to remain abstinent until marriage and the importance of remaining faithful to one’s eventual spouse.

Youth Alive, an interdenominational organization, is committed to fighting against HIV/AIDS and social injustice, primarily through "Behavior Change Processes" and "Education for Life.” Catholic Relief Services supports Youth Alive in several countries. In Zimbabwe, where it is estimated that close to 27% of youth aged 15–19 are HIV positive, CRS-supported Youth Alive has trained over 100 behavior change facilitators and is directly targeting 18,000 young people in school and 16,000 young people out of school. These programs are assisting young people to organize and manage interventions that develop a sense of responsibility towards oneself and others. Their activities are promoted in secondary schools, colleges, and out-of-school youth clubs. By partnering with the diocesan youth organizations in the dioceses of Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare, and Hwange, they have access to an infrastructure that can bring the program to remote parishes and communities in the country.

 

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In Zimbabwe, where 27% of youth 

are HIV positive, Youth Alive 

is providing Education for Life 

to 34,000 young people.

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The Teen Star Program supported by CRS/Zimbabwe targets 75,000 young people in rural Matabeleland and urban and peri-urban Bulawayo. The program is part of Christian Health Care Services (CHCS), which has been providing methods of natural family planning and family life education since 1986; they incorporated HIV/AIDS prevention education into their programs in 1989. The CHCS Teen Star Program offers holistic information on sexuality that promotes strategies of abstinence and provides life skills training to enable young people to resist peer pressure to be involved in sexual activity. The project involves teens, teachers, parents and the general community. The goals of the project include: 1) improving the level of information and knowledge about human sexuality (including HIV/AIDS and STI infection) among young people aged 10-24 years; 2) enhancing youth participation in HIV/AIDS prevention through the practical application of life skills necessary for adopting and maintaining a healthy sexual lifestyle of abstinence and fidelity; 3) raising awareness of and strengthening the practice of good moral and spiritual values, gender sensitivity, right relationships and child rights among young people; and 4) increasing family, community and institutional support towards improved, healthy lifestyles and the prevention of HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections among young people aged 10–24.

These are but a few examples of the numerous HIV/AIDS prevention programs supported by Catholic Relief Services. While CRS is able to report success through the achievement of certain output indicators, such as the number of peer educators trained, number of trainings held or number of youth anti-AIDS clubs established, the cost of measuring impact indicators showing delay of onset of sexual activity (Abstinence) or reduction in the number of partners (Be faithful) has made it more difficult to report on the longer term impact of such programs. However, anecdotal reports from project officers, parents and youth support the claim that these programs are equipping youth to Abstain (delay sexual debut) and Be faithful (reduce number of partners) and thereby reduce the prevalence of HIV infection.