OBJECTIVE
To provide girls, expelled from school because of pregnancy, the opportunity to complete their studies to acquire some vocational skills.

BACKGROUND
The UMATI, the Family Planning Association of Tanzania, set up a project for young, unmarried girls who were expelled from school because of pregnancy in 1989. The organisation realised the need to expand its outreach to both boys and girls but lacked the capacity to do so. Thus, it began collaborating with the Swedish Association for Sex Education (RSFU). The RSFU established in 1933, has extensive experience in working with youth sexual health. Visits to both the UMATI and RSFU were undertaken and the Swedish methods for training and outreach were tried out in the Youth Family Planning Services through a peer project.

MAIN ACTIVITIES
Three main activities were conducted before peer education activities begun. These were : creating community support through seminars targeting groups that strongly opposed the provision of sexuality education and reproductive health (RH) services to young people; capacity development at the UMATI, and knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) survey on the sexual and reproductive life of young people was conducted at each of the project sites to establish a benchmark for the impact of the project.

Having conducted the KAP survey, the youths were mobilised. Films and other information materials were used to create an interest in sexual health topics and the response was very enthusiastic. Eleven boys and girls each were voted to be peer counsellors (PC) by their peers. They were given a two-week training course and made visits to houses in their neighbourhood and to street corners, or taught from their workplaces, and other venues where young people gather.

SCOPE
The project addresses the issues surrounding teenage pregnancy and the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of young people as well as helping young girls return to school after delivery.

MANAGEMENT FEATURE

Strategy
Services offered include health education, counselling, contraceptive supplies and diagnosis, and treatment of STDs, free of charge.

The STD unit at the Teneke hospital near Dar es Salaam has set aside Wednesday mornings for young people only.

• The UMATI has also engaged in trying to expand opportunities for education and income-generation for adolescent women as well as to enhance their self-esteem and capacity to make decisions through awareness seminars, PC training courses, leaflets and group education activities. Girls, due to poor economic situation, are highly vulnerable.

Capacity-Building

• Recruited and trained PCs selected by their peers where incentives are given to sustain their enthusiasm.

Mobilising Resources

• Screening public film shows highlighting messages on sexuality and responsibility often attract large crowds.
• PCs recruited from project sites are given the freedom to plan how to reach their peers.

Managerial Leadership

• Support and supervise the work of PCs.
• Develop technical and interpersonal skills of staff; ensure adequate supplies; follow-up of clients; and treating clients with respect and dignity.

EVALUATION FINDINGS

• Continuing services to sensitise the communities at project sites have resulted in a conducive environment for project implementation.
• The project had made significant achievements in providing services through peer-education and linkages in both education and counselling, including manufacturing contraceptives and other services available to young people.
• The sexual health perspective taken by this project, including a range of issues concerning sexuality, reproduction and personal relations; has been instrumental in promoting a positive attitude to sexuality and disease prevention.