OBJECTIVES

PATH Thailand has developed an SRH-based website, with the aim of providing youth with an alternative way to gain information and life skills in the areas of sexual and reproductive health care, and self-esteem, healthy relationships, and life planning skills. The website’s target population is youth ages 13-18.

BACKGROUND

PATH’s SRH-website for teens—www.teenpath.net-- was established in June 2002. The computer games project was developed in collaboration with the web company, MWEB, and King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT).

MAIN ACTIVITIES

The website provides an interactive medium, where youth can access information, and have an opportunity to ask questions, through the “Talking With Experts About Sex” webBoard.

Five interactive, on-line computer games were designed, each lasting about 20-30 minutes, and covering the topics mentioned above.

MANAGEMENT FEATURES

Strategy

The IT-approach to providing SRH information and education is unique, in that it utilized a medium which is second-nature to many youth today. It also provides an alternative for teens to access SRH information, and ask questions, in a completely anonymous, private setting—which can prove important in the very personal area of SRH.

Capacity-Building

The youth who “hit” the website have an opportunity for a “distance-leaning” experience of sorts, in the area of SRH. Also, PATH worked closely with a group of university students, to obtain their insights and input in the development of the website. This provided an educational and leadership experience for the students involved.

Mobilizing Resources

“E-based” learning and information-sourcing are not only a unique approach for teens to access SRH information, but it is also a very low-cost way of providing education in this area. It is also very positive, in that using “e-based education” will likely help youth utilize their “surfing” time constructively—“surfing” time can beome more personally enriching.

Managerial Leadership

As this e-based approach to youth SRH education is quite unique, the lessons learned from this intervention will serve to enhance future similar programs.

EVALUATION FINDING

The PATH website was found to have an average of 350 users, or “hits” per day, with 40,000 youth reached through this educational medium, as of July, 2003. Impact evaluation data was not yet available as of the writing of this case study.