A toolkit for educating 10-14 year olds on sexual and reproductive health

The rising population of young people in the developing world is the largest in history and will be for at least another 25 years. Many of these young people experience adolescence as an extended crisis that exposes them to life-changing—and sometimes life-threatening—situations. Most are not prepared for the abrupt changes that are coming. They lack information and life skills, protection and decisionmaking power.

DSW has been implementing adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights programmes in eastern Africa for over ten years. Working in rural and urban settings with young people, we are aware that the window for successful interventions is only a few years.

Early adolescence, the age between 10 and 14 years, is an opportune time to positively influence young people’s choices through sexuality education. But in order for this education to help young adolescents develop healthy lifestyles, it must answer their questions, provide them space to discuss relationships and their changing bodies, and treat sexuality as a positive part of social development. In addition, young people need home and school environments that are conducive to developing positive attitudes and behaviours. Therefore, capacity building for parents and teachers can contribute to a more supportive environment for young adolescents at home and at school.

With the support of Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, DSW Uganda implemented a three-year pilot project in Uganda based on these considerations. We were inspired by the enthusiasm of young people, parents, teachers and local governments for the project activities. Overall, the project used a holistic approach to target young adolescents. The overwhelmingly positive response it received demonstrates the high demand for such interventions. We have summarised our approaches and experiences in this toolkit to encourage and assist others to implement similar projects.

We would like to thank Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals and Mango Tree for their constructive cooperation in the realisation of this toolkit.