ABCs of Sex Education: Kufanya Uamuzi Bora

Phylis and Sarah co-teaching male reproductive anatomy

Well, since the last time I checked in about my HIV prevention and sex education work I’ve been back to Kenya twice. I have hired a project manager, and we’ve launched a measurement and evaluation process. Thanks in large part to donations from many of my friends and family, I was able to employ fourteen previously volunteer community educators in 2013 and require that they begin to fill out reports to help us measure their effectiveness and improve outcomes. In addition to the paid educators, twenty-nine other newly trained educators are now volunteering their services.

Sarah, one of our community educators,
and some of the high school kids
watching Phylis teach.

My good friend Phylis Nasubo Magina took over as Project Manager of the ABCs of Sex Education in January 2014, after resigning her position as Deputy Director of a primary school in Nairobi. Phylis, Jessy (my oldest daughter) and I just spent seven weeks together meeting with all of the previously trained educators, and honing the report and evaluation forms. We are also now using several project management and other software programs.

Phylis and I meeting with a group in
Embaringo, Aberdares, at 10,000 feet.

 

As you may know, our ABC (Abstain, Be faithful, use Condoms) curriculum is a fact-based approach that teaches knowledge and skills for risk reduction in the areas of HIV/AIDS and other STDs, and early pregnancy. 

The Funyula Team with Phylis

Our project aims to be a measurement-based program that proves its efficacy and constantly aspires to improve outcomes. We are now establishing and gathering metrics on everything from the number of audience members we’ve reached to the reduction in high school dropouts due to pregnancy after we’ve taught at schools. Ultimately we hope to link our hands-on, knowledge-and-skills-based education to reductions in HIV and other STDs and early pregnancy, and to increases in (serial) monogamy and condom use.

Phylis interviewing Lydia from our
Luanda Team, with Jessy helping with
the filming.

And we have a new name! ABCs of Sex Education: Kufanya Uamuzi Bora (Making Wise Decisions)

My next post will unveil our new website, let you know the results of some of the data we are entering and analyzing, and report on our sanitary pad project aimed at keeping girls in school.

first impressions of Rwanda

Whoa. I couldn't really tell you what I was expecting, but Rwanda exceeds all expectations. Here on a  ten day development course, we've had a chance to meet both high level Rwandans (the Speaker and three other Members of Parliament, the head of a unity and reconciliation commission, the head of a large hospital serving a remote rural area) and local people served by Partners in Health, the group for which we are doing a consulting project on social marketing.

Phylis and I sitting in the Rwandan Parliament