By Beth Larsen | Project Leader
Health Development Initiative (HDI) recently completed our 3rd annual SHARE Peer Educator Training. The training is part of our sexual health and reproductive education (SHARE) program that works in conjunction with Anti-AIDS clubs in 10 secondary schools in Kigali to reduce the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like HIV and reduce the rates of unwanted pregnancies among Rwandan youth. The training aimed to empower students to be “peer educators” in their schools and lead fellow students in discussions and debates on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues.
HDI hosted a 5-day intensive workshop to give peer educators an in-depth understanding of SRH topics and facilitation skills to guide their Anti-AIDS clubs. Due to the hard work of 3 summer interns from GlobeMed at Lawrence University and our new SHARE Coordinator, we were able to train 30 students from 10 schools to be leaders in the fight against STIs and unwanted pregnancies in their schools.
We asked the SHARE team to give their thoughts on the training. See their responses below!
Q: What was your favorite part of the SHARE Peer Educator Training?
“The ‘energizer’ games!”
“The questions: the students asked so many questions, which gave us more insight into what they were thinking and learning.”
“The enthusiasm of the students and their excitement to learn.”
Q: Why is the SHARE Peer Educator Training important?
“It fights misconceptions students have about sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy.”
“It empowers Anti-AIDS club leaders and active students in the clubs and, in tern, inspires others to be active as well. Students also learn how to take care of themselves and information about their bodies and sexual rights they wouldn’t have access to normally.”
“The model is sustainable. Students will take back this information to their clubs and share with their peers. It’s also a safe space to get questions answered.”
“The training improves HDI’s relationship with the schools. It helps students understand the SHARE program a bit more, and it also gives HDI picture of how the clubs work and how to move forward.”
Special message from the SHARE Team:
This was our best training yet, and we couldn’t do it alone. We are so grateful for all of the generous donors who have made this training possible. Thank you so much for your efforts to improve the lives of Rwandan youth!
**For more information about the results of the peer educator training and how we gauge student understanding, check out the Pre/Post Knowledge Survey report below!**
Links:
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