Horizon Jeunes
Horizon Jeunes was an adolescent reproductive health programme that aimed to increase adolescents' awareness and use of preventive behaviours and sexual health products and services in Cameroon. The programme aimed to encourage adolescents to delay the initiation of sex and to use condoms to prevent HIV and sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) when they do choose to initiate sex. The project was designed to reach in- and out-of-school urban youth aged 12 to 22. The ultimate goal was to encourage Cameroonian youth to either delay the initiation of sex or to reduce sexual risk-taking behaviours (among sexually experienced youth).
Communication Strategies
The programme included peer educators, trained in the techniques of social marketing and of interpersonal communication to promote behaviour change. Peer educators functioned as mobile distributors of the "Prudence Plus" brand of condoms promoted in the nationwide social marketing campaign.
The project sought to educate youth about the availability of the condoms and oral contraceptives and worked to increase providers' willingness to serve unmarried young women. Peer educators led in the creation of school-based youth clubs that distributed project materials to club members.
Radio spots advertised events organised by Horizon Jeunes and also carried informative commercials with sexual health information for youth. Talk shows addressed sexual health topics of interest to youth including HIV/AIDS, STIs, unwanted pregnancy, abstinence, fidelity, condom use, and parent-child communication about sexuality.
Placed on the Soul Beat Africa site June 08 2005
Last Updated March 03 2008
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