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Youth

HP+ More recent Youth publications are available.

  • The demographic dividend is an important opportunity for economic development that arises through population change. As fertility rates fall and the share of working-age adults rises, the dividend can boost economic growth and productivity, raising incomes and allowing families and governments to invest more in the health, education, and well-being of future generations. There is the potential for a dividend in Malawi based on demographic trends such as its age structure and dependency ratio. To open the window of opportunity and achieve a demographic dividend, sustained and integrated investments in demographic, economic, and social policies and programs are required beginning today.

  • With support from the USAID-funded Health Policy Project, the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (WRA) is striving to promote midwifery and improve midwives' working conditions by (1) influencing policymakers, (2) involving the media, (3) engaging youth, (4) mobilizing the community, and (5) strengthening the capacity of midwives as advocates at the global, national, and local levels. This brief demonstrates how advocacy approaches can lead to a more supportive environment for midwives and ultimately better maternity care and birth outcomes. Advocates need to inform policymakers of the priority issues needing their attention and the steps necessary to improve midwifery. The brief includes a number of examples for advocates to learn from and include in their advocacy strategies. It also provides an opportunity for WRA to share advocacy learning and models with global partners to foster continued and additional advocacy efforts that are needed to further position midwifery as a central component of integrated maternal and newborn health systems.  

  • Based on the UTETEZI Project curriculum, Advocacy for Improved Access to Services for MSM: A Workshop Curriculum for a Multi-Stakeholder Policy Advocacy Project, this advocacy for policy change guide is designed for use by MSM (men who have sex with men) groups, community-based organizations (CBOs), civil society organizations (CSOs), and individuals working in HIV and MSM health to help them advocate regionally, nationally, and locally for improved HIV and health-related MSM policies. In particular, this guide can serve as an important tool for CSOs working on MSM issues in hostile legal environments.

  • A lack of comprehensive knowledge about HIV/AIDS and sexual reproductive health (SRH), financial insecurity, gender-based violence, and other risk factors can leave students of higher education institutions (HEIs), especially women, more vulnerable to HIV infection. It is therefore important to consider the specific needs of this population group when designing and implementing HIV interventions. In Ethiopia, the Health Policy Project (HPP) is supporting the Federal HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office and HEIs to prioritize and target HIV interventions in HEI settings. As part of this effort, HPP assisted the government's HEI Partnership sub-Forum against HIV/AIDS with developing a Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Framework for HIV/AIDS and SRH interventions in HEIs. Establishing a standardized system for planning, monitoring, and evaluating interventions will facilitate the generation and use of high-quality program-related data to inform decision making, thus helping to boost program effectiveness. Training and implementation of the framework has begun, and the next step will be to evaluate its effectiveness and standardization across HEIs in Ethiopia.

  • Energy is extremely expensive in Jordan, and 97 percent of all energy used in Jordan is imported. Energy costs are equivalent to nearly 21 percent of the total annual gross domestic product; energy costs are equivalent to 32 percent of the value of all annual imports; and energy costs are equivalent to the value of 83 percent of all exports. As the population grows, so will the consumption of energy, and consequently, the expenses to provide the amount of energy required in the future. If Jordan is to meet its future needs for energy, it must address multiple issues, including the scarcity of local oil, rising prices of oil in the international market, critical and serious supply-demand imbalances, costly new sources (infrastructure and operating), and the increasing pressure on resources from changes in population, development, and lifestyles. Resolving these issues will take a concerted effort and commitment from the government and the people of Jordan; and each of these issues needs to be addressed in multiple and different ways. One of the least expensive approaches that can be taken immediately, and is the underlying theme of this presentation, is to reduce population growth. 

    This RAPID presentation, developed by the Health Policy Project in collaboration with the Jordan Higher Population Council, demonstrates that future population growth will directly affect the ability of Jordan to provide sufficient energy resources. While reducing population growth will not be sufficient in eliminating all of the energy issues facing the country, it is a necessary step that needs to be taken in combination with many others if Jordan is to successfully resolve its pressing energy situation.

  • Jordan’s continued economic development and concomitant population growth is putting increased pressure on natural resources and the environment. Over the past 40+ years, the gap between the ecological footprint and the local capacity has grown, and this deficit has largely been made up for by importing goods, especially food and energy, from abroad.

    Productive land in Jordan is limited. Only 11 percent of the total land area can be considered agricultural land---of which less than 2 percent is arable; the rest is ranges and forests. As population size increases, so does the need for more land to produce food and build houses, businesses, recreation areas, schools and health facilities, roads, and mosques, as well as other supporting uses.

    This RAPID presentation, developed by the Health Policy Project in collaboration with Jordan's Higher Population Council, demonstrates that future population growth will directly affect the use of land in Jordan. While reducing population growth will not be sufficient in eliminating all the pressures being placed on the land, it is a necessary step that needs to be taken in combination with many others if Jordan is to successfully resolve its pressing land use situation.

  • In June 2014, the government of Haiti published a paternity act that recognizes equal rights for children born within and outside of marriage. This act represents an important legal shift, enshrining the principle that all children are on an equal footing. The USAID-funded Health Policy Project AKSE documented the gaps that the law fills and why this achievement is so important for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, the women’s organizations that fought for it, and for children in Haiti. In support of the Haitian Government HPP AKSE develops training curriculum to disseminate the content of this new law to judicial actors and Human rights NGO.

  • Tanzania’s sustained development and transition to middle-income status depend on the health of its people. In recognition of this fact, the Government of Tanzania (GOT) has prioritized reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health (RMNCAH), adopting a broad foundation of policies to inform RMNCAH programming. Yet, in recent years, progress toward achieving Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets for child, maternal, and neonatal health has been uneven, in large part due to funding and implementation challenges. To overcome these challenges and accelerate progress, the GOT developed a National Road Map Strategic Plan to Improve Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health in Tanzania (2016-2020): One Plan II. In 2015, the USAID-funded Health Policy Project (HPP) conducted an analysis to project the costs and health impacts of achieving the government’s new commitments outlined in the One Plan II, and to identify the remaining challenges for implementing the plan.

  • The Government of Malawi recognizes that the health of young people is a component of public health, which is of concern in this country. However, lives of most young people continue to be threatened by a number of factors such as sexually transmitted infections including HIV and AIDS, teenage pregnancies, unsafe abortion complications, nutrition inadequacies, alcohol and drug abuse and mental health problems. This contributes significantly to the high mortality and morbidity rates in Malawi. The Ministry of Health through the Directorate of Reproductive Health and partners initiated the program evaluation of youth-friendly health services to assess the extent to which young people access the health services they need at various levels of care. The findings and recommendations from the evaluation stressed the need to have a robust adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health strategy.

    This strategy, therefore, aims at giving direction and guidance to the implementation of SRH services for all young people countrywide, so as to achieve the highest possible level of quality integrated services.

  • The PANCAP Stigma Framework was developed with assistance from the USAID- and PEPFAR-supported Health Policy Project in response to regional and national requests made to PANCAP for direction on responding to stigma and discrimination in the Caribbean. Stigma and discrimination continue to be key drivers of the Caribbean HIV epidemic and are major obstacles to effective responses. Their impact on Caribbean health and development is wide ranging. HPP provided technical and financial support for PANCAP partners with experience in reducing stigma and discrimination to review existing frameworks and Caribbean tools to inform the drafting of a comprehensive approach. A small group of technical experts from HPP drafted the initial framework to meet the needs of small countries, island states, and emerging nations. This framework has initially engaged and will serve to strengthen the capacity of national HIV programs to develop, implement, and monitor effective policies and programs, and to address HIV in a sustainable manner at the national level. The PANCAP Stigma Framework is built on three components, health and development, collective empowerment, and social justice and gender equality, which are crucial in addressing the Caribbean response to HIV-related stigma and discrimination. 

  • The USAID-funded Health Policy Project (HPP), in collaboration with the Family Health Division of the Ministry of Health and Population in Nepal, and members of the multi-sectoral technical working group (TWG), completed applications of three models: ImpactNow, DemDiv, and RAPID Women. The integrated modeling package provided evidence to reinvigorate support for family planning among national-level policymakers. 

    HPP developed three policy briefs to summarize model results around three key themes: family planning, education and gender equality. HPP also developed two booklets. The first booklet, Planning for Nepal’s Demographic Dividend, makes a case for increased investment in family planning, education and economic policies to promote health and development. The second booklet, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion: Investments for Improved Health and Development, presents results from the RAPID Women model and makes the case for investing in women-centered strategies for improved health outcomes. The materials represent the key messages developed by the TWG and family planning stakeholders that participated in HPP’s message development workshop. 

  • Males who have sex with males (MSM), transgender (TG) people, and sex workers (SWs) are at higher risk for HIV transmission than other individuals, even in generalized epidemics. Structural and policy issues have created barriers for MSM/TG/SW in seeking services and adopting individual and community harm reduction strategies. The Policy Analysis and Advocacy Decision Model for HIV-Related Services: Males Who Have Sex with Males, Transgender People, and Sex Workers, published by the Health Policy Project and AMSHeR (African Men for Sexual Health and Rights) with support from USAID and PEPFAR, is a collection of tools that helps users assess and address policy barriers that restrict access to HIV-related services for MSM/TG/SW. In 2012 and 2013, the Decision Model was applied in Burkina Faso and Togo. This brief presents the Decision Model and key policy findings.

  • The Policy Analysis and Advocacy Decision Model for Services for People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) is a collection of tools designed by the USAID-funded Health Policy Project and the Eurasian Harm Reduction Network to help stakeholders create an inventory of country policies, analyze these policies against international best practices and human rights frameworks, assess policy implementation, and create a strategic advocacy plan. The primary goal of the model is to identify the policies that most directly affect access to and sustainability of key PWID services and the needs and opportunities for policy advocacy that will improve access to services, even while larger, long-term human rights policies remain deficient.

    The Decision Model is intended for global application but includes special attention to the policy issues facing Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Stakeholders can use the tools to identify restrictive, poorly written, and absent policies that impact the access to and sustainability of key services for PWID including HIV counseling and testing, antiretroviral therapy, hepatitis and tuberculosis services, opioid substitution therapy, and needle and syringe programs. These services are analyzed within the settings of community-based programs, pre-trial detention, prison, and institutions that have custody of minors. The policy areas under consideration are extensive, with more than 1,300 policy points for analysis. Policy areas include service coordination; data use and decisionmaking; participation of PWID in decisionmaking, service delivery and evaluation; consent; personal data; stigma and discrimination; criminal sanctions; gender-based violence; human rights; procurement and supply management; eligibility; funding; and service delivery protocols.

    A companion decision model geared specifically toward males who have sex with males, transgender people, and sex workers (Policy Analysis and Advocacy Decision Model for HIV-Related Services: Males Who Have Sex with Males, Transgender People, and Sex Workers) is also available. 

  • The  Malawi government  introduced  the  Youth  Friendly  Health  Services (YFHS) program in  2000 and  in  2007  the  Ministry of Health-Reproductive Health Directorate (MOH-RHD)  developed  Youth  Friendly  Health  Services Standards  with  the aim of providing  quality services  to young  people. In 2014, the MOH-RHD and the Centre for Social Research, University of Malawi, with assistance from the USAID-supported Evidence to Action project, conducted its first comprehensive evaluation of the YFHS program. The evaluation assessed the quality of YFHS compared to the existing national standards, in the context of the current sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs of Malawian youth.  

    This brief summarizes the implementation of YFHS standards in Malawi and suggests key questions for policy makers and program managers to consider in order to improve YFHS in Malawi.

  • The  Malawi government  introduced  the  Youth  Friendly  Health  Services (YFHS) program in  2000 and  in  2007  the  Ministry of Health-Reproductive Health Directorate (MOH-RHD)  developed  Youth  Friendly  Health  Services Standards  with  the aim of providing  quality services  to young  people. In 2014, the MOH-RHD and the Centre for Social Research, University of Malawi, with assistance from the USAID-supported Evidence to Action project, conducted its first comprehensive evaluation of the YFHS program. The evaluation assessed the quality of YFHS compared to the existing national standards, in the context of the current sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs of Malawian youth.  

    This brief summarizes data collected in 2013 by the E2A project, and lays out key questions for policy consideration.

  • The  Malawi government  introduced  the  Youth  Friendly  Health  Services (YFHS) program in  2000 and  in  2007  the  Ministry of Health-Reproductive Health Directorate (MOH-RHD)  developed  Youth  Friendly  Health  Services Standards  with  the aim of providing  quality services  to young  people. In 2014, the MOH-RHD and the Centre for Social Research, University of Malawi, with assistance from the USAID-supported Evidence to Action project, conducted its first comprehensive evaluation of the YFHS program. The evaluation assessed the quality of YFHS compared to the existing national standards, in the context of the current sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs of Malawian youth.  

    This brief summarizes the sexual knowledge and behaviour of youth in Malawi and suggests key questions for policy makers and program managers to consider in order to improve YFHS in Malawi.