South Africa School-Based Sexuality and HIV Prevention Education Activity

(EDC) in consortium with partner Health Economics and HIV and AIDS Research Division (HEARD). The Activity aims to reduce new HIV infections in students and teachers by assisting the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to implement high-quality, evidence-informed sexuality and HIV prevention education programs. The Activity focuses on five provinces and seven priority districts with the highest HIV infection rates and disease burden. The objectives of the Activity are to increase the number of teachers qualified to teach sexuality education, strengthen DBE's capacity to provide education and training for teachers, improve the quality of school-based sexuality and HIV education programs, increase DBE capacity to work in partnership with the Department of Health, and improve systems to evaluate the effectiveness of the sexuality and HIV education program. During the October to December 2018 reporting period, the Activity made significant progress towards its objectives. Provincial and district teams demonstrated a strong sense of ownership and took an active role in organizing and supporting implementation. The districts and provinces are now taking more responsibility for implementing the Activity, with EDC and HEARD providing support and guidance as needed. The Activity engaged with DBE national, provincial, and district staff, as well as other supporting stakeholders, to implement activities during the reporting period. The focus was on educator training and implementation of Sexuality and Life Skills (SLPs) in the classroom. Although EDC did not conduct any training during this quarter, they engaged with Provincial and District officials to agree on dates for future training. The Activity also made progress in reviewing and finalizing SLPs for Grades 4-6 and 10-12. The draft SLPs were reviewed, and the print procurement process was initiated in anticipation of approval. The list of approved lessons is attached as Annex B. The Activity also attended a half-day COP PEPFAR meeting following the HIV Treatment Surge announcement to the South African government. The Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) team continued to collect data from all project sites, and planning for 2019 was conducted with Provincial Officials and Managers (POMs) in all five provinces. The Nkangala district in Mpumalanga was added as a new district, and the list of Nkangala schools is attached in Annex C. HEARD continued to work on the costing study, which will be presented in the first quarter of 2019. The Activity also piloted institutionalization by training officials from the North West Province for the delivery of the Grade 7-9 Training Trainers (ToT). Presentations were made at the DBE meeting with the National SGB Association to finalize the training and orientation materials. The Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of the Activity were finalized to provide guidance to the DBE, provinces, and districts on how to set up the CSE program. The Activity has made significant progress towards its objectives, with a strong sense of ownership from the education system. The districts and provinces are now taking more responsibility for implementing the Activity, with EDC and HEARD providing support and guidance as needed. The Activity will continue to work towards its objectives in the coming year, with a focus on educator training, implementation of SLPs, and institutionalization of the Activity. The Activity's geographic focus is on five provinces and seven priority districts in South Africa, with a specific focus on the districts with the highest HIV infection rates and disease burden. The Activity's timeframes are from January 18, 2015, to January 17, 2020, with a quarterly reporting period. The Activity's recommendations include continued support for the districts and provinces to take ownership of the Activity, as well as continued engagement with DBE national, provincial, and district staff, and other supporting stakeholders. The Activity's implementation details include educator training, implementation of SLPs in the classroom, institutionalization of the Activity, and monitoring and evaluation. The Activity's key findings include a strong sense of ownership from the education system, with districts and provinces taking more responsibility for implementing the Activity. The Activity's methodologies include engagement with DBE national, provincial, and district staff, as well as other supporting stakeholders, to implement activities and provide support and guidance as needed. The Activity's conclusions include the importance of continued support for the districts and provinces to take ownership of the Activity, as well as continued engagement with DBE national, provincial, and district staff, and other supporting stakeholders. The Activity's recommendations include continued support for the districts and provinces to take ownership of the Activity, as well as continued engagement with DBE national, provincial, and district staff, and other supporting stakeholders.