GHEI HEALTH PROGRAMS

1) YOUTH AND ADULT PEER EDUCATION PROGRAMS

GHEI’s Peer Education Training Programs are designed to build the capacity of individual community members to distribute public health information to the rest of the community. GHEI recruits people that have shown an interest in our health work, and they are then trained using both workshops by the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG), and also weekly meetings led by the health program coordinator. These peer educators then go out into their community to deliver specific health messages that respond to current community health issues. They focus on different target groups depending on the topic, and host meetings on a whole range of health subjects, in both Humjibre and other nearby villages.

Youth Programs

The village of Humjibre has a population of 4,000, where 43% of the population remains under the age of 14 (Bibiani District Census, 2000). Young people lack accurate information on health issues that affect them and their futures. 

Youth Peer Educators

In January 2004, GHEI began its youth peer education program; it initially involved 9 adolescents aged 13-17 who were trained by the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) to give reproductive health discussions within the village of Humjibre. In spring 2005, 7 new peer educators were selected and trained in the same manner. Each year, as Form 3s leave Junior Secondary School (JSS) and hopefully go on to Senior Secondary School (SSS), 4 or 5 new Form 1 peer educators are selected to join the program. The training that the peer educators receive addresses topics such as HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, communicable diseases, communication skills, assertiveness, personal hygiene, nutrition, maternal health, decision-making, self-confidence, contraceptive methods, pubertal changes, correct condom use, unsafe abortions, and promotion of gender equality. They also learn how to counsel their peers. Through the promotion of gender equality and reproductive health knowledge and awareness, we hope to decrease the teenage pregnancy rates and increase the reproductive health knowledge of the young people in the village. Peer-to-peer education has been shown to be effective in many communities, and is widely used in Ghana as an effective teaching tool in reproductive health education.

After participating in this training, the peer educators attend weekly meetings where the information they have learnt is reinforced in creative ways such as debates, dramas etc., and confidence-building activities and public speaking skills are practiced. The peer educators then participate in outreach sessions with their peers, both at their own school and in other nearby schools, which aim to encourage young people to make positive changes to their behaviour in order to have a healthy and happy life in the future. In an effort to reach a wider audience in creative ways, the youth peer educators also occasionally perform dramas in the community center that teach health messages to their peers and to the community. They also help to coordinate the annual World AIDS Day event. A major focus for the future is to expand these outreach sessions to neighboring villages. This started in 2006, and occasional meetings continue to be held in schools in Muoho and Bekwai, with high success.

JSS Health Teaching Program

As the youth peer educators all attend Junior Secondary School (JSS), the GHEI program is restricted in the number of meetings it can hold in schools as we do not want to interfere with the peer educators’ lessons. At the start of 2007, in an effort to reach more young people without affecting the peer educators’ schooling, it was decided that the health program coordinator would develop a health curriculum and teaching schedule, and hold weekly lessons at the JSS. Each form will be taught a program of ten sessions over the year; this means that the current Form 1 students will finish JSS having received 30 teaching sessions in health topics. It also provides the health program with continuity, regardless of changes in health program personnel. The curriculum moves from basic issues of puberty, menstruation, hygiene etc. for the Form 1s, to a greater focus on reproductive health issues and life skills with the Form 2 and 3s. It is hoped that having completed the three year program, a full complement of health knowledge will be gained by every student at the school. Monitoring and evaluation of the project will be carried out through knowledge, attitudes and practices surveys completed by the students during their first session in Form 1 and their final session in Form 3. The youth peer educators participate in these sessions by acting out roleplays, leading discussions etc. This also has the effect of making the peer educators more visible to their peers should they need advice.

Adult Peer Education

The adult peer education program was developed with the aim of targeting the adult population’s reproductive health needs through education and information provided by their peers. GHEI’s initial aims were to improve the existing knowledge levels of reproductive health and family planning in the village of Humjibre, thus allowing women and men to make more informed choices about their reproductive health futures. By using peer educators from the village, local people are more likely to believe and trust what they are saying and will therefore be more likely to change their behaviour. Five adult peer educators were trained in the spring of 2005 by PPAG to facilitate discussions and programs related to maternal and child health, safe motherhood, family planning, counseling, health referrals, and contraception. Currently there are 7 peer educators, 6 women and 1 man. They are dedicated, bright and interested in health topics, and give their time generously to help GHEI and their community. 

Together with the adult and adolescent peer education program, GHEI hopes to improve upon the existing knowledge of reproductive health and family planning in the village of Humjibre , to allow women and men to make more informed choices about their reproductive health futures.

Women's Health Education Meetings

Since the program’s inception, there has been a shift in the emphasis from reproductive health to more general health needs. This occurred through consultation with the community; for example, women asked for more sessions dealing with childhood illnesses, malaria, TB and typhoid, and there was also interest shown by men who felt left out of proceedings. And of course, for a healthy population, the men need to be targeted also.

We therefore developed a more varied method of outreach. From an initial focus on women’s meetings, led by the health program coordinator and Sister Comfort, a local teacher and friend of GHEI’s, we now hold community meetings for a variety of target groups, led by the peer educators, with as little input as possible from the health coordinator (as time goes on, and as the peer educators become more knowledgeable and confident, we hope that input from the health coordinator will no longer be needed). For example, meetings have been held for young men on STIs, and for older women on the menopause and heart disease. As the health knowledge of people in Humjibre increases, we have also started to expand to other sites. For example, in the September 2006-2007 term, we have held very successful meetings at Muoho, Kojina and Bekwai.

Dramas make up a large part of the adult peer education program – they attract people to the meetings, are fun to watch, easy to understand, and therefore good learning/teaching tools. The peer educators are excellent at converting a few ideas into a drama that has the audience laughing/crying/booing out loud! The GHEI adult peer educators have also performed three dramas on Unique FM, the local District radio station, on topics such as safe motherhood, breastfeeding and family planning. These have had a very good reception, and the peer educators enjoy the feeling of celebrity that these performances provide!

2) CONDOM SALE/DISTRIBUTION

The condom sales project began in February 2005 under the leadership of Mensah Tawiah, an outstanding JSS student, who was also a GHEI peer educator. The aim of this project is to provide a youth-friendly condom sales service at low prices. Condoms are available each Saturday and Sunday evening at the community centre. With the departure of Mensah to SSS in Cape Coast, Justice, another Form 3 peer educator, has taken over condom sales for this year, although he is hoping to go to SSS this September. We are also trying to establish relationships with local drink spot workers, and hope that they will sell condoms on behalf of GHEI in the future.

3) ANNUAL EDUCATION EVENTS

GHEI holds three large health events annually. The first is a deworming session for all the local primary school children. Worms are a common occurrence in Humjibre, and lead to poor growth and malnutrition in young children. With the short-term summer volunteers, young children are given deworming tablets and taught about the importance of preventing worms.

The second is a Malaria Day celebration, held in July. In previous years, this has been an occasion for the distribution of mosquito nets to those in need, and it is also an opportunity for people to re-treat their nets with the insecticide that increases the protection the nets provide.

The third is World AIDS Day, held annually on the 1st December. In 2006, GHEI’s event was the only one in the District, so it was co-hosted by the District Council. The day usually involves dramas, speeches from special guests, films, music etc., and the peer educators play an important role in its organisation. Attendance is high and it is always a day that is thoroughly enjoyed by the community.