PRISM (Pour Renforcer les Interventions en Santé reproductive et MST/SIDA-Strengthening Interventions in Reproductive Health and STD/AIDS) Youth Campaign

Community participation was a central strategy. Regional and district working groups made up of local leaders and representatives of local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and various ministries met regularly to review campaign strategies and to coordinate activities, like campaign launches. The launches included large events developed for youth by youth that were covered on rural radio and national television. Local and regional political and religious leaders publicly endorsed the activities.

The regional working groups also supervised the process of identifying peer educators, which included an equal number of boys and girls. Parents and community health workers participated in this recruitment process. PRISM trained peer educators to provide both information about preventing HIV/AIDS and unintended pregnancies and referrals to service providers. They reached peers through organised community events (soccer and street shows), social gatherings ("grains" and "seres"), and health centre outreach. The latter initiative involved training 22 health providers from 20 health centres in technical issues and interpersonal communication. These personnel worked closely with the peer educators.

Community business owners, media, and artists were also central. 150 owners of cafés, tailors, and hairdressers decorated their shops with campaign logos (featuring the slogan "My right - Information; My duty - abstinence or condom use"). Following training, 8 theatre groups gave performances on health issues. Another theatre production, entitled Si je savais ("If only I had known") was also videotaped in Malinke. 16 interactive radio programmes were broadcast twice weekly on rural radio in the local language (Maninka). Radio spots were also broadcast before the evening news. Campaign organisers also showed movies and documentaries on STIs, HIV/AIDS, and problem pregnancies. Local working groups organised the broadcasts with support from PRISM and also distributed promotional materials such as T-shirts, stickers, hats, balloons, pens, cloths, handbags, and brochures. Posters promoting condom use and open communication, as well as signboards identifying participating businesses were also produced.

According to organisers, the Youth Campaign was succeeded by a Maternal and Child Health campaign, which is still going on. The youth peer educators were given an orientation in maternal and child health and are now actively promoting MCH as well as adolescent reproductive health. As of June 2003, a new prefecture (Kissidougou) had been added to the PRISM project, for a total of 9 prefectures.

Youth, Sexual Health, Family Planning, HIV/AIDS.

Guinea currently has an HIV prevalence of 2.5% among youth, 2.3% among pregnant women, and 43% in certain pockets of the population such as commercial sex workers.


According to organisers, impact data reveals that knowledge about condoms as well as the use of condoms at last sex was significantly higher among youth in the intervention area compared to the control area. The results also show significant differences in perception of community openness to discussing youth sexuality issues. Guinea currently has an HIV prevalence of 2.5% among youth, 2.3% among pregnant women, and 43% in certain pockets of the population such as commercial sex workers.