BRIDGE activities are based on formative research and implemented in the project’s eight focus districts: Balaka, Chikwawa, Kasungu, Mangochi, Mulanje, Mzimba, Ntcheu and Salima. While research demonstrated high knowledge and awareness of the “ABC” messages (abstinence, be faithful, and condom use), prevention efforts have been impeded because Malawians, including young people, feel they have little control over their lives and cannot do anything to prevent HIV infection. As a result, all activities promote and reinforce messages of the “Nditha!/I Can!” mass media campaign focusing on the small, do-able acts that every Malawian can take to prevent HIV.

The activities include:Tisankhenji Radio & Listeners ClubsPartners: Business Eye and Nanzikambe Art TheatreThe Tisankhenji Radio Program and Listeners Clubs target very young adolescent girls (10-14 years old) with messages about the importance of staying in school and making informed choices about their future. Although young girls are the primary audience, more and more boys are showing up at the club meetings to discuss issues raised in the pro-gram. And for the first time, many young girls are now talking with their parents about these issues as well.

"Although we were told the club should have only 20 members, we have more than 20 . . . we are considering setting up another club for other children so that we have three clubs. This school is big and many children have a great interest in the radio program.”(Club matron: Salima district)

Objectives of Youth Outreach Activities

• To inspire hope and action against HIV/AIDS, and encourage networking among youth and the larger community.

• To promote the participation of young people, particularly young women, in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

• To fight stigma and discrimination through the greater involvement of youth living with HIV and/or AIDS.

• To recognize youth who are actively doing something to stop the spread of HIV.

• To provide life planning skills to young people.

• To promote small doable actions that prevent the spread of HIV among young people and all community members.

Young people in Malawi are extremely vulnerable to HIV infection – research reveals that 50% of all new infections occur among youth aged 14 to 24. In addition, girls are six times more likely to get infected than boys. Many factors contribute to this vulnerability including lack of information and inadequate attention to life skills development.

In response, the BRIDGE Project has developed an innovative approach that provides youth with support, information, and skills; instills self- confidence; and promotes resilience as they make critical decisions that affect their health and their future, especially regarding the prevention of HIV. The approach relies on youth participation, develops youth leadership, increases youth knowledge, and fosters skills that youth can adopt to maintain healthy behaviors, while creating a supportive and enabling community environment.

B R I D G E

Y O U T H O U T R E A C H

Community Outreach EventsPartners: Experience Momentum (EXP), Community and Village AIDS Committees, and Nanzikambe Art Theatre

Open days, road shows, drama performances, and interactive Hope Kit games are among the many entertaining and edu-cational activities used to engage youth in the community. Organized around an ABC message, they provide an exciting and energized environment to learn more about HIV preven-tion through quizzes and competitions, traditional dance and songs, poems and skits, games, and participatory perform- ances that inform the audience in a fun and memorable way.

Youth Congresses & Girls Leadership CongressesPartners: National Youth Council of Malawi, Girl Guides Association of Malawi, and District Youth Offices

Youth Congresses build youth leadership skills, identify local actions that youth can take to engage in the fight against HIV, and offer young girls/women a place to explore the social, economic, political, and cultural realities that make them vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and put in place action plans to protect themselves.

Nditha! SportsPartners: SAVE and District AIDS Coordinating Committees

Taking advantage of both boys’ and girls’

interest in games, sports, and learn-

ing, Nditha! Sports uses play to edu-cate about HIV preven-tion. Using the context of games and

sports, young people use skills

they already have, as well as learn new

skills, that can help them successfully face challenges,

make decisions, and prevent HIV.

Youth Alert! Mix Radio Listeners ClubsPartner: PSI

To complement and expand the impact of the Youth Alert! Mix radio program, youth and teachers were engaged to begin radio listening clubs. BRIDGE developed a Facilitator’s Guide to help deepen the groups’ discussions and enhance the learning experience.

Youth MaterialsBRIDGE has created and supported the development of several materials to engage youth including YouthLink, Nditha! Sparks, and the Nditha! Diary for girls. In addition, the project ex-panded the reach of the Sara comic books by translating them into Chichewa.

Hope Kit Partners: Manaso

The Hope Kit is a highly interactive participatory tool that encourages discussion around gender and other issues related to HIV prevention. Participants learn by taking an active role in the activities which helps them to explore prevention options and how to reach their goals.

Impact of the ProgramsA household survey conducted in 2007 in the 8 BRIDGE districts found high exposure to the youth activities. The exposure among young people was associated significantly with three themes emphasized in the program: self-efficacy to set long-term goals; self-efficacy to act on the goals set for oneself; self-efficacy to take small, every-day steps to meet the goal.

Hope Kit games like Future Island and walking on the Narrow Bridges help people to think about the small do-able actions that they can take to help them prevent HIV and achieve their dreams.

Youth playing sports and learning about HIV at a Youth Congress.

The youngest participant in the Central/Northern Region Girls’ Leadership Congress, enthusiastically reported, “During the girls’ leadership congress, I gained skills on how to mobilize fellow school girls for action and have!”