Sexuality education in Asia: Are we delivering?

'Sexuality education in Asia: Are we delivering?' is an assessment, from a rights-based perspective, looking at the policies and strategies in place regarding sexuality education in 13 Asian countries where Plan works.

Adolescents and communities, along with Plan, see the urgency of helping young people become informed about sexuality at an appropriately early age. This ensures young people can protect themselves from coercion, abuse and exploitation, unintended teenage pregnancy and sexuality transmitted infections, including HIV.

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Case study: Fighting HIV with Stepping Stones

Alexandra Villavicencio, an HIV positive mother from Guayaquil in Ecuador, has turned her life around and started fighting HIV in her community, with help from Plan’s Stepping Stones workshops.

When Alexandra was diagnosed with HIV she was torn apart when her family abandoned her, she was fired from her job and then discovered that her baby son was HIV positive too.

“It’s really horrible to feel alone, without family, without anyone’s support,” she said.

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Creating a climate for innovation

This is the first revision of the Plan HIV Programme Framework Creating a Climate for Innovation adopted in June 2006. It is the result of Plan-wide consultations held in 2007.

The framework illustrates Plan’s response to HIV: one that is grounded in our strategy of corporate Child Centred Community Development. It is characterised by a long-term vision of effecting social change in communities, based on intimate local knowledge and a close relationship with local institutions. The aim of Plan’s response to HIV is to contribute to more effective policies and actions to promote, fulfil and protect the rights of children living in a world with HIV.

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Case study: Learning to live with HIV

It hasn’t been easy for Panthida, 40, from Thailand to live with HIV for the past 10 years. She lost her youngest child because of the virus.

“I had no idea what I should do or how to deal with HIV and AIDS. I thought that I would die soon after,” said Panthida.

It’s much the same for 33-year-old Orapin, who once had no knowledge of HIV and AIDS and was infected by her husband. “I thought that he was healthy and could be a good father of my future kids but I was wrong. He died 8 months after.”

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Circle of Hope: children's rights in a world with AIDS

Plan first adopted a policy for children affected by AIDS in 1996. As HIV epidemics continued to expand globally, Plan’s response grew and evolved to reflect lessons learned at the community level, and also the increasing availability of effective medical treatment.

In 2006, Plan adopted a new framework for its response to AIDS called Circle of Hope which applies the practice of child centred community development. Central to this framework is a programme philosophy that starts with the rights of children and addresses these rights in a manner that is both comprehensive and appropriate to the child’s context.

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Case study: Breaking barriers around HIV

Plan’s work is helping to empower marginalised people like Mariatou* - an HIV positive mother from Benin.

Mariatou lives in Couffo, a region in the south west of Benin with the country’s highest rate of people living with HIV and AIDS - 3.3% compared to the national prevalence of 1.7%. 

Diagnosed positive 7 years ago, Mariatou now heads up an association of nearly 100 members, all of whom are also positive.

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Sexual health, including HIV: what we do

Millions of young people are denied the right to information and advice on sexual health and HIV and this can have long-term and devastating effects on their lives.

Plan works with partners and communities to:

• support quality reproductive and sexual health education and services
• advocate for the rights of children and youths living in a world with HIV
• provide prevention, care and support services to those living with HIV and AIDS
• challenge beliefs and attitudes that maintain unequal power relations between the sexes.

We directly involve children and young people in all of our work, helping them to identify problems and find solutions.

In 2012, Plan trained 86,809 community health workers and traditional birth attendants, benefiting 9,433 communities.

Plan advocates for more effective policies and actions that protect the rights of children. We work with communities and families to make sure those affected by HIV receive the care and support they need. We also advocate for children orphaned by AIDS to live with family members.

Our direct response programmes help communities in a variety of ways - from medical support to helping improve the livelihoods of families living with HIV.

Sexual health, including HIV

Plan's work to promote child rights and lift millions of children out of poverty is based around 8 core areas: education, health, water and sanitation, protection, economic security, emergencies, child participation and sexual health, including HIV. With that comes the three main campaigns Because I am a Girl, Count Every Child and Learn Without Fear.

Over the next year one of these areas or campaigns will be the focus for one month each.

The focus of December is Sexual health, including HIV.