How did you create the course? What were the steps from when you had the idea to the implementation of the course?
We have been wanting to start this project for several years, so we had quite some time to think about what the course would look like and what our goals would be. In 2020, we were fortunate enough to get funding from Together Women Rise (formerly known as Dining for Women) and the Conservation, Food and Health Foundation to make it a reality. Before moving any further, we surveyed community members, including parents, to get their thoughts about the course and address their concerns. We were happy to find that everyone was accepting and supportive of the project.
We really wanted to create our own curriculum tailored specifically to the girls in our communities, the barriers they face to reproductive health, and their interests. We circulated a job posting for a curriculum writer and were fortunate enough to work with Dr. Elizabeth Louis. We had such a great experience with Dr. Louis that we asked her to join our Board of Directors. We also hired a nurse and social worker to teach the course, since we thought it was important to have young female professionals teach as a team to make the young women feel comfortable with the material and to address any and all questions that the students might have.
“We really wanted to create our own curriculum tailored specifically to the girls in our communities, the barriers they face to reproductive health, and their interests.”
We then spread the word about the program in and around our clinics and through our community health workers. Once all of the participant spots were filled, we held an education session for the parents of the girls so that they could learn more about the curriculum to ask questions and raise concerns. After that, it was time to launch the course.
Q: What was the response from the community? Are there elements of the course that address community-specific challenges?
Before we start any new program, we take the idea to the community first. For this course, we did a feasibility study and interviewed many community leaders—government officials, pastors, teachers, parents, and our own staff. The responses were overwhelmingly positive, even from the church, which is very influential in Haiti. While many may hold traditional values, they see the negative consequences that the lack of sexual education has on the women in their lives. They were eager to have us begin the program. Many of the people we talked to wanted to educate their children on these subjects, but they didn’t know how and many did not have that knowledge themselves.
“While many may hold traditional values, they see the negative consequences that the lack of comprehensive sexual education has on the women in their lives … Many of the people we talked to wanted to educate their children on these subjects, but they didn’t know how and many did not have that knowledge themselves.”
Q: What do you ultimately hope to achieve with this course? What is your vision?
I have big plans for this course. We are currently in our pilot phase: a cohort of 20 girls ages 13-18 enrolled in a 20-week course at six of our clinic sites. Once this course is complete, we will repeat it again for another group of girls. Next year, we will adapt the curriculum for boys. We will still run the two sessions of the class for girls, but we will do a separate one for boys as well. We know that it is critical to include boys in these conversations to help shape their knowledge and behaviors which have a direct impact on their health, their partner’s health, as well their families. The girls’ class and boys’ class will still be separate, so that everyone feels more comfortable asking questions. For year three, we will separate the classes further by age—one class for girls ages 10-14 and another for girls 15-18, and the same for boys. In the fourth year, I want to pilot the course at a local high school to see if we can integrate it as part of a school curriculum, which is unheard of in Haiti. Once we have several years of data, we will pitch the course to the Ministry of Education and my hope is that one day the course is taught in schools throughout Haiti.
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