Breaking the Cycle of HIV Transmission: A Human Centered Design Approach to Reach Adolescent Girls and Young Women
Many Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) at high risk for HIV have difficulties sustaining prevention behaviors. To address this challenge, Upstream and Final Mile used Human Centered Design (HCD) methodologies to undertake behavioral research and design and pilot an intervention. Over 3,000 AGYW and 135 influencers (such as male partners and community health workers) took part in the research, with the results used to inform the design stage. AGYW were further involved in the creation and piloting of the intervention.
The objective of the intervention was to help AGYW progress past the “big flip,” where they move from prioritizing the needs of others in relationships to prioritizing their own sexual health. From several possible options co-created with AGYW, the intervention chosen for piloting was the relationship workshop, where AGYW would be guided over five days to help reaffirm their goals, recognize healthy relationships, connect health and goals, navigate challenges, and build a support network.
Follow-up research undertaken with participants after the pilot showed an increase in preference for HIV prevention services, increase in HIV prevention behaviors, and a lasting sense of sisterhood between and among participants and facilitators.
Introduction to the Toolkit
Materials
Project Overview – outlines the HCD research findings and learnings from relationship workshop pilot
Toolkit – four strategic tools using learnings from the HCD research to help programs working with AGYW to design successful interventions for HIV prevention
Briefs containing learnings from the pilot:
- Brief 1: Rethink HIV prevention
- Brief 2: Re-prioritise resources for impact
- Brief 3: Refine goals to incentivise better outcomes
- Brief 4: Promote segmentation to improve effectiveness
- Brief 5: Align design efforts to AGYW needs
- Brief 6: Ensure programme relevance
- Brief 7: Deploy relationship workshop
- Brief 8: Leverage this work to amplify impact
- Project Overview