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This report describes phase II of the Population Council Vietnam project on gender-based violence (GBV). The project involves both a hospital and community based intervention to address this problem in Hanoi and to conduct research to assess its effectiveness. This report is useful to practitioners interested in gender-based violence issues in Vietnam

This report arose from recognition of the need to provide better care and follow up of mothers and infants in the postnatal period in order to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes in Swaziland. The objectives of the study were to determine if changes to the guidelines on postnatal care would result in improvements to provision of of maternal and newborn care in the postnatal period, increase utilization of postnatal care services among all postpartum (PP) women, and improve the care and follow up of HIV-positive postpartum women and their infants. The study confirmed that the introduction of an improved postnatal package with revised timing and content provided key components of maternal, newborn, and HIV care, and increased the utilization of services among postpartum women and their infants. An assessment of the quality of care during client-provider interactions for all postpartum women demonstrated a fourfold increase in the proportion that included all aspects of care: maternal and newborn health, counseling for HIV, family planning, and improved provider-client relationships

This is the report of an intervention study in Kibera, an urban slum in Nairobi, to determine what effect three different community-based activities had on the utilisation of key prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services. The interventions included moving services closer to the population via mobile clinics, as well as increasing psychosocial support through the use of traditional birth attendants and peer counsellors as PMTCT promoters

This report provides a case study of a process to bring key technical sectors together with communities in a partnership for reducing food insecurity among HIV-affected households in Tororo, Uganda. Food security is the ability of individuals to consume sufficient quantity and quality of food to meet their daily needs. Food security depends on the availability of food, physical and economic access to it, and the physiological utilisation of nutrients. The case study is based on project documents and qualitative interviews and focus group discussions conducted with participants in the Partners for Food Security PAFOSE project

In 2001, the Population Council conducted an assessment in Brazilian border areas, commissioned by the Brazilian Ministry of Health, with support from USAID/Brazil, to determine which populations were most in need of HIV prevention activities. The research findings in the southern region revealed the presence of an extremely mobile, international truck driver community with little or no access to HIV prevention, testing and treatment services. In response to this need, Horizons/Population Council implemented an operations research study focused on trucker drivers (2002-2005) in the south of Brazil. In collaboration with the administration of the customs stations, municipal and state STI and AIDS programmes, and Health Ministries, the investigators sought to examine the feasibility and impact of an HIV prevention project targeted at truckers crossing the southern border of Brazil

This is the report of a diagnostic study in 2005 to provide an evidence base to strengthen the national Indian prevention of parent-to-child transmission (PPTCT) initiative. The key research questions were: What are the treatment, care, and support needs of HIV-positive women and what services do the women utilize to meet their needs? What are the different ways (clinic-based, community-based, etc) to link HIV-positive women and their families with treatment and care services? The study indicated that linkages between PPTCT and HIV care services, as well as PPTCT and reproductive health services, were limited

This paper presents the results of a rapid situational analysis of the antiretroviral (ARV) rollout in South Africa which found that several ARV programmes are treating children successfully. However, all the institutions surveyed identified a large number of concerns and challenges that need to be overcome in order to improve care for children living with HIV. Key actions required include early identification of HIV-infected children, effective referral, standardised training in pediatric HIV management for health professionals, and increased community awareness and support

Although considerable attention has been paid to the prevalence of adolescent childbearing in the less-developed world, few studies have focused on the educational consequences of schoolgirl pregnancy. Using data collected in 2001 in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, this paper examines the factors associated with schoolgirl pregnancy, as well as the likelihood of school dropout and subsequent re-enrollment among pregnant schoolgirls. This analysis triangulates data collected from birth histories, education histories, and data concerning pregnancy to strengthen the identification of young women who became pregnant while enrolled in school and to define discrete periods of school interruption prior to first pregnancy. We find that prior school performance - defined as instances of grade repetition or non-pregnancy-related temporary withdrawals from school - is strongly associated with a young woman's likelihood of becoming pregnant while enrolled in school, dropping out of school if she becomes pregnant, and not returning to school following a pregnancy-related dropout. Young women who are the primary caregivers to their children are also significantly more likely to have left school than are women who shared or relinquished childcare responsibilities. Furthermore, young women who lived with an adult female were significantly more likely to return to school following a pregnancy-related dropout. Given the increasing levels of female school participation in sub-Saharan Africa, our findings suggest that future studies will benefit from exploring the causal relationships between prior school experiences, adolescent reproductive behavior, and subsequent school attendance

Tap and Reposition Youth (TRY) was a multiphase initiative undertaken by the Population Council and K-Rep Development Agency (KDA), the oldest and largest microfinance institution in Kenya. The overall aim of the project was to reduce adolescents' vulnerabilities to adverse social and reproductive health outcomes, including HIV infection, by improving their livelihoods options. The project was launched in low-income and slum areas of Nairobi, Kenya, where rates of HIV infection are alarming and where young women are disproportionately affected