Vibrações: a youth-friendly SRHR website in Mozambique funded for development
Vibrações: a youth-friendly SRHR website in Mozambique funded for development
Mozambique has an extremely low internet penetration, with only 17% of Mozambicans using the internet and 50% having access to a mobile phone.* Moreover, the country is one of the most heavily affected by the AIDS pandemic with poor access to HIV and SRHR information and services.
In the light of digital developments speeding up, a youth-friendly, pleasure-based website about love, sex and relationships will be designed to strengthen young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). The website is a first step towards a Mozambican Stepped Care Model and will integrate the already existing successful nationwide network of helplines called SMS-Biz.
Digital intervention creation
During the entire development process of the website, partners will be trained in Stepped Care Model theory, digital intervention creation and developing interventions using Intervention Mapping methodology. The project builds upon the SRHR capacity strengthening project implemented in the past four years in the country.
It’s the young Mozambicans to benefit from better organised information. I know it will succeed and let the youth be more confident about their future
- Dr. Maria Semedo, Universidade Católica de Moçambique
SRHR capacity strengthening project
It had all started with the desire of Universidade Católica de Moçambique (UCM) to improve SRHR knowledge and skills, and to reduce gender-based violence and gender inequality. In 2018 they conducted an extensive needs assessment among students. The outcomes were used to build a robust training programme with a consortium of Mozambican and Dutch partners working together to strengthen SRHR capacity.
“Aidsfonds’ role was to provide training and consultancy for the production of behavior change campaigns, sexual health videos and e-learnings. It was for the first time that our expertise on young people’s behavioural change interventions in the Netherlands was used in an international context”, tells Erwin Fisser, behavioural change expert at Aidsfonds – Soa Aids Nederland. “Most special to me is that we helped the Mozambican partners to do it themselves. Not by telling them how it should be done, but by sharing our own failures and learnings and above all by letting them substantiate decisions made. Over a period of time even the more timid people really grew into influential voices. That was awesome to see!”
Over a period of time even the more timid people really grew into influential voices. That was awesome to see!
- Erwin Fisser, Aidsfonds
Rapid growth of digital media
In the course of the project, usage of digital media by young people was rapidly growing, while digital interventions were not included in the SRHR capacity strengthening. With youth-led organisation COALIZÃO newly on board, the consortium concluded that a quality website with SRHR info and referral to services was much needed, hence the funding application.
Vibrações is Stepped Care
By building a website, that is connected to a youth and adolescence national helpline, we are laying the foundation for a Mozambican Stepped Care Model for SRHR.
The Stepped Care model for sexual and reproductive health facilitates self-care by connecting young people to the different services that directly meet their needs. A web-based platform serves as an entry point to provide youth-friendly, quality information. From this point, digitally-delivered personalized information guides the individual to tailored advise and refers them to additional online and offline services according to their needs.
Aidsfonds & Soa Aids Nederland have introduced and developed the Stepped Care model in the Netherlands around the youth-brand Sense. Building upon 10 years of experience from this brand, Aidsfonds has taken the initiative to scale the model internationally, currently contextualizing the model in Mozambique, Kenya and South Africa.
Partners and funding
Partners in the consortium for website development are Associação Coalizão da Juventude Moçambicana (COALIZÃO), Universidade Católica de Moçambique (UCM) from Mozambique, WitsRHI from South Africa, Maastricht University and Aidsfonds in the Netherlands. The project will be implemented under the NUFFIC Orange Knowledge Programme funded by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Partners in the SRHR capacity strengthening project have been Universidade Católica de Moçambique (UCM) and Instituto Superior de Ciências de Saúde (ISCICA), Maastricht University, Dutch Royal Tropical Insitute (KIT) and Aidsfonds.
* Source: Datareportal, 2020