Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI)

Programs

Abstinence and Risk Avoidance for Youth (ARK)

last updated Oct 11, 2011

Overview

Implementing organization: 
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of public Health
Implementation Partner(s): 
Centre for Communication Programs(CCP); World Vision
Legal Status: 
Private (not-for-profit)
Year Launched: 
2005
Stage: 
Short-term project
Income Level of Target Population: 
Bottom 20%

Funding

Primary Source of Funding: 
Donor
Funders: 
PEPFAR
Summary: 

The Abstinence and Risk Avoidance for Youth Program (ARK), was a five-year project funded by PEPFAR, launched in Kenya, Tanzania, and Haiti to address abstinence and mutual faithfulness for HIV prevention.

Key program components: 

The project focused on HIV prevention among girls age 10-24, with a secondary focus on boys of the same age. Parents, teachers, religious and traditional leaders, service providers, and other adults that interact with youth also benefited from ARK’s efforts.

Centre for Communication Programs (CCP) supported the project by conducting trainings to help youth and adults form action groups and conduct outreach in their communities, using materials and tools developed by ARK. CCP designed training for youth on message development and script writing. CCP also utilized radio spots, interactive discussions and listener groups to engage experts and lay people to discuss ARK messages.

In all three nations, ARK demonstrated evidence of community participation and endorsement of its core values and strategies. For youth, the program provided:

  • Accurate and critical information to support both attitude and behavioral change

  • Skills and strategies to support empowerment, choose abstinence and resist the lure of having sex

  • Foundations of self-respect that enable them to evade enticement by others. Activities have had positive effects on family relationships and communication.

Tremendous support exists from community leadership and local faith-based group

Hide this

Need help?

Using the CHMI Programs Database

  • Browse: Browse the database by applying one or more filters to narrow your search by characteristics. Click the "x" to remove any of the filters you've selected. Click "reset search" to remove all filters and start over.
  • Search: Search the database for a specific program by typing a name or keyword into the search box.
  • Add: If the program you're looking for is not in the CHMI database, submit the program to the CHMI pipeline by clicking here to add a program profile.
  • Update: If you notice incorrect or outdated information, or would like to help complete a profile for a CHMI pipeline program, request a change by clicking here, or at the top of the program profile.

Have a question? Check the FAQs first. Don’t see your question? Contact us.