ACET Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) began in 2007 as a Christian response to the HIV and AIDS pandemic using a primary prevention approach.
Since then they have worked to understand the drivers of HIV in their context which include ignorance, stigma and discrimination, sexual gender-based violence, and erroneous cultural beliefs about sex and sexual health. This has led to a shift in a more comprehensive approach to HIV and AIDS that responds to sexual and reproductive health issues.
We are delighted that all the activities which were originally run by ACET DRC are now run by the church at large! A great, ACET success story!
ACET DRC worked in partnership with churches and their wide network of schools and congregations on the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of a multi-dimensional approach which aims to address key barriers and enablers to sexual and reproduction health at individual, family, organizational, and institutional levels.
Key strategies to improve sexual and reproductive health included the following:
- Providing ongoing training to key influential leaders including clergy, providers of education services, and community organisations so that they had the knowledge and skills to lead their communities in promoting sexual and reproductive health.
- Equipping churches and school institutions with curricula to equip educators to cultivate safe schools and communities where children and youth grow and reach their full potential.
- Providing countrywide support and expertise to churches, schools and communities to address the sexual and reproductive health of youth.
- Advocating for an evidence-based approaches to healthy relationship programming in schools and congregations
- Building strategic partnerships with church and community leaders to support the scaling up of a strategic and coordinated approach to sexual reproductive health
ACET DRC on the radio
In the DRC, low literacy levels, high levels of stigma around sexual health and a lack of capacity at a community level to address health issues are all significant challenges to young people who need to access support for sexual and reproductive health matters. One way ACET DRC addresses these challenges is to partner with local church radio to provide weekly, interactive radio shows to promote healthy relationships and sexual wellbeing among young people. Read more
Reaching children marginalized by deafness
A remarkable finding was that out of the 15 reported cases of early pregnancy, 13 occurred in the 3 schools for the deaf (EPHATA). ACET DRC therefore targeted these 3 schools as a priority for education activities. Read more
Challenging taboo in DR Congo
My name is Esther and I am 13 years old. Before I came into contact with ACET DRC, I was ashamed to talk to adults. I had things I could not tell Mum, or Dad, and I did not have many friends in the neighbourhood. Read more