Basha Lesedi Project

The Basha Lesedi Project (BLP) was designed to equip youth with knowledge, skills, and attitudes to choose abstinence and faithfulness and adopt other critical life skills, which included addressing factors that can increase the risk of HIV among youth, including alcohol use and abuse, intergenerational and transactional sex, gender-based violence, gender norms and expectations, and sexual activity among individuals with HIV. Basha Lesedi also encouraged parents and guardians, church and community leaders, teachers and service providers to become more active and effective supporters of healthy choices for youth. Integrated activities for adults helped to build the capacity of communities and local non-governmental and community-based organisations to help prevent HIV infection among youth.

The BLP provided communities with a coordinated and sustained HIV prevention programme that utilised a variety of channels including radio dramas, posters, billboards, one-on-one communication interventions, small group discussions, curriculum-based workshops, and family-centered care. HIV prevention interventions were conducted in focus communities, recreational clubs, schools, and churches to engage youth. Parents were mobilised to participate in the programme, learning improved parenting and parent-child communication skills to enable them to increase communication with young people around sexuality and risky behaviours and provide more supportive environments.

As part of the project design, FHI 360 strategically selected local civil society organisations (CSOs) based on their strengths, target audiences, and areas of expertise. Instead of operating independently in various districts, the local partners were brought together as one collaborative team under the name the Basha Lesedi Project. The BLP partners were able to become familiar with each other’s areas of expertise, learn to work together, minimise duplication of activities, and appreciate that by working together they had a greater chance of reaching more youth with HIV prevention programming.

One of the key interventions of project was the Basha Lesedi radio drama about a fictitious community in Botswana with storylines that show how the main characters manage the relationships and challenges in their lives, and follows them through a gradual process of change in awareness, attitude, and behaviour. The story starts off when, during a school assembly at Mosenene Community Junior Secondary School (CJSS), the School Head, Mr. Tlou, reprimands both teachers and students for having engaged in sexual acts while attending a weekend sports competition. He describes the disgrace it has brought the school and reminds those involved that they risked exposing themselves to HIV, other sexually transmitted infections (STI), and pregnancy. After the assembly one of the students, Carol, raises concerns about student-teacher relationships with her classmate Tjedza. Tjedza, who is having a sexual relationship with a teacher, accuses Carol of jealousy because Carol does not have a teacher for a boyfriend. Meanwhile one of the teachers, Mr. Bretts, calls a schoolboy named Tiro to his private storeroom. Tiro regularly helps Mr. Bretts identify female students to be his sexual partners. Mr. Bretts asks Tiro to tell Tjedza to cool their relationship for a while because of the scandal.

The radio drama was complemented by listening and discussion groups (LDG). The LDG programme adopted the Modeling And Reinforcement to Combat HIV/AIDS (MARCH) strategy for behaviour change. In terms of modelling, the serial drama tells relatable stories about difficult situations faced by key characters in adopting safer HIV related behaviours. For instance, there is a storyline about a young girl getting a sexually transmitted infections (STI) and another about a young man getting into trouble at school and with the police. The drama demonstrates how characters can prevent HIV transmission, support people who are living with HIV, and communicate more effectively with parents/caregivers. As part of the MARCH strategy, reinforcement occurs at the community and interpersonal level through discussions and activities facilitated by peer educators, traditional teachers, and drama groups.

To support discussions at the community and family level, several resources were produced. This included a facilitator’s discussion guide for the Basha Lesedi radio dramas, communication tools for parents and children, and a HIV, AIDS and STI Fact Sheets booklet.
Click here to download these resources

HIV/AIDS, Youth

According to FHI 360, a 2005 school-based survey found youth indulged in high risk sexual practices. The survey found that among youth 13-15 years old, 26.9% of males and 10.3% of females reported having had sexual intercourse and 15.5% of these boys and 5.8% of these girls reported two or more sexual partners. The same survey found that 24.9% of males and 17.4% of females reported drinking so much alcohol that they got drunk at least once. It was evident that if youth were to remain HIV free, norms regarding sexual and partnership behaviour and alcohol abuse all needed to change. By targeting younger youth, starting at age 10, the BLP offered a critical opportunity to reach young people before they begin to engage in risky behaviours, including sexual activity and alcohol use. This is important as research findings demonstrate that preventing risk behaviours before they start is easier and more effective that changing established behaviours.