NEWS
January 2009
Mexico: Interest in the concept of Learning about Living Nigeria has led to the possibility of extending and replicating the program in other countries. Following several meetings at the AIDS 2008 Conference in Mexico this August, the MacArthur Foundation has agreed to support a feasibility and planning project to adapt LaL for Mexico City. The hope is that OneWorld UK and Butterfly Works will be able to transfer the necessary skills and knowledge for local organisations to initiate and implement LaL in Mexico.
November 2008
A special version of Learning about Living is currently being developed for Northern Nigeria. In November 2008 a workshop took place in Bauchi, North Nigeria, with the aim to develop a special version of Learning about Living. Merel of Butterfly works and Uju together with partner ACI were hosted by the Federation of Muslim Women of Nigeria, who will be together with AHIP the implementation partner in North Nigeria.
Together they went through the whole program to adjust the characters and the texts where necessary to be suitable for this region and culture
October 2008
What have we done so far? By October 2008 the results of LaL are:
Almost 6,500 students have now used the Learning about Living website and program in schools, 252 teachers have been trained to use the system and 74 peer educators are able to support students in the classroom.
The mobile service has also proved overwhelmingly popular. Following the huge success of the MyQ launch, the number of incoming questions has consistently exceeded the project target of 1,500 per month. The number of young people using the service every month suggests that it has now become an established route for many young Nigerians to gain vital sexual and reproductive health information. As of November 2008, MyQ has received more than 50,000 questions. The monthly MyA competitions are also growing in popularity and over 100 prizes have been awarded since it began in December 2007.
September 2008
The second phase of pilot in schools just commenced in September in the three Nigerian states following a baseline
survey which was implemented by the lead NGOs in these three locations. Six schools started the program part in Abuja as well as four extra schools in both Lagos and Calabar.
July 2008
To ensure efficient and consistent responses, a comprehensive database of frequently asked questions (FAQs) has been built, spanning 16 categories including abortion, contraception, HIV testing, puberty and safe motherhood. The database provides a good indication of how the service is being used by young people – frequently asked questions include:
o Should I use a condom with my regular partner?
o How do I know if I have HIV?
o Is it true some pastors and priests can heal a person who has HIV?
o Is it possible to be pregnant even during menstruation?
April 2008
Teacher training workshops were held in Abuja, Calabar and Lagos, with teachers sharing experiences on using the program from state to state, learning how the experiential learning can be incorporated into lessons and how all the information cartoons can be used for learning in the class.
January 2008
Find Learning about Living at You Tube!
http://tinyurl.com/2zrm33
Learning about Living (LaL) is a two year project designed to use Information and Communication Technology (ICT), to teach adolescent reproductive health education to young people in Nigeria. It is designed as an educational tool that can be used in and out of school to enhance the physical, reproductive and mental well being of young people by engaging them in the issues and giving them accurate information to make informed decisions about their sexual health. It involves the development and implementation of an e-learning system based on the national Family Life HIV/AIDS Education (FLHE) curriculum. In addition to the e-learning tool, LaL will involve mobile phones to engage young people in several ways: A slogan/rap/poem competition, as well as a Question and Answer service.
You can download the project newsletters here for more background information and project updates.
For more information about this program, please email info@learningaboutliving.org
Mexico: Interest in the concept of Learning about Living Nigeria has led to the possibility of extending and replicating the program in other countries. Following several meetings at the AIDS 2008 Conference in Mexico this August, the MacArthur Foundation has agreed to support a feasibility and planning project to adapt LaL for Mexico City. The hope is that OneWorld UK and Butterfly Works will be able to transfer the necessary skills and knowledge for local organisations to initiate and implement LaL in Mexico.
November 2008
A special version of Learning about Living is currently being developed for Northern Nigeria. In November 2008 a workshop took place in Bauchi, North Nigeria, with the aim to develop a special version of Learning about Living. Merel of Butterfly works and Uju together with partner ACI were hosted by the Federation of Muslim Women of Nigeria, who will be together with AHIP the implementation partner in North Nigeria.
Together they went through the whole program to adjust the characters and the texts where necessary to be suitable for this region and culture
October 2008
What have we done so far? By October 2008 the results of LaL are:
Almost 6,500 students have now used the Learning about Living website and program in schools, 252 teachers have been trained to use the system and 74 peer educators are able to support students in the classroom.
The mobile service has also proved overwhelmingly popular. Following the huge success of the MyQ launch, the number of incoming questions has consistently exceeded the project target of 1,500 per month. The number of young people using the service every month suggests that it has now become an established route for many young Nigerians to gain vital sexual and reproductive health information. As of November 2008, MyQ has received more than 50,000 questions. The monthly MyA competitions are also growing in popularity and over 100 prizes have been awarded since it began in December 2007.
September 2008
The second phase of pilot in schools just commenced in September in the three Nigerian states following a baseline
survey which was implemented by the lead NGOs in these three locations. Six schools started the program part in Abuja as well as four extra schools in both Lagos and Calabar.
July 2008
To ensure efficient and consistent responses, a comprehensive database of frequently asked questions (FAQs) has been built, spanning 16 categories including abortion, contraception, HIV testing, puberty and safe motherhood. The database provides a good indication of how the service is being used by young people – frequently asked questions include:
o Should I use a condom with my regular partner?
o How do I know if I have HIV?
o Is it true some pastors and priests can heal a person who has HIV?
o Is it possible to be pregnant even during menstruation?
April 2008
Teacher training workshops were held in Abuja, Calabar and Lagos, with teachers sharing experiences on using the program from state to state, learning how the experiential learning can be incorporated into lessons and how all the information cartoons can be used for learning in the class.
January 2008
Find Learning about Living at You Tube!
http://tinyurl.com/2zrm33
Learning about Living (LaL) is a two year project designed to use Information and Communication Technology (ICT), to teach adolescent reproductive health education to young people in Nigeria. It is designed as an educational tool that can be used in and out of school to enhance the physical, reproductive and mental well being of young people by engaging them in the issues and giving them accurate information to make informed decisions about their sexual health. It involves the development and implementation of an e-learning system based on the national Family Life HIV/AIDS Education (FLHE) curriculum. In addition to the e-learning tool, LaL will involve mobile phones to engage young people in several ways: A slogan/rap/poem competition, as well as a Question and Answer service.
You can download the project newsletters here for more background information and project updates.
For more information about this program, please email info@learningaboutliving.org