“Reproductive Health
and Sex Education”

Project Responsible : Guseynova Humar

Terms : September 1- January 26

Donor: SOROS Foundation/Azerbaijan

Problem Statement

The problem of having information about healthy family and healthy children, sex education, sexual behavior of adolescents has existed for a long time. Before the collapse of the former Soviet Union, the children and teenagers did not have access to get this information ; they even could not discuss these issues neither between themselves, nor with their parents and teaches.

After the Soviet Union collapsed and a Western style has interfered with the lifestyle of Azerbaijan people, a gap between the old and the transitional generations has occurred. Also, the information coming from the mass media(TV programs, newspapers, magazines) has contributed to changing of peoples’s attitudes and viewpoints about these issues.

Despite of the fact that the conditions have changed and the teenagers have had a great inflow of the information about sex and availability of discussion this topics between themselves, there is still a barrier to discuss it with parents and teachers. This situation is aggravated by the lack of education on the topics of sexual behavior, sexual life and sexual equality. These issues are not taught at schools and even at universities.

A given problem has been discussed by AzerMSA members with the Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan and the Regional Departments of the Ministry of Education in eleven districts of Baku city. The aim of the discussion was to find out the needs in implementing of the project. As a result, the Regional Departments offered to take the initiative of choosing schools in each district by themselves, as they better know the level of each school in the district.

Goals
  • To increase the level of basic knowledge of schoolchildren / adolescents about the basic principles of Reproductive Health
  • To inform schoolchildren/adolescents about sexual behavior and sexual equality
  • To provide the adolescents with basic information about the Sexually Transmitted Diseases, AIDS and about the ways of protection

Objectives
  • Ten medical students and physicians will be trained on basic principles of reproductive health for 1 month
  • Ten medical students and physicians will organize a team to conduct facultative lessons for 1000 schoolchildren/adolescents of 15-17 years old about the basic reproductive health principles and STD/AIDS and about the family as a unit of society
  • 1000 schoolchildren/adolescents of 16-17 years old will be taught about the sex education and sexual equality for the period of 3 months
  • Ten medical students and physicians will distribute booklets and leaflets on give subjects among 100 schoolchildren /adolescents during facultative lessons.

Beneficiaries
1000 schoolchildren of 15-17 ages studying at 11 Baku schools.

Curriculum
  • What is Reproductive Health? Examples on RH management from the experience of developed countries and countries with strong traditions. Comparative study.
  • Family planning (FP) as the main part of RH. Making strongly family and health atmosphere around it. The structure of the family.
  • Controlling the number of children in the family: is there a standard rule for it?
  • FP: Avoiding of pregnancy - is it necessary?
  • Bringing up a child. Determining the role of mother and father in the family. Comparative study of differences between the Eastern and Western styles.
  • What is RH for teens? Allowing teens to try adults’ lifestyle family with the eyes of a teen.
  • How to avoid STD among adults? Ways of prevention. The effect of STD on family structure. AIDS prevention.
  • How to avoid problems related to STD and drug usage among teens.? Determining the factors leading to this problem in Azerbaijan. Ways of prevention.