Youth Health Organisation (YOHO)

The organisation works with youth through different types of programmes that include: peer education, media and advocacy, theatre (edutainment), and research/evaluation. YOHO also uses radio and information and communication technologies (ICTs) to educate, empower, and entertain youth.

The Peer Education Programme (PEP) draws on peer-to-peer support techniques to empower young people through talk shows, street bashes, debating sessions, condom education, interpersonal communication, motivational talks, and life skills training. These discussions focus on HIV/AIDS, STI education and prevention, and sexuality. PEP partners with other groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to provide training and education on issues related to sexual health and HIV/AIDS.

The Media and Advocacy Programme (MAP) supports youth initiatives through electronic and print media; it also uses focus group discussions, workshops, and conferences to advocate for changes in policy and legislature.

As part of the Theatre and Arts Programme (TAP), YOHO educates and promotes the artistic community, writes edutainment scripts, and performs plays, poetry, and modern and traditional dances. The programme provides an opportunity to work with young people and local music artists to provide inspiration to fight HIV/AIDS and promote positive living.

As part of the Research Evaluation, and Documentary Programme (RED), YOHO conducts research relevant to the organisation's mission and objectives. RED also offers a documentation/resource centre for HIV/AIDS. RED involves evaluation of the efficacy of all YOHO outreach activities, and participation in national studies relevant to the organisational mission and objectives. Other activities include development of training manuals, updating the YOHO library, and compilation of information from the internet.

The Voice of Life is a 30-minute youth radio programme run by YOHO in conjunction with Yarona FM. The show airs on Thursday nights between 1915hrs and 1945hrs. It is hosted by the disc jockey (DJ) on duty, the YOHO crew, and various weekly guests. It looks at issues like abusive relationships.

The Cyber Café is an initiative that is designed to expand young people's access sexual health information related to HIV/AIDS prevention, teenage pregnancy prevention, STI prevention, and condom use. The café is also used to increase youth job skills by implementing computer literacy trainings.

Youth, Sexual Health, HIV/AIDS.

YOHO objectives include:

• educating youth 14-29 years on issues of sexual and reproductive health
• raising awareness about and promoting new and existing sexual and reproductive health programmes
• networking and collaborating with different organisations in order to promote sexually healthy behaviour among youth
• promoting youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services.