Health | Botswana | Test & Transition grant
- The development problem. In Botswana, HIV infection rates are as high as 23%. A potential key driver of high rates of HIV infection and unintended pregnancies among adolescent girls is intergenerational relationships. Men who are five to ten years older than their partners are five to nine times more likely to be infected with HIV than boys their same age.
- The innovation. Young 1ove is rigorously testing an innovative youth-for-youth solution to empowering young women in Botswana to reduce their risks of HIV infection and unintended pregnancies. Inspired by evidence from Kenya, Young 1ove has developed a dynamic awareness class in schools that equips adolescents with information about the relative health risk posed by older men (‘sugar daddies’).
- GIF’s investment. GiF's investment of £480,000 in grants to Young 1ove and Evidence Action will support the organizational development of Young 1ove, as well as help deepen their partnership with the Government of Botswana, explore opportunities for partnership in additional countries in Southern Africa, and build pathways for potential scale. This will position Young 1ove to capitalize on momentum to scale if RCT results are positive.
- Why we invested.
- Strong commitment to rigorous evidence. Young 1ove’s innovation was inspired by the results of a randomized controlled trial in Kenya in 2005, which found that relative risk education classes resulted in a 28% reduction in teenage pregnancy. Young 1ove is currently conducting a randomized controlled trial with 27,574 students to measure their impact in Botswana. Endline results are expected in 2016.
- Partnership and potential for national and regional scale. The partnership between Young 1ove and Evidence Action creates an impressive coalition, combining implementation ability with experience in scaling through governments. Young 1ove has received a formal mandate from the Government of Botswana to reach all students in Botswana by the end of 2016.
- Potential for cost-effective impact. The intervention has the potential to be a highly cost effective way to avert HIV transmission by reducing inter-generational sex, and to reduce dropout rates and unwanted pregnancy.