1. For the GIZ project, System Development in Sexual and
Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) – Central Asia 2009
-2018 (https://www.giz.de/en/worldwide/14399.html), GFA
had implemented the youth component from 2013-2015,
aiming to enhance the knowledge among young people on
SRHR and HIV prevention, so as to enable them to make
informed choices about their health.
Target groups: Teachers, community health promoters,
youth organizations and other multiplier agents.
Final beneficiaries: Adolescents, (vocational) school pupils
grades 6 to 11 and young people (19-24 years).
Strategy: Institutionalization of SRHR and HIV prevention
educational tools developed under the project in govern-
mental education and health promotion structures.
Approach: Development of a regional computer-based
teaching tool providing international standards and evi-
dence-based approaches for effective education on SRHR
and HIV prevention; adapting the regional tool to suit the
needs of each of the three countries and incorporating other
health promotion instruments, such as healthy life style
courses and the Join-In Circuit (JIC) as a practical toolkit for
the target groups.
Context:
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have a total popu-
lation of about 45 million, and approximately half of their
inhabitants are under the age of 25. Sexual and reproductive
health issues are taboo in these economically weak socie-
ties, while gender disparities are widespread. Adolescents
and young people in the region have an urgent need to be
informed of what is happening to their bodies and minds
during puberty. It is important for them to learn how to
avoid undesirable consequences after sexual behavior. This
urgent need has been recognized by the governments of all
three countries. This is why Healthy Lifestyle courses have
been developed, in both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in close
cooperation with the project. In Uzbekistan, the program
‘Improving the reproductive health of mothers, children and
adolescents 2014-2018’ was launched. In this program, the
GFA Youth component played an essential role through the
JIC, an interactive tool to educate adolescents on love and
relationships. These courses and the JIC were implemented
on a wide scale in all three countries, and they require com-
petent teachers and health educators. However, teachers
and health community workers lack, in general, the basic
knowledge and skills to work according to the principles
for effectively promoting health, as they often believe that
warnings and examples are enough to prevent harmful be-
havior. Moreover, a basic knowledge of reproductive health,
gender and rights-based approaches and evidence-based
methods of promoting healthy behavior, rather than con-
trolling the young people, is lacking. Finally, professionals
feel embarrassed to talk with their students about intimate
matters that concern young people.
Results
In the region:
• Development and institutionalization of the course Ad-
olescent health in a life course perspective. Through the
computer-based tool the teachers’ and health-educators’
competences in addressing young people on SRHR, gen-
der and HIV-related issues have been enhanced. The tool
has been developed in close cooperation with UNESCO.
• 451 teachers and health educators, 32 youth organiza-
tions and 15460 young individuals have directly been
trained by the project.
• 139 teachers and health educators, 25 youth organiza-
tions and over 12000 young individuals have been trained
through the multipliers trained under the project.1
In Kyrgyzstan:
• The Kyrgyz version of the course Adolescent health in a
life course perspective has been approved by the scien-
tific councils of the Kyrgyz Academy of Education, Kyrgyz
State University named after I. Arabayev and the Ministry
Promoting Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
and HIV prevention among young people in Central Asia
JIC session in Bishkek, school №68. made by Alexander Fedorov
Consulting Group
1. Figures are recent up to September 2015, with last quarter not being included; the figures will be roughly 20% higher once the project has ended.

2. of Education and Science, which have all recommended
enhancing the national capacities on Healthy Life Style
(HLS) courses that include SRHR and gender. From
September 2015 onwards, Arabayev University (72 hours)
and Kyrgyz Academy of Education (10 hours) have started
providing the course for 72 and 10 hours respectively.
• Public Health post graduates at the National Medical
University have been retrained (10 hours) under the Flag-
ship Courses Public Health.
• The JIC is a part of the HLS course, which has been ap-
proved by Ministry of Education and Science and is now
fully integrated into the education sector.
• The “Healthy Life Style” guidebook has been developed
and produced together with UNFPA, UNESCO and UNDP
with GFATM funding. All primary and vocational schools
in Kyrgyzstan will be provided with guidebooks and with
the computer-based tool by the end of 2015.
In Uzbekistan:
• The Republican Reproductive Health Center and their 17
affiliates have been trained by the project management
so as to enhance their competences on RHR education at
the community level and at vocational schools, through
the course Adolescent health in a life course perspective
facilitators ’ capacities have been enhanced and the JIC
tool has reached out to young people.
• On 15 August 2015 the Women’s Committee of Uz-
bekistan and Ministry of Health ordered that the JIC
will be mandatorily used to upscale and strengthen the
educational program on the reproductive health of the
population in general and adolescents in particular, from
September 2015 onwards.
• The Uzbek version of the course will be integrated into
the Centre for vocational and higher education under
the Ministry of Higher and Vocational Education from
September 2015 onwards.
• As a result, JIC will be introduced in all vocational schools
(1555) in Uzbekistan by facilitators trained throughout
the course.
In Tajikistan:
Adaptation of the regional CBT course started in April 2015
after receiving an official letter from Ministry of Education
and Sciences high agreed to the adaptation process. The
adaptation is on-going within Tajik Academy of Education.
Multiplier effects:
Since September 2015 the Ukrainian State Pedagogical
University has been offering onwards the course Adolescent
health in a life course perspective for students who will
be teaching “Basics of Health” in the school system. First
grade students will be taking the course during the module
”Family Planning” and 4th grade students will be studying
it during the module “Actual Problems of the Physical and
Mental health”.
Published by Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Registered offices in Bonn and Eschborn, Germany
Regional Program Health in Central Asia
Bokonbaeva Str. 220
720017 Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
T: +996 312 90 67 47
F: +996 312 90 67 47
E health.centralasia@giz.de
I www.health-centralasia.org
I www.giz.de
Authors Olga de Haan, Team Leader, Component
“Health promotion among youth”, GFA Consulting Group
Layout M Maxima, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Printed by M Maxima, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
As of November 2015
On behalf of Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and
Development (BMZ)
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GFA is responsible for the content of this publication
“Healthy Life Style” guidebook
Computer-based tool “Adolescent health in a
life course perspective”