Potential Partner, Concrete Activity: visit to Buffalo City, South Africa, September 2006
In November 2005, a Buffalo City Municipality delegation visited Youth Incentives to acquaint themselves with Youth Incentives activities. After a follow-up visit from representatives of both organisations, we agreed to explore opportunities to develop and implement a joint project on youth friendly services within Buffalo City Municipality.
Buffalo City is located in an urban area of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The municipality seeks to ensure access to information and services for young people in the field of sexual and reproductive health.
One of the first joint activities Youth Incentives and Buffalo City Municipality have undertaken is a Monitoring & Evaluation (M & E) exercise to assess the youth friendliness of Primary Health Care Clinics in the municipality. Multiple instruments were developed and used for the M & E, namely, clinic observation sheets, staff interviews, and client exit interviews with young people. The instruments were designed to generate information on various indicators of youth friendly services such as clinic policies and procedures, staff training and attitudes, young people’s satisfaction with services, and physical environments of the clinics
Five young people were selected and trained to use the research instruments and they participated in the project as research assistants. They, among others, administered youth surveys, observed the clinic environment, and took part in debriefing activities. The assessment took place in five clinics over the course of a 10-day field visit to South Africa from September 17th to 27th, 2006. The assessment data is currently being analysed; but indications are that young people interviewed were generally positive about the clinic staff and the services they received. While long waiting times and understaffing were common complaints expressed by young people. A full report will be prepared and circulated as appropriate and the lessons learned will be disseminated.
