HERStory Study

Introduction

Background to AGYW programme

HERStory

From 2016 to the present day, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (the Global Fund) has invested in a combination intervention for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 10 to 24 years in priority districts in South Africa, with the aim of reducing HIV incidence, teenage pregnancy, and gender-based violence and increasing retention in school and access to economic opportunities.

A team of scientists at the South African Medical Research Council, together with colleagues from Brown University School of Public Health, the University of Cape Town, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, and other institutions, have led the HERStory 1 and 2 studies which evaluate the AGYW programme.

HERStory 1

Study Title: HERStory 1 – An evaluation of a South African combination HIV prevention intervention for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW)

Description: The HERStory Study is an evaluation of the South African combination HIV-prevention intervention for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). The first phase of the evaluation has been completed.

Aims/Objectives: The primary objective of the HERStory Study was to determine the intervention impact on HIV incidence. Secondary objectives include assessing the intervention impact on HIV risk behaviour, other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and cognitions, behaviour, and social environments of AGYW.

HERStory 2

Study Title: HERStory 2 – Process evaluation of the combination HIV prevention intervention for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), Global Fund grant period 2019 to 2022

Description: A process evaluation of the AGYW combination intervention being implemented during the 2019 to 2022 Global Fund grant period.

Aims/Objectives: The aim was to assess whether the intervention was being implemented as planned and whether the implementers were on a trajectory to achieve the outcomes, with reference to the theory of change for the intervention being delivered in the grant period 2019 to 2022.

HERStory 3 - Happening now!!

Study Title: HERStory 3 – Impact Evaluation of the My Journey Programme in 12 South African Subdistricts

Description: Impact evaluation of the combination intervention for young women and adolescent girls being implemented during the 2019 to 2024 Global Fund grant periods.

Aims/Objectives: The aim is to the impact of the intervention on the health and lives of young women and adolescent girls.

When? The HERStory 3 study is being conducted during the first 5 months of 2024

Where is the HERStory 3 study being conducted?

Abaqulusi and Hlabisa LM in Zululand District
Mhlathuze and UMhlabuyalingana in King Cetshwayo District
Mbombela and Metsimaholo in Ehlanzeni District
Govan Mbeki and uMzimkhulu in Gert Sibande District
Nelson Mandela C and B in Nelson Mandela Bay Metro
Nyandeni and Ubuhlebezwe in Oliver Tambo District
Dihlabeng, Setsoto, Kopanong and Letsemeng in Thabo Mofutsanyana District
Greater Tubatse and Ephraim Mogale in Greater Sekhukhune District
Tshwane 1 and Mogale City in Tshwane District
Rustenberg and Bloemfontein SD in Bojanala District
Klipfontein in Cape Town District
Bitou LM in Garden Route District

HERStory Research Briefs

^{We are releasing a series of research briefs focusing on the findings from the HERStory studies. From 2016 to the present day, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (the Global Fund) has invested in a combination intervention for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 10 to 24 years in priority districts in South Africa, with the aim of reducing HIV incidence, teenage pregnancy, and gender-based violence and increasing retention in school and access to economic opportunities.}

^{A team of scientists at the South African Medical Research Council, together with colleagues from Brown University School of Public Health, the University of Cape Town, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, and other institutions, have led the HERStory 1 and 2 studies which evaluate the AGYW programme.}

^{The HERStory research brief series focuses on the health, education and well-being of adolescent girls and young women in South Africa. Using the findings from the studies evaluating the AGYW programme, we outline key areas of concern, summarise key findings, and outline implications for policy and practice.}

^{The studies described in the research briefs show that innovative programmes like the donor-funded programme we have been evaluating, are showing promise. Our research identifies aspects of these programmes that are impactful and aspects that could be strengthened in the future. These programmes are making a difference to the lives of AGYW and should be strengthened and implemented widely.}

^{When strengthening programmes for AGYW, it is important to take into consideration that our research, and much other research, shows that AGYW in these districts are vulnerable due to structural issues such as poverty, poor education systems, gender power imbalances, unresponsive public health services, and communities that might not be supportive of their needs. Programmes need to focus on these aspects of the context in which AGYW live so that AGYW can be safe, thrive, and live healthy lives.}

Addressing the intersecting vulnerabilities in mental health and sexual and reproductive health amongst adolescent girls and young women in South Africa

	Narratives of Mental Health Amongst Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Five South African Provinces		Adolescent Girls’ and Young Women’s Perspectives on the Effects of Participating in a South African Combination HIV Prevention Intervention funded by the Global Fund
	Attitudes towards HIV Testing Amongst Young People in Five South African Provinces		Mental health challenges faced by adolescent girls and young women in five South African provinces: perceptions, experiences, and the impact of a combination HIV prevention intervention
	South African adolescent girls’ and young women’s communication with and support from parents and teachers: implications for sexual and reproductive health decisions		Implementation Recommendations for HIV Prevention Programmes Targeting Adolescent Girls and Young Women in South Africa
	HERStory 1: An evaluation of a South African combination HIV prevention intervention for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in ten South African Districts - Summary of Key Findings and Recommendations		A qualitative exploration of the perceived factors that influence alcohol consumption among South African AGYW and the relationship with sexual risk behaviour

HERStory Study

Introduction

Background to AGYW programme

HERStory Research Briefs

Reports

Research Outputs

Conference outputs

Media