Petvisidame: When School Becomes a Driver of Public Health in Garoua-Boulaï
At Garoua-Boulaï high school, the PETVISIDAME project, backed by UNICEF and IsDB, has turned the school into a hub for youth health awareness and HIV prevention.
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At the Garoua-Boulaï high school, thanks to the PETVISIDAME project implemented by the Regional Delegation of Secondary Education for the East with technical and financial support from UNICEF as part of the national eMTCT initiative to combat mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and backed by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the school has been transformed into a dynamic centre for adolescent health awareness.
Thanks to the PETVISIDAME project, Paul, a biology teacher at Garoua-Boulaï High School, received in-depth training on key topics such as HIV prevention, HPV and hepatitis B vaccination, balanced nutrition, and the fight against anaemia in adolescents. Armed with this knowledge, he played a leading role in spreading this information within the school. He raised awareness among his colleagues in the biology department, integrated these topics into his lessons, and trained student peer educators in the Health Club. He also involved the cafeteria staff, educating them on the importance of dietary diversity to improve students’ nutrition.
These joint efforts reached more than 813 students, over 60% of the school’s population. The results are tangible: noticeable changes have been observed in eating habits, hygiene, and reproductive health. The Health Club, led by committed students, played a central role in this momentum.
“When you raise awareness with one girl, she’ll go on to raise awareness among her friends. That’s how change happens,”
“We went from classroom to classroom, with the teachers’ permission, to talk about HIV and reproductive health. Little by little, our classmates got interested, asked questions, and joined the meetings. It really paid off.”
The results are impressive: cases of early pregnancy dropped from 18 to just 2 or 3 in one year, students are adopting better eating habits, and menstrual hygiene has significantly improved. Students express themselves more freely, and prevention messages are better understood.
However, challenges remain. The lack of materials and limited recognition for committed teachers hinder the project’s expansion.
“We’d like to have posters around the school. That would help reach even those we can’t speak to directly. It’s not necessarily about money, but about having materials that speak,”
Students are calling for increased logistical and administrative support to expand these initiatives to other schools, especially those with refugee students and underserved neighbourhoods.
“It’s not a topic we often talk about here. But if we start early, from the first year of secondary school, we can really make a difference.”
The PETVISIDAME project powerfully illustrates that schools can become key players in public health by mobilising youth as agents of change. In Garoua-Boulaï, a generation of students is rising better informed, engaged, and ready to build a healthier future. The slogan ‘delay the onset of adolescent sexuality as long as possible’ is beginning to take root in the collective consciousness.
The PETVISIDAME project is supported by the valuable Lives and Livelihoods Fund (LLF), a $2.5 billion development initiative launched in 2016. Financed by an unprecedented global coalition, this fund includes the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD), the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief) and the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD). These organisations are committed to lifting the poorest out of poverty in 33 IsDB member countries by addressing nine Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through projects in health, agriculture and basic infrastructure. We want to express our deepest gratitude to these partners for their invaluable support.
