Emmanuel Boadi, African Youth Alliance (Ghana), Pathfinder International, 220 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017, 212 297 5164, eboadi@pathfind.org and Ugochi Daniels, African Youth Alliance, United Nations Population Fund, 220E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017.

The African Youth Alliance (AYA) is made up of the UNFPA, PATH and Pathfinder International. The program is implemented in four sub-Saharan African countries, by 60 implementing partners.

Research indicates that youth development programs should integrate health promotion, social change and behavior change. In addition to these, AYA also integrates livelihoods, coordination and organizational capacity components.

The challenge is to effectively integrate these components – and not implement – vertically to achieve behavior change. To ensure true integration in practice critical elements must be identified and addressed during program design.

To effectively address integration: 1. Develop results frameworks for program components and identify intermediate results common to all partners 2. Hold joint strategic planning meetings 3. Plan to jointly implement and monitor activities 4. Select implementation sites based on location of clinical services 5. Select implementing partners based on capacity to implement activities across program components 6. Use a single contracting mechanism for implementing partners with a single comprehensive work plan

By applying these processes AYA has learnt: 1. Building inter-component linkage, reinforces integration and impact of intermediate results. 2. Selecting implementation sites and partners based on integration reduces management effort required to integrate program components. 3. Vertical contracting mechanisms are frustrating for implementers. 4. A joint work plan is an effective management tool for sequencing activities, identifying joint activities, promotes an efficient approach to monitoring and builds capacity of implementing partners. 5. Identify externalities that impinge on the program’s ability to integrate and incorporate strategies to address them early.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify challenges to integrtaing a multi-sectoral adolescent sexual and reporudctive health program
• Describe critical elements of integration
• Apply lessons learned to integrate a multi-sectoral ASRH program

Keywords: Adolescents, International, Management and Sustainability

Related Web page: www.ayaonline.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.