World Renew has been working with Word Alive since 2015 on a HIV prevention project. This behavior change intervention target girls (14-24 years old) who frequently sell goods to earn money and occasionally engage in transactional sex when they don’t earn enough money. By providing girls groups with adult mentors or female youth mentors, girls can gather to talk about challenges they face, support one another and receive correct information about their sexual reproductive health. Girls are encouraged to go to school while other learn skills so that they can start their own business or work for other people, thereby providing them with alternative livelihood options. This project seeks to confront the lies that it is ok and normal for girls to engage in transaction to earn money.
World Renew also address some of the challenges that cause girls to drop out of school. Often schools are not safe places for girls. They are propositions and pressured into relationship and/or sex by their male peers, as well as male teachers. Through Word Alive, we seek to highlight this in schools and help the school to engage in conversation about why this is not acceptable. We also help set up mechanisms which girls and boys can go to if they experience or witness this occurring in their school.
Word Alive is also piloting a project which seeks to help one of their churches and their surrounding community to work with other churches to address challenges in their community. Through doing bible studies, members learn about how God provides all of us with resources to care for our neighbor and his creation. Through churches working with community, they are addressing challenges such as soil infertility, deforestation, lack of food availability and etc.