Lessons learned from designing, tailoring, and implementing culturally appropriate peer-led HIV/AIDS prevention training programs in India: A presentation and analysis of three cases studies

This investigation sought to answer a central question: What were some of the major outcomes and lessons learned from designing, tailoring, and implementing culturally appropriate peer-led HIV/AIDS prevention training programs in India, given a presentation and analysis of three case studies of grant-funded programs that draw upon the researcher's experiences as a participant-observer and collecting qualitative data? The first case study involved a peer-led HIV prevention program called the Social Education and Health Advocacy Training (SEHAT) Project, which was conducted with males and females in Tihar Prison and Amritsar Central Prison in India. The second case study involved an evaluation of the Wallace (2005) HIV/AIDS prevention peer education training manual with a small sample of women in India for cultural appropriateness, while the third case study involved implementation of the culturally adapted curriculum with another small sample of women in India. The major outcomes were 7 lessons learned as a summary of the implications for designing, tailoring and implementing culturally appropriate peer led HIV prevention education, as follows: 1) Identify and Engage Key Stakeholders in the Setting; 2) Find out "What Works" for the Population--Including Individuals or Sub-Groups; 3) Be Flexible, Adaptable, Humble and Open to Change When Working in the Setting; 4) Be Open and Enter the World-View and Experience of Participants and Learn About Their Lives, Needs, and Culture; 5) Forge Community Partnerships and Collaborations to Enhance Credibility, Acceptance, and Sustainability; 6) Ensure Training Materials are Linguistically and Culturally Appropriate; and 7) Seek to Foster the Outcome of Empowerment. Results are discussed in terms of the implications for building social capital to improve the health of communities around the globe, as an empowered peer educator has the capacity to empower others to engage in HIV prevention behavior. Recommendations for future research include scaling up and formally evaluating (quantitatively and qualitatively) both the SEHAT and the Wallace (2005) HIV/AIDS peer education training models, while materials created for prevention programs can be shared globally, permitting communities to avoid re-inventing the wheel. A curator maintained internet platform that permits global dissemination of these materials was also recommended.