Research That Matters (January 17 - 20, 2008)

Background and Significance: In Uganda, over 1 million children have lost one or both parents due to AIDS, with numbers expected to increase by 50,000 annually. Facing multiple problems (i.e. feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, low self esteem, poor school attendance, sexual risk taking behavior, etc.), AIDS orphans in Uganda sorely need responsive interventions to help them prevent their own HIV infection and advance their educational and economic futures. The SUUBI Program involves creating and broadening asset ownership opportunities to address future planning skills, mental health needs and behavioral risk reduction for AIDS orphans. The program includes a one-to-one mentoring component in order to (1) address the expressed “need” of the study's pilot participants for a mentor, and (2) to explore efficacy of utilizing a mentorship component in conjunction with the SUUBI program. The mentorship program is intended to help participants overcome a variety of challenges they face in daily life by fostering meaningful and lasting relationships with adult role models. U.S.-based mentoring programs focused on urban children have found that participants were less likely to begin using illegal drugs and alcohol, be absent from school, and were more confident in their schoolwork and performance.

Methods: Five Ugandan university students were recruited to participate in the SUUBI program as mentors for the experimental arm intervention, which consisted of 138 orphans, ages 12 to 15, in Rakai District, Uganda. Mentors were trained, and then paired with children based on gender matching and school location. Mentors were responsible for one-to-one monthly interaction and group meetings with mentees, delivering training modules, role modeling positive behavior, and addressing all questions related to the program, life options, avoiding risk behaviors, and other mentee concerns. An in-depth interview guide was utilized to tap children's experiences with their mentor and administered to 124 children by the research coordinator one year into the study. Interviews were approximately 30-45 minutes in length. Transcripts from interviews were coded by trained research staff.

Results: Findings include participants identifying four main topics that were of greatest interest to them: furthering education, discipline to achieve goals, saving money, and HIV/AIDS knowledge and health education. Other topics included sexual health, family matters, children's rights and general questions about the SUUBI program. The overwhelming majority of participants reported feeling very comfortable discussing topics and seeking advice from mentors, and felt positively about guidance they received. A number of participants also reported being better able to cope with home life and stressful circumstances because their mentor offered them hope and advice. A substantial number of participants suggested that time for mentoring should be increased; this amount varied greatly by participant.

Conclusions and Implication: Results from this preliminary evaluation suggest potential benefits of mentorship and its effects on education, savings, sexual health, and family life should be further explored. Furthermore, it shows that mentorship is a viable option for communities outside of the United States, and is an additional tool that may enhance intervention outcomes targeting orphans and vulnerable children in Uganda as well as Sub-Saharan Africa.