YHP Colombia

Improve the health and well-being of young people by increasing their knowledge on NCD prevention, increasing their capacity to make informed decisions about their health, improving health services and advocating for a supportive policy environment for young people.

The direct beneficiaries of the programme are 64,340 young people aged 10-24 and over 2,000 teachers, parents, health professionals and government and civil society stakeholders from the targeted localities in Bogotá, who will be reached through working with schools, families, health facilities and other community structures.

An additional 390,000 young people aged 10-24 and 1,000,000 members of the wider community will be reached indirectly through campaigns, events and other YHP awareness raising activities in Bogotá. 

To year end 2023:

• Over 39,000 young people have been directly reached through peer education sessions in schools and community.
• More than 709,500 young people were indirectly reached through mass community events and social media engagement.
• A total of 1,128 teachers and 1,864 parents and caregivers were trained on NCD prevention and the broader health of young people, and 258 health professionals were mobilised and trained.
• Indirectly, more than 1 million community members have been reached through mass activities, supporting the core YHP work and promoting young people to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

In 2023, YHP Colombia was invited to join the Accidental Commission on Children and Adolescent comprising government representatives, healthvexperts and civil society organisations, and focused on coordinating and supervising initiatives that seek to improve the quality of life of children and adolescents in Colombia. In Q3 2023, YHP proposed, and the Committee accepted, a new, key priority for focus: “risk factors and healthy habits for a healthy environment, in collaboration with children and adolescents, promoting collaborative action on preventing, strengthening, protecting and recognising the leadership in integral health”. The YHP will continue to be part of this group to promote a policy environment that supports NCD prevention and promotes the broader health of young people.

Young people have also participated in key advocacy events. For example, in September 2023, three peer educators, and a YHP team member were invited to participate in a panel at an event hosted by the Latin American Forum for Clean Air during which they introduced the work of the YHP in their communities, the importance of community action, and highlighted how good air quality is a key factor in NCD prevention.

References:

1. WHO, 2018, Noncommunicable diseases country profiles 2018: Colombia. Available at https://www.who.int/nmh/countries/2018/col_en.pdf?ua=1 accessed January 2021