AYRH services could be delivered through various outlets such as the health post, household, community and schools. It can also be provided through other social institutions such as religious institutions, as well as areas frequented by young people. Before you provide services, it is important that you know the size of your target group and what specific services they need and through which outlets you could provide the services. The target group is the segment of the population appropriate to receive specific services like adolescent and youth RH services.

How would you find out the size of your target group? You learned how to conduct a survey of your community in the Health Education, Advocacy and Community Mobilization Module. This is one of the first things that you do when you enter a community before starting to provide any service. From that survey, you know the number of persons by age and sex for each household and the whole community or kebele. From the survey you can find out the number of young people aged10-24 years old.

It is helpful to make a table (see Table 9.1) categorising the young people by age and sex group. This will help you to plan and tailor your AYRH programmes. For example, suppose you found that the total population of your kebele is 3,000 and the total number of young people in the age group 10-24 years was 900 you should assume that half of these are females, and each age group is one-third of the total. What is the percentage of young people in your community?

The percentage of young people in your kebele = (900 รท3,000)x100 =30%

Young People in the Kebele by Age and Sex

Age Sex Total
Male Female
10-14 150 150 300
15-19 150 150 300
20-24 150 150 300
Total 450 450 900

Calculating the number of young people in the kebele by age and sex is important for:

  • Planning tailor-made RH information and services.
  • Calculating the utilisation of services by age and sex.
  • Monitoring progress and evaluating achievements.
Last modified: Sunday, 26 February 2017, 5:32 PM