Taking steps of courage: teaching adolescents about sexuality and gender in Nigeria and Cameroon

The document describes gender-sensitive approaches to sexuality and provides selected programme examples based on the International Women's Health Coalition's (IWHC) supported work. This paper outlines some of the lessons about sexuality education that have emerged from their shared experience. The first section describes very briefly, the changing context of adolescence in Cameroun and Nigeria. The second discusses what is meant by sexuality and sexuality education as well as some basic guidelines for teaching this topic. The final section outlines issues to consider when developing programs in specific contexts.