Peru

Building bridges between parents and adolescents for a healthier Peru

Anyone with children knows – raising teenagers isn´t easy. A variety of factors can make life at home difficult for both teens and caregivers alike.

“It´s common for parents to not know how to respond to the problems our kids face as adolescents,” says Nohelí, a mother from the Apurímac region of Peru.

“I used to not trust anyone in my family,” admits Tanner, a teen from the Callao municipality of Peru. “Not even the person who raised me.”

Studies have shown that a disconnect, however unwanted, between young people and those who care for them can increase risky behaviors – such as using drugs and alcohol or having unsafe sex – among adolescents.

“There is a growing body of evidence indicating the brain development of people who use psychoactive substances during adolescence will be affected for the rest of their lives,” said Sonja Caffe, regional advisor on adolescent health at the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO). “Additionally, risky behaviors among adolescents are associated with increased risk of motor vehicle crashes, violence, HIV infection, sexually transmitted diseases, unplanned pregnancy and premature death in general.”

However, “family connectedness is one of the most important factors to protect adolescents´ health,” said Caffe. “Positive family relationships can promote emotional and physical well-being and protect adolescents from engaging in behaviors that may compromise their health in the short, medium and long term.”

In order to improve family communication and relationships, Iowa State University in the United States developed the “Strengthening Families Program,” which was adapted for Latin America with the title “Familias Fuertes: Amor y Límites” (Strong Families: Love and Limits) by PAHO. The program aims to prevent risky behavior among youth between the ages of 10 and 14 by reinforcing family bonds.

Familias Fuertes

The Familias Fuertes: Amor y Límites program is an evidence-based family life skills training curriculum for adolescents and their caregivers. Through seven weekly two-hour sessions, six-to-twelve participating families learn how to improve their relationships and talk about tough topics that adolescents face, like peer pressure, drug use, violence, and engaging in sexual activity.

The program has been introduced in all Latin American countries to varying degrees. In several countries, including Peru, the program has been formally adopted by authorities as a core national strategy to promote adolescent and youth health.

Strengthening Peru´s families

Peru has been implementing Familias Fuertes since 2007, two years after the first facilitators were trained in the country. In 2008, the National Commission for Drug-Free Life and Development (DEVIDA, for its Spanish acronym) took charge of the program, where it has flourished as a permanent institutionalized activity with an annual budget of $1 million since 2012.

Every year, DEVIDA holds workshops to “train the trainers,” accredit national facilitators, and refresh the knowledge of people who work in the program. It has also adapted materials for populations on its coast, in the jungle and in the mountains. To date, more than 8,300 facilitators have been trained in Peru, and the program is being implemented in 23 regions. More than 122,670 families around the country have benefited from Familias Fuertes.

Peru´s success with the program has led other countries in the Americas to request its support on getting their own Familias Fuertes programs running. DEVIDA has worked with Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and Paraguay over the years.

But the best proof of Peru´s success with Familias Fuertes comes from listening to the families who have participated in it. “Thanks to the program, we´ve learned to express our feelings and respect each other’s´ opinions,” recounts Nohelí. “We learned that dialogue is the fundamental basis of a family. Now we can talk openly about things that can have consequences on my daughters´ health.

"I've realized the mistakes I made as a mother and I've changed. When I´m at home, I practice everything I've learned. My adolescent daughters trust me and I trust them.”

As for the teens? “I´ve learned to trust my mom, aunts and uncles, and grandparents,” says Tanner. “But I´ve also learned what I had to change myself: to act better, communicate openly, and value everything my mom and my family have done for me.

“I´ve really grown as a person thanks to these workshops.”