The three-year costs of trial implementation

The three-year costs of trial implementation were $879,032, of which 70% was for the school-based component.
Initial development and start-up costs were relatively substantial at 21% of the total costs. Nonetheless, annual
costs per school child reduced from $16 in 1999 to $10 in 2001. The incremental scale-up cost is one-fi fth of ward
trial implementation running costs. The authors argue that annual costs can be reduced by almost 40% as project
implementation matures. Once the intervention is scaled up, only $1.54 more is needed per pupil per year to continue
the intervention. The authors conclude that the costs of developmental and start-up phases of any comprehensive
package of programmes are likely to be substantial and that even the recurrent costs of a more integrated
model would still be likely to require donor support.
However, few studies of sex, relationships and HIV education programmes include cost-effectiveness analyses.
Nonetheless, if programmes are effective at reducing risk, then they also have the potential to be cost-effective.
Cost elements include development of effective curricula and teacher training and classroom delivery. However,
subsequent costs can be reduced, for example, through the incorporation of the curriculum within the provision of
new teacher training. Careful selection of suitable and appropriate materials can also reduce costs.