Background: The Integra Initiative designed, tested, and adapted protocols for peer mentorship in order to\nimprove service providers� skills, knowledge, and capacity to provide quality integrated HIV and sexual and\nreproductive health (SRH) services. This paper describes providers� experiences in mentoring as a method of\ncapacity building. Service providers who were skilled in the provision of FP or PNC services were selected to\nundergo a mentorship training program and to subsequently build the capacity of their peers in SRH-HIV\nintegration.\nMethods: A qualitative assessment was conducted to assess provider experiences and perceptions about peer\nmentoring. In-depth interviews were conducted with twelve mentors and twenty-three mentees who were\ntrained in SRH and HIV integration. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and imported to NVivo 9 for analysis.\nThematic analysis methods were used to develop a coding framework from the research questions and other\nemerging themes.\nResults: Mentorship was perceived as a feasible and acceptable method of training among mentors and\nmentees. Both mentors and mentees agreed that the success of peer mentoring largely depended on cordial\nrelationship and consensus to work together to achieve a specific set of skills. Mentees reported improved\nknowledge, skills, self-confidence, and team work in delivering integrated SRH and HIV services as benefits associated\nwith mentoring. They also associated mentoring with an increase in the range of services available and the number of\nclients seeking those services. Successful mentorship was conditional upon facility management support, sufficient\nsupplies and commodities, a positive work environment, and mentors selection.\nConclusion: Mentoring was perceived by both mentors and mentees as a sustainable method for capacity\nbuilding, which increased providers� ability to offer a wide range of and improved access to integrated SRH and\nHIV services.
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