Sexuality Education Institute

The CARA Framework

A framework for culturally grounded, ethical, integrative sexuality education.

Why CARA exists

Most widely used sexuality education models were designed elsewhere and carried into African and Global South classrooms with little adaptation. They often overlook the languages, faiths, family structures, and community norms that shape how young people learn about bodies, relationships, and sexuality.

When education doesn't speak to people's realities, it is easier to dismiss, harder to deliver well, and less likely to be trusted. CARA responds to that gap: a framework built so sexuality education can be culturally responsive, ethically delivered, and grounded in the contexts where it's taught.

What CARA stands for

Cultural-Adaptive

Sexuality education should start from the cultures, languages, faiths, and family structures people actually live in, adapting to context rather than importing a single model and expecting communities to fit it.

Resilience-Building

Learning should strengthen people's capacity to navigate pressure, stigma, and harm, building confidence and support, not fear or shame.

Autonomy-Centered

At its core is each person's right to understand their own body and make informed decisions about it, with dignity, consent, and agency at the centre.