Habumugabe G, Ndabamenye P, Mubashankwaya F; International Conference on AIDS (15th : 2004 : Bangkok, Thailand).
Int Conf AIDS. 2004 Jul 11-16; 15: abstract no. WePeE6781.
Family Health International, Kigali, Rwanda
Issues: Since 2000, with funding from USAID, Family Health International has supported youth peer education through Catholic dioceses in Rwanda including the development of a participatory training guide and reference manual for educators (PEs). These manuals provide PEs with skills ncessary to facilitate 10 one-hour participatory sessions on values, stigma, sexuality and STI/HIV/AIDS. PEs are provided with a flipbook, portable chalkboard, etc. to facilitate their work. Byumba Catholic Diocese began using these materials in 2001 in their own prevention project for youth. The project focus expanded when some youth started providing direct assistance to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Description: Through September 2003, the Diocese trained 440 PEs who reached over 100,000 youth in two years. One reason for the wide reach is the Diocese's approach of including all youth. PEs are Catholic, Protestant, Pentecostal, Adventist and Muslim. In 2003, there was an unexpected outcome when project youth contacted PLWHA associations in their communities to find out what they could do to help. Four PLWHA associations were located in four focus parishes of the project. With the associations, the youth identified PLWHA and their families in need and determined how to help them. In all, 2,788 youth volunteered time to help 60 families directly affected by HIV/AIDS. They built simple houses for 13 families, dug a latrine for one family, cleaned houses and yards for three families, planted or tended fields for 41 families and helped two families care for hospitalized PLWHA. Lessons learned: Although community-based support was not part of the initial project design, spontaneous implementation of such activities by project youth demonstrates the importance of stigma reduction in prevention programs. Recommendations: Community-based support activities should be integrated into prevention programs from the start as a way of actively reinforcing stigma reduction messages.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Adolescent
- Demography
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Health Planning Guidelines
- Health Services
- Health Services Needs and Demand
- Humans
- Learning
- Research
- Rwanda
- Sexual Behavior
- Teaching
- education
Other ID:
UI: 102284695
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