Cordova R, Norwood C; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 1991 Jun 16-21; 7: 418 (abstract no. W.D.4122).
Bronx Community College, Bronx, N.Y. USA
OBJECTIVES: Health Force: Women Against AIDS (HF) of BCC trains and fields women AIDS peer educators. The HF target area, the So. Bronx, the poorest district of NYC, is predominately Hispanic. Latina women have the city's highest HIV rate. To meet the desperate need for AIDS prevention and support, a group training predominately in Spanish was undertaken. METHODS: Eleven low-income women representative of the Latina AIDS/at risk pop. were recruited. The profile: 7 HIV+, the rest with AIDS in the family; 7 recovering IVDUs (4 on methadone); 3 homeless; 10 no high school degree. The isolation of this group was marked. The standard HF 8-week training was lengthened 2 weeks and more oriented toward oral learning to allow for literacy problems. RESULTS: Halfway thru training, the women have an 80% attendance rate despite the severe pressures of their lives. They have rapidly progressed from depression/isolation to enthusiasm to become AIDS educators and "give back to the community the strength they found in themselves." Some already counsel family/friends about prevention and/or early AIDS care. One is detoxing from methadone. Results on the 3 months of field-work as educators they will have done by June and ongoing progress is safer/sex condom use will be available by the Conference. CONCLUSIONS: Poor Latina women in the U.S. are widely considered "unreachable" and/or culturally oppressed from responding to AIDS. To the contrary, a culturally-based program directed at self-empowerment and esteem as women shows their profound commitment to fight AIDS. Professional educators should searingly re-examine their own failures to effectively place education resources in the hands of at risk women.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Female
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Health
- Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
- Health Planning
- Health Services
- Hispanic Americans
- Humans
- Peer Group
- Poverty
- Teaching
- United States
- education
- organization & administration
Other ID:
UI: 102193564
From Meeting Abstracts