Raising awareness of HIV/AIDS in Maranhão, Brazil
Plan Brazil is working with local young people to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in their communities
The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Brazil is steadily increasingly and it is affecting younger, more impoverished and more rural populations. In addition, many more women and young girls are being infected. The ratio of HIV-positive men to women has increased from 28:1 in 1985, to 2:1 in 2001.
In the state of Maranhão, the poorest in the country, Itaqui Bacanga has the highest recorded rate of HIV infection. However, the level of awareness of HIV/AIDS is very low because it is not considered acceptable to discuss sexual health within families and in schools. Interviews with local residents show that young people in the area usually have sex before they are 14 years old, yet there is a lack of sexual health services for young people. Furthermore, condoms are not widely available and, more importantly, they are not socially or culturally acceptable in many communities. Young girls are particularly vulnerable to HIV infection due to their limited access to education and a culture where sex often involves coercion.
Project Activities
Plan Brazil is working with local partners to reduce the HIV infection rate, and to improve the sexual and reproductive health of young people. In order to do this, it is vital that effective methods of communicating with young people are identified. Therefore, this project involves creating a dedicated team of male and female youth counsellors and facilitators. They will:
- Share information on HIV/AIDS with their peers
- Act as positive role models to reinforce healthy behaviour
- Train future youth counsellors
- Ensure increased access to condoms for young people via a community-based distribution network.
There has been substantial interest from many young people who wish to be trained as counsellors. Several workshops have been organised, bringing together over 120 young people from widely dispersed communities, and the training has begun. Adults, including the parents of young people involved in the project, are also being trained about adolescent sexual and reproductive health and learning how to manage discussions with the younger members of their communities on these topics.
Using art and theatre
The project also involves developing interactive theatre and radio presentations about positive behaviour change. Some young people have already been trained to use art and theatre skills to disseminate information. On World Aids Day, 2002, the group gave a performance based on popular poetry at a State-organised event that was attended by over 5,000 people. Locally, there have been two open-air events, which have included theatre and dance presentations, and question and answer sessions. Other smaller-scale events have also taken place in municipal schools.
The future
In the coming months, the training of young people who wish to be counsellors and facilitators will continue and Plan will carry on developing relationships with local partners. All involved will continue to work with the aim of increasing knowledge about HIV/AIDS among both adolescents and adults in Maranhão, and encouraging behaviour change throughout the population.
This project is generously supported by The Mercury Phoenix Trust and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Click on The Mercery Phoenix Trust's logo to visit their website.
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