HIV/AIDS PREVENTION Activity’s

 

 

HIV/AIDS PREVENTION Activity’s

HIV/AIDS is the most ferocious and pandemic for the present world and has been spreading worldwide with a violent speed. According to World Bank, “HIV in Bangladesh remains at relatively low levels in most at-risk population groups, with the exception of injecting drug users (IDUs). Where prevalence continues to grow. UNAIDS estimates that about 12,000 Bangladeshis were living with HIV. Although overall HIV prevalence remains under 0.1 percent among the general population in Bangladesh, there are risk factors that could fuel the spread of HIV among high-risk groups. Prompt and vigorous action is needed to strengthen the quality and coverage of HIV prevention programs, particularly amongst IDUs”.

But many factors suggest that HIV may spread rapidly in the near future. These include high rates of sexually transmitted diseases; significant number of Commercial Sex Workers; wide spread of high risk behavior; rising injecting drug use and sharing of needles; a large international and national labor; an unscreened blood supply derived mostly from professional blood donors, and low level of knowledge of HIV among the general population. Considering this scenario BARNALY is implementing the HIV/AIDS intervention program since October 2002 from their own fund. Bus/truck drivers, rickshaw/van/push cart pullers, fish processing workers, boatmen, sailors & dock laborers are the focus population of this project. Through this project the target people would be equipped with necessary knowledge and skill to protect themselves from the risk, spread and consequences of HIV/AIDS.

From July 2007, BARNALY act as a strategic partner of YPSA for “Prevention of HIV/AIDS among young people in Bangladesh” program which is financially supported by GFATM round II. Through this program BARNALY successful completed 14 Gate Keeper Meeting. Life Skill Education (LSE) was conducted among 2500 Garments and Community people.

Objectives

  1. To identify risk groups in response to HIV/AIDS.
  2. To provide necessary help and support services for vulnerable groups like sex workers, injecting drug users, transgender, truck drivers, tourists or migratory people etc.
  3. To arrange awareness program for all class peoples above 14 years to control the risk of spreading HIV infection and
  4. To encourage the safe behavior in health services.

 

Major Activities

  1. Sex worker, Transgender (Hizra), and drug users’ identification through survey on pre-selected

    Questionnaire.

  1. Awareness rising between the target and mass people including youth about STD, HIV/AIDS
  2. Ensure the right use and smooth supply of Condom.
  3. Arrange meetings, workshop and seminar about the rights of the sex worker and
  4. Advocacy for the sex worker.

 Working Areas

Chittagong City Corporation Areas

Achievements

  1. Vulnerable or target groups are more aware about STD and HIV/AIDS.
  2. Increase safety measures against STD and HIV/AIDS.
  3. Peer educators are skilled and motivated.
  4. Information on HIV/AIDS is successfully discriminated among mass people.

Reduce the vulnerability of Garment workers to STD & HIV/AIDS

Meeting with managerial staff and supervisors

Meeting with management-level staff of the garments factory was held to involve them in the process and participants from different factories attended the meeting. In addition, meetings were held with floor supervisors. They are mostly mid-level staff with considerable education background. But they had a typical attitude towards sexuality and were widely ignorant of basic facts about HIV & AIDS. Although all the attendees expressed an interest in such type of information, it was uncomfortable to observe reflections of their traditional mental make-up coming out of the interactions with them. As a result of these interactions, garment workers now get more support to attend group-meetings and seek health services provided within factory premises.

 

Development of peer educator through capacity building

For making information available to adolescents in an accurate and convenient way, peer education approach is very effective. So peer educators (PE) were selected and given basic training in HIV/AIDS, STI, prevention etc. As garment workers are mostly adolescent girls, maximum Peer Educators were female. The primary responsibility of PE is to organize group sessions within factory premises and jointly facilitate the sessions with staff of collaborative organization. They also facilitate informal discussion with workers during their leisure or lunch break.

 

Awareness Session with Garment workers

Mostly adolescents, particularly girls and women from poor families get employment in the garment factories. Their life style abruptly changes after employment and they get access to moderate financial resources that create many opportunities for them. It also increases the likelihood to be involved in risk taking behavior out of ignorance and curiosity in relatively free urban environment. In view of this situation, group meetings were organized for informal discussion on adolescent reproductive health along with STD and HIV. Various pictorial IEC materials were used with the aim of visualizing the information and situation. Additionally, workers increasingly sought advice for symptoms related to infection in reproductive system and some of them also wanted to know more about HIV testing. The meetings were usually conducted during lunch break. Experience indicated that it created a good opportunity for the garment workers to get necessary information and enabled them to take informed decision.