USAID Guyana Youth HIV/AIDS/STI Project

Lifeline is currently working on the following projects:

1.  The Guyana HIV/AIDS/STI youth project

Lifeline has worked with youths between the ages of 8 - 25, in organized youth groups.  During the first year of the project Lifeline worked with youths from the following groups:

1.  Plaisance Dorcas youth club.

2. Young & Thoughtful youth club.

3. Bel Air Leo club

4. Mildred Mansfield

5. Guyana Youth Development Association. (GUYDA)

These youths were exposed to several interactive sessions utilizing a youth friendly space which allowed them to assess their risk in life, and to come up with enabling factors that will assist with reducing their risk.  Youths were exposed to HIV/AIDS/STI sensitization and training, which served to equip them as Peer educators.  The focus was not only on HIV & AIDS information.  Lifeline also equipped the youths with skills in the areas of drama, material development, negotiating, and advocacy.  In an effort to ensure sustainability of the project, Lifeline also worked with the groups to build the organization's capacity.  Throughout their first year, the peers utilized the information, new skills and techniques, and were involved in several peer education sessions, condom and literature distribution

Success:  Many of the youth expressed to Lifeline that their lives have become more purposeful, and that their self-confidence has been boosted.  Persons also felt that the year's activities had helped them to examine the choices they made and will continue to make, and how these choices will impact their lives.

During year two, which falls within the period May 2001 to April 2002, the objective was to strengthen the capacity of the 52 year one peers, expand the project to include forty new peers from four other groups in Georgetown and provide quality youth friendly counselling and condom services.  Fifty-two peer's capacity was built to provide quality peer education and counselling to other peers, while the forty new peers were trained as peer educators.  

This project forms part of the wider USAID sponsored Guyana HIV/AIDS/STI Youth Project, which expanded to include two other NGOs, the Linden Care Foundation and the Cry of AIDS Project Bartica.  The eight NGOs collaborated with the National AIDS Programme Secretariat, the UN Theme Group on HIV/AIDS and FHI to implement the project which seeks to enable youth to assess their risk to STI, HIV, drugs, and explore ways of reducing these risks and increase their access to quality youth friendly STI/HIV/AIDS services.

The results of this capacity building project achieved by Lifeline:

• Lifeline has significantly built its capacity to develop peers and monitor their work through this project.

• The format of a 6 month data-gathering sheet and preparation of the bi-monthly reports have assisted Lifeline to closely monitor the reach and impact of this project.

• Capacity building of the senior peers has resulted in a pool of resources, which will be used to assist in the development of future peer educators.

• The organization has received recognition for efforts in developing and supporting peer educators; this has resulted in its raised profile and increased membership.

• Lifeline's participation in the Steering Committee has increased its ability to implement and monitor projects more widely. 

• Lifeline is now seen as a safe haven for its peers and the wider youth population.

In year 3 of the project, Lifeline had adopted the role of the mentor.  The youths were allowed to use their newly acquired knowledge and capacity building to coordinate their own peer education response.  This is being done simultaneously with the capacity building endeavours from Lifeline.  The groups have developed mini-proposals utilizing innovative and non-traditional ways of conducting their peer education session.  

Red Ribbon Campaign

This campaign was conceived in 1991 by 'Visual Aids', a small group of artists in New York.  The folded Red Ribbon has become the international symbol of compassion and solidarity with people infected and affected by HIV & AIDS.  It is worn in remembrance of those who have died, and it demonstrates respect for those who have lost loved ones.

Wearing the Red Ribbon indicates an understanding of the seriousness of the HIV & AIDS epidemic, as well as support for HIV & AIDS prevention and care.  Each person who wears the ribbon encourages open discussion and show policy makers that HIV & AIDS is a problem that people care about...

Every November, Lifeline will execute a red ribbon campaign in Guyana among offices and schools.  A donation is usually taken to aid the care & support programme.

Lifeline - Omai Project

Capacity Building of Peer Education Corps & Expansion of their Reach

Project Purpose - To increase youths', 12 to 25 years old, correct knowledge of HIV, AIDS, AND STIs.

 

Objectives

1. To build the capacity of 26 members of the Peer Educators Corps to deliver an effective response to HIV and AIDS.

2. To develop and disseminate youth friendly HIV and AIDS materials for use in peer education outreach activities.

3. To facilitate the incorporation of HIV and AIDS education within the mandate of four youth groups.

4. To facilitate consciousness of the impact of HIV and AIDS among the general youth population.

Justification

 

The last 18 months have seen the organization develop a proactive approach to the HIV/AIDS response in light of the growing prevalence among the general population, which is estimated at between 3.5 - 5.5%.  Of this total only approximately 20% of those persons infected are aware of their HIV positive status.  The majority of infected people are young, productive adults, within the 19-35 yrs age group, accounting for 75% of the overall total of persons infected with HIV.  Transmission is primarily heterosexual (80%) with 18% of the cases being transmitted homosexually or bisexually, and with only 2 reported cases being the result of IV transmission.  

Youth peer education has been adopted by Lifeline, as a strategy to reduce youth's vulnerability to the disease.  The members of the PEC (Peer Education Corps) will work with new members to transfer their knowledge and skills.  They will also continue to visit the 4 groups to provide them with support in order to promote sustainability. 

 

Activities

 

The PEC engaged in the following activities in an effort to satisfy the project's objectives:

1. Conduct 5 2-day capacity building workshops for 26 PEC members

2. Conduct 1 4-day capacity building workshop for 26 PEC members

3. Develop print and non-print education materials to support peer education work

4. Pre test and modify education materials

5. Reproduce and distribute educational materials to youths

6. Select 4 youth groups for peer education work

7. Conduct knowledge, attitude, practices and behaviour (KAPB) survey among members of the 4 youth groups

8. Conduct 4 2-day peer education workshops for the 4 selected groups

9. Conduct monitoring visits to the 4 groups to provide support and supervision

10. Select topic for debate and advertise competition 

11. Facilitate debating competition

 

Lifeline Counselling Services 

BCCP Building Community Capacity Project

 

Lifeline Counselling Services has successfully implemented the BCCP sub-project, 'Strengthening Counselling in 7 Regions and Expanding Education in Region 9'.

 

Project Justification:

 

HIV/AIDS/STI is a national problem that threatens the very survival of Guyana.  It is already generalized among the population.  Regions 8 & 9 are no exception since the opening of the hinterland for development and the subsequent increase in transient population coupled with poor HIV & AIDS related services and a lack of correct information, a drastic increase in HIV/AIDS/STI prevalence is envisaged.  There are 2 groups in these areas respectively that are attempting to provide HIV and AIDS services.  Ribbons of Life and the Central HIV/AIDS/STI Awareness and Education Committee of Region 9 are 2 young groups with a vision to address a pressing need in their respective communities.  They are both sufficiently motivated to carry out the task at hand but lack the capacity to do so.  The members of these groups are inappropriately trained and inexperienced to fill this critical need.

 

These communities are disadvantaged due to their low socio-economic conditions.  This has resulted in the inadequate provision of recreational facilities, and limited job and educational opportunities.  These factors coupled with a lack of awareness and availability of condoms, complacency and proximity to Brazil, increase their risk of becoming infected with HIV and STIs.  Lifeline's intervention is aimed at educating the residents of both communities to enable them to make informed choices, which can reduce their vulnerability to such infections.  This would be done through Ribbons of Life in Region 8 and the Central Rupununi HIV, AIDS, STIs Awareness Group in region 9.  Lifeline is seeking to build the capacity of the groups and individuals in these groups to provide risk assessment and reduction counselling to individuals who will seek to reduce their risk as a result of the awareness and education done.  

 

Project Description

 

Lifeline will work with 2 groups in Central Rupununi and Madhia respectively to build their capacity in order to achieve the objectives of this project.  The emphasis of this project will be on increasing the residents' access to HIV and AIDS Education, counselling and condoms.  This would be done through strengthening the organizational capacity of the 2 groups by providing education and counselling training to their members.  At the end of this project these 2 groups will have the in house capacity to provide HIV and AIDS Education, counselling and condoms to all residents of the target areas.

 

Implementation

 

Baseline data collected through a questionnaire designed and pre-tested to determine its suitability for capturing baseline data on the knowledge, attitude, practices and behaviour (KAPB) of members of the targeted communities.  The report developed from this study will be used to guide the strategy for the target group.  The same survey will be repeated at the end of the project to determine the extent to which it was successful.

30 participants each from Mahdia and Central Rupununi will be trained as HIV and AIDS educators by 2 facilitators over a 2-day period.  During the training the facilitators will identify, interview and select 21 persons to be further trained as counsellors.  These persons will then be trained for a 5-day period in risk assessment and risk reduction counselling, thereby ensuring that these individual's capacity to deliver HIV and AIDS information and counselling is strengthened.  

The results of this project being: Increased awareness of HIV and AIDS in the targeted communities, Risk Reduction Counselling provided and sustained in the affected regions,  Access to condoms increased.  

Sustainability will be ensured through the commitment of the volunteers form the 2 groups, and the involvement of the community members.  Condom support will be received from the National AIDS Programme Secretariat because the project fits in with the national strategic plan for HIV/AIDS/STI, which seeks to make counselling, education, and information services more accessible to Guyanese in all regions.