Guinea: Responding to the Threat of HIV and AIDS—An Individual's Initiative to Reach out to Guinean Youth
When Kadiatou Bobo Diallo attended an HIV and AIDS training with
her colleagues, she had already heard a lot about AIDS.
Television messages, billboards, radio announcements and Guinea's
proximity to countries with higher prevalence rates make it
difficult for someone to live in Conakry, Guinea and not be
aware of the epidemic.
In spite of a raised awareness among the Guinean population
however, most Guineans still do not have adequate access to
information about HIV and AIDS and have not personalized the problem.
As Kadiatou explained, "AIDS is often thought of
as a sickness that concerns others." Lack of information,
myths related to HIV/AIDS and cultural norms have limited
information sharing among parents and their children, even
among friends. "I was interested to learn more about
HIV and AIDS, but I was afraid to talk about it—as if it was
a bad word. Sex is taboo, and you can't talk about HIV
without talking about sexuality. But to mitigate the spread
of the epidemic, we have to talk about it or people will continue
to die."
When
World Education/Guinea's Participation Communautaire à
l'Éducation de base pour l'Équité et
la Qualité (PACEEQ) program launched its HIV and AIDS training
for NGO partners and parents' associations, the project's
staff was among the first trained. The training workshop,
HIV & Development, was delivered by Africa Consultants
International in partnership with local NGO Groupe Vie Saine.
HIV & Development is a multi-day training module widely
used throughout West Africa and designed by ACI that builds
on a collective consciousness at the community level and motivates
participants to respond to STI-HIV and AIDS. "I think the
PACEEQ staff learned a lot about AIDS and the training
broke the ice and created a forum for discussion. We even
talked about HIV and AIDS outside of the training sessions since
many people were surprised at the statistics, especially statistics
related to Guinea. By the end of the 5-day training, I felt
obligated to do something."
Kadiatou's personal action plan to respond to HIV targeted
a group she thought to be most vulnerable—youth. "I
felt that I had to do something for the young people in my
life. They don't understand HIV and AIDS and its impact, and they
can't talk about it with their parents." Kadiatou shared
her plan with her family and friends and invited their children
to attend a 5-hour informal training. She talked with youth
between the ages of 7 and 24, and provided them with information
and a comfortable environment in which they could ask questions
and talk about HIV and AIDS. "They don't have the opportunity
to talk about HIV and AIDS, it was something new for them. They
were a bit timid at first but they were receptive. By the
end, they were very open." Kadiatou shared statistics
about HIV and AIDS in Africa and in Guinea, photocopied and distributed
HIV and AIDS materials, demonstrated how to use a condom, and
talked about life skills such as the importance of making
good decisions.
Kadiatou has become an HIV and AIDS resource person in her family
and community. She is regularly sought out by both young and
old to respond to questions related to HIV and AIDS and guides
them to other available resources when she is unable to provide
information. "I continue to talk informally with youth
and women. It's not always easy to address AIDS, but we
must; we have to at least try. I feel that it's my responsibility
to encourage others to protect themselves."
To learn more about the PACEEQ program, contact Adrian DeDomenico.
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