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Topic Briefing Notes - HIV/AIDS and Youth in Latin America and the Caribbean

• The Brazil AIDS & STD Control III Project involved the education sector more directly in the promotion of prevention activities among youth particularly through the application of curricular guidelines with respect to elective themes including prevention of HIV/AIDS and drug use in schools, rather than discontinuous, sporadic actions. Existing data was reanalyzed to identify groups of youth that are at greater risk of infection and efforts were expanded to include partners of high-risk individuals, victims of sexual violence, and adolescents giving birth. The project expanded prevention services significantly through increased participation of NGOs and partnerships with states and municipalities. The number of NGOs working in prevention increased from 181to 780 from 1997 to 2002 and the number of projects they implemented increased from 130to 350. Of the 350, 110are directed to CSWs, 66 to MSMs, 51to IDU, and 25 to youth.

• In Jamaica, the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Project targets youth under Component 1 of the project which focuses on prevention activities.  In addition to mass media campaigns, which are aimed at the population at large, specific youth-focused activities include training for peer links and involving youth as prevention team members in risk reduction strategies.  Specific outreach has been made to five non-health line ministries with one of them being the Ministry of Education and Youth who has an assigned HIV/AIDS focal point and is implementing HIV/AIDS work plan with a significant proportion of prevention activities.  Through partnerships with Civil Society Organization (CSOs), the project is reaching out to groups such as Campus Crusade for Christ that works with youths in high schools to enhance the buildkiing good character in order to make moral life decisions.  The World Bank is not alone in its HIV/AIDS efforts in Jamaica.  International agency partners such as UNFPA, UNAIDS and UNICEF have programs targeting out of school youth, developing leadership in youth, and Children and AIDS/Early Childhood Education/Child Protection, respectively.

• In Grenada, the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Project has engaged the participation of non-Health line ministries which target youth as a priority population group.  The Ministry of Youth and the Ministry of Education in Grenada have HIV/AIDS focal points with the Ministry of Education having shared a draft Policy on HIV/AIDS for the education sector which will be presented to Cabinet in early 2008.  Civil Society Grant Proposals have also expanded the youth targeted activities taking place in the country with programs on educating vulnerable youth in HIV/AIDS and stigma and discrimination having been offered to in school youth between the ages of 13-18, purchase of IEC material to share HIV/AIDS messages, theatre projects using non-traditional methods, etc.

• The Guyana HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Project has implemented youth-targeted awareness and sensitization workshops, peer education workshops, condom distribution, IEC/BCC material distribution through its partnership efforts and assigned focal points in the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Education.  These ministries are looking to formally establish a partnership which would allow them to scale up their activities targeting youth.  The Ministry of Education has been very active in working with 186 schools on IEC/BCC activities.  In addition to the Government, Civil Society has also prioritized outreach programs and training to In and Out of School Youth in the ten regions of the country.

• The national HIV/AIDS program in St. Kitts and Nevis is focusing on four key ministerial Departments with Education and Youth being two of them.  These Ministerial Departments each have an active focal point responsible for organizing the HIV/AIDS activities that reach out to youth.  Funds available through these ministries called for the submission of proposals for HIV/AIDS programs.  The Ministry of Youth and Tourism’s program, “Kicking AIDS Out” targets teachers, youth leaders, mentors, and trainers.  Another project funded through the Ministry of Social Development, Gender Affairs targets 17 teen mothers between the ages of 13-16 in the fifth form of High School in St. Kitts.  Civil Society Organizations are also activie in organizing activities that target youth such as theater productions, poster campaigns, radio spots, and behavior change activities for youth aged 13-25 years.

• The Regional Caribbean HIV/AIDS Prevention Project, PANCAP, has youth as a priority target group in Component 2 of the Project: Prevention of the Spread of HIV/AIDS.  In addition, PANCAP has implemented the CARICOM Youth Ambassadors’ Mini-Grant Program.  The Mini-Grant Programme (MGP) aims to create an enabling environment for a reduced incidence of HIV/AIDS among persons aged 15 – 29 in disadvantaged communities by building leadership and HIV/AIDS prevention capacity among Youth organisations/NGOs/CBOs; facilitating youth participation in the development, implementation and management of HI/AIDS programmes; forming youth-adult partnerships, strategic alliances and networks; and strengthening indigenous human, material and other resources.




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