Abstract Book Vol. 2 [International Conference on AIDS (14th: 2002: Barcelona, Spain)]

XIV International AIDS Conference

Abstracts ThPeF8115-ThPeF8119 615

We have also conducted street play classes on sexual issues, and we have
started income generation activities in slums areas to encourage involvement of
the community in our programs. Under the "Youth Program", AFXB chooses three
volunteers from different schools and trains them as peer educators. Then, they
help us to carry the message of HIV/AIDS awareness back to their respective
schools. After six months, we have targeted approximately 8,000 youngsters in
different slum areas, 15,000 scouts and guides from different parts of Rajasthan,
and 12,000 students from different educational institutions.
Lessons learned: With the HIV/AIDS awareness programs in these different settings targeting mainly adolescents, we are observing some changes on the openness of young people to discuss sex and HIV/AIDS issues in public. Involvement
of adolescents to educate other adolescents can lead to break down some of the
existing barriers and taboos among them and will also increase level of HIV/AIDS
awareness.
Recommendations: More, friendlier, easy to understand, creative awareness
programs are needed to target the youth, especially in those settings where sexual education is still lacking in the schools
Presenting author: Rishi Saxena, 90-B, Gopal Bari, Jaipur, India, Tel.: [phone], Fax: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]
ThPeF8115 Abstinence-Zambian youth are asking for it
L.M. Van Lith1, H. Hachonda1, C. Underwood2. 1ZIHR ZIHR PO.Box 37230,
Lusaka, Zambia; 2JHU-CCR Baltimore, United States
Issues: Many Zambian youth report needing support to remain virgins. Girls say
they want concrete messages with reasons to abstain or return to abstinence.
Abstinence messages for youth in Zambia are wanted, needed, and are working.
Description: The HEART mass media campaign is designed by youth and promotes HIV/AIDS prevention through messages around abstinence, consistent
condom use and that 'you can't tell by looking' if someone is HIV+. Abstinence
messages are central to the campaign and further strengthen the ideals that
Zambia as a Christian nation preaches. While many argue that abstinence messages are ineffective in a country where 75% of young people are sexually active,
HEART has revealed that youth, girls in particular, are asking for support in their
choice to abstain.
Lessons Learned: Based on an Impact Survey, the decision to abstain was frequently reported by viewers as a direct result of campaign exposure. In fact, respondents were more likely to say they chose 'to abstain' than to report condom use which is of note given the common argument in Zambia that adverts
encourage promiscuity. The opposite is true. In addition, viewers reported more
discussions about abstinence and were 1.68 times more likely to report primary
or secondary abstinence ('return to abstinence') then were non-viewers. Clearly
abstinence, in addition to other prevention messages, is working.
Recommendations: Mass media campaigns must also convey the idea that abstinence is a social norm among young people. Furthermore, many youth may
know or perceive that most of their peers are sexually active, yet they request abstinence messages to 'help them be better' and provide the support they need to
remain virgins or return to virginity, a popular theme among many young women.
Therefore, interventions should continue to encourage abstinence or a 'return to
abstinence' as a viable alternative for youth.
Presenting author: Lynn Van Lith, ZIHP, PO.Box 37230, Lusaka, Zambia, Tel.:
[phone], Fax: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]
ThPeF81 16 Moving mountains: youth response to a crisis
H.M. Hachonda, L. Van Lith, E.T. Serlemitsos. ZIHR Red Cross House, Los
Angeles Blvd., Long Acres, PO Box 37230, Lusaka, Zambia
Issues: In December 2000, the Design Team of the HEART Campaign- a youth
mass media campaign in Zambia promoting abstinence or condom use for young
people in the prevention of HIV/AIDS, began to broadcast the second phase of
the campaign. Within two weeks of airing, the TV spots were banned.
Description: One of the core elements of the HEART Campaign is youth leadership and youth involvement at all levels. When the TV spots were banned, a massive debate ensued in all media. While not all youth supported the spots themselves, youth were universal in their support of the campaign and their need for
information and support for behaviour change. The Design Team of the HEART
Campaign also implemented a public relations strategy based on facts about
youth sexual behaviour in Zambia to help ground the campaign and re-focus the
public on the necessity of giving youth this information. The combination of youth
outcry and the carefully crafted public relations strategy enabled the Design Team
to re-air the adverts with only minor modifications.
Lessons learned: The high level of youth leadership and involvement in the campaign helped to ensure the appropriateness and effectiveness of the message
for the youth audience, but did not ensure acceptability among adults. A wider
group of stakeholders should be involved in message development to prevent future controversy. Furthermore, the public relations strategy played a key role in

reminding the public of the impact of HIV/AIDS on young people.
Recommendations: It is recommended that all programmes for youth be led by
youth, however, other stakeholders must be included. Public relations, in advance
of campaign implementation, should be designed into every programme that may
be controversial. Finally, don't underestimate the power of young people- they can
move mountains with the right tools.

Presenting author: Holo Hachonda, Red Cross House, Los Angeles Blvd., Long
Acres, PRO Box 37230, Lusaka, Zambia, Tel.: [phone], Fax: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]
ThPeF8117 High risk behavior prevention in action: youth
movement "echo" experience
O.A. Kochkina, A.V. Khmyrov. NGO "A view of the future", 195426,
Saint-Petersburg, Industrialny pr., 17-3-383, Russian Federation
NGO "A View of Future" started its activity in 1994 in Saint-Petersburg. It aims
at prevention of all kinds of risky behavior such as drug and alcohol abuse, unsafe sex, violence or any other behavior that threatens person with loosing health,
life or well-being. In 2001 "A View of the future" started peer-to-peer movement
project.
The main idea of the Youth Movement ECHO was to join forces of different youth
organizations in HIV/AIDS prevention and propaganda of healthy way of life. At
this moment the movement joins more then 250 volunteers (16 different organizations). Their general mission is preventive interventions in teenager communities
based on the complex prophylaxis program "Style 2000 - Healthy Choice". The
program includes different themes, such as "My body (Physiology)", "Feelings
and Emotions", "HIV/AIDS", "Drug abuse", "Crisis situation", "Contraception" and
so on. Totally there are 20 sessions. The adolescents gain the skills of recognition of risky situation, decision making and acting. The organizations on which the
volunteer teams base have different fields of activity for reducing risk behaviors.
This makes possible for teenagers teams to share their experience and information. For the organizations membership in the Youth Movement ECHO gives an
advantage of resource increasing. Not every organization can afford maintaining
such number of volunteers as the whole movement. On the other hand, every
organization-member of the youth movement can use all the volunteers of the
movement in the organization's projects. Other resources also can be joined for
better projects realizations.
The Youth Movement ECHO is now at the first stage of it's development. But it is
obvious that the developing system of prophylaxis network gives us a wide range
of opportunities of realizing global projects of all types.
Presenting author: Olesya Kochkina, 195426, Saint-Petersburg, Industrialny pr.,
17-3-383, Russian Federation, Tel.: [phone], Fax: [phone], E-mail:
[email protected]
ThPeF8118I Youths in Rural Rajasthan - Fighting against AIDS
A. Sinqh1, R.V. Nair2, V. Gaur2, H.S. Rajpurohit2, C.J. Mora3. 1FXB Rajasthan
Society, FXB Rajasthan Society, 385, Baldev Singh Colony, Opp. DYSP Office,
Sumerpur 306902,; 2FXB Rajasthan Society, Sumerpur, India; 3AFXB US
Foundation, Sumerpur, United States
Background: Given the challenges and the magnitude of the HIV/AIDS epidemic,
the young people constitute key players in the fight against HIV/AIDS in any setting, especially in remote and rural areas.
Method: Aimed to increase participation of youth in prevention strategies, youths
from a remote, rural area in Rajasthan Sumerpur, where only one College facility
is available, were provided with two awareness programs on HIV/AIDS. Eight students (all male) dared to speak up to volunteer in AFXB's work in rural Rajasthan,
where migration is rapidly increasing. They devised street plays in local language
with their own script. Now this group, called the "Friends Club," has been creating
wonders in helping us to spread awareness in rural Rajasthan.
Result: 1. Local community leaders from different villages have been inviting the
young people to put on street plays on the topic of HIV/AIDS. 2. More and more
young people have shown their desire to join this movement
Conclusions: 1. Females need to be motivated to join this programme; yet, due
to rigid-caste and cultural barriers, females who desire to join, have not been able
to do so.
Presenting author: Anirudh Singh, FXB Rajasthan Society, 385, Baldev Singh
Colony, Opp. DYSP Office, Sumerpur 306902, India, Tel.: +91+02933+54564,
Fax: +91+02933+54564, E-mail: [email protected]
ThPeF8119 Youth involvement in prevention programs
M. Pantelic. Medical Student, Vojvode Stepe 118, 11 000, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Background: Yugoslavia was under sanctions and was excluded from UN. Government didn't have an answer to HIV/AIDS although this was the leading country
in the region by the number of new HIV cases. We've had 1000000 refugees so
HIV wasn't the priority.
Young poeple are a force for change but also out of all infected people they represent at least one half!
Methods: How to involve youth in prevention programs? Motivation! Problems of
HIV/AIDS go deep into the their very essence;into an important field of their au
thentic interest - sexuality. Youth of JAZAS (Yugoslav Association Against AIDS)
had offered alternative to young people. Our public image was unique at the time
and still is! When addressing public we are affirmative no matter how difficult situation is; we always say that everybody is supporting us within their possibilities!
We have managed to recognize experience and knowledge of adults and to respect it while preserving our independence in work and this is the best recepy for
efficient youth organization because this maintains organization's creativity Youth