Youth HIV/AIDS Prevention
Project Duration: 01. 01.2016 – 30. 06.2016
Number of Beneficiaries: about 250 students
Location: Shirak Province
Puberty is a time of discovery, rousing feelings and investigation of new behaviours including engagement in unprotected sex, sex with multiple partners, and experimentation with substance use (alcohol, illicit drugs and other substances).
Lack of easily available counselling services, trained personnel, information and educational programmes on healthy lifestyle, reproductive health and prevention of drug abuse, spread of sexually-transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS puts many Armenian young people, particularly those living in rural areas, at high risk.
Within communities, adolescents rarely find any support and care, and discrimination against people living with HIV remains a big concern.
Since HIV is transmitted primarily by behaviour that can be modified (unprotected sexual intercourse and intravenous drug use) educational programs designed to influence appropriate behaviour can be effective in controlling the epidemic in Armenia. Young people deserve primarily attention in these educational efforts.
Thus, in the Project “Peer-to-peer” methodology was applied that aimed to raise awareness about HIV infection, STDs and drug use among groups of young people. Peer-to-peer informative sessions were carried out in 3 educational institutions/colleges, in “Emili Aregak” and “Little Prince” Centers of Armenian Caritas as well as in 3 rural community schools of Shirak Province; Arapi, Shirak and Azatan.
Project Aim
Tօ raise awareness among students of high schools about transmission and prevention of HIV as well as to arm them with knowledge about their reproductive needs and rights.
Achieved Results
- High grade schoolchildren of target schools became aware and informed about the risks of getting infected with HIV or STDs, as well as about their reproductive needs and rights.
- High grade schoolchildren of target schools acted as promoters of healthy lifestyle and took the initiative to take care of their own health.
Partners: Caritas Austria (Innsbruck)
Budget: 17 109 €
Project manager: Gayane Norikyan
Coordinator: Anna Hakobyan
