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Projects:
Hip Hop An SanteSTATUS: implemented January 2006 to March 2007 / now completed Hip hop musicians performing as part of a monthly concert series promoting HIV/AIDS awareness to rural youth. NEED: Haiti has the highest HIV/AIDS rate in the Western Hemisphere. Currently, it is estimated that that 6.1% of the adult population or 280,000 people in Haiti are HIV positive. Haiti is the country most affected by the AIDS Pandemic outside of Africa. Young people are at especially high risk for contracting this deadly disease as they do not have access to health and sexual education. Haitian youth have little access to messages that would help them adopt safe sexual practices Only 32% of households have access to electricity and this limits their access to radio and television stations Furthermore, peer support activities are limited primarily to large towns and efforts to reach rural youth have lagged There is a need to develop innovative approaches not only to better inform youth about HIV and other sexually transmitted illnesses, but also to extend support networks that will help youth adopt and maintain safe sexual practices RESPONSE: Yéle Haiti is collaborating with Management and Resources for Community Health (MARCH) in organizing a traveling concert series that educates Haiti’s youth about HIV/AIDS. A group of eight hip hop musicians were given training as HIV/AIDS peer counselors, and then turned that experience into raps which they perform as part of the MARCH concerts. Their target audience is the two million Haitians between 10 and 24 years of age who do not have access to health education and are not being served by the very limited national health services. Practical information on youth health and safe sexual practices will highlight the HIV/AIDS issue. Partner: Photo: Youth getting a free voluntary HIV test following a concert promoting safe sex and awareness of HIV/AIDS issues |
