1M youths targetted in HIV/AIDS project

The International Federa-tion of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) intends to reach up to 100,000 Caribbean youths between the ages of ten to 19 by the end of next year and one million by 2007 through “Together We Can,” its HIV prevention programme. It has already reached 25,000 young people.

The TT Red Cross Society (TTRCS) has received US$26,851.16 in funding to scale up HIV/AIDS activities, with emphasis in the area of prevention and education among young people. The programme will begin next year. A major component of this programme is the IFRC activity kit which was launched along with a manual for Community Based Disaster Management at an IFRC TT partnership meeting held at the Association of Caribbean States headquarters, St Clair. Kathleen Fergusson Stewart, IFRC Regional HIV/AIDS officer, said the booklet is available in all the languages of the Caribbean—French, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Papiemento and English.

She warned that the book will only just be “paper backed with pretty faces” if the region did not scale up its response. “It is time for us to be disciplined and redouble the effort to compete with the disease. She said the fight against HIV/AIDS must be continued through HIV prevention programmes focussing on young people, the region’s greatest asset and most vulnerable “because of HIV infections and the resultant cost of care.” The fight must also take place through home-based care, “re-empowering communities to take care of their own,” and against stigma and discrimination. She referred to the “bleak report” from the United Nations General Assembly in countries fulfilling the Commitment of 2001 to reduce and revere the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015. Fergusson Stewart said despite a wealth of information on proven intervention, HIV prevention coverage is extremely low. Access to voluntary counselling and testing is only available to one in nine people in developing countries and less than one in 20 women can access service in the mother-to-child transmission programme. Fergusson Stewart said the majority of countries worldwide are also without legal protection to protect vulnerable populations.

Xavier Castellanos, IFRC Regional Disaster Preparedness Delegate, underscored the importance of the Caribbean having a prepared response for disaster since the area is vulnerable to various types of natural disasters. Castellanos said in the past 50 years there were 145 major disasters.  The main disasters have been hurricanes, floods, oil spills, fire and drought. He said the region also has 24 active volcanoes. He said disasters and climate change must be taken into consideration by countries when they are planning. For 2003, the IFRC through its national societies has been encouraging community-based management of disasters. Castellanos said communities will be encouraged to be the main actors to manage their own risk. Training has been conducted for facilitators in communities to achieve this goal. Under the IFRC’s Disaster Management Programme, US$149,697.32 in funding is provided for a container project which is providing essential relief stock in containers. Castellanos said the TTRCS last month received two containers of emergency supplies for use in times of disaster.