LEND
December 2009 Award Winners
by Louise Ashley
In December 2009 The Staying Alive Foundation awarded 35 grants. Out of these grants, 20 went to organisations already supported by the Foundation, and 15 went to brand new projects. We are very excited about these new activities and about working with new young leaders who are dedicated to making a change in their communities.
To find out more about these projects read below.
OGGRO
Location: Bangladesh
OGGRO members will visit rural schools and train students in directing, to develop a play around the subject of AIDS. A short-film based on the play will then be produced, starring famous actors and sportsmen. The DVDs of this film will be sent to rural regions of Bangladesh. OGGRO will also create a hard-hitting audio visual to be transmitted via television, radios and cell phones all over the country. Within 12 months they will reach 10, 000 students.
E2SD Akorede
Location: Benin
Receiving their second award this year, E2SD are widening the scope of their projects by aiming more activities at students. Already having raised awareness among professional trainees (hair dressers, mechanics etc) in the region of Donga, they will reach students through peer education, open air events, football matches, radio programmes, and film screenings, They will also test youth for HIV and set up a condom distributor.
Fundacion Igualdad LGBT
Location: Bolivia
This project aims to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS by focusing in particular on sexual rights. Based in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and receiving their second grant, they will train 15 new peer educators, train teachers, organise graffiti and paint competitions, produce radio spots, and hold a film festival.
Qanrayku
Location: Bolivia
Qanrayku, based in the region of Oruro, raises awareness among young people in and out of schools, focusing on teenage mothers and pregnant teenagers in particular. In 2010 they will strengthen and expand their project from last year by training additional people and organising information and awareness-raising festivals.
Social Care Volunteer Group
Location: Burma
This project is aimed at raising awareness about HIV and AIDS among university students in Mogway, which is a city with a very mobile population. Already supported by the Staying Alive Foundation in 2009, they will continue training students as peer educators, hold advocacy meetings with local authorities and hostel owners, organise 4 drama shows and distribute educational materials and condoms.
Association des Jeunes Educateurs pour le Developpement
Location: Democratic Republic of Congo
This project, supported in 2009, will continue to raise awareness among street kids living in Kinshasa, a very rough area of the capital. Guy and his colleagues, who all used to live on the street themselves, will continue training peer educators, organise football tournaments, small concerts, theatre performances, and booths at street festivals.
Willway Africa
Location: Ghana
This project, ‘Spread the News not the Virus’ aims to make counseling and testing accessible and acceptable to all through mobile counseling and testing services, HIV awareness films, and football galas. These events, along with quizzes, testimonies from those living with HIV, and education through drama will contribute to Willway’s goal of reaching 4000 over-tens this year.
Nghathal Youth Club
Location: India
Continuing their awareness raising projects through music classes and concerts, this organisation will also expand into sporting activities. Musicians will be trained as peer educators and the centre will become a drop-in space where people can get information on HIV, drugs, and sexuality.
SHED
Location: India
SHED raises awareness on HIV among young migrant workers living in Tamilnadu. This year they will educate a further 150 workers as peer educators, organise street theatre, and distribute educational materials.
UNP+
Location: India
This network reduces the stigma and discrimination of people living with HIV in Orissa state. Focusing on schools and colleges, they train young HIV positive people to speak in public, organise photo exhibitions of people living with HIV, organise interactive discussion, perform theatre pieces, distribute educational materials and organise support meetings for those living with HIV. Funded by SAF since 2008, UNP+ will this year set up a youth resource centre which will have a mobile information unit and website.
Health And Education Alternative Development Studies (HEALDS)
Location: India
Based in Tamilnadu, HEALDS will disseminate HIV/AIDS knowledge, prevention and care and support through peer education, mobile audio and video shows, and street plays in 40 villages. A female led organisation, the focus is on child mothers and sexually active youth, who will be given condoms and referred to voluntary counselling and testing centers by 80 peer educators.
AYOMI
Location: Indonesia
Last year AYOMI focused on raising awareness about HIV and AIDS in prisons. This year it will focus on transgendered people and men who have sex with men. AYOMI will organise a workshop and 5 trainings, outreach activities, and the distribution of condoms to reach this target group.
TACI
Location: Kenya
TACI, based in Siaya district, raises awareness on HIV in schools. This year it will train a further 30 peer educators, produce bi-monthly interactive workshops in schools, and set up anonymous message boxes so that students can have their questions answered in their radio show. They will also organise football tournaments, and a World AIDS Day event.
Impact Kenya Youth Initiative (IKYI)
Location: Kenya
This ‘Girl Alive Project' will focus its attention on female sex workers. Targeting 100 sex workers per month, 40 peer educators will hold group discussions and moonlight outreach pool competitions around bars, clubs, lodges, and streets. 10 condom dispensers will be set up and educators will distribute over 20,000 condoms (including female). Importantly, IKYI will also link to income generating institutions and hold dialogue with police and the local government about the treatment of sex workers.
Takieng Lao Community Theatre Group and Kabong Lao Puppet Artistic Group
Location: Laos
This is a project that brings 2 organisations together, one specialising in theatre, the other in puppetry. Both are based in Vientiane, the capital, and their leaders build a network together to train their actors and puppeteers on issues around HIV and AIDS. They perform 40 theatre pieces in schools and universities on HIV, AIDS and sexuality. They want to expand their current project by involving younger people, in particular those orphaned by HIV, and will train them to be performers as well. They will then carry out 105 performances.
SAATH
Location: Nepal
SAATH, based in Kathmandu, produces a weekly radio programme called 'Human Face', aired nationally to raise awareness about HIV as well as create a platform for people living with HIV and advocate on behalf of them. This year SAATH will expand the reach of their radio shows by creating a website to air them. They will also hold street theatre in rural areas.
SAHAYATRA
Location: Nepal
SAHAYTRA is based in the municipality of Nepalgunj. Building on this year's project, SAHAYATRA will train additional peer educators, organise community events, street theatre and organise chats at the traditional communal debating spaces in the villages where their peer educators are from. They will also organise a football tournament, a fair and strengthen the skills of their current peer educators.
SWAN
Location: Nepal
SWAN reaches out to migrant girls through educational evens with peer educators, workshops, and monthly discussions. They also reach out to managers and owners of bars through similar events. This year they will extend their activities by organising workshops with people form the health sector to highlight the importance of youth friendly services and also to people from the media sector to highlight stigma and discrimination of PLHIV.
Youth Are Talking (YAT)
Location: Nigeria
Shola and Tope, based in Lagos, received their first grant in December 2007 which they used to produce radio shows on HIV and AIDS related issues. They are continuing to do these monthly radio shows, as well as organising musical community outreaches encouraging people to get tested, producing educational materials, including 2 spots for TV, training 50 young people who are working in the media and reach out to young people via online forums.
LeND
Location: Nigeria
Eunice and Desmond received their first grant in December 2007 and have used it to educate young deaf people in Lagos. With this year’s project, they will develop by producing a handbook on HIV and AIDS in sign language, train 300 young people as peer educators, distribute condoms, and organise interschool forums which involve theatre, musical performances and discussions.
Y-PEER
Location: Pakistan
In Lahore, this organisation will reach over 2000 youths through peer education, theatre, and condom distribution. Their main target groups are gay men and sex workers.
EDHUCASALUD
Location: Peru
This project is led by Cynthia, a recently graduated medical doctor. She raises awareness about STIs and HIV among the military living on the largest military base in Peru, located near Piura city. Training workshops for military nurses and troop members, this year they will also distribute leaflets and condoms to sex workers near the military base.
Cidados de Mundo (Citizens of the World)
Location: Portugal
This organisation will produce radio programs, a youth magazine, blogs, videos, and leaflets in order to reach immigrants from Portuguese-speaking African countries. Prevention messaging will also reach this group through SMS.
Youth Theatre 'Light'
Location: Russia
Based in Samara region, where one in 40 people are infected with HIV, Youth Theatre will train new volunteers, go into schools to perform dramas and also look for students to be trained during a summer school.
Medical Students Association of Rwanda
Location: Rwanda
Jean Luc and MEDSAR, based in the city of Huye, received their first grant in December 2007. They used it mainly to raise awareness about HIV by encouraging people to get tested. This year, they will expand their project by launching a website for young Rwandans, provide further support and development for anti-AIDS clubs, and carry out more mobile voluntary counselling and testing sessions. They will also organise special events that involve music, drama and sports activities as well as events for World AIDS Day.
MEDSAR
Location: Rwanda
Another medical student project in Rwanda focuses on educating soldiers. Often ignored by NGOs working in the field of HIV/AIDS, these vulnerable young people will be encouraged to participate in counseling and testing, and learn about women’s rights in sex through theatre education.
SYSA
Location: Somalia
SYSA educates young people living in 'Internally Displaced People' camps near the city of Garowe. They train young people as peer educators, and conduct a monthly radio show. SYSA will continue their project by organising trainings, focus group discussions, a World AIDS Day event, drama performances, and condom distribution.
SYPN
Location: Somalia
This projects involves theatre-based peer education in High schools and refugee camps. It will also use TV, radio and newspaper messages for behaviour change.
Association pour le developpement et amitie
Location: Togo
This project raises awareness among rural youth in the district of Badja. This year they will expand their project by training an additional 30 people as peer educators, create theatre clubs, produce 8 radio shows, organise a football tournament, debates, film screenings, organise 2 Voluntary counselling and testing campaigns, and an event on World AIDS Day.
Support AIDS Widows and Orphans (SWAPO)
Location: Uganda
This project, “Together we can defeat HIV/AIDS” involves education through drama, counselling and testing, and the distribution of 50,000 condoms. The target group is a particularly vulnerable one - 625 former child soldiers, male and female, aged 12 to 25.
Carolina Empowerment Group
Location: USA
Natalia and CEG received their first grant from the Foundation in December 2007 which they used to organise workshops for young girls on HIV and sexuality. Their project 'Youth in Action' continues to educate young girls in Charleston through workshops, a book club, monthly presentations, encouragement of testing and the training of 10 peer educators.
The Namwala Branch of Youth Development Organisation
Location: Zambia
In Namwala, this organisation will work with schools to establish 6 Anti-AIDS clubs. They will visit these clubs fortnightly and support their activities which include peer education, debates, games, and talent shows.
Youth RISE
Location: International
Youth RISE is an international network coordinated by several 3 young people with the aim to reduce the risks and harms associated with drug use among young people. Based on the successful creation of their harm reduction trainings launched in Romania and India, they're planning to roll these out in 6 countries over the next 3 years, starting with the Ukraine and Mexico.
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Comments
by isaac on Dec 02 2009, 11:58 GMT
Thank a lot. The work you are doing is wonderful. By facilitating youth you are saving the future generation. Keep it up. '
by Uncle Mike on Mar 12 2010, 11:28 GMT
The youth are the pillar of any Nation,when you empower the youth you empower the Nation.