Give Me Five
BALUTI teaches school children the five step HIV/AIDS programme
- photo story by
- Louise Ashley
Give Me 5
BALUTI teach their peers the 'Give Me 5' prevention methods
- photo by
- Steve Wallington
New Friends
Travis on a field trip to the BALUTI project in Manila
- photo by
- Mike Alquinto
Manila's Infamous Graveyard
Makeshift graves at Himlayang Palanyag, Manila - an area where BALUTI teach their Give Me 5 training
- photo by
- Mike Alquinto
Rowie Tarroza
One of BALUTI's school peer educators
- photo by
- Steve Wallington
Reflection
School children learn the powerful impact of HIV/AIDS
- photo by
- Steve Wallington
Clued up
Romeo and his girlfriend use BALUTI's Give Me 5 programme to protect themselves
- photo by
- Steve Wallington
Jennifer Flores
A fourth year student who has benefited from BALUTI's teaching on their tour of Manila
- photo by
- Steve Wallington
Treading Carefully
Travis and some new friends negotiate the tombstones of Himlayang Palanyag, Manila
- photo by
- Mike Alquinto
On Tour
BALUTI tours the city in their jeepney to educate their peers
- photo by
- Steve Wallington
Travis in Class
Ambassador Travis McCoy in a BALUTI Give Me 5 class
- photo by
Paranaque High School
One of the largest schools in Manila where BALUTI hold classes
- photo by
- Steve Wallington
Himlayang Palanyag
BALUTI attract attention wherever they venture...
- photo by
- Benedict Spence
Poverty
Many people in Himlayang Palanyag can't afford proper graves...
- photo by
- Benedict Spence
BALUTI
Based in Manila in the Philippines, BALUTI has been a Staying Alive grantee since June 2008. BALUTI stands for 'Protect the Child from Infection' (Batang Laging Umiiwas sa Tiyak na Impeksyon) and its members tour Manila to educate their peers about HIV/AIDS.
Tackling Issues Head On
Alex Sarza, a 14-year-old gang member, drinker, and drug-user, had a grim future. But when a local health project reached out to teach him about HIV/AIDS, Alex was thrown a lifeline.
Trained as a peer educator, Alex went on to form BALUTI (Protect the Child from Infection), and with funding from The Staying Alive Foundation, has reached over 10,000 young people with vital HIV/AIDS knowledge, and trained 40 young people as peer educators to pass the message on themselves.
Alex and BALUTI's achievements are particularly impressive considering the lifestyle of young people in Manila: many are living on the streets, forced to leave school to scrape an income; and unprotected, casual sex is a common practice in the city's infamous public cemetery.
Having turned his life around, Alex has a determination and vision to pass on these vital messages to others like himself.
Help us to continue to support grassroots projects all around the world. With your help we can go one step further in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
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Comments
by Brandel Magdangan on Jan 07 2010, 07:57 GMT
..Hi MTV,.I'm glad that you have this foundation on helping people to have knowledge of what HIV/AIDS is..Even though I'm not a member of a foundation or organizations like this,I hope I can help this foundation to spread the word and not the virus. And I will continue supporting your projects. Thanks,more power and GODBLESS!!
by lional on Dec 18 2009, 05:38 GMT
for travis and alex from baluti,that is good i like that,i hope you always save people in this world from HIV and AIDS...thank you. and for travis your song is good.i love you travis.... i'm lional from indonesia.
by ramel cerantes on Dec 16 2009, 13:51 GMT
first Im so proud of being one of the new peer-educator trained months ago, i personally love and happily proud of the video, the message and i hope that staying alive foundation will continue helping our group to be known internationally.
by Dre on Dec 16 2009, 17:33 GMT
Thank you....for making the a better place...
by Brandel Magdangan on Jan 07 2010, 07:58 GMT
..Hi MTV,.I'm glad that you have this foundation on helping people to have knowledge of what HIV/AIDS is..Even though I'm not a member of a foundation or organizations like this,I hope I can help this foundation to spread the word and not the virus. And I will continue supporting your projects. Thanks,more power and GODBLESS!!
by ramel cerantes on Dec 16 2009, 13:51 GMT
first Im so proud of being one of the new peer-educator trained months ago, i personally love and happily proud of the video, the message and i hope that staying alive foundation will continue helping our group to be known internationally.