CEG

(Carolina Empowerment Group)

photo story by: Louise Ashley

Natalia Cales and CEG Mentors

Their mission is to “Empower People Day by Day” through community outreach and awareness activities.

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Protection

Using condoms is just one way for girls to empower themselves in relationships.

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A trainer relaxes after class

In the past year CEG has reached over 100 young ladies.

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Discussing sexual health

These peer educators are also trained to provide assistance with testing and counseling services.

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In the classroom

Out of school clubs involve girls in interactive discussions about sexual health

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Free Condoms

Young women are taught how to use them and how to negotiate their use.

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CEG Peer Educators

5 of the 10 dedicated peer educators.

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Carolina Empowerment Group

HIV infection statistics in the US make for pretty shocking reading. An estimated 1.1 million people are infected, making it the seventh most affected country in the world.

Natalia aims to ensure all the girls she teaches are well-informed and given the confidence to make their own choices when it comes to relationships...

Empowering Young People

When Natalia Cales’ mum died as a result of AIDS in 2006, her whole life changed. Natalia was angry, but passionately so. She wanted revenge against the disease that took her mother from her, and so decided to channel her energy into preventing others from suffering the same fate.

Setting up the Carolina Empowerment Group with funding from the Staying Alive Foundation, Natalia’s goal is to empower young girls with knowledge about sex and sexual health, drugs, alcohol and other lifestyle issues. Believing girls must learn to love and respect themselves, something her mother was unable to believe in for herself, Natalia regularly holds workshops where sex is openly discussed, and where girls learn to use condoms and negotiate their use. In a country where 1 in 4 girls has an STI, Natalia’s work is absolutely vital.

“Every day I wake up and feel so passionate about finding another way to help a young person, I put my fighting cap on and I say ‘I’m going to try and make a difference, and help one person to not have to go through what I went through’”.