Youth centre-approach leading to sustainable behavioural change development of young people in HIV/AIDS primary prevention, care and support.
Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. D11117)
Nyunt MZ, Mon AA, Myint YM, Swe T, Swe MN Unicef, Yangon, Myanmar
Myanmar is now facing growing epidemic of HIV/AIDS that squarely hits the adult population. Youth consists of 36% (1999) of the adult population and they have been threatened by the escalating risk of HIV infection. UNICEF Myanmar, in partnership with Myanmar Red Cross Society, initiates a youth centre project to combat this threat. For the time being, there have been no other HIV/AIDS projects that sound out the possibility of youth centre approach in Myanmar. In this pilot project, which has been initiated in three highly endemic areas, out of school youth and youth on the street are targeted for sustainable behavioural change and development. These centres will serve as source of information regarding HIV/AIDS and other health related issues and act as referral centre for youth-friendly health services - counselling, treatment of STI and adolescent reproductive health. Income generation activities have been planned to assure the sustainability. Capacity building of the youth volunteers in the centres have also been arranged. These youth centres would become a replicable model in other parts of the country. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and constraints that have been faced throughout the implementing process of youth centres in a resource poor setting would be discussed in this paper.
Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Infections, HIV Seropositivity, Primary Prevention, Adolescent Health Services, Risk-Taking, Homosexuality, Male, Bisexuality, Behavior, Myanmar, Adolescent, Adolescence, Human, Adult, Surgical Procedures, Operative
