AEGiS-14IAC: The impact of peer-educators activities through schools.

14th International AIDS Conference

Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

The impact of peer-educators activities through schools.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. E11451)

Tine T, Cabral L, Angono MZ, Sagna P, Ndiaye A
SIDA SERVICE, Dakar, Senegal

BACKGROUND: The majority of young in Senegal do not know all the dangers and the modes of transmission of HIV/AIDS/ITS. They are sexually living, drugs users and lack of education. That why SIDA-SERVICE reacts against that exposure by conducting a survey near pupils in school and youth in order to make them change behavior by sensitizing them about HIV/AIDS/ITD. OBJECTIVES: To train Peer-Educators from schools of Dakar in techniques of prevention To initiate a formula of peer-educators in 5 schools of Dakar To supervise and to evaluate peer-educators activities Methodologies: We contacted head of school in order to send us 5 peer-educators by school and 1 teacher who accompanied them. We trained a first group of 25 during 3 days on January 2000 and the second group of others 25 during 3 on December 2001 with: doctors, teachers, anthropologists and religious . After trainings, every school planed a calendar of activities. These trainings allow them to set up cells in their school in order to lead activities in informing and preventing against HIV to their peers. At every month, we went through schools to supervise activities . And also at the end of school year we evaluated their activities.

RESULTS: 60 peer-educators had been trained instead of 50 and 10 cells formed and 200 sensitizations had been done. We obtained 20 000 young informed ;25 % had done free voluntary testing of HIV. 1,5 % have ITD and been treated. 90 % changed behavior, used condoms during sexual relation, prating abstinence and fidelity. The average age of these young pupils is 20 years old ; 80 % of young informed did not know before the risks of contamination of HIV and whish to have more and more informations about AIDS .

CONCLUSION: The training of Peer-educators is a better mean of efficient prevention through schools. We find it very positive in the way it prevents young from dangers of HIV/AIDS/ITD and make them have a responsible behavior.

Keywords: AEGIS, Schools, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Infections, Sex Behavior, Health Education, Sex Education, Condoms, Teaching, Data Collection, Senegal, education

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