BRAC’s Adolescent Clubs: Raising HIV Awareness among Youth

Despite being one of the low HIV- prevalence countries, Bangladesh still remains exceedingly vulnerable to an HIV epidemic due to overpopulation, gender inequality, and the grim state of poverty in the country. Experts have predicted that without any proper prevention, the prevalence in the general adult population could rise to as high as 2% in 2012.BRAC’s Adolescent Clubs (Kishori Kendro) and Adolescent Peer Organised Network (APON) offer life skills based education- facilitated by their peers- on different social and health related issues, such as reproductive health, sexual abuse, children’s rights, gender, HIV/AIDS, STI, eve teasing (verbal sexual abuse), child trafficking, substance abuse, violence, family planning and many others. The purpose is to develop adolescent life skills and raise awareness of important but stigmatised issues. The Special Network for Adolescent Photographers (SNAP) allows girls to not only receive training on digital photography but are given the option of taking it up as their profession. The girls take photos relevant to social issues, such as HIV/AIDS, and organise exhibitions to raise awareness within their communities.Sports are an integral role to play in helping to bring people together and to address key issues and encourage social changes. BRAC’s Adolescent Development Programme uses sports as a means of communication to disseminate important information to the mass audiences. Communication activities such as a rallies, courtyard meetings, interactive theatre, multimedia shows and cultural programmes are organised in the playground besides sports to reinforce the message delivered through the competition, related to HIV/AIDS prevention and stigma reduction. To support this process, appropriate communication/campaign materials were developed and distributed to the participants.

The programme is observing World AIDS Day across Bangladesh by actively engaging the people in communities from all spheres of the society. A rally, IPT shows, complementary football/cricket matches and discussion forums are taking place throughout the day. The whole event will create awareness about the significance of the day. To generate mass awareness, different communication materials, such as banners, festoons, leaflets, T-shirt slogans for children etc. are also produced.