ETHIOPIA: Training for HIV/AIDS youth counsellors launched

Ethiopia’s first-ever team of youth counsellors who will help combat HIV/AIDS was launched on Friday. The members of the 30-strong team, which specialises in voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), will return to their local communities to teach youth counsellors in the fight against the virus.

The team, known as youth master trainers, were taught in the town of Nazret - one of the main towns hit by HIV/AIDS - where prevalence among young people is around 16 percent.

Nazret is on the main Djibouti to Addis Ababa highway and has a high population of prostitutes, being a frequent stop for lorry drivers.

"There has not been enough emphasis on working with young people as change agents and key resources for implementing expanded and effective responses to HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support," said Nigatu Mereke, head of the National AIDS Secretariat.

"Family members also lack appropriate information on the causes of HIV/AIDS and the risks faced by adolescents, especially girls, and are often unwilling to accept that their children may engage in unsafe practices, and they are often unable to teach them the necessary skills to avoid unsafe behaviour."

The two-week training programme was developed by the National and Regional AIDS Secretariat in collaboration with relevant public sectors and NGOs, with support from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Norwegian Government.

The 30 participants were selected from around the country, representing regional governments, NGOs and community-based organisations such as youth associations.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic has taken a heavy toll on Ethiopia’s population of almost 65 million. According to the latest government figures, the estimated rate of infection for adults is 7.3 percent. However, in urban areas that rate is much higher - at 13.4 percent, and in the capital, Addis Ababa, it is a staggering 16.8 percent.

In 2000, the government reported an estimated 2.6 million Ethiopians infected with HIV, of whom 250,000 were children under five years of age. Currently there were close to one million HIV/AIDS orphans, Nigatu added. Youths from ages eight to 20 represent close to 30 percent of the population of Ethiopia, and are consequently the most affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The peak age for AIDS cases is between 20 and 29 for women and 25 to 34 for men.

"Experience has shown that youth seek advice more readily from their peers," said Mirgissa Kaba, acting head of UNICEF’s HIV/AIDS section. "They are more likely to change their behaviour if advice comes from youth. This will complement the normal health-based counselling."

UNICEF argue that introducing youth-friendly VCT at youth centres across the country will play an integral role in HIV/AIDS prevention and control. The training programme included basic HIV/AIDS information, VCT training and management skills, and community mobilisation.

"As a nurse counsellor, I learnt how much I had missed," said Haragua Wadajo, a participant in the training. "Now I have a comprehensive idea on HIV/AIDS counselling in general and youth-focused counselling in particular."

A second round of training, for 30 additional participants, began on Sunday 19 May.

Theme (s): Children, Other,

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]