This collaborative pilot brings together three Canadian volunteer-sending organisations, Club 2/3, Youth Challenge International and the YMCA, to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The goal of the program is to decrease the incidence and spread of HIV/AIDS and to increase the skills and capacities of Canadian and African youth aged 18 to 30 to respond to the HIV/AIDS pandemic while improving their ability to secure meaningful work.
From April 27 to June 27 eleven young Canadians from across Canada will be working alongside 50 local youth in Ghana on HIV/AIDS education and awareness. Based in the community of Konongo in the Ashanti Region and the community of Denu in the Volta Region, the 60 youth volunteers will be trained as sexual health peer educators. Through the peer education training the volunteers will have an increased knowledge of HIV/AIDS and other STIs, gender issues, interpersonal communications and participative workshop facilitation skills. The peer educators will then go on to conduct education and outreach activities in the host communities to sensitise local youth regarding HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention.
