- Mitigating the Impact of HIV/AIDS in Federal Capital Territory Abuja: Holistic Action against HIV/AIDS funded by AIDS Health Care Foundation (AHF) The project seeks to work to reduce the spread and mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS among in and out-school-youths in Abuja, through information sharing, capacity building and behavior change messaging in line with HIV/AIDS prevention. To accomplish this feat successfully, OROL adopted strategies like Specific population awareness campaign, Community outreach, Peer education model/peer education plus model, and vulnerability issues, to promote behavioral change for HIV/AIDS prevention in line with the National Prevention Plan (NPP). This was to improve the knowledge and skills of the In-School Youth, to prevent HIV/AIDS and STIs to improve the quality of their health and lives in general.Research has shown that a clear message about behavior is one the most important characteristics of effective sexual health programs for young people (Kirby 2005). At the inception and end of the project, research was conducted to determine the level of knowledge of the target beneficiaries in the community and the school at large. This project is one of the most sustained youth HIV prevention program in Nigeria. Both quantitative and qualitative data show that the project has produced several positive multiplier effects on the knowledge and behavior of youths and secondary school students. The project is a good example of how young persons are being empowered to bring about change not only in themselves but also impact positively among in-school adolescents in Nigeria. There is the need to sustain and even expand the program such that we can reach out to not only students but also adolescents working in the informal sector including apprentices and also other remote communities in Federal Capital Territory Abuja. This initiative would require extension to other Local Government Areas of FCT and other States in Nigeria..
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- Presentation at AIDS 2012 Washington DC and Hosting the Hub in Abuja Nigeria
July 22-27, 2012 brought international exposure for the OROL Youth Empowerment Initiative. Following the submission of an abstract, two OROL members were awarded full scholarships to attend the renowned International AIDS Conference in Washington, DC. Grateful for the opportunity to showcase OROL to the world, Opeyemi Agbaje, and Nwamaka Ifionu set out for Washington DC, USA, clad in their attention stealing OROL T-shirts.OROL showcased a theme relevant drama at the conference, and needless to say, we were deemed the budding ‘Nollywood stars’. The plot of our drama told the story of a young lady who had lost her parents at a tender age, thus losing her financial support and relegated to street hawking, vulnerability, and ultimately the HIV status.
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- AIDS 2012 CONFERENCE HUB HOSTED BY OROL The XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) presented new scientific knowledge on the major issues facing the global response to HIV. OROL was approved to host an AIDS 2012 conference hub to strengthen the local HIV and AIDS response in Nigeria, create new opportunities for partnership, and to disseminate the latest research to our communities. The conference hub organized by OROL in Abuja took place after the main conference in Washington DC. Our primary target audiences were young people in and out of schools, as well as development workers who were not able to attend the international conference. It created an avenue for young people and leaders to learn new ways of addressing the issues of HIV and AIDS in Nigeria. The organizers and audience shared mutual understanding and experiences of different points of view in addressing the issues of HIV and AIDS affecting young people.
- 28TH International AIDS Candlelight Memorial The International AIDS Candlelight memorial is one of the world’s oldest and largest grassroots mobilization campaigns for HIV/AIDS awareness in the world. It is a program of the Global Health Council, the world’s largest alliance of organizations and professionals involved in global health. It started in 1983, and takes place every third Sunday in May and is observed by over 1,200 community organizations in 115 countries to honor the memory of those who have died from AIDS and demonstrate support for people living with HIV and AIDS.The Candlelight memorial was observed in Abuja, Nigeria and it was such a huge success with the collaboration of organizations such as Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Noble Mission forChange Initiative, SOS Children’s Village and Association of Positive Youth in Nigeria. The Memorial drew participants from various walks of life: National Youth Service Corps members, children from SOS Village Abuja, Men who have sex with Men (MSM), Women who have sex with Women (WSW), young people living with HIV/AIDS, churches and governmental bodies. Notable amongst them was the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) that covered the event. Speeches were given by invited guests and the President of Association of Positive Youth in Nigeria. The children from SOS Children’s Village presented a poem and OROL youth presented a play titled, the Voice of OROL. The memorial was supported by SOS Children’s Village Abuja, Society for Family Health (SFH) and others. An estimated 350 people attended the memorial..
. - HIV and AIDS Education Program in Gishiri Village Abuja NigeriaGishiri village is under Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) located opposite Maitama junction along Kubwa expressway. The major settlement is comprised of the Gbagi people and the Hausa speaking people. The majority of the community is youth aged 11-29 with a main source of income from farming. The young representatives of OROL have visited Gishiri several times and have been able to conduct baseline surveys by holding focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. A formative needs assessment was conducted during the pre-planning session, and before the program was widely implemented, to identify program needs and to resolve issues as indicated by the surveys and interviews.The community awareness campaign organized was based on the needs of the Gishiri Community. The program provided adequate information and education about sexual and reproductive health to people living in the community. At the same time, it presented accurate information about the consequences of early sexual activity and teenage pregnancy, as well as consistent and culturally appropriate information about HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.The aim of the prevention program was to address issues on sexual and reproductive health of people living in the community, especially the young people, with an emphasis on HIV/AIDS. Between June 2011 and Oct 2011 we were able to reach 150 youth living in the community with our prevention program combined with a peer education program. The OROL Awareness Team consists of 30 youth including: a Program Coordinator and a Community Awareness Coordinator. The Community Awareness and Peer Education programs also consist of 25 youth living in the community, who were taught during a 3-month period by OROL’S Awareness Team about sexual and reproductive health, HIV/AIDs (and other STI) transmission and prevention
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- HIV/AIDS School EducationThis project was organized for young people of the age group 13-17 in secondary schools and the main goal of the project was to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS and STIs among the young people. It was also organized to provide the young people with accurate and comprehensible knowledge about HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention. The project was implemented in four schools in Amuwo Odofin Local Government, Lagos State Nigeria. About 600 students were reached with this program and at the end the students indicated that they understood sexual vulnerability and the value of abstinence. They also reported learning how to live healthy life styles and that they had acquired accurate knowledge about HIV/AIDS.