The HIV/AIDS statistics for the second quarter of this year are about to be released and, again the news is not good. Preliminary figures from the Ministry of Health, which have yet to be formally released, say that between April and June of 2004 there were 132 reported new infections of HIV which is 35 more than was reported between January and March. The death toll from AIDS also rose to 29 compared to 17 in the previous quarter. By our math, the tally so far for 2004 is 229 new HIV infections and 46 deaths. And those same figures show that Belizeans between ages 20 to 24 are most affected. One organization that's doing something about it is Youth for the Future along with partners at Belize Family Life Association. They will share $1 million grant from the OPEC fund for HIV/AIDS prevention among youths. Keith Swift reports on how Youth for the Future plans to use their share.
Keith Swift Reporting,
The grant is aimed at what they describe as youths in “difficult circumstances” which is where youth for the future comes in.
Mark Cargill, Ministry of Health
“Its hard to reach those youths in difficult circumstances with no jobs so hopefully with this program by educating them we can uplift them and we are also doing a peer to peer education where we can train one youth and he can go out into his community and train another youth in HIV/AIDS prevention.”
“The project is going to be executed by each implementing agency. They are developing a work plan with specific projects to reach the out of school youths in terms of any different objective that organization is doing will be implemented into the plan. For example Youth for the Future has a project that they are going out and meeting the youths who are out of school and basically we are implementing that project and educating them on HIV/AIDS prevention.”
And Youth for the Future’s part of the project will be implemented through a joint partnership with the police. Today Commissioner of Police Jose Zetina and Youth for the Future’s Nuri Muhammad formalized their partnership when they both signed on the dotted line pledging to work together
Nuri Muhammad, Exec. Dir. Youth for the Future
“These young are not only involved in crime or negative behavior. Their at risk as we see from the statistic for HIV and AIDS infection and much of the information and the strategy for informing these youths have not proven to be very effective. Youth for the Future has developed a effective communication strategy with this youths and we are merely now expanding from trying to impact their behavior with crime to also impact their behavior with negative sexual activity.”
Q: How does the police come into play? What part will the police play?
Jose Zetina, Commissioner of Police
“Well we don’t have anything to do another provide whatever assistance we can do. As you can do we agreed and we signed a memorandum of understand and that’s basically what we are doing because the two of us are working together.”
The grant for all agencies involved is being managed through the Ministry of Health.