AWARENESS
RAISING PROGRAMS
HIV/AIDS/STI HEALTH PROGRAM
The
threat of the spread of HIV/AIDS arises
from several factors. These include unprotected
sex, especially in the sex industry, infected
needles, and transfusions of contaminated
blood. The solution to these threats certainly
lies in education and improving the depressed
conditions of people in the countryside,
but those most 'at risk' are rural women.
Women
in Nepal already start out life at a subordinate
place in society. And women who have been
infected with HIV/AIDS or who have suffered
rape are even more excluded than others.
They are unable to access even temporary
shelter, food, health care, they are denied
the right to acquire the occupational
skills and employment that could raise
their self-confidence, and they get no
emotional support. Thus, there is a pressing
need to support women who are HIV positive,
or infected with AIDS, as well as those
who have been victimized by traffickers.
Any effective solution must address the
larger issue of women's health and social
conditions that are ultimately responsible
for the evils of forced sex, the forced
sex trade, and the practice of unsafe
sex.
WATCH
has started a ten-year program to combat
the spread of AIDS through health awareness
raising activities in rural areas. WATCH's
orientation is at the grassroots level,
organizing women and men to become conscious
of these problems and to solve them.
WATCH's
current activities are Awareness Raising
Camps, a School/College Education Program,
Awareness raising through literacy classes,
and an anonymous blood testing and counseling
program. The participatory workshops,
training, and public discussions, the
presentation of information through awareness
raising materials and the open dialogues/discussions
are a way of getting people to reflect
on their situations and take their own
initiatives for change. It is hoped that
the participants of the Awareness Raising
Camps, the School/College Education Program
and the Literacy classes will gain a sufficient
understanding to come to a consensus on
how to prevent and control STDs, HIV,
AIDS and stem the forced sex trade.
WATCH
has involved local schools, NGOs and Community
Based Organizations (CBOs) to help conduct
these training camps by providing a training
session for their facilitators which lasts
five days in the classrooms and five days
in the field. Besides training other women's
NGOs, WATCH is also working with two NGOs
as partners and supporting them financially,
this is in addition to seven other NGOs
which have received material and financial
support from WATCH.
In the past WATCH also ran hostels with
a rehabilitation program for trafficked
and victimized women, provided health
care and shelter (managed by the women
themselves), counseling, job training,
companionship, etc. As a result of these
activities many women have regained their
sense of independence and self-worth.
WATCH has employed some of these women,
while others have been able to rejoin
their families and communities.
Awareness
Raising Camps
WATCH
conducts General health camps to provide
basic medical facilities along with interactive
workshops on issues like AIDS, STDs and
girl trafficking. The health camps are
a way of making people aware of health
problems and gender related issues, and
motivating them to get organized and take
action.
These
camps cover health basics like training
about sanitation and building toilets.
Participants talk about their problems
and then plan and carry out activities
to solve them. During the course of these
activities they learn about working together
as a group to accomplish common goals.
But
WATCH also uses health camps as a way
of looking at issues related to HIV, AIDS,
STDs, reproductive health, trafficking
of girls, etc. WATCH's experience has
been that these discussions often result
in the formation of small groups, while
the resolve of existing groups is strengthened.
Before the camp concludes, WATCH facilitators
urge the groups to decide which action
should be undertaken to deal with these
threats.
WATCH
also trains and supports other NGOs and
INGOs on how to run health camps which
include STDs/HIV/AIDS awareness raising
activities as an integral part of their
activities. WATCH provides these organizations
with training packages, material and advice
so that they can run their own awareness
raising camps and activities wherever
they happen to be located.
School/College
Education Program
Sexual
activity among the adolescent and college
age groups occurs, but Nepalese society
does not like to acknowledge this reality.
The school curriculum does not include
sex education. For this reason, WATCH
has been concentrating on a few schools
and colleges to develop pilot materials
for a sex education course. Later we will
try to get these materials included in
the regular curriculum. WATCH also offers
a teacher training with follow up support
(if needed) on AIDS/STDs and related topics.
The
focus of these programs is to not only
educate the students and teachers, but
also their parents, communities and school
administrators. Participants meet in groups
which either already exist or are formed
for the purpose. With the help of a WATCH
facilitator they perform activities designed
to raise their awareness about sexual
health issues.
Awareness
Raising Through Literacy
With
our own specially developed training package
WATCH also trains literacy facilitators
employed by other organizations on issues
related to STDs/HIV/AIDS and trafficking.
The package includes a historical timeline
of AIDS, charts on the present number
of AIDS cases in Nepal, posters and games.
The training consists mainly of a discussion
of "what is STD, HIV/AIDS?",
the difference between AIDS and HIV+ve,
how it is/not transmitted, how it can
be prevented, why it is necessary to learn
about these issues, the signs and symptoms
of STDs, how girls are being trafficked,
what you have to do if you are the victim
of trafficking, how we can prevent it,
what roles can we play? etc,. Trainees
also learn how to use IEC materials provided
by WATCH. So far WATCH has trained about
1700 literacy facilitators. After the
training WATCH's facilitators supervise
literacy classes.
Awareness Raising (Information,
Education and Communication) Materials:
WATCH
prepares all of its own awareness raising
materials, such as posters, games, etc.
WATCH has also provided other NGOs with
resources for similar programs. After
training, most of the NGO and CBO staff
and school teachers have gone on to initiate
awareness raising campaigns in their own
villages. Many of these NGOs and CBOs
do not receive external funding support,
so WATCH supplies them with materials
after the training. There is a big demand
for printed materials for literacy classes,
awareness raising activities, and school
education programs. Demand for these materials
is increasing each year. This year WATCH
published the following materials:
1.
HIV/AIDS Flip chart:
2. HIV/AIDS Brochure in Nepali:
3. STD Wall Chart
4. STD Brochure in Nepali:
5. HIV/AIDS Comic in Nepali:
6. Flannelograph drama: 50 sets
7. HIV/AIDS Awareness Wall Chart
8. Trafficking Awareness Poster
9. Snake Ladder Game
10. Business Game
11. Audio and Video Cassettes on Trafficking
of Girls
Provision of Anonymous Blood Testing
and Counseling:
HIV
positive people, especially women, are
ostracized by the community. As a result,
they are very afraid to get tested for
fear that others might find out about
their condition and stigmatize them. Testing
by the National Center for AIDS and STD
Control has been discouraged because of
fear of non-confidentiality and the difficulty
of receiving support. On a trial basis
WATCH has initiated anonymous blood testing
and also provides counseling before and
after the test.
WATCH
would like to systematically expand these
services. WATCH believes that if NGOs
offered confidential HIV/AIDS tests and
counseling programs, they could obtain
more accurate statistics allowing a better
understanding of the real extent of the
problem.
From
its inception, WATCH has worked to support
HIV positive and trafficked women by providing
them with skill training and employment,
and helping them regain their self-esteem
in an environment where they can feel
comfortable as human beings. WATCH's own
first three staff members were HIV positive
and trafficking victims. WATCH has supported
a total of fifteen women and five of them
are still receiving support. Although
WATCH has had to discontinue its hostel
for HIV positive and AIDS infected women,
these five women continue to receive an
allowance for living expenses and transportation
if they need to visit Kathmandu for whatever
reason. Moreover, WATCH's field staff
regularly visits them and supports their
families. WATCH also continues to provide
them with medicine, dietary information,
and money as well as bringing them into
contact with other NGOs in their area.
AWARENESS
AND ACTION AGAINST TRAFFICKING AND RAPE
OF GIRLS
WATCH
has been actively sensitizing people against
various forms of girl trafficking by combining
information on this subject with its other
awareness raising programs. Several women's
groups have stopped trafficking in their
areas and taken action against traffickers.
One women's group is still going through
court because of this.
Camps
and literacy classes are the venues where
awareness about trafficking is discussed.
The trafficking awareness package also
includes a story for the targeted audience,
which is illiterate. The story is about
how a young girl gets lured by a brothel
owner who promises her a job and wealth.
She is forced into becoming a sex worker,
acquires the AIDS virus and eventually
dies alone as a beggar in the street.
The story is told with the local situation
in mind often leaving the villagers very
moved. Afterwards, a discussion is held
to talk about the situation in their own
areas and what can be done to prevent
this from happening to their daughters.
In
1995, a public meeting on HIV/AIDS and
trafficking issues was organized by WATCH
along with the support of other NGOs.
Twelve women who were HIV+ and the victims
of trafficking were invited to speak to
the public about their experiences and
make them aware of these issues. Women
representatives from community-based organizations
and NGOs attended the meeting and a workshop
the following day to discuss how to tackle
these problems.
WATCH
has been initiating meetings at the village
and the district levels to talk about
trafficking issues. WATCH supports other
women's NGOs to build alliances and take
similar action. In 1995 when 17 girls
were raped in one week, WATCH took steps
leading to of the formation of the Women's
Defense Pressure Group. Recently WATCH
has concentrated this process in the district
and area level.
WATCH
began the practice of using festivals,
celebrations and other gatherings for
such awareness raising. The idea is to
use a variety of different media and opportunities
to reach people.
Some
of the materials prepared by WATCH;
Where
is our Space?
Until When?
Wall Chart on Trafficking.
Flannelograph Drama Set
Street Drama
Behind the Veil: Marketing of Women
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