I have just completed a week long training session about how to prevent new HIV infections from occuring in our Tanzanian communities. The program is part of PEPFAR (Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) and for better or worse, we PCVs are supposed to lump whatever work we do toward imcreasing the level of understanding about HIV/AIDS into PEPFARS goals. Unfortunately, most of the PEPFAR budget that goes to prevention goes to "AB" training. "Abstain and Be faithful to your partner" Unfortunately the Institute of Medicine has found abstinence education be ineffective at preventing new infections.
ABC can be taught to students after the age of 14. AB which was described before in addition to C which is use a Condom. None of the PEPFAR money can be used to buy condoms except for demonstration of their use. And we are talking about a lot of money $15B was planned for the first round and a PEPFAR 2 is expected to reauthorize funds. It is definitely important to shirikiana with TZ in their fight against the epidemic, but how can we do so in a effective, sustainable, ethical way?
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2 comments:
Unakawaje Schuyler! - friend of Amber's here.. just read your site for the first time, thanks for posting!
By the way, your profile says you're the year of the boar because your birthday is before chinese new year, which happened this year on february 8.
Glad to hear things are going well for you there in your first term.
Salama Thanks for reading. Still confused why they would get it wrong calling me the year of the boar. Anyway hope you are well. A friend of Ambers...you know the deal.
Peace
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