Jocotán, Chiquimula - December 2nd, 2011. Jocotán is a county of Chiquimula, in the East of Guatemala, and it’s located very near to the border with Honduras. For the Aids World Day, World Vision (WV) participated – through the Area Development Program (ADP) – in a walk from Camotán to Jocotán, to raise awareness about the subject, with the slogan: 0 discrimination, 0 stigma.
More than 400 persons, including children, adolescents and youth, participated in the walk as part of the educational processes that WV executes to help to reduce the early pregnancies and the prevention as part of sexual and reproductive health, with emphasis in the HIV and aids pandemics.
This activity was organized in alliance with the staff of the Health Centre in Jocotán and other Non Government Organizations, which are working in the subject. It was focused to young people in the coverage areas of the ADP.
Marjorie González, ADP Manager said “we need to spread the knowledge among the children, and young people in the area, about the risk to get infected with HIV in this area. So we need the information on how to prevent and to take care of the illness is available in our context”.
As part of the educational process, there has been training workshops with the staff about prevention of HIV and aids. The goal of this is they can spread the knowledge in the coverage area. The handbook “Brimming Hope and Faith and Answer in the HIV and aids era” was printed and it’s used in the activities to educate and raise population awareness.
In addition, there will be to days in the year to do free HIV tests, in coordination with the Ministry of Public Health. Spots for radio and television were produced in Spanish and chortí, and they will be broadcasted in December, as part of a social media campaign.
World Vision has been working in Guatemala for 36 years, and it has presence in 8 departments of the country, through the Area Development Programs. They serve more than 90 thousand children, adolescent, and young, their families in their communities. WV is a Christian humanitarian organization devoted to work around the world so children can reach all their potential and fighting the poverty and injustice causes.
Source: World Vision
