EFA's 2010 peer education training started in January

MAROUA, CAMEROON – Peer educators trained in an EFA International-sponsored program have educated more than 6,000 people in Cameroon’s Far North region about HIV transmission and prevention. The January-June training involved 14 HIV-positive youth in a course about the virus’s biology, as well as how to prevent, transmit and live positively with HIV.

The program’s combination of education and follow-up evaluation empowered volunteers to speak openly about the virus in seven communities, in turn reducing stigma for themselves and HIV-positive persons in the future.

Of the training’s 14 graduates, 12 now are able to educate about and demonstrate how to properly use a condom without any guidance. While only about four trainees could define the meaning of HIV and AIDS at the program’s start, now nearly 11 are able to accurately describe the basics of the virus and disease.

Peace Corps Volunteer and EFA International’s Technical Advisor Caitlyn Bradburn implemented the training with the financial support of donors Amy Chesser and Nate Lewis. Their generous donation also allowed the program’s participants a chance to start small income-generating projects, including condom sales. One trainee even sold his 720 condoms in a single afternoon.

With the support of generous donors, engaged volunteers and motivated participants, EFA International is continually able to implement trainings that empower HIV-positive youth. The generally marginalized population now has a chance to come together in solidarity and educate their communities, fighting the HIV and AIDS epidemics each day.

Photo credit: Caitlyn Bradburn, 2010.

Tags: education, knowledge, leadership, Maroua, News from Cameroon, peer education, results, training, youth network, youth support groups