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in Uzbekistan
December is recognized internationally as World AIDS Day. The aim of this campaign is to raise community awareness throughout the region about HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) issues, including the need for support for and understanding of people with HIV/AIDS, and the need for ongoing education and prevention initiatives. Through December 2007 in Uzbekistan, there is a series of activities being organized in dedication to World AIDS Day. These activities have been jointly organized and technically supported by all interested national and international partners, such as UNAIDS, UNICEF, UNODC, UNFPA, CARHAP, CAPACITY, the Women’s Committee, the youth movement "Kamolot”, the NGO "Ishonch va Hayot”, Radio Grand. The participants of these events had a chance to observe and to take part at the concerts and press conferences; the HIV positive children were actively involved in the drawing competition. The radio/information campaign and information sessions in educational institutions aimed to increase knowledge about the impact of HIV/AIDS on the population. It is a health issue that affects the entire community and therefore prevention is everybody’s responsibility. As part of the movement activities the partners develop the logo of the World AIDS Campaign (WAC) which is being used during the production of the informational –educational materials. The developed information materials will continue to inform people about the important care and support services that are available for people affected by HIV, and will emphasize that people with HIV/AIDS need encouragement, understanding and acceptance. According to data from the Republican AIDS Centre, of the more than 5600 people officially registered in Uzbekistan as living with HIV, 56% are in the age group 15 — 30. Major factors driving the epidemic include unsafe practices and high-risk behavior among young injecting drug users and their sexual partners, who constitute a significantly high proportion of the HIV cases in Uzbekistan.
US Embassy Press Conference On November 29, 2007, a press conference for journalists was organized in the US Embassy/Uzbekistan. CAPACITY Country Director, Rakhima Nazarova, made a presentation on USAID Projects’ activities in the country (CAPACITY, DDRP and PSI) and conducted an entertaining AIDS quiz among the participants. Guests included the media as well as representatives from various health institutions and NGOs engaged in fighting HIV/AIDS and drug use and promoting human rights. During the conference the PSI volunteers performed a drama scene. Afterwards Benjamin Mills, the representative of USAID, and Rakhima Nazarova answered various questions raised by the journalists and distributed the tickets to the concert devoted to Worlds AIDS Day. Education sessions/PSI Within November-December, CAPACITY has been conducting educational sessions on HIV prevention in various educational institutions, i. e. schools, lyceums, colleges and institutes. These sessions include thematic presentations, pre- and post- tests for increased awareness on the HIV problem. More than 2000 youth attended these activities. On the 1 of December, a concert dedicated to the World AIDS Day with participation of Uzbek stage celebrities, and of more than 3000 people was organized in Tashkent city. CAPACITY, MARA/UNICEF and Youth Power Center trainers provided HIV prevention information sessions among youth. Urgut and Samarkand events There were two events dedicated to WAD organized in Urgut and Samarkand on December 1, 2007. The first event conducted with great support of Oblast AIDS Center, Women’s Committee, Mahalla Fund, "Kamolot” youth movement, local administration, prosecutions department and other partners was attended by 250 people (mostly youth). The participants made dramatic performances and took part in thematic contests. Another WAD event was organized in Samarkand city with participation of more than 300 people (Military Force Academy and college students). The participants were actively involved into different contests provided, and enjoyed the dramatic performances. The contest winners were awarded with special prizes, i. e. T-shirts with CAPACITY/WAD logo, pens, mugs, etc. Radio competitions On December 1, under support of the CAPACITY Project, "Uzbegim Taronasi” Radio station conducted a series of radio competitions for their listeners. |
BulletinPartnerswww.rcaids.kz www.ncc.tj www.afew.org www.caap.info www.cdc.gov www.ddrprogram.org www.theglobalfund.org www.projecthope.org www.soros.org www.undp.org www.unicef.org www.unodc.org www.usaid.gov www.euro.who.int www.zplus.kz |
© 2008 Capacity Project
