Promote HIV/AIDS & STI via national AFL season, Nauru

Who's involved:
Project leader: Horasio Cook, Nerida-Ann Hubert and David Dowiyogo

Lead organisation: Nauru National Youth Council (NNYC)

Other organisations:
- Minister of Education (Endorse proposal to Parliament);
- Youth Affairs Department (Present council intentions to Government and authority body  for any Youth proposals);
- Nauru HIV/STI Peer Educators (Train and educate Youth Council on HIV/AIDS and STI issues and outreach process));
- NAFL (Partner in organising and planning match days so both programs coincide and work well together);
- Nauru Pandemic Committee (Supportive Body for preventative measures of HIV/AIDS);
- Primary Health Care Workers (Help disseminate information within communities);
- NIANGO (NGO support body, will deal with any law and human rights issues if any should occur);
- Communities (Supportive environment);
- Ministry of Education (Implement a reproduction curriculum – currently NA,  for youth age school attendees);
- Ministry of Health-Public Health (Channel for IEC materials and provider for condoms);
- Ministry of Sports (Provide cranes etc for Billboards);
- Ante natal Clinic (Will provide family planning IEC materials and test clinic)

Timeframe:
February - December 2009

Objectives:
- To build a strong attention of people in general and those people in higher level of authority in particular to be aware of the reality of HIV/AIDS and its threat to our nation;
- To involve community groups of people who have limited knowledge on HIV/AIDS and STI and family planning in pursuing education activities;
- To teach young people about how HIV and STI can and cannot be transmitted, and how they can protect themselves from infection and protection from unnecessary pregnancies;
- To promote the HIV/AIDS/STI information centre at Public Health. So people know where to go and seek advice;
- To develop trust between youths, community members and the Health Department. (Confidentiality);
- Encourage young girls to attend Pap smear and both genders to attend the STI clinic for tests (for Trichomonas, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, HbAg and HIV if one believes to have come in contact with an infected person-OPI);
- Encourage use of condoms to protect from infections and unnecessary pregnancies;
- Ensure every one of all ages understand the need and importance of taking care of ones own health and body.

Activities:
For the record Nauru is HIV/AIDS free. Ideally we want to keep it that way. But the STI cases in ages 15- 19yrs and young pregnancies are alarmingly rising we feel it necessary to tackle these issues through a HIV/AIDS project. With only a small population 10,000 (reported), HIV/AIDS would have a devastating impact on Nauru’s economic and population. And it is our youth who are most at risk.

Nauru is passionate and famous for its love for Australian Football. It is the National Sport. The only sport that involves whole communities, draw Government concern and clans out of homes to show their support for their District teams. And each year it manages to draw a huge crowd every game and even more during the semi and grand final matches.

We wish to implement our HIV/AIDS project during the football season and conduct an evaluation program after the season.

This coming season will commence in early February 2009 with a short exhibition season for a new league (NAFL) that will run for 4 months. Then in June a full one round robin will start and end in September. After the season we will conduct an evaluation program with the HIV/STI Peer Educators.

We will collaborate our activities with the local HIV/STI Peer Educators, the Ministry of Sports and Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education.

Progress Reports:
16 February 2009: Introducing the project

Downloads:
Project Proposal [PDF 47Kb]

(L-R) Nerida-Ann Hubert, David Dowiyogo, Horasio Cook

Nauru:
Facts & other
youth projects

Detailed map of the Pacific [188Kb]
Source: Geoatlas Graphic-ogre

Ann Hubert disseminating information at a meeting