Public awareness project on HIV through theatre.

Who's involved?

Project coordinators: Ovemarthe Jean and James Martial

Lead organisation: Collectif des Artistes du Septième Art Haïtien (The Haitian group of Cinema artists)

Other organisations: Yara Film Production; Yara Model Agency; Yara Compagnie de Théâtre; Association Destination Djondjon

Timeframe: January-November 2009

Objectives:

• to raise public awareness of the fight against HIV and AIDS-related discrimination
• to talk openly about HIV and AIDS
• to dispel common myths and misconceptions
• to empower young people through informing them about transmission and protection

Activities:

The activities were oriented towards schools, especially since there is no formal sex education in Haiti. Theatre, fashion, dance and other entertainment shows were written and performed by the “collectif” in over 30 different schools in the Carrefour area. These included people directly affected by HIV and AIDS.

In order to evaluate the success of the project, a survey was carried out both before and after each show to assess the level of improvement in the audience’s knowledge on HIV and AIDS. Moreover, the audience was encouraged to create their own short theatre pieces on HIV and AIDS following each performance. This evaluation showed that awareness had improved.

Results:

At the end of the project, the “collectif” produced a DVD documentary of their productions which was distributed to other schools which had not had the chance to participate in the project.

Downloads: 
Project proposal [PDF. 29Kb] (in French and English)