Prevent HIV/AIDS among 12,000 Rwandan Youth

HDI's SHARE Program celebrated a milestone in April thanks to our Global Giving donors--hosting a spring Peer Educator Training for secondary school youth! Trainings occur annually during the summer, but with the help of fundraising on Global Giving, HDI trained 20 new students during their spring holiday in order to strengthen the peer education system of the SHARE Program.

Thanks to you, these peer educators from 10 different schools in Kigali had a chance to come together and learn new information, learn from each other, and become equipped to confidently deliver important prevention messages to their fellow peers. 

Unlike trainings in the past, this 3-day training focused more on providing students with public speaking and club management skills in addition to delivering sexual and reproductive health information through interactive activities.  Furthermore, SHARE facilitators led the training this year, which mitigated the language barrier and increased the comfort of students to speak and behave freely during the training.

Topics of discussion and debate included shared responsibility of safe sex, how sexual activity might define a male and/or female’s “worth”, comfort with refusal of unprotected sex, stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS, how STIs and HIV spread, and risk behaviors of HIV.

Some achievements from the training include:

-Major improvement in students’ ability to correctly explain the difference between sex and gender and how gender influences risk for gender-based violence, HIV, and other STIs

-Improved knowledge of HIV prevention methods, transmission modes, and HIV/AIDS pathology

-Increased confidence in correct condom use

-Increase in comfort in discussing condom use with a partner before initiating sexual intercourse

-Increased confidence in leading peer education sessions back at their anti-AIDS clubs and in their schools

The SHARE program is already noting impact from this training within the last month. At 2 of our 10 beneficiary secondary schools, the trained peer educators have already independently led activities and discussions about gender roles and HIV transmission and prevention with their fellow anti-AIDS club members. Coming up in this term, we will see peer educators organize and lead more school-wide events, club activities, and interschool collaborations.

Thanks for your contribution!! You are truly making a difference in young people’s lives—not only by helping to increase their confidence, skills, and knowledge, but also by lending to reduce new HIV infections in Rwanda.