Global assault on AIDS pandemic

Caribbean

Counterpart and Coca-Cola team to educate teens on HIV/AIDS prevention      

[JAN. 17, 2006]  KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Counterpart International is partnering with the Coca-Cola Foundation, the Coca-Cola Company and the Jamaica-based ASHE Caribbean Performing Arts Ensemble to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS prevention and behavior change among young people in Jamaica. The six-month Teens HIV/AIDS Prevention Project was launched in Kingston recently to promote comprehensive life skills education through youth-led training and a referral system for youth-friendly services.

The performing arts group, working alongside Counterpart International's HIV/AIDS specialist Dr. Youssouf Sawadogo, will coach and promote the creation of HIV awareness clubs for youth peer education, training, support and skills building.

Lisa-Ann Joseph, Caribbean public affairs and communications manager at the Coca-Cola Company, said that the project will aim to help Jamaican teenagers cope with life's challenges. Noting that AIDS is the leading cause of death in women aged 20-29 and the second-leading cause of death in children aged 1-4 in Jamaica, Joseph said research has shown that HIV/AIDS transmission knowledge is low among adolescents in Jamaica. The pilot project aims to address this.

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[Provided by the Good News Agency]

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