Reaching Out to Youth

VHI has just been awarded a generous grant from the African Medical and Research Foundation for $5,000 to train youth peer educators on HIV prevention. The VHI staff, in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth, with select 15 men and 15 women between the ages of 18-35 to receive a 5-day training on HIV, gender equality, and human rights. The only requirement to be a peer educator is enthusiasm and willingness to participate in all program activities for the 2011 year. After training, the peer educators will be responsible for organizing monthly community outreach events to promote awareness about HIV prevention targeting a wide range of youth.

The mission of VHI is poverty eradication, and while microfinance has been a powerful tool to that end, we believe that incorporating health messages for disease prevention can significantly advance our work. HIV is a terrible problem in Chogoria and youth, particularly young women, are especially vulnerable to the disease. By reaching out with young people, to young people, we can decrease their chances of engaging in risky behavior and provide hope for a healthier future. We hope that our youth peer educators will become powerful members of the community and advance our agenda of poverty eradication.

Keep in touch for more exciting news as this program unfolds.