Nongovernment Organizations and Civil Society

HIV/AIDS Prevention Refresher Training in Fiji

The Asian Development Bank funded a workshop in Fiji to retrain peer educators on HIV/AIDS prevention in remote villages.

The workshop was carried out in July 2008 in the capital, Suva by the Fiji Red Cross Society (FRCS), which is leading ADB's Nongovernment Organization Initiatives to Prevent HIV/AIDS.

The peer educators came from the five branches of the FRCS: Suva, Lautoka, Rakiraki, Levuka, and Labasa. A new training manual originally developed by international AIDS organizations was adapted to suit the local environment.

Together We Can

FRCS launched the "Together We Can" project to fight sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS. This was aimed at Fiji's youth population to provide them with knowledge, skills and resources in confronting STIs and HIV/AIDS.

The project aimed to strengthen the ability of communities to reduce their vulnerability to STIs and HIV/AIDS, as well as to encourage support for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Progress Reviewed

The workshop was an opportunity for the peer educators to review the progress and achievements of the project since it was launched in 2007. It saw several recommendations made to improve and strengthen project implementation, as well as to move toward project sustainability at the community level.

Following the refresher course, visits were conducted to the five implementing branches of the FRCS. The branch visits assessed the newly trained peer educators in conducting community peer education sessions. They also provided mentoring, on-the-job training and overall ground support. The visits also strengthened coordination among the various partners involved in implementing the project.

Male and Female Condoms Distributed

In addition, the five implementing branches conducted a second round of community educational sessions. Some 436 beneficiaries, both men and women, were reached in 20 communities in Labasa, Rakiraki, Lautoka, and Levuka.

During the community sessions, the peer educators distributed over 3,450 male condoms and 400 female condoms and other educational materials.

The distribution of condoms was accompanied by demonstrations on how to use them and skills on how to negotiate condom use with their partners.