Red Cross helping youth prevent HIV/AIDS in India

	A Youth Peer Educator describes the threat of HIV to a group of fellow students in a dedicated Red Cross class session in one of the 68 high schools in Karnataka State of India where Canadian Red Cross is supporting this program.

	Canadian Red Cross Secretary General Mr. Conrad Sauvé talks to a student of the Youth Peer Education Program in Mangalore, Karnataka State

In July 2009, Canadian Red Cross Secretary General Conrad Sauvé visited two southern states in India where the Canadian Red Cross supports community health, livelihoods and disaster preparedness programming. This visit included a trip to two high schools in the state of Karnataka where youth are learning about HIV/AIDS.

In 68 high schools across the state, Indian Red Cross implements a program called the Youth Peer Education Program where staff train youth to deliver preventative health messages to their peers. This includes role-playing and life skills and the goal is to encourage behavioural change. Since its implementation, the Karnataka State Ministry of Education has made the program part of its regular weekly school curriculum. Approximately 16,000 high school students are reached.

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Red Cross helping youth prevent HIV/AIDS in India

A Youth Peer Educator describes the threat of HIV to a group of fellow students in a dedicated Red Cross class session in one of the 68 high schools in Karnataka State of India where Canadian Red Cross is supporting this program.

Canadian Red Cross Secretary General Mr. Conrad Sauvé talks to a student of the Youth Peer Education Program in Mangalore, Karnataka State

Posted November 30, 2009/Updated December 1, 2009