University students in Trinidad to learn about HIV/AIDS from local Red Cross

From the end of August, students at the University of West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine campus in Trinidad, will learn about HIV/AIDS.

The Trinidad & Tobago Red Cross Society (TTRCS) has entered into partnership with the US-based Education Development Centre and the regional office of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, to disseminate crucial HIV/AIDS information amongst students.

The programme is also in collaboration with the university’s HIV/AIDS Response Programme (UWIHARP) and its drama group known as ‘Arts in Action’.

“This is a big and important step for the TTRCS as we will be able to specifically target students at tertiary education-level. This is an important group that has not yet embarked upon their own programme for HIV/AIDS prevention,” says Margarita Elliot, TTRCS health coordinator.

The UWI programme will utilize the highly successful peer educator programme of the Caribbean Red Cross Movement known as Together We Can (TWC).

In the TWC programme, young persons are trained so as to inform their peers about HIV/AIDS and other health issues.

Its success is based on the experience that information about HIV/AIDS is best understood and accepted if it come from someone within the same age group and/or similar background.

As part of the university programme, 200 “peer educators” will be trained in the hope of reaching approximately 2,000 fellow students.

“The timing of the programme to commensurate with the beginning of term is really very important,” Ms. Elliot explains.

”Entering into university life means a lot of changes for the first year students, who are suddenly faced with the prospect of being away from their families and forging many new relationships. During this time it will be beneficial for the students to reinforce their knowledge of health and HIV/AIDS and also to be reminded how the virus can be prevented,” Ms Elliot says.