PRESS RELEASE
Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) – Yerevan Office
53-55 Pavstos Buzand Street, 0010
Yerevan, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Inessa Grigoryan
Tel: (+374 10) 522076; 562068
Fax: (+374 10) 522076
E-mail: igrigoryan@coafkids.org
Web:
Children of Armenia Fund – New York Office
162 Fifth Avenue, Suite 900,
New York, NY 10010, USA
Contact: Samantha Wagar
Tel: 212 – 994 – 8234
Fax: 212 – 994 – 8299
E-mail: swagar@coafkids.org
Web:
Community of Lernagog Raises Public Awareness on HIV/AIDS
December 17, 2008 Lernagog, Armavir District ¾ Following World AIDS
Day celebrated worldwide on December 1, the community of Lernagog
recently hosted an event in the premises of a newly renovated village
school with the aim of raising public awareness and advocating HIV/AIDS
free behavior in the community and throughout the region. Lernagog is
one of six villages included in Comprehensive Rural Development Program,
initiated and implemented by the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) since
early 2006. Other communities constituting COAF’s Model Cluster include
Argina, Dalarik, Karakert, Miasnikian and Shenik.
The event was organized by the members of the local "YES" youth club on
healthy lifestyle established by Heifer International in close
cooperation with COAF. COAF health education team additionally supported
Lernagog club members in developing and elaborating the materials for
the event. Through the mentioned club, which makes part of a chain of 30
clubs operating in four villages of the Model Cluster and one
neighboring Hushakert, the local youth acquires knowledge and builds
capacity on disease prevention, healthy nutrition, physical activities
and healthy behavior. Other clubs focus on such areas of development as
agribusiness, civic education, ecology, logics and journalism/public
relations.
The participants and organizers built the event on question and answer
scheme, which was taking part among inhabitants of the Earth planet and
other planets of our Universe. The main character named Little Healthy
landed on the Earth planet from the Planet of the Healthy and knew very
little about HIV/AIDS. The members of Lernagog Youth Club on Healthy
Lifestyle invited Little Healthy to join their discussion and talk about
the difference between HIV-infected individuals and people suffering
from AIDS, the nature of HIV and ways of its transmission, the essence
of ‘risk group’ and its potential members. Through role play, the event
participants also considered HIV transmission through unprotected sex
and also presented some statistics on HIV/AIDS affected children and
adults throughout Armenia and abroad.
Of special importance were the stage decorations, divided into two
colors – white and black. The white part of the stage was totally
inhabited by healthy people, and the guests and the local community
could witness that this part was blossoming with flowers and flourishing
with sunshine, thus promising a bright future and prosperity for its
inhabitants. Meanwhile the opposite black camp symbolized diseases in
general, and AIDS in particular, with its grey and gloomy colors,
arousing sadness and bore among its residents.
For the past two years, apart from classes on healthy lifestyle
conducted in Lernagog and other five villages of the Model Cluster, COAF
community health education program additionally included trainings and
workshops on first aid, prevention of infectious diseases, management of
chronic health problems, prenatal care, child care, cervical and breast
cancer prevention, family planning, sexually transmitted diseases, and
family violence.
# # # #