Teen Peer Education in Mali

Granting easier access to education through the Teen Peer Education Program helps to reduce the risk of teens contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Adolescent girls in particular are most susceptible to HIV contractions and its social consequences. These include the potential of teen pregnancy, which could lead to lack of financial support from their family, or having to drop out of school. However, these looming consequences can be avoided through access to education, which includes HIV prevention methods. 

It has been proven that teen peer education is most effective in delivering accurate information to youth. Therefore, GAIA Vaccine Foundation has created partnerships in Bamako, Mali who work within the Teen Peer Education Program to help educate the younger population. These peer educators are trained by adult HIV educators, who work with local health services to create communication tools to Malian youth through weekly discussions. 

During each Teen Peer Education Session, free condoms and HIV testing are always available. These sessions are extremely important, as they reach a variety of youth, including those who are no longer enrolled in school. The goal of these weekly discussions is to facilitate a safe environment for adolescents to talk about issues they may face, as well as how to avoid risky sexual encounters. Your donations are always greatly appreciated, and go a long way in developing our long term ongoing programs. For a donation of $10, you would be providing funds for two teens to attend an education session. For a donation of $20, you would be paying for four teens to attend an education session. For a generous donation of $50, you would be paying a salary for one teen peer educator. GAIA Vaccine Foundation thanks you for your donations and ongoing support! 

Teenagers in Mali are one of the most at risk groups for contracting HIV. Therefore, focusing a detailed educational course on infectious disease prevention on this particular group is vital to reducing the number of teens who become HIV positive. Peer education has been a proven method for raising awareness amongst the teenagers, which in turn lessens the amount of teens who may contract HIV.

Among teenagers, young women are the most at risk for becoming HIV positive. Combined with having to live with a debilitating autoimmune disease, these adolescent girls also risk teenage pregnancy, which could potentially pair with a lack of financial support or having to cut their education short. 

The implementation of the Teen Peer Education Program was proven to raise awareness of HIV and how to prevent the spread as well as protect oneself from the virus. This program uses teenage educators hired through local partners in Bamako, Mali to teach at-risk adolescents in an engaging way. These teenage educators have training from HIV educators, and work to create interactive communication tools to reach the youth. 

These discussions occur weekly and also include a sexual education course. At each session, condoms and HIV testing is made readily available. By hosting these teen peer discussions, adolescents both in school and not are able to attend and have an open conversation. Over time, this program aims to drastically reduce the number of teens who become HIV positive in the Sikoro community. For only $10, you would be supporting two teens in attending an education session. For $20, you would be paying for four teens to attend these sessions. For only $50, you would be covering the salary of a peer educator, who works so diligently to help reach the young population and prevent the spread of HIV. Your donations are vital in continuing this program, which has the hopes of minimizing the number of teens from contracting HIV.