Teen Peer Education in Mali

Addressing the risk and spread of HIV in Mali requires organizations such as GAIA Vaccine Foundation to implement effective solutions to reduce the transmission of the disease, and protect the health and wellness of local communities. 

Our goal was to create a program that would enable our doctors and healthcare workers to build strong relationships with the local population in order to effectively educate the community about the transmission and prevention of HIV. To achieve this objective, we developed the Teen Peer Education program. This initiative was designed to promote awareness of the transmission of HIV and other STIs, while also providing young people with the knowledge and tools necessary to make informed decisions about their personal health.

This program has highlighted the importance of peer-to-peer interactions as a crucial factor in effectively sharing and absorbing knowledge among participants.  The peer educator collaborates with local health services to develop communication tools and create a safe, supportive space for adolescents through weekly discussions. During each session, participants are provided with snacks and beverages and have access to free condoms, and HIV testing services. 

These education sessions reach both teens in school and those that are not enrolled. Over time, we hope to greatly reduce the number of HIV+ young people in Mali. With your help, we can expand our program and promote knowledge and education to even more adolescents in and around Bamako, Mali. 

• With a donation of $10, you would be sponsoring 2 teens in attending a single program session. 

• With a donation of $20, you would be sponsoring 4 teenagers as they attend one of our weekly discussion meetings. 
• With a generous donation of $50, you would be providing one of our HIV educator’s ENTIRE salary, ensuring they are present and able to support our program and its participants. 
• If you were to donate $75, it would be because of YOU that GAIA Vaccine Foundation is able to host an ENTIRE session, and provide potentially lifesaving information that the participants can take with them as they face the world. 

 We thank you for your continued support for GAIA Vaccine Foundation’s Teen Peer Education Program!