Women Empowerment, Cornerstone of HIV Prevention

Anirudha Alam 

There are some forms of risky behavior that directly makes women vulnerable to HIV/AIDS in the developing countries like Bangladesh. It should be cornerstone of life to get rid of risky behavior through improving living standard any how. For the greater involvement of vulnerable women in every aspect of curbing epidemic, they have to be able to respond to the epidemic in a meaningful manner.

In a society, if women and girls are not empowered to develop life skills they are severely vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Gender discrimination, sexual violence, women trafficking, dowry, early marriage and low levels of reproductive health literacy are considered as key factors in the spread of STIs.

A large proportion of women is infected with HIV from regular partners who were infected during paid sex. For instance, in Mumbai and Pune (in Maharashtra), 54% and 49% of sex workers, respectively, had been found to be HIV-infected in 2005. Across sub-Saharan Africa, women are more likely than men to be infected with HIV. The unfortunate fact is that vulnerability among women is mounting all over the world. Only women empowerment can contain this vulnerability.

Profound advocacy can be an important and familiar way of breaking down barriers for undermining gender discrimination and stigma. The spread of HIV/AIDS is being fueled among the women of developing countries through such risky factors as exorbitant prevalence of HIV in the neighboring countries, increased population movement both internal & external, existence of commercial sex with multiple clients,  high prevalence of STIs among the commercial sex workers, unsafe sex practice through bridging population, sexual bondage, the trend of rise of HIV among injecting drug users, unprotected pre-marital sex as well as dire poverty. On the other hand, sustainable family bondage as well as integrated praxis of religious and social values make these countries less vulnerable comparatively.

Adolescent girls are reported as having reliably shadowy knowledge about sexuality and reproductive health system, including HIV transmission lane and the use of condoms as a preventive measure. Recent research in North region’s three districts in Bangladesh by Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation has shown that while provide HIV information with discussions of safe-sex and gender issue may be discouraged for young girls and women because of the ordinary belief that to inform them about sexuality and safe-sex is to encourage sexual activity. Even though that for fear of encouraging sexual activity, mothers deny imperative information about sexual-live, safe sex, reproductive health information from their daughters.

According to AIDS researcher Mohammad Khairul Alam, “Women empowerment is the first step to stamp out gender discrimination and stigmatization. If we promote gender equality poverty will be reduced significantly. It is recognized that poverty helps to trigger vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. So women empowerment through development initiatives should be ensured to keep HIV/AIDS in bay. In this aspect, such promotional activities as organizing gender sensitization workshop, seminar, symposium, open discussion, popular theatre, door to door work, advocacy session and so on may play important role bringing about effective social mobilization. Thus counting on local resource mobilization and capitalizing on collective action, women empowerment program may be led by integrated approach more efficiently to undermine vulnerabilities to HIV/AIDS.”

It is estimated that more than 14,000 people are getting infected with HIV all over the world every day. Among of them, 2000 are children under 15 years mostly getting infection of HIV through mother to child transmission. So mother to child transmission (MTCT) is considered as an important issue in spreading HIV/AIDS. There is scientific evidence of likely presence of HIV virus in breast milk. Therefore gender issues comprising improved services as to maternal & child care should be ensured through the HIV/AIDS prevention program.

As per the findings of National Assessment of Situation and Responses to Opioid/Opiate use in Bangladesh (NASROB) conducted in 2001, 14% of the female heroin smokers started heroin use below 18 years of age and 38% by 18 year. 22% of the current female injectors started injecting drug by 19 years of age. BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services) found that 90% young girls (15-25 years) of Bangladesh are very much vulnerable to AIDS and STIs that they do not know how to take care of their reproductive and sexual health. They have no inclination or are not enough empowered to believe it necessary to seek advice on safe reproductive health as well.

Reproductive health is still a taboo in Bangladesh, particularly with adolescent girls. With very limited access to health care facilities, knowledge and education; they have no understanding about the ways of protecting themselves. But women should be empowered through developing life skills that they can have more control over their reproductive and sexual health. Consequently HIV/AIDS prevention program will sustain comprehensively attaining high watermark of success in reducing vulnerabilities to STIs.

Anirudha Alam

Deputy Director (Information & Development Communication) & Trainer

BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services)

183, Lane 2, Eastern Road, New DOHS

Mohakhali, Dhaka 1206

Bangladesh.

Website: http://www.bees-bd.org

Phone: 01718342876, 9889732, 9889733 (office), 8050514 (res.)

E-mail: anirudhaalam@yahoo.com

Ref: UNDP, UNESCO, World Bank

Training to Develop Human Resources for AIDS Prevention

Anirudha Alam 

HIV/AIDS has been turned into a very grave threat to overall development of human resource in today’s world. The spread of AIDS gaining more speed day to day in every remote corner of the world is terrorizing us as the potential source of constant anxiety, distress and stress.  There is no doubt that it is endangering the whole human race. As per the global statistics on the world epidemic of HIV/AIDS published by UNAIDS/WHO in July 2008, 33 million people were living with HIV/ADS in 2007; whereas during only the period of 2007, 2.7 million people were newly infected with HIV and 2.0 million people died of AIDS related ailment.  

So to confront this endemic with great confidence, we have to have some well-defined plans and programs. These plans and programs will comprise human resource development activities contributing effetely to making people aware of HIV/AIDS and other STDs (sexually transmitted diseases). In thus way, they will be trained up and prepared to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS. Training is an effective means to provide life skill to the vulnerable people that they may be able to have enough courage for leaving bad practices associated with dowry, early marriage, polygamy, sexual violence and gender discrimination in personal, family and social life. In this case, it is necessary to keep in mind that training and human resource development effort should be based on need. 

Human resource development through training is one of the key preconditions in protecting us from HIV/AIDS. At first, the volunteers and staff appointed by the different development and networking organizations may take training on developing and preparing action plan, programs, methods, approaches, policy and strategy to conduct, organize, implement, supervise and monitor any kind of development activities mostly related to HIV/AIDS prevention. They will be oriented on different social issues and consequences which are fueling the vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, ill-health, malnutrition, ignorance and so on. After being trained up, the workforce will be expert in initiating and conducting interpersonal communication (IPA) related to developing the practices, concepts and inclusive techniques of different public health care services. The ultimate result is that their skills will be enhanced in determining priority health risks and problems by assembling and analyzing available STDs and behavioral surveillance data; prioritizing health hazards and issues to be addressed; widening HIV prevention; identifying prevention activity strengths, opportunity, weakness and threats as well as improving local resource management in true sense.

People of third world like Bangladesh are vehemently susceptible to HIV/AIDS. Because, they have not minimal access to knowledge, information and general health care. Their reproductive health literacy is extremely poor. Trained social workers may prepare easy understanding messages and materials for being used in training program about the dangerous aftermaths of HIV/AIDS. According to the findings of the research entitled ‘Role of Human Resource Development in Preventing AIDS’ conducted by Bangladesh Extension Education Services in 2008, 90% of the field workers without having comprehensive and necessary training can not provide their best services in field based HIV prevention activities . The main reason of this undesired performance result is that this kind of services requires sufficient knowledge and skills which are not achievable going through only a lot of printed publications and materials. 

AIDS researcher Mr. Mohammad Khairul Alam said, “Lack of knowledge may be creating most problems for Bangladesh of HIV/AIDS epidemic in future. While knowledge of HIV is nearly universal among sex workers and their clients, it is extremely low among the general population. In 1996-97, only 19 percent of women who have been married and 33 percent of men had ever heard of AIDS. In 2001, many still could not identify the basic routes of HIV transmission.”

The human resource development activities should be outlined catering to the different stakeholders. Spread of HIV/AIDS involves a wide range of community issues making social life more complicated. In the light of several studies initiated by Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallayan Foundation in the urban areas of Dhaka district, if only one or two social issues are addressed and others are avoided the HIV/AIDS prevention program will fail drastically. So, human resource development should be organized in an integrated way through comprehensive training oriented activities that the stakeholders especially the target groups are able to be aware of HIV/AIDS profundity.

Under training oriented integrated activities, target people may get the scope gradually to have necessary access to latest information, knowledge and know how to get rid of the attack of HIV/AIDS. This activity may incorporate arranging training, orientation, workshop, seminar, open discussion, symposium, colloquium, community convention, courtyard meeting, door to door counseling and so forth.

Unlocking the value of human resources is the core prerequisite in making any development implementation fruitful. Without timely and need based training activity, it can’t be imagined that human resource development is being ensured in its own way. So in the aspect of AIDS prevention, if we want to attain quality and sustainable outcome we have to set the priority for training of all respective stakeholders as a whole. 

Anirudha Alam

Deputy Director & Trainer

BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services)

183, Lane 2, Eastern Road, New DOHS

Mohakhali, Dhaka 1206

Bangladesh.

Website: http://anirudha-alam.blogspot.com,  http://www.bees-bd.org

Phone: +88 01718342876, +88029889732, +88029889733 (office), +88028050514 (res.)

E-mail: anirudhaalam@yahoo.com

Ref: UNAIDS, WHO, UNESCO, World Bank

Steering Environment Preservation with Capacity Building Training

Anirudha Alam

Relying on capacity building training

Tying environment preservation to sustainable achievement

We are using pesticide in our cultivation in the name of green revolution. This kind of initiatives is generating environmental burdens and has been already identified as boomerang for our existence. Pesticide plays important role in eliminating species from the nature and damaging our food security cycle. Using pesticide is one common example of practicing risky behaviors in our modern life that is endangering the human race ultimately on the earth.

Farmers should be trained up in using environment friendly methods of cultivation in true sense. They have to have enough access to latest information, technology and know how through training oriented program for scaling up their knowledge and skills for environmental protection. Otherwise, unconsciously they will do harm for our environment and it results in great circle of problem in our daily life consecutively and continuously.

On the other hand, urbanization is polluting our environment on a great scale. The amount of carbon in the air is being increased day by day. Over the past few decades the volume of global consumption has grown dramatically. The results of a recent study show that the current growth rate of Japanese household consumption is greater than the rate of technological advance to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions.

Sky-rocketing usages of motor vehicles and establishing industries are always increasing smoke in the air. At the same time, the wastages ejected from the factories are polluting water and soil tremendously. But we may decrease such kind of vulnerabilities easily. Trainings may play significant role in this regard. The universities and other academic institutions may provide both short & long term necessary training to the owner of the motor vehicles and factories on how they can contribute to environmental preservations. For instance, we may mention the name of United States Environmental Protection Agency working to protect the environment and human health through capacity building of their stakeholders since 1970. Through the lens of holistic approach, environmental studies, environmental managements, environmental engineering, history and methods of environmental protection and so on may be included in integrated life skill development training curriculum. The participants may be oriented thoroughly about the consequences of environmental degradation and the pollution concerned in spoiling their individual and social life. The owner of the factories may take steps for initiating training for the workforce as well.

Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the average amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been increasing continuously. It is occurring due to anthropogenic i.e. man-induced factors, for example burning fossil fuels, deforestation and industrial production. Generally, humans emit around 32 gigatons of carbon dioxide on an average yearly. Half of these exits in the atmosphere and the rest are absorbed by oceans and plants. Coping with increasing man-made carbon dioxide emissions, the carbon dioxide cycle in nature gets thrown out of balance. Trees can no longer transform the amount of carbon dioxide greater than before into oxygen as well as oceans are steadily reaching saturation level. Imparting training under the technical cooperation scheme, general people from various walks of life may be oriented about such kind of general environmental issues. So they will be encouraged to be habituated with environment friendly activites in their daily life.

The growing amount of carbon dioxide in the nature results in enhanced greenhouse effect contributing to climate change drastically. Carbon dioxide is only responsible for 20 percent of the natural greenhouse effect. But it is yielding about 60 percent of the anthropogenic greenhouse effect causing global warming gradually. Nowadays, it is the great threat for environmental protection. Carbon dioxide increases the heat of our planet with a great speed. Though it is a very common phenomenon, most of the people are not very much conscious of how the growing amount of carbon is contributing to damaging soundness of our environment. So there is a great demand for environmental training to protect and safeguard the environment.

Being involved with uncountable risky behaviors, we are widening the hole of ozone layer by creating CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) for time being comfort in our daily life. CFC is a type of compound in which some or all of the hydrogen atoms of a hydrocarbon (usually an alkane) is replaced by chlorine and fluorine atoms. It is used as aerosol propellants, refrigerants, and solvents, and in the manufacture of rigid packaging foam. CFCs rise to the stratosphere15–50 km above the earth's surface. Due to their chemical inertness, they diffuse unchanged into the upper atmosphere. There they react with ultraviolet light to release chlorine atoms. These kinds of atoms highly reactive catalyze the destruction of ozone. Therefore, their use is tremendously harmful for our environment. Thus, we are getting vulnerable to being affected by harmful ultraviolet rays. But, it is unfortunately true for us that general people even most of the highly educated persons do not know how they are ensuring their contribution to enlarging the ozone hole. Thinking over this pivotal point very seriously in the perspective of Bangladesh, Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallayan Foundation is implementing demand driven capacity building oriented comprehensive environmental technical program at community level spurring a greater need for environmental education and training. This kind of initiatives is very much helpful to lessen the gap between knowledge and skills needed for environmental protection.

Emphasizing on how we learn, what we know and why we bother, capacity building orientated environment awareness interventions are effective within both the formal and informal training program with sustainable impact. In this case, the curriculum of the training program has to be conceptualized and formulated keeping pace with the ever changing technologies and regulations in response to the interest and need of the respective stakeholders.

Anirudha Alam

Deputy Director (Information & Development Communication) & Trainer

BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services)

183, Lane 2, Eastern Road, New DOHS

Mohakhali, Dhaka 1206

Bangladesh.

Website: http://www.bees-bd.org

Phone: 01718342876, 9889732, 9889733 (office), 8050514 (res.)

E-mail: anirudhaalam@yahoo.com

Ref: International Union for Conservation and Nature, Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallayan Foundation, UNESCO, United States Environmental Protection Agency

Stamping out Gender Discrimination to Prevent HIV/AIDS

Anirudha Alam

Gender discrimination saps social consistency jeopardizing health and educational development. It is increasingly recognized as a key factor that makes women gravely vulnerable to AIDS and STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections). Improving and intensifying poverty reduction strategies pragmatically, overall development programs should be en-gendered. Otherwise development achievements may be endangered failing to contain epidemic.

Approximately 17.7 million women were living with HIV/AIDS in 2006 all over the world. Multiple vulnerabilities like social, cultural, economical and biological factors intertwined as a vicious circle may make prevalence sky-high anytime among women in the developing countries of Asia. So we have to raise a clarion call on combating the spread of epidemic through ensuring gender equality.

Gender discrimination promotes unequal access to resources and opportunities, sexual violence, practice of unprotected sex, women trafficking and women’s paltry representation and participation in social development activities. All of this result in power disparities that characterize personal relationships between male and female undermine the development of not only women but also a nation to a great extent. In this context, capitalizing on capacity building initiatives for vulnerable women encompassing sensitization, training & orientation, exchanging information, experience & views and networking may play an important role to reduce the incidents of HIV as a whole. 

Having significant and multifaceted impact on public health, education, technology, business and administration sector as well as on demography, household, macro economy and society on a great scale, HIV/AIDS continues to spread in Asia and the Pacific. Comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention programs have been initiated successfully in some countries. Nonetheless several grave factors like illiteracy, gender inequality, unprotected extra marital sexual behavior, increasing use of intravenous drugs, isolation from generic health care services as well as lack of outreach treatment and care services are contributing to the spread of HIV/AIDS gradually from most-at-risk population to the general population. As a result, the number of HIV infections among women is increasing day by day. This is why focusing very appropriately and timely on the importance of women empowerment, policy makers should be made gender sensitized necessarily.      

Adopting an inter-sectoral approach to gender equality and establishing links between gender, development and HIV/AIDS, vulnerable nations have to have technical supports to confront epidemic. There is no alternative to integrate gender into such major development areas as good governance, poverty alleviation, disaster management & recovery, sustainable environment promotion, information & development communication (IDC) as well as HIV/AIDS prevention.   

AIDS researcher Mr. Mohammad Khairul Alam said, within any nations, modes of infection reflect underlying patterns of social and economic discrimination. Gender equality, poverty and livelihood issues are increasingly emerging as important factors in the demography of HIV/AIDS. While HIV/AIDS threatens all segments of society, it is poor and marginalized people, and in particular women, who are particularly vulnerable. This vulnerability is turned critical by the migration and mobility of people, which are widespread within and between the countries of the region, and to destinations outside, and are intrinsic to the changing patterns of economic life.

An in-depth study entitled ‘The impact of women empowerment on HIV/AIDS prevention in Bangladesh’ conducted by BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services) indicates that women are mostly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS due to their inherited conservative behavior, beliefs in superstitions and religious dogmas. They are deprived of enjoying their minimal rights as well. Consequently they are affected by gender discrimination severely. A recent survey initiated by Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallayan Foundation showed that only 22% young women (15-25 years) had heard of HIV/AIDS and do not know how to protect themselves from AIDS/STIs. 

HIV/AIDS epidemic is mounting all over the world especially in the developing countries being the greatest impediment to human development. Young girls and women are greatly vulnerable due to their lack of power and means to protect themselves from practice of unsafe sex and ignorance as regards reproductive health. Through a gender lens, multisectoral development strategies should be both pro-poor and pro-women supporting the integration of HIV/AIDS prevention into the development planning activities.  Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are intended to halve extreme poverty and hunger by 2015. So in the course of reducing poverty, promotion of gender equitable behaviors through gender awareness will be able to contribute to reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS as per the desired achievement.

Anirudha Alam

Deputy Director (Information & Development Communication) & Trainer

BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services)

183, Lane 2, Eastern Road, New DOHS

Mohakhali, Dhaka 1206

Bangladesh.

Website: http://www.bees-bd.org

Phone: 01718342876, 9889732, 9889733 (office), 8050514 (res.)

E-mail: anirudhaalam@yahoo.com

Ref: UNDP, UNESCO, World Bank

Signposting Human Resources for Biodiversity Preservation through Timely Training

Anirudha Alam 

Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where every living organism has an individual role to play in our environment. A larger number of plant species is ensuring a greater variety of crops catering to us. It is to say that more than 90 per cent of the calories consumed by people worldwide are produced from 80 plant species. What’s more! Almost 30 percent of medicines are developed directly from plants and animals and numerous are derived from these sources. For instance, we may say about the medicine of heart disease still produced from wild foxgloves. But general people are not properly aware of how their behaviors are endangering these kinds of species gravely. They have not enough environmental education and training by which they will be able to contribute to sustaining biodiversity in a sound condition. 

Scientists and researchers are consecutively screening wild plants in search of cures for cancer, HIV/AIDS and other serious diseases. All farm crops and animals are emerged from wild organisms. Fruit crops are dependable on many insects that are pollinating their flowers. We gather the natural biodiversity from the oceans and rivers for fulfilling our needs. Endangered species have to be protected and saved that future generations may experience their existence and importance. So it is urgently necessary to signpost the whole human resources globally for environmental education and training that they are well-equipped with latest information, knowledge, timely technology and know-how to preserve biodiversity as a whole. Since 1996, Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation has been organizing knowledge management activities in its intervention areas and through these need based performances, the deprived people of Bangladesh are being motivated and empowered to own the problems and identify solutions as to biodiversity i.e. environment preservations.

It is a very cruel crime to endanger any species of the nature. There are a lot of rules and regulations launched previously in response to the need. To safeguard the endangered species, it has no option of initiating legal steps on behalf of society, country as well as the United Nations. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) a branch of the UN specifically for dealing with worldwide environmental problems has helped with different flagship efforts at global environmental regulations entitled: The 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, The Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and so on. There are very little people who know that to retain the soundness of our biodiversity they should be aware of some rules and regulations. In this case, human resource development through training is necessary by which general people’s inner beings may be stimulated to learn new information and be familiar with existing laws and conventions to practice them in their individual and social life. 

Bangladesh has National Environment Policy 1992 and Environmental Conservation Act 1995 to identify source of pollution and control it. But we are not obeying or caring for them. The laws regarding aspects of environmental preservation are not always seriously being implemented. Even of when an urgent decision is taken, its implementation gets delayed or bogged down by different negligence for long time. Relocation of the tanneries at Hazaribag of Dhaka city is a case to be mentioned as a perfect example in point and still is endangering the species in the river water and the located area tremendously. All of these are happening because we have not enough access to necessary awareness, knowledge, information, messages, training and education with technical know-how to maintain such kinds of rules.

Different species are not only saving and sustaining our lives on earth. They are supporting on a great scale to flourishing pharmaceutical industry worth over $ 40 billion annually. The unfortunate fact for us is that, only 5 per cent of known plant species have been screened for their medicinal values; whereas, 100 species on an average are being lost from our environment daily. To make us get rid of this critical and unpleasant situation, different human resource development institutions may play significant role and execute such support programs as behavior change communication (BCC), advocacy, social networking and community mobilization integrating training oriented activities. In this point of view and with all of these development interventions, Bangladesh Extension Education Services has been implementing Agriculture & Social Forestry Program over the years in 30 districts of Bangladesh in down-to-earth method for safeguarding environment and protecting common species from being endangered. 

To conserve the great variety of species with special attention and their habitats, we should feel the need of a diverse range of life skills for all that can be used in real life enterprise, educational and conservation activities. It is necessary to expand the scope of providing expertise through orientation training on nature interpretation and conservation to both of the educated people with all of basic amenities and the disadvantaged & poor people – the greatest part of the population in the developing countries like Bangladesh – bringing knowledge as to importance of nature and natural resources. By the way, developing local people’s capacity on biodiversity preservation may get especial emphasis in the point of making all the segments of the communities involved with sustainable environment awareness campaingn.

Anirudha Alam

Deputy Director (Information & Development Communication) & Trainer

BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services)

183, Lane 2, Eastern Road, New DOHS

Mohakhali, Dhaka 1206

Bangladesh.

Website: http://www.bees-bd.org

Phone: 01718342876, 9889732, 9889733 (office), 8050514 (res.)

E-mail: anirudhaalam@yahoo.com

Ref: Annual Report 2007-08 of Bangladesh Extension Education Services, United Nations Environment Program, UNDP, Bangladesh has National Environment Policy 1992

Risky Behavior Fuels Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS in Low Prevalence Country

Anirudha Alam

Countries like Bangladesh where spread of HIV/AIDS is relatively slow nowadays have a window of opportunity to avoid more serious epidemics. Comprehensive access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support in low prevalence countries should be ensured through strengthening integrated HIV/AIDS prevention programs and projects. In this regard, highlighting the priorities of an effective response to the epidemic, it is very much essential to take the exclusive scope to keep HIV at bay. It should be recognized that to scale up prevention, treatment, care and support is a vital right for all.

Encompassing enhanced access to inclusive treatment and prevention programs, significant developments have been found in recent years in global efforts to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. But due to practicing risky behavior, the number of people living with HIV is increasing consecutively. Diminution of national HIV prevalence is being brought about in some sub-Saharan African countries, though this kind of trend is neither remarkable nor long-lasting satisfactorily.  

If there is low prevalence of HIV in a country it does not indicate that HIV prevention is low priority. Comprehensive access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support in low prevalence countries may be promoted through developing a holistic and integrated national strategy plan with far-seeing and pragmatic targets for being achieved by 2010. To contain the spread of HIV epidemic, innovative HIV/AIDS prevention programs/projects have to be initiated complementing government efforts to orchestrate national strategic plan successfully through effective partnership as a whole.

Ensuring the involvement of civil society, NGOs, young people, religious leader as well as people living with HIV, a potential national AIDS coordinating authority comes in for maintaining profound linkages between national strategic plans and such other relevant programs as tuberculosis, sexual transmitted infection, reproductive health, general health care and so on. There is no alternative to mobilize human resources through improved management and capacity building for all aspects of HIV and AIDS prevention.

AIDS Researcher Mohammad Khairul Alam said, “There are so many social tradition and socio economical systems are responsible for this increasing like this dieses, poverty and illiteracy is also responsible for this increasing. These are not fully responsible but it helps to change behavior on so that. So if we want to prevent of this at first we have to emphasize to try to change risky behavior. We did success to find out our vulnerable target groups and why they become vulnerable”.

Greater availability of injectable drugs, stigma and discrimination towards people infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, women trafficking, polygamy and early marriage may trigger epidemics on a large scale. Countries with low levels of HIV infection need sufficient funding, challenging and well-defined targets, and much-admired political and cultural commitment as well as community based well-planned social mobilization to strengthen support for national HIV/AIDS prevention programs. With an effective focus on prevention , enough financial and technical support have to be ensured to implement national strategic plans increasing significant participatory involvement in program design, implementation, advocacy and monitoring & evaluation.

In the context of developing countries, drug use is mostly a hidden subculture in the urban communities. According to the findings of BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services), 85% young people addicted in injecting regularly are severely vulnerable to ill health, HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C in Bangladesh. Therefore a great urgency exists to ensure availability of health care services, which protect young drug users from contracting blood-borne viruses all along the country. On the other hand, Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation estimated that HIV prevalence among adolescent girls involved in such risky behavior as using drugs is higher than 60% in urban and suburban areas of Bangladesh. They must have access to health and social care services which provide support to change their high risk behavior and reduce the vulnerability caused by transmission of HIV/AIDS.

Injecting drug use, unprotected paid sex as well as unprotected sex between men considered as the centrality of high-risk behavior are fueling the skyrocketing spread of HIV/AIDS in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Two in three (67%) prevalent HIV infections in 2005 were caused by drug abuse in central Asia and Eastern Europe. Near about 13% of HIV infections was due to use of non-sterile injecting drug use equipment among sex workers and their clients in the same countries. So the countries with low levels of HIV infections have to improve surveillance systems that they may better understand the factors identifying obstacles and opportunities for scaling up national HIV prevention, treatment, care and support efforts. 

Anirudha Alam

Deputy Director (Information & Development Communication) & Trainer

BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services)

183, Lane 2, Eastern Road, New DOHS

Mohakhali, Dhaka 1206

Bangladesh.

Website: http://www.bees-bd.org

Phone: 01718342876, 9889732, 9889733 (office), 8050514 (res.)

E-mail: anirudhaalam@yahoo.com

Ref: UNAIDS, UNESCO, FHI

Reproductive Health Literacy Undermines the Spread of Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS

Anirudha Alam

Undermining the possibility of STIs, reproductive health literacy creates a safe and supportive environment for adolescents in a world with HIV/AIDS. It ensures their protection from sexual abuse, ill-believes and so-called dogmas. With particular attention to HIV/AIDS mitigation, flexible non-formal approaches for making sure reproductive health literacy should be adopted by the academic curriculum in which sustainable development and poverty alleviation would have the highest priority. In all aspects of planning and policy making, a comprehensive curriculum should be launched essentially internalizing demand driven steps to reduce stigma, discrimination and poverty brought about by HIV/AIDS. Bringing in and upgrading life skill education as well as making HIV/AIDS awareness an inbuilt chapter of the text-curriculum, qualitative reproductive health literacy promotes the culture of preventing stigma, denial and discrimination. Nowadays in the name of qualitative reproductive health literacy, it is very much necessary to incorporate HIV/AIDS into a broader health education approach and into other subjects. Adolescents are very much threatened in the aspect of HIV/AIDS due to their tremendous curiosity and immaturity. So the qualitative reproductive health literacy, first and foremost, should be ensured for adolescents any how.

More than one third of all new infections – about 4600 every day – occurs among adolescents. But in changing the course of HIV/AIDS epidemic, adolescents may play a vital role. At first they have to be empowered through reproductive health literacy in light of life skill education. Then they will be able to increase awareness of the particular vulnerabilities curbing harassment, violence and sexual abuse. They may organize committed and dexterous leadership capitalizing on social mobilization.

Adolescents girls are physiologically, socially, culturally and economically more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Sexual behavior guided by ill-believes, dogmatic social attitudes, lack of economic empowerment and equal accesses to livelihood education promote vulnerability of adolescent girls to HIV/AIDS as a whole. Gender-related social norms may diversify adolescent girls’ vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. Cultural and social factors confine their choices and opportunities to get information regarding reproductive health and how to practice safe sex.

Adolescent girls are reported as having reliably shadowy knowledge about sexuality and reproductive health system, including HIV transmission lane and the use of condoms as a preventive measure. Recent research in North region’s three districts in Bangladesh by Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation has shown that while provide HIV information with discussions of safe-sex and gender issue may be discouraged for young girls and women because of the ordinary belief that to inform them about sexuality and safe-sex is to encourage sexual activity. Even though that for fear of encouraging sexual activity, mothers deny imperative information about sexual-live, safe sex, reproductive health information from their daughters.

Intending to come up with a spontaneous and effective response to HIV/AIDS, it is very much necessary to have key knowledge about reproductive health and how to confront the epidemic. According to the findings of recent research works, if prevention programs are not successful as per the desired outcome, China alone will have more than 3 million adolescents with HIV/AIDS as well as India undoubtedly will have 5 million adolescents by 2010. Only far-reaching and comprehensive program integrated by reproductive health packages can foil the spread of vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.

Promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment leads to extensive awareness maintaining linkage between sexual and reproductive health (SRH), existing social issues and HIV/AIDS. Having it in mind, adolescents should be made strengthen their voices receiving skill development training to be a successful social advocate. For that reason they will be able to arrange and conduct focus group discussion, courtyard meeting, colloquium, workshop, and in-depth interview with peer group to get their views on how to protect themselves. With the help of local level implementers, adolescents’ group can take steps collectively to understand the interplay of challenging economic and social factors that brings about vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. These kinds of study oriented initiatives have to be done in a way guided by text-curriculum under the local educational institute that would make possible to generate findings consistently. In the course of exchanging views and interaction with target community people, the adolescents having reproductive health literacy may share their exclusive findings and result of message dissemination among the local policy makers and relevant stakeholders to reduce vulnerability in the community as a whole.       

Anirudha Alam

Deputy Director (Information & Development Communication) & Trainer

BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services)

183, Lane 2, Eastern Road, New DOHS

Mohakhali, Dhaka 1206

Bangladesh.

Website: http://www.bees-bd.org

Phone: 01718342876, 9889732, 9889733 (office), 8050514 (res.)

E-mail: anirudhaalam@yahoo.com

Ref: UNFPA, UNESCO, World Bank

Reducing Vulnerability to AIDS through Comprehensive Training Program

Anirudha Alam

Gearing human resources through training

Steering AIDS prevention towards sustainable attainment

HIV/AIDS has been multiplying human resource crisis throughout the world. So it is sorrow for us that development efforts are being stumbled again and again. Already a lot of vulnerable people have been on the way to be turned into the burden of their country and nation. It is happening because they are not well groomed with necessary knowledge and skill. The findings of Surveys conducted in different countries shows that in Bangladesh over the period of 1999-2000 and in Nepal over the period of 2001, at least 50% and 72% of men have heard of AIDS respectively. On the other hand, in four countries, like—Bangladesh, Haiti, India, and Nepal—no more than half of women have heard of AIDS. People susceptible to AIDS are practicing risky behavior due to their ignorance and lack of awareness. If we want to safeguard our social existence from such kind of vulnerability we have to ensure and orchestrate comprehensive and quality training for them.

Gender discrimination associated with trafficking, psychological and financial abuse, stigmatization, biasness, domestic & social violence, lack of access to legal aid & productive resources like land, loan and so on is the root cause of gender violence. Moreover, gender violence increases the likelihood to be affected by AIDS. Then again, some social ill-practices i.e. dowry, early marriage and polygamy make our society worthy of being attacked by AIDS. In the light of the findings emerged from the recent research organized by Bangladesh Extension Education Services (BEES), poverty and illiteracy, and other developmental deficiencies that is to say food insecurity, poor healthcare provision, disempowerment of women are contributing to the further spread of HIV extremely. Addressing all of these social issues, integrated training program should be mapped out on the basis of need. This will contribute to scaling up life skill of the underprivileged people as a whole. When training is provided to the target groups it should be ensured that they are getting the messages in the understandable way. Consequently, they are encouraged to participate in preventing HIV/AIDS. What’s more. In so doing, they will be well-equipped with enough efforts and timely life skill to tackle the epidemic.

HIV/AIDS is a deadly disease, but also everybody can safe from it. AIDS researcher Mohammad Khairul Alam said, “Everyone can protect from HIV infection by making smart decisions about sex and drugs. Some things are very risky to do, some less risky, and some are 100 percent safe. Obviously, the surest way to avoid the virus is to choose not to have sexual intercourse - vaginal, oral, or anal - and not to use illegal drugs.”

Social mobilization is another important factor to make training program on HIV/AIDS prevention more effective. It helps programs to be cost effective and achieve the desired outcome. Social mobilization stimulates the community people to participate such kind of development program related to reproductive health awareness. In thus way, it is possible to utilize their interest, eagerness, enterprising attitudes and courage for providing potential pace and prosperity to the program. There is no doubt that in this case, utilization of local resources will add an extra dimension in preventing AIDS.

In the training session, some case studies may be presented. Going through the case study, the trainees may realize that anyhow they have to gain enough life skill to confront the social disparities. As resource person, HIV positives may be invited in such training session to present their real life experience what made their life severely unrest. Under this training program, advocacy session may be arranged as well. Influential persons like doctors, teachers, Kazi, social workers, CBO (community based organization) Leaders, such representatives from local government as Union Parishad Chairman, Member and so forth in the community play important role as local policy maker. If they are involved in HIV prevention the program will gain extra stride. So they should be oriented properly on the social issues contributing to the spread of HIV and trained up on the means and ways to reduce the vulnerability of the community people.

If we want to translate vulnerable people into potential human resources they have to have enough awareness of reproductive health, accurate perceptions of HIV/AIDS, and coping ability to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS and other STIs (sexually transmitted infections). As per the research on reproductive health literacy conducted by Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallayan Foundation in 2008 both in rural and urban areas of Bangladesh, awareness of AIDS is by and large lower among men and women in rural areas than among urban men and women. Awareness of AIDS is poorer among men and women with little or no schooling and training than those with more schooling and training. That is why; it is urgently necessary to improve the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of the disadvantaged community people especially in rural areas. In this regard, behavior change communication (BCC) should be brought about through integrated training activities. By way of BCC, the inner beings of community people will be stimulated to leave their bad practices as well as to be updated in having knowledge and information to prevent HIV/AIDS.

Anirudha Alam

Deputy Director (Information & Development Communication) & Trainer

BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services)

183, Lane 2, Eastern Road, New DOHS

Mohakhali, Dhaka 1206

Bangladesh.

Website: http://www.bees-bd.org

Phone: 01718342876, 9889732, 9889733 (office), 8050514 (res.)

E-mail: anirudhaalam@yahoo.com

Ref: USAID, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg, UNDP, UNESCO, World Bank

HIV/AIDS Prevention through Qualitative Adolescent Reproductive Health Literacy

Parents should be thoroughly taught about HIV/AIDS prevention from the Community Learning Centre (CLC). Then they will be able to build up their capacity properly to make their children aware of HIV/AIDS initially. Adolescents have more opportunities to be misguided due to their peer pressure and involved in danger for having inadequate knowledge as to safe reproductive health. So the scopes should be made available for the adolescents that they can learn about reproductive health care through their academic curriculum. In this regard, teachers having more friendly behavior may play an important and essential role coming in close contact with the students. They may arrange peer group session regularly under the respective course curriculum. Operating various kinds of cultural and entertainment oriented events in the campus may add extra attraction stimulating students’ interest in HIV/AIDS Prevention Program. If we fail to take necessary and timely initiatives comprehensively for ensuring qualitative adolescents reproductive health literacy HIV/AIDS prevalence will be climbing higher into new population rapidly in the vulnerable parts of the world.

Qualitative reproductive health literacy comes in to bring about positive attitude among the adolescents to prevent HIV/AIDS. Simultaneously a promising and profound perception is engendered throughout their inner beings to practice general health care regularly. As a result they will not be affected easily by superstitions and ill believes. They can help other people to combat such kind of social problems as well. Early marriage, dowry, polygamy and so on create various kinds of social ailment which gives rise to sexual wantonness. The adolescents may be involved to foil the spread of social deterioration promoted by early marriage, dowry and polygamy. They may create awareness working door to door and arranging courtyard meeting on the importance of reproductive health literacy. Thus community based reproductive health campaign can be strengthened with the help of collective effort of local adolescents. This promising endeavor has far-reaching sustainable impact to lessen the vulnerability related to HIV/AIDS calamity community wise.

Adolescent girls are reported as having reliably shadowy knowledge about sexuality and reproductive health system, including HIV transmission lane and the use of condoms as a preventive measure. Recent research in North region’s three districts in Bangladesh by Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation has shown that while provide HIV information with discussions of safe-sex and gender issue may be discouraged for young girls and women because of the ordinary belief that to inform them about sexuality and safe-sex is to encourage sexual activity. Even though that for fear of encouraging sexual activity, mothers deny imperative information about sexual-live, safe sex, reproductive health information from their daughters.

Qualitative reproductive health literacy helps to kindle the inner beings and values of adolescents to do something having a well-thought-out plan. Thus counting on strong and deepest confidence, adolescents begin to learn that they have right to know how they can protect themselves and how to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS. Many persons think that reproductive health literacy may lead to greater sexual activity and promiscuity among the adolescents. But it is not true at all. As per the findings of various in-depth surveys, there is no alternative of qualitative health literacy to increase responsible behavior. Responsible behavior makes adolescents interested to know about basic facts on HIV/AIDS and other STIs and the essential skills to protect themselves. Concurrently adolescents are stirred up to know how to safeguard their family members and friends from HIV/AIDS as well as how to make them participate in promoting HIV/AIDS awareness campaign.

Community based HIV/AIDS prevention activities should be conducted gathering assistance and support enormously from the community people through giving emphasis on their perceptions especially. In this regard, social mobilization may be ignited organizing community based adolescent welfare organization all along. This strategic plan results in more community participation through the perspective of action research. Community’s participation towards the HIV/AIDS prevention program promoted by social mobilization can equips people to make healthy decisions concerning their own lives. To bring about long-term healthy behaviors and give community people the scope for economic independence and hope, qualitative reproductive health literacy may play a significant role. It helps to slow and reverse the spread of STIs contributing to social upliftment through preventing dowry, early marriage, polygamy and other social diseases.

So to outline an integrated and ideal HIV/AIDS prevention program, participation of community people comprising adolescents having qualitative reproductive health literacy should be ensured any how. As a whole in the aspect of implementation of HIV/AIDS prevention program successfully, it certainly needs to fulfill and guarantee the right to qualitative reproductive health literacy for the adolescents.

Anirudha Alam

Deputy Director (Information & Development Communication) & Trainer

BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services)

183, Lane 2, Eastern Road, New DOHS

Mohakhali, Dhaka 1206

Bangladesh.

Website: http://www.bees-bd.org

Phone: 01718342876, 9889732, 9889733 (office), 8050514 (res.)

E-mail: anirudhaalam@yahoo.com

Ref: UNAIDS, UNESCO, UNISEF

Reducing HIV/AIDS vulnerability among adolescents

 Anirudha Alam

To reduce HIV/AIDS vulnerability among adolescents, there is a need to develop strategies and methods for effective curriculum focusing on sex education and life skills especially. Internalizing more participatory learning-teaching method, it is felt that a stronger integration of prevention education vis-à-vis sex & reproductive health approaches is essential for improving the high-quality HIV prevention & care. It is estimated that there are 1.2 billion adolescents in the world. Near about eighty seven percent of these adolescents live in the developing countries. More than eighty five percent adolescents of Bangladesh do not know what reproductive health is and how to practice safe sex. Most of them are not aware of how to undermine the vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. To make them free from such encumbrance as HIV/AIDS, we have to ensure a healthy and promising environment. It is believed that if the adolescents have qualitative reproductive health literacy ultimately HIV/AIDS prevention programs initiated by GOs and NGos will be successful.

Only effective education can ensure qualitative reproductive health literacy. This kind of literacy helps adolescents analyze thoroughly basic information, core messages, values and praxis related to HIV/AIDS prevention. Simultaneously they are able to inculcate caring and supportive attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). They possess the basic facts and information bringing about acquisition of knowledge and development of attitudes, values, skills and practices (KAVSP) as to undermining the spread of HIV/AIDS. Consequently they have profound awareness on practicing safe sex, use of condoms, gender equity, harmful effect of early marriage, premarital sex and unplanned pregnancy. According to a study by Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation, three out of four rural adolescent girls in three districts - Kustia in the east, Joshor in the west and Mymonshing in the north - have not even heard of HIV/AIDS.

Reducing HIV/AIDS vulnerability among adolescents may be promoted auspiciously through evaluating the attitudes and values within community based social norms/beliefs, cooperation and teamwork. From the salad days, adolescents have to be guided by active and participatory learning that they may analyze, study ideas, solve problems and apply what they learn. It is important to ensure that active learning would be fast-paced, enjoyable and personally engaging. In this regard, cooperative learning may play a vital role to make the adolescents aware of HIV/AIDS significantly. It is one kind of effective group approaches with a view to learning with common objectives, mutual rewards, shared resources and complementary roles. Through this approach, group members are stimulated to help each other to master the lesson or activity. Thus an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect are established. Eventually the learning environment is warm as well as adolescents are made to express their views, opinions, attitudes and behaviors freely.

Adolescence is the prime and sensitive period of so many physical, emotional and cognitive developments. So adolescents have to experience many changes unexpectedly. In most cases, they remain unaware of how to efficiently cope with these kinds of physical and psychological changes. Attitudes to sexuality are being developed gradually during puberty. In this time, if adolescents are misguided or deprived of acquiring reproductive health literacy they will suffer all the time in their lives. There is no doubt that sexual maturity leads to happiness and fulfillment in future personal and social relationships. So there is no alternative for adolescents to learn about issues related to reproductive health from parents, teachers and other elders for being able to understand and develop a healthy attitude.

AIDS Researcher Mohammad Khairul Alam said, “There are so many social tradition and socio economical systems are responsible for this increasing like this dieses, poverty and illiteracy is also responsible for this increasing. These are not fully responsible but it helps to change behavior on so that. So if we want to prevent of this at first we have to emphasize to try to change risky behavior. We did success to find out our vulnerable target groups and why they become vulnerable”.

Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS is skyrocketing in the developing countries jeopardized by lack of qualitative reproductive health literacy among the adolescents. But reproductive health literacy itself offers one of the key hopes against HIV/AIDS epidemic as well as its influential eventualities. In fighting the pandemic, reproductive health literacy comprising transfer of skills and attitudes to reduce adolescents’ vulnerabilities to HIV/AIDS is the most effective means. It is seriously necessary to reduce the fear of HIV/AIDS anyhow. Reproductive health literacy can do a lot to combat HIV/AIDS facilitating adolescents in attaining the knowledge, attitudes and skills that they need to delay sexual intercourse, reduce their number of sex partners, prevent illicit drug/substance use and avoid infection by using condoms.

The academic curriculum of the developing countries like Bangladesh should provide adolescents with opportunities to learn and practice life skills, such as decision-making and communication skills, which can strengthen other important areas of early life development. It is expected that different aspects of inclusive HIV/AIDS/STI study must be built-in into all suitable subject areas, such as reproductive health, human rights & legal aids, home economics, gender development & women empowerment, social studies and science.

Anirudha Alam

Deputy Director (Information & Development Communication) & Trainer

BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services)

183, Lane 2, Eastern Road, New DOHS

Mohakhali, Dhaka 1206

Bangladesh.

Website: http://www.bees-bd.org

Phone: 01718342876, 9889732, 9889733 (office), 8050514 (res.)

E-mail: anirudhaalam@yahoo.com

Ref: FHI, UNESCO, World Bank