You are on page 1of 2

Page 1 of 2

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.

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

/opt/scribd/conversion/tmp/scratch2460/36151315.doc
Page 2 of 2

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 any how 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://anirudhaalam.onsugar.com/
Phone: 01718342876, 9889732, 9889733 (office), 8050514 (res.)
E-mail: anirudhaalam@yahoo.com

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

/opt/scribd/conversion/tmp/scratch2460/36151315.doc

You might also like