Once a year PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief) gives second year health volunteers funds to put on a conference to fellow volunteers in different regions of the country. This year the theme is "Working with Mobile Populations".
I came to the conference with two of my colegas from MINSA, also known as the Marvins (one of which is the owner of the gym I teach at). One is a hygenist that has connections with many of the coffee and tabacco plantations in Jalapa and the other works in statistics and is also the go-to person about HIV/AIDS in Jalapa.
We learned a lot about how to work in different environments, what different kinds of mobile populations there are in the northern region, basic HIV/AIDS information for those who came from different PC sectors and counterparts who may not have been well-educated in the topic, as well as updated numbers of HIV/AIDS in Nicaragua.
Acting out a "sociodrama" describing the chain of HIV
On the second day, we broke off into groups and went to different places to give presentations of HIV to high-risk populations, like tabacco factories, military bases, and in my group's case, the fire station.
It was a fun presentation. It reminded me a lot of like what we did in Chinandega at the naval base when I was in training. We presented what HIV/AIDS stands for, methods/fluids of transmission, some activities that show how easily the illness can be transmitted, methods of prevention and a condom demonstration.
We had a wide range of people in the small audience of 13: teenagers, men, and an older woman and gentleman. They were shy at first, but in the end were a little more open and trusting with us. A good time was had by all!
Introductions
Marvin 1 presenting what HIV/AIDS means
Presenting the fluids/methods of transmission
The audience
Marvin 2 explaining the "chain of transmission"
Sí da/No da (Yes it gives, No it does not give) Activity
Demonstrating that no one is "too big" to wear a condom (he is wearing the condom on his arm!)
Presenting the methods of prevention
Fire engine's license plate
The Marvins with their certificates at the end of the conference
Everyone who attended the conference
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