Hi all, This is a post from grantee Mehwish Maria in Pakistan. Please read about her project's progress below....
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Dear All

Hello! I am Mehwish Maria from Pakistan and I am going to introduce my project to you all. The name of my project is “Awareness raising for HIV/ AIDS prevention in adolescents and youth of urban slums in Karachi.” The mission of the project is to create awareness for the prevention of HIV/AIDS and STIs and provide a platform to young people where they can share their problems, can access information and seek advice. A local NGO The Resource Enhancement for Empowerment (TREE) Welfare Organization is supporting me in the implementation of the project.

It will be implemented from Oct 2009- Jan-2010 in two slum areas of Karachi i.e. Essa nagri, and Golimar. Both of these localities are dwelled by the youth who do different kind of labour work and belong to migrant families from different parts of the country. The youth of these areas are less educated or illiterate. They are subject to all types of abuse, discrimination, harassments and diseases. They are working to provide financial support to their families and have very limited information about their self, their health and especially HIV and AIDS.

This project is being implemented to achieve following objectives:
a. To increase understanding of at least 100 young people of marginalized families in two slum areas of Karachi about STIs/HIV/AIDS vulnerabilities and risk behaviours.
b. To aware young people through recreational and educational activities in target areas.
c. To form 4 youth groups (from out of school, baggers, child labour and domestic labour) for peer education for the prevention of HIV/AIDS and STIs.
d. To develop a referral network of NGOs to ensure the provision of effective and need based counselling, VCT and STIs treatment services.

Activities: 4 youth groups (2 females and 2 males groups) will be formed having at least 10 members in each group. The members of these groups will be trained in two 3-day trainings on HIV and AIDS and on Peer education. Each member of the group will be a peer educator and aware at least 10 peers. In this project recreational activities will be use to raise awareness as well, one youth festival and two sports activities will be organized. In the youth festival, youth from different segments of the society, NGOs, CBOs, medical and paramedical staff, working on HIV and AIDS will be invited to share their work and provide information to young people. Different activities will be conducted during the festival including seminars, street drama, quiz competitions, musical show etc. Special counselling corners will be established during the festival for youth.

In the sports activities one cricket and one football match will be organized during these matches awareness rising will be conducted with audience and teams.
A referral network of different NGOs, CBOs, Government departments and likeminded organizations will be formed to provide support and services to youth.