HIV/AIDS Awareness Seminar in Kandy

04 August 2007 - There are over 500,000 tea estate workers in Sri Lanka. This profession has been passed on from generation to generation. Out of the 500,000 workers, women are the ones who spend their day working in the plantations. This puts them in a vulnerable position and makes them more exposed to sexual harassment. Even though the workers are poor and live in deprived conditions, alcoholism is widespread and casual and commercial sex is available around the estates.

Due to the lack of knowledge on Sexually Transmitted Diseases and HIV/AIDS, and an increase in the numbers of youth working in the tea estates, we conducted a seminar in HIV/AIDS for their benefit.

In order to have a greater impact in terms of number of people and areas reached, we decided to involve the local Churches which are situated in and around the tea estates in Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Baduula. 216 Christian youth and Sunday school teachers participated in the HIV/AIDS awareness seminar. The Following themes were addresses:

• What HIV/AIDS is and how it spreads
• Myths and realities of the disease
• How to prevent HIV/AIDS
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Infections (STD & STI)
• Case study with a game
• Church responsibility towards people at risk and people living with HIV/AIDS
• Psychosocial support for people living with HIV/AIDS
  
   

While increasing people's awareness on HIV/AIDS remains the priority, the programme also covers issues such as personal hygiene, tuberculosis and Sexually Transmitted Infections. It also addresses issues such as malnutrition and the ill effects of alcohol and smoking. Such programmes will not be limited to tea estates; they will also be implemented in schools and areas where alcohol is readily available.