Lets Stop AIDS Campaign


LetsStopAIDS was founded in 2004, by the then 15-year-old Shamin Mohamed Jr. with a few high school students. They decided to take on a challenge to educate youth in Canada and globally about HIV. Unfortunately, their school principal thought they were up to no good. Despite the lack of support and obstacles along the way, the charity was officially registered, volunteers associated with it grew to over 400, and great coverage has been received from local and international media. Their ability to make an impact with just volunteers has been possible because they have not forgotten their original goal: To inspire young people affected by HIV to take action, within their local communities. 

I was successful in joining the team that will be doing the PrEP The Future Global Youth HIV Leadership Bootcamp! I am one of the 40 young people chosen from over 2500+ applications from across the world! The vision is that if every young person is given the knowledge, resources, and support we create a world with ZERO new infections. We work together to create memorable campaigns that enable us to achieve the goal of Zero New HIV Infections! 

My campaign is still on process, but i was also a successful candidate to join the NoTimeToWait event virtually, which was physically in Canada, Toronto. I was presenting on my campaign and was selected to share best practices and other successes from my campaign. Today, we hosted 67 young boys and sensitized them on HIV prevention methods and the use of PreP. The introduction of the 2-1-1 PreP for males was not really marketed for their consumption and reach. As part of the dialogues, they mentioned that the use of PreP encourages young people not to use protection as they solely depend on it. This focus group discussion, the young boys mentioned that it is very important to re introduce the prevention measure to accomodate their needs, and provide champions to model PreP for males

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Commonwealth Youth Empowerment Workshop in Eswatini

Image
Y oung leaders in Eswatini, appreciates the opportunity to have been part of the Commonwealth Youth Workshop. This initiative brought together 55 youth leaders from their diversities representing their constituencies and civil society organizations. Most participants are from the youth led organizations as compared to youth serving organizations. Eswatini Government officially opened the workshop over the citing of the national anthem, and the Honourable Prime Minister Rusell M Dlamini was represented by the Ministry of Tourism and Trade Affairs. Eswatini National Youth Council through the Ministry of Sports, Youth and Culture collaborated with the The Commonwealth and mobilized young people, through their personal capacity to impact change and transformation on Adolescents and Young People programming. The core objective for this workshop, was to introduce young people to the Common Wealth Charter (a document of the values and aspirations which unite the Commonwealth) The Commonweal...
Read more

The state of family planning commodities in Eswatini

Image
According to UNFPA The contraceptive prevalence rate in the country is high (66%) and the unmet need for family planning currently stands at 15%. Family planning is limited, abortion laws are restrictive and most pregnancies are unplanned [18,19]. In 2015, the unmet need for contraception was 15.2% among currently married women in Eswatini.  The kinds of birth control that work the best to prevent pregnancy are the implant and IUDs — they're also the most convenient to use, and the most foolproof. Other birth control methods, like the pill, ring, patch, and shot, are also really good at preventing pregnancy if you use them perfectly. The unmet need for family planning stands at 15.2% among women aged 15-49, and is higher among adolescents at 28.6%, and highest among the poorest, rural-based and least educated young women. We are heading for disaster as a country as teenage pregnancies increases. #prepthefuture #letsstopaids
Read more

Celebrating Resilience, Diversity, and Community Engagement this June

Image
I am filled with a renewed sense of strength and purpose. Knowing that I carry within me the resilience to bounce back from challenges fuels my passion for making a difference. Yesterday, we witnessed a significant moment—bringing together youth-led organizations from across the region in a meeting that marked a milestone in collaborative youth engagement. With the support of the Country Coordinating Mechanism, we delved into meaningful deliberations. This was more than just a meeting—it was a collective step forward in ensuring that youth programs are inclusive and accessible to all young people, regardless of their background or location. One of the most powerful outcomes was a commitment to empowering ourselves as young leaders to lead research and mobilize resources that directly serve our communities. Personally, I remain committed to finding pathways to reach the remote areas of Eswatini. It's crucial that we work hand-in-hand with community structures to foster inclusive dev...
Read more