HIV Awareness projects

Global Volunteer Projects

Vacancy: HIV Awareness projects
Company: Global Volunteer Projects
Category: Gap year projects (Community development, Healthcare, Childcare)
Dates: Ongoing
Cost: £995-£1,245
Support In Place: Local overseas managers in all locations
Age limit: 17-70

We work with two excellent NGOs in Ghana and India that are working hard not only to improve awareness of HIV / AIDS and prevent it's transmission but also improving the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS.

People tend to forget the human cost of HIV and AIDS. If you are diagnosed with the illness you face huge stigma and you're often alienated from the community and even your family. These people need help. They need to be constantly monitored to ensure that their programme of retroviral drugs is effective and they also need help living with HIV most notably the changes they need to make to their lifestyle. Furthermore, they need someone to help them feel that they are still part of the community.

Therefore, this project is not just about educating people about how HIV is transmitted it is also about addressing the social costs.

In Ghana our HIV counselling projects are based at the regional hospital in Cape Coast. Even though the projects are based here you will find that you will spend part of your time travelling around the area meeting people living with HIV and AIDS.

A large part of your work will be to visit people living with HIV and AIDS on a daily basis so that they do not feel completely ostracized by the community. Your role will be to counsel them, which will often just involve lending an ear to chat about their hopes, fears or what's happening in their daily life.

Coupled with this your role will also be to help educate them on making behavioural and lifestyle changes to help prevent the transmission of the infection, manage their health and monitor their health and well being.

You will also spend time working with local community youth groups to help with sex education in the context of West African culture - how lifestyle changes can alter their risk of infection.