Action Health Incorporated (AHI) joined others globally to celebrate the World AIDS Day on Monday 3rd December 2007. The event which had the theme, “Stop AIDS, Keep the Promise Leadership” was held at the AHI Youth Center. The programme aimed at helping young people understand their roles as leaders in keeping the promise concerning HIV and AIDS, it was also to help young people understand the concept of leadership as well as improving their leadership abilities.
More than 180 young people from over 10 schools attended which featured a lecture titled “Young People: leadership and HIV.” The definition of leadership, qualities of a leader and the factors that distinguish someone that has leadership potentials from others were highlighted. The facilitator explained the rationale for the global theme “leadership” because of its significance in the note -worthy advances made in the response to HIV pandemic globally.
Participants were given important facts about HIV and AIDS such as:
- AIDS being first discovered in Nigeria in 1986.
- Girls being 4 – 6 times more likely to get infected than boys because the female anatomy is more susceptible
- 1.7 million Nigerians dying of AIDS since 1996.
- 3.6% being the incidence rate among young people aged 15-19 years.
At the end of the session young people were asked to write at least one action they would take as leaders in their schools, neighbourhoods, homes, religious institutions, etc. to advance interventions in HIV and AIDS.
Furthermore, the AHI Youth Assistants presented a drama titled, “One is Infected, All are Infected: Be Responsible”. This focused on interventions aimed at reducing the spread of the virus and caring for those living with it.
Fourteen (14) young people participated in the ‘Poster and Cartoon” competition which was on “Adolescents: The Right to a Meaningful Life”. At the end, Mr. Segun Akinbowale (Ifako Comprehensive Senior High School), Mr. Ikechukwu Ekechukwu (International school, UNILAG), and x came out 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Other activities carried out to add fun to the event were comedy by students of Baptist Senior High School and a freestyle dance presentation.
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