The innovative program is expected to run throughout the month of November and into December.
According to an official in the Secretariat, in the first instance, the campaign will run from Friday 11th, November, with the second phase commencing from Monday, 19th December to Friday, 23rd December, 2011. It involves Health Educators journeying the three passenger bus routes going around the island of St. Kitts, Westward, Eastward and up to St. Peter’s. This will be done only on omni-buses with a “Ride the Bus” flier.
This initiative has allowed residents to discuss the latest HIV/AIDS information as they journey to their various destinations.
A spokesperson for the Secretariat, said the Campaign has been going very well, and all of the Health Educators have made successful trips on their various buses on the East and St. Peter’s routes – leading discussions on HIV/AIDS, distributing literature, as well as male and female condoms. She said they worked the “Cayon” route on Tuesday and the St. Peter’s route on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday are reserved for the “Sandy Point” and “Cayon” routes.
Health Educator Pemberton revealed that some of the more interesting questions pertained to queries on the services provided by the National AIDS Secretariat and the dangers of transactional sex with the example of individuals seeking money to outfit their homes prior to the Christmas Season.
Another aspect of the National AIDS Campaign includes guest spots on local radio shows. Thursday, November 10, Health Educators will be guests on WINN FM”s Conflicting Principles programme from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. The general public is invited to tune in and participate by asking HIV/AIDS-related questions.
Upcoming events also include the poetry forum Island Expressions reserving a theme of “HIV/AIDS” for its Thursday, 1st December, World AIDS Day session. Additionally, the World AIDS Day March takes place Friday, 2nd December, starting at 1:30pm at the Greenlands Tamrind Tree.