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A youth informational and educational consulting room on HIV/AIDS was opened yesterday on the premises of the AIDS prevention Department of the National Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology and Public Health, in Minsk (3, Ulyanovskaya Street).
The room provides a forum for youth to obtain professional and confidential advice on HIV/AIDS as well as for hosting educational activities on the subject including the use of website services for conducting virtual discussions on HIV/AIDS.
The establishment of the consulting room is carried out under the project “HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment in the Republic of Belarus” which is jointly implemented by the UNDP and the Belarus Ministry of Health with the financial support of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
“The opening of the consulting room is a significant event, for it not only provides an additional opportunity for carrying out prevention activities with youth, but also makes it possible to further develop the cooperation between the major participants of the fight against HIV/AIDS – state, public and international organizations”, UNAIDS Country Coordinator in Belarus, Alexei Ilnitski, said.
The consulting room has a conference hall for carrying our information and educational activities on the HIV/AIDS problem and will become the basis for a specialized materials library and an interactive web-site for conducting Internet conferences, virtual discussions and subscribing for topical electronic distributions.
“The consulting room will make it possible to attract young people to HIV/AIDS prevention as active participants, not as passive information consumers”, Head of the AIDS Prevention Department of the National Center of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Public Health, Liliya Meleshko, pointed out. “They will be able to work out, organize and carry out activities for their peers on the issues of developing safe behavior and leading a healthy life”.
A hotline will also be established for youth to consult with the specialists of the AIDS Prevention Department and from peers who will be trained in providing such services.
During the opening ceremony, a mini-concert and the viewing of a video class on the HIV/AIDS problem “Learn for Life” took place while guests were also presented with red ribbons – a symbol of solidarity with people living with HIV.
The “HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment in the Republic of Belarus” project was launched in December 2004. It is funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
For further information please contact Public Information Assistant of the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment in Belarus project, Olga Satsuk, at 8-029-403-96-44, or UNDP Public Information Assistant Vladislav Khilkevich, at 227-38
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