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Sexual and reproductive health
education is not part of formal education for girls in Haiti, but with the
establishment of nurse-led sex education and life skills clubs, girls in rural
regions are taking control of their futures.
These clubs help young girls avoid
early pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV as well as helping
them to understand how their bodies work. The girls also go on to become
advocates of safe sex practices among their peers.
According to a UNICEF survey, only 29
percent of females between 15 and 24 who had sex with a partner with whom they
were not married or cohabiting during the year before the survey say that their
partner used a condom, and 15 percent of that same age group gave birth before
the age of 18.
Nurse Carmensize Guerrier says that
the sex education and life skills clubs became more popular after the 2010
earthquake, when young women lived in camps, with a heightened risk for sexual
abuse. Several international organizations are involved in the efforts to
create the clubs, including CARE, the Haiti Red Cross Society and Catholic
Relief Services, as well as local organizations such as Fondation pour la Santé
Reproductrice et l’Éducation Familiale.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
