The Tribune

FOR Prodesta Moore, last December signified a whole lot more than a month of pumpkin-flavoured treats and gift shopping.

The CEO and president of the Bahamas Urban Youth Development Centre said BUYDC took a whole new approach to giving with the launch of its first HIV/AIDS prevention Safe Sex Guide.

The product of a year’s worth of planning and development is the centre’s most recent and most comprehensive effort to reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS in the Bahamas.

BUYDC was founded in late 2010 to address issues like the lack of sexual education, the spread of HIV/AIDs and the proliferation of teenage pregnancy among school-age girls.

Its focus shifted slightly when Moore and her husband, Leslie, co-founder of the Bahamas Urban Youth Development Centre, noticed the growing trend of transactional sex among female students in middle and high schools.

“We became interested in focusing on sex workers after speaking with the young people in our programme” said Mrs Moore. “We found out that a lot of students were engaging in transactional sex – that is, where they were exchanging sex for money for lunch, phone cards or clothing for school dress-up day.

“Doing more investigation, we found out that people in their homes and communities were also engaging in transactional sex – or sex work – and we found a gap in the services of the National AIDS Programme to address the issue, so we decided that we would venture into this area.”

Working with the National AIDS Programme – which has aligned itself with the UNAIDS (joint United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS) objective of having zero AIDS-related deaths, zero new HIV infections and zero discrimination against persons living with HIV and AIDS – Mrs Moore and the BUYDC team began composing an extensive and informative booklet for women engaging in transactional sex and sex workers.

“The guide is something I came up with while doing a workshop, when I realised that working with our women for 12 hours, spread out over three months, would not be sufficient.

“I wanted to give them something they could take home to refer to as a self help guide book,” she said.

“The booklet contains all the information they need to know relating to safe sex practices and risk reduction strategies. We want to give them everything they need to make better decisions for a HIV Free lifestyle.”

Entitled “Safe + Sexy = Smart”, the guide provides detailed guidance about HIV/AIDS prevention; on its pages, readers can find information on proper condom usage, activities that put people at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and how HIV/AIDS is transmitted and diagnosed.

There is also additional material about other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and a section covering frequently asked questions.

The Safe Sex Guide is the product of a partnership with the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and World Learning, and was officially launched at the Ministry of Health on December 12, 2013.

In attendance were several distinguished guests including Dr Delon Brennen, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at the Ministry of Health, Nurse Marva Jervis, Managing Director of the National AIDS Programme, and representatives from the Ministry of Social Services and Community Development, the Bahamas AIDS Foundation, Commune Sports, World Learning Jamaica and the Bahamas, the American Embassy Nassau/PEPFAR, the Bahamas Family Planning Association, the National Organisation of Women, and Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort, which provided refreshments for the event.

On behalf of the Bahamas Urban Development Youth Centre, Mrs Moore extended thanks to the organisation’s supporters and partners.

“Today we are truly honoured to be given the opportunity to officially launch our safe sex guide,” said Mrs Moore. “We are thrilled about our partnerships with the Ministry of Health and the National AIDS Programme as well as our other stakeholders. Together, we are all striving toward getting closer to zero by 2015.”

Since its publication, the guide has received commendation from medical professionals and the National AIDS Programme.

Electronic copies of the booklet are available free of charge from the Bahamas Urban Youth Development Centre. Hard copies are available on request t $15 per booklet to cover printing costs.

To find out more about the Bahamas Urban Youth Development Center or its safe sex guide, visit the BUYDC website: www.bahamasurbanyouth.org/home.html, visit its Facebook page, or call 356-0672.