Action
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© UNICEF Philippines |
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UNICEF integrates HIV/AIDS education and awareness into life skills education classes for vulnerable children. |
UNICEF aims to scale up prevention efforts to ensure that the number of HIV and AIDS cases remains low. UNICEF collaborates with the Department of Health, City Health Offices, the Department of Education and selected NGOs to make sure HIV and STI prevention services are targeted to most-at-risk and vulnerable children and young people through peer education, life-skills training and special campaigns.
UNICEF works with the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in supporting the National Epidemiology Center in its national monitoring and reporting of data on children and women affected with HIV.
We also provide training to medical staff and professionals on how to properly handle cases of HIV and AIDS and other sexually-transmitted infections. In partnership with the Crossing Borders Initiative and the Department of Health, UNICEF is developing standard modules and guidelines to ensure quality implementation of paediatric HIV management; furthermore, UNICEF provides support to the development of a target-group-specific and age-sensitive HIV Counselling and Testing Manual, the National PMTCT Guidelines; and operational Guidelines to eliminate congenital syphilis.
In terms of policy, we make sure that legislators are aware of how HIV and AIDS affect young people by incorporating HIV orientation in various legislative summits. We have also hosted policy advocacy workshops wherein local ordinances for the prevention of HIV are formulated.
We have been working with MTV (Music Television) for the HIV and AIDS Music Summit. This is a huge media event featuring popular musicians, which always draws a huge crowd of young people. The activity enables us to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS, especially to correct misconceptions that abound among young people.
