Academy for Educational Development

More than one-third of all people in Central America who have HIV live in Honduras.  Infection rates are even higher among high-risk groups, such as commercial sex workers, men who have sex with men, and heterosexual Afro-Honduran (Garifuna) populations living in coastal areas.  Reaching these groups with prevention efforts has been difficult because of the economic hardships they face, their geographic isolation, and cultural taboos.











For the last four years, the AED Center on AIDS and Community Health has worked with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in implementing a series of innovative prevention programs for at-risk populations.   AED identified an opportunity to share these U.S. initiatives with other countries, matching domestic resources with international need. 











One of these initiatives, VOICES, uses videos followed by small-group discussions to increase condom use among participants.  Another identifies and trains community opinion leaders to encourage safer sexual behaviors within their social networks, eventually changing community norms.










The Center is piloting the use of these strategies as part of its HIV/AIDS project in Honduras―Comunicando Cambio para la Vida, or Communicating Change for Life. Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the project supports 10 Honduran nongovernmental organizations in implementing HIV/AIDS prevention and support programs for most-at-risk populations. 












“Because these strategies come as a package with educational materials and specific guidelines, it’s easier for Honduran organizations with little experience getting at-risk groups to modify their behavior to implement them successfully,” explains Licida Bautista de Mejia, who directs the Comunicando Cambio para la Vida project in Honduras. 















In an effort to continue to adapt the programs to Honduran social norms, AED has developed new videos that use local talent.  “We like that the video used is of our people, in our language, with our customs,” said one participant.













Staff members at the participating Honduran organizations also find the tools and support the AED program offers to be of great value.  “They permit us, as educators, to clarify what we are going to do, so that we are better able to deliver our messages to participants.”















Based on this successful experience in Honduras, AED is adapting select initiatives for other HIV/AIDS prevention projects in West Africa.












For more information, please contact Danielle Darrow de Mora at ddarrow@aed.org.