A three-year counselor-training program will help victims of HIV/AIDS in Africa. The program, initiated by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), will prepare people to train counselors in the care, support and counseling of those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.
The project is funded with a US $526,000 Swedish government grant through ADRA Sweden. Once the selected trainers have been trained, they will, in turn, train others to provide counseling in hospitals, clinics, schools, communities and other related institutions.
One similar project, “HIV/AIDS Awareness for Youth” in Kenya, trained 2,470 young people who then disseminated information about HIV/AIDS to other youth 10 to 19 years of age. The project reportedly reached more than 90,000 youth. A second program was implemented in Uganda and sought to decrease transmission of HIV/AIDS through this method by educating 12,000 children in 40 schools.