The Ibani-Se Initiative says the In-School Life Skills and Peer Education Training aims at deepening knowledge about the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) among children and youths.   

An official of the Rivers State Ministry of Education, Dabota Pepple said this during the kick-off of the programme at Ibitamuno Group of Schools, King Asimini Bypass (Berger Road) on Tuesday, November 8, 2022 in Bonny, Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State.

In a chat with Kristina Reports on the sidelines of the programme, Pepple said the training would be a continuous one until all schools in Bonny LGA are covered, noting that it was imperative that students in the area appreciate the relevance of the information being disseminated to them during the training, asserting that it would enable them to guard against being infected and also protect those around them.

“The aim of the training is to build the children and to train them to know all about HIV/AIDS; in the past, they have been doing that but as time goes on the children leave the school, they pass out and new ones are being admitted into the school and they needed to be trained also, these are the new set to be trained, that’s why we are here.”

“The training is about starting after now, they have about five schools on board to be trained; by Thursday, another set is to be trained in GGSS Finima, and by Monday, another set in that order until the whole school in Bonny are trained.”

“The students should see it as a privilege to learn all that they’re about teaching them now because it’s for their own good and they should be able to pass the message because in the past so many have been dying and I’m sure they might have lost their loved ones in this HIV issue. But for me, the more they learn the more they’re aware on their side for them to take precautions.”

She also advised parents to release their children to participate in the event and as well pay keen attention to them as they learn new things and guide them to assimilate the right and relevant information.

“For the parents, I always ask them to release their children to be informed, to get information as they are here, they’re here to learn. So, each time they’re called upon to be taught the parents should be able to release them and they should pay attention to them because they learn more, when they’re in school.”

“They’re learning when they’re in seminars, they’re learning and as they go home now, I’m sure when they go home now, I’m sure they will be willing to interact with them and when they’re interacting with them, they should pay attention to them, hear what they’re saying and also find out the details of what they’re doing at every point in time in so doing we can all be safe.”

On her part, the acting Project Manager of the Ibani-Se HIV/AIDS Initiative, Justicia Green stated that “the youths are among the most at-risk groups, stressing that “according to our database, the youths account for about 43% of those already infected”.

“The Ibani-Se Initiative’s work plan for 2022 includes the intensification of in-school prevention activities through peer education. Peer Education has been recognized as one of the effective ways to reach out to young people in the promotion of healthy behaviours.”

“In view of this, the Ibani-Se Initiative is conducting Peer Education and Life Skills training for selected students in all secondary schools in Bonny LGA to build their skills to cope with everyday life issues and also enable them lead routine in-school prevention in their various schools.”