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Life Skill Development through Training

Bolsters AIDS Prevention

Anirudha Alam

HIV/AIDS is now globally a very fearful phenomenon. It is an extremely

complicated social concern demanding an unparalleled response from
all sectors of development effort. The latest statistics shows that 5 million adults
and children were living with HIV/AIDS only in Asia in the end of 2007. If we consider
all the socio-economic aspects comprising cultures and practices of the third world, it is
the very worthy place for spread of HIV/AIDS. Most of the people of developing
countries like Bangladesh are constantly experiencing poverty related social challenges
within the unbearable cruel situation. They have not enough life-skill to cope with social
disaster or epidemic like HIV/AIDS due to the curse of their impoverishment. If their
livelihood development is not ensured they will be turned into a great burden to their own
nation and country.

Lacking of life skill fuels poverty. On the contrary, poverty creates favorable
environment that people do not get proper opportunity of having adequate access to
knowledge, information and general health care as well. As a result, poor people’s life
skill is not developed. So they are easily getting vulnerable to different social problem,
for instance, being infected with HIV/AIDS and STDs (sexually transmitted diseases). If
we want to turn this unskilled people into valuable human resources we have to provide
them necessary life-skill through comprehensive and consecutive training. As per the
findings of the research on life skill development of the people vulnerable to
HIV/AIDS/STDs initiated by Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallayan Foundation in 2008, if
life skill training is provided to target groups through peer education approach, 90%
participants are able to change their behavior leaving bad practices in their daily lives, get
aware of their health rights as well as gain confidence for facing any social challenges
existed.

It is undoubtedly necessary to set up the very priority to unlock the value of neglected
human resources. Well-defined training program obviously need-based may play
significant role in this regard being integrated with core program AIDS prevention.
Under this training program, the regular staff and volunteers employed by the
development and community based agencies will be well-equipped with latest
information, knowledge, technologies, approaches, methods, strategies and policies to
conduct, supervise, monitor and evaluate HIV/AIDS prevention program. If the
workforce is not groomed up in such prospective way, the result will be reversed.

Already it has been twenty-seven years into the epidemic. But

HIV/AIDS is moving forward wildly and making challenges more and

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more vicious for our development efforts. The 2008 Report on the
global AIDS epidemic shows that it is very much essential to scale up
universal involvement to HIV prevention emphasizing on human
resource development through widening life skill of the vulnerable
people. We would like to build an appropriate world of skilled human
resources. So we have to place a blue print to make the poor have
enough access to treatment, care, and support by 2010. Otherwise it
would be very much difficult to contain the spread of AIDS. In that
view, we have to take urgent steps to intensify HIV prevention by way
of sustaining the gains in human resource development consecutively.
According to the report of various surveys on community people’s
vulnerability to reproductive health oriented ailment initiated by BEES
(Bangladesh Extension Education Services), training in the name of
regular courtyard meeting at the community level is very helpful to
develop life skill of the target group efficiently.

Target groups as well as stakeholders should be geared up to deal with any social disaster
and distress. Most of the people especially the adolescents in rural areas are not properly
aware of their reproductive health oriented rights. They may be literate but they do not
properly know that what the severe consequences of HIV/AIDS are. Several studies give
an idea that more than 80% of the rural adolescents do not know clearly what HIV/AIDS
is. So they have to have enough life skill shaped by latest information, knowledge and
awareness to cope with the social disaster HIV/AIDS. Thinking over this pivotal point,
life skill development training and education through peer leading approach may get
more attention to make them potential human resources effectively.

Anirudha Alam
Deputy Director (Information & Development Communication) & Trainer
BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services)
183, Lane 2, Eastern Road, New DOHS
Mohakhali, Dhaka 1206
Bangladesh.
Website: http://anirudhaalam.onsugar.com/
Phone: 01718342876, 9889732, 9889733 (office), 8050514 (res.)
E-mail: anirudhaalam@yahoo.com

Ref: UNAIDS, World Bank, WHO, UNICEF

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