Youth magazine gives hope and education
By Christine Kapk
Bossaso, Puntland - Thanks to a dedicated young man in the center of Bossaso named Abdi Hassan, the list of people in Somalia who have never heard of HIV and AIDS is finally growing smaller.
As a volunteer writer for the UNICEF-sponsored youth magazine ‘KOOR’, Abdi is an enthusiastic and innovative young man who uses various techniques such as letters to the magazine’s doctor and discussion groups to help promote AIDS education and awareness. He even puts his phone number in every issue and encourages people to call him with questions.
“Our main goal is not just to inform people about HIV, it’s to get people thinking about new ways to get this vital information to people all over the country,” said Abdi. “There are people out there who
have never even heard of AIDS. How can they protect themselves against something they don’t know exists?”
KOOR, in the Somali language, is a bell made of wood and put on the most prized camel in order to find them should they wander off. Now this bell chimes to gather the youth throughout Somalia, to read, discuss and learn about the dangers of HIV.
What initially began as one small magazine shared between regions, and managed by adults, quickly expanded into 3 separate magazines, each one designed for the uniqueness of each region and now locally produced by the youth. In fact, KOOR has become so popular that in remote country areas, one magazine is shared between hundreds of young people. Discussions and questions are tossed about and letters are written. Sometimes a phone call is made.
“I remember last year getting a phone call from a young boy who was about nine years old named Salah from the town of Armo,” said Abid. “He was asking so many questions about AIDS. Could he get it from a toilet seat, could it be spread through mosquitoes? It’s these types of phone calls that let me know that so much more needs to be done in the area of giving information to the public. So many people have questions out there who aren’t as brave as this boy, and who need information.”
Hoping to reduce the stigma that goes along with the disease, hundreds of young people rally every other month to produce a magazine that informs and invites and encourages dialogue and information sharing among young people. This has proved not only an effective education tool, but a method to help fight stigmatization and alienation of those living with AIDS by humanizing the disease and discussing it openly.
“Many people are treated badly and even abandoned once their status is known,” said Abid. “My hope is that this magazine somehow reaches both the people who stigmatize and the people who have AIDS. The people with AIDS will know they are not alone and there are people who care and can help. And maybe the people who stigmatize will know that AIDS is not contagious and the people who have the disease need help and support. That’s why I do this. To make a difference and to help. I believe this magazine does that.”
For more info, please contact:
Denise Shepherd-Johnson
Chief of Communication
dshepherdjohnson@unicef.org
+254 722 719 867
Robert Kihara,
Communication Officer,
rkihara@unicef.org
+254 721 244 800 or +254 722 206 883
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