1) Why are Sexuality Education Programs important?

Sex is a normal step in the human development process, a step which is most often first taken during adolescence. Today, more than any other time in memory, there are real risks associated with these first steps. The traditional view is that sex occur only with marriage. Yet, in the absence of strong self-protection instincts, sex or false love (or the desperate need for any of them) can sometimes disable a young person's willingness to insist on celibacy. Many adolescents in the groups most affected by HIV share a common outlook on sex as a means to gain love, affection, or respect. Multiple and complex needs are brought into relationships, and these needs can complicate a young person's ability to insist on celibacy.

2) What is change of behavior attitude?

{TO CHANGE IS TO GROW, TO GROW IS TO CHANGE OFTEN}
As the years have passed, it has become evident that information on its own is not enough to bring about behavior change. The prevention of AIDS is a call to life, the life of the whole person. This person is a sexual being, not just a person who has sex.

3) What about counseling?

This is a practice that aims to promote for individuals:
a) A reduction in the stress level associated with HIV/AIDS,
b) A reflection which enables a perception of risks and the adoption of safer practices,
c) Their compliance with treatment and
d) Communication with and treatment of sexual partners and sharers of intravenous drugs.

These activities are carried out with specific groups by means of projects in behavioral intervention and in units of the public Unified Health System, which provides care to persons infected with HIV/AIDS and other STDs, as well as within prenatal services and health care for women, children and adolescents.

The individual may experience anger that is often directed at friends, lovers and family as well as on health-care workers and society in general. Counseling would concentrate on high risk individuals and family members or close relatives or friends of infected individuals to encourage testing where appropriate and to provide advice and support both prior to and after the reception of test results. For infected individuals who first learn that they have tested positive, their reaction is similar to receiving a death sentence. The counseling would provide support and respond to questions, fears, and information. Advice may help patients to accept their situation. They should be encouraged to remain physically and socially active. Counseling also encourages infected individuals to communicate with sexual partners about their need for counseling and testing. Counseling should provide options for treatment

4) What is peer pressure?

Has anyone ever tried one of these dumb lines on you?
- "But everybody's doing it."
- "What's the matter? Are you a chicken or something?"
- "You say no, but I know you really want it."
- "What do you mean, NO? We had sex last time."
- "I was drunk so it didn't really matter."
- "If you love me, you'll do it."

There's a lot of pressure to be cool and to fit in. It's hard to be different from your friends, or to make different choices, but what your friends choose to do may not be what you want.

Respect Yourself! Demand respect for your decisions from others. Whether you call yourself straight, bisexual, gay or lesbian, people are more complicated and interesting than any category.

5) What is the aim of our PREVENTION Program?

The prevention program is epidemiological-oriented. As a result, changes in the characteristics of the epidemic generate new proposals and preventative strategies. The prevention area is organized in such a way as to promote activities in health education, mass media information campaigns (radio, TV, magazines and newspapers) and behavioral interventions which aim for substantive changes in the unsafe sexual practices and behaviors of specific populations. Other prevention strategies are the counseling and anonymous testing services offered by our Counseling Center and the free telephone information service -Arabinfo- for information on topics related to the transmission, prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS and on specialized health services, including, of course, referral to certain free of charge testing centers.

6) What are the Principal strategic lines:

   Establishing intervention models which permit consideration of the different population groups in terms of their self-concept of vulnerability and risk, and considering the epidemiological, cultural and gender aspects, the social contexts and the relative values of the involved sub-groups
   Training of human resources for the education of information dissemination agents concerning STDs and HIV/AIDS.
   Development of intervention activities based on peer education and outreach work, emphasizing changes in practices, attitudes, values and beliefs regarding STD/AIDS;
   Strengthening social networks, in order to reach the prevention and health promotion activities which give social support to the sub-groups involved, thus creating alternatives in confronting the epidemic
   Behavioral changes as a result of access to specialized information on the means of transmission and prevention and also due to changes in the perception of risk;
   Stimulating demand and promoting access to prevention devices such as condoms and disposable syringes
   Developing partnerships with CBOs, Community Associations, Religious Unions, and Professionals, thus expanding the prevention activities and the wider response to HIV infection in our community
   Creation of institutional mechanisms for increasing the participation of the business and private sector and of other social agents in the struggle against AIDS;

7) What are the priorities of the project ?

1) Testing and counseling services and information for Middle Eastern communities,
2) Targeting Community groups in situations of risk and vulnerability.