Cameroon

The national concept owner of dance4life Cameroon, PEP-Cameroon is accredited in Cameroon as a Non-Governmental, Non-profit, apolitical and a public humanitarian, Pro-youth organization that does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, creed, gender, or sexual orientation.

The mission of PEP-Cameroon is two fold; 1) To educate and train multi-cultural youth to be peer educators who talk openly, directly, accurately and honestly with peers about HIV/AIDS to reduce the number of infections amongst target population and 2) To elevate the care, hope and compassion towards people living with HIV and AIDS.

PEP-Cameroon has demonstrated remarkable success in reaching youths with life saving messages on how to avoid exposure to HIV/AIDS. They maintain an average team ranging from 13-19 and 20-29 multi-cultural youths who are recruited from higher institution of learning(schools), placement centers, youth groups, intern and homes in Cameroon .

Volunteers and adult facilitators lead small peer group discussions in schools and out-of-schools, churches, residential facilities, and runaway/homeless and drop-in shelter. The peer group educators are matched as closely as possible to the demographics and backgrounds of the recipient population. A particular highlight of the educational outreach is the inclusion of films, real live stories, music, theater, performing arts and some friends living with HIV/AIDS who share personal testimonies and personify the urgency to take precautions to modify risk-taking behaviors associated with HIV transmission.

PEP-Cameroon is implemented and maintained by youths to ensure cultural adaptability and ownership for each geographically dispersed and undeserved community. PEP-Cameroon has established Satellite programs in four regions in Cameroon and 14 secondary and high schools in the Limbe municipality into the family of more than 15.000 international Peer Educators and 4500 adults in ‘‘Train the Trainers’’ Workshop who are using the concept of peer education as an effective strategy to reach their respective population.

2009

The main goals are to challenge stigma, discrimination and provide basic information about HIV/AIDS and SRHR to young people, with these objectives:

1. Empowering 5000 young people with decision-making and negotiation skills towards sex, using music, dance, performing arts, and workshop to provide an interactive and open approach to learning.
2. Promoting 50 school peer group education (of 35 students in each school), by initiating skills4life that will encourage open conversation (act4life) amongst youths after the heart connection tour.
3. Training 35 facilitators (HCT Team) in re-usable HIV/AIDS related skills using dance, music and workshop, ensuring sustainability and monitoring closely the activities of the agents of change.
4. Increase awareness on HIV/AIDS to challenge stigma, discrimination and create 1750 agents of change using the dance4life concept by December 2009 in Cameroon.

By 2014 dance4life Cameroon hopes to create 22,500 new agents of change.

Contact dance4life Cameroon