How Much Do You Know About HIV (¿Cuánto Sabes de VIH y SIDA?) is an innovative peer primary prevention program for youth in Latin America and the Caribbean. We train high school students to teach other youth about the risks of HIV in their lives and communities and strategies to prevent the spread of HIV. In the process, our Peer Educators become community leaders in the fight against AIDS.

The primary goal of the program is to increase knowledge about HIV prevention as well as enhance self-efficacy and self-confidence among youth, ages 13 to 19, living in regions of high incidence of HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean to reduce the transmission of the virus.

¿Cuánto Sabes de VIH y SIDA?
Peer education classroom workshop in progress
at a high school in Guatemala

History: How Much Do You Know About HIV? was developed in 2004 by the Program Director based in Caracas, Venezuela, along with the collaboration of the original Peer Educators. These first Peer Educators gave workshops in schools across Caracas and dramatically increased the knowledge of their peers by 45%. In 2006 we grew to six countries, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. Our incredible 311 Peer Educators from all six countries provided the workshops in their own and other schools, reaching a total of 34,183 youth. We are excitedly underway in our 2007 expansion plan. We are in the process of establishing program offices in three additional countries, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico. Meanwhile, our experienced staff in their second year of replication will continue to recruit and train new groups of Peer Educators as well as contribute to the ongoing evaluation of the program and implementation of promising strategies.



   Primary program activities include:

   -       Recruiting youth from local high schools to become Peer Educators
   -       Training these individuals as Peer Educators in the intensive twelve-session curriculum over the course of three months
   -       Assisting Peer Educators in their two-hour classroom workshops on HIV pathogenesis, country-specific HIV incidence, and on HIV prevention strategies
   -       Establishing alliances with local school systems, community leaders, nonprofits/nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), government health and education ministries, public health institutions, universities, etc
   -       Organizing events in the community for Peer Educators to educate to youth and passers-by, as well as reach a broader audience through media participation
   -       Evaluating program components

  Curriculum content includes the following material:

   -       Basics of HIV and AIDS Pathogenesis
   -       Behavioral Interventions for HIV Prevention Among Adolescents
   -       Health Education Techniques/Practices for At-risk Youth
   -       HIV Testing
   -       HIV Transmission
   -       HIV Treatment Options
   -       Public Speaking Skills

  Recent highlights:

   -       Un Batazo Contra SIDA
Over 4000 youth participated in a day-long workshop and celebration of their efforts to fight AIDS in the Dominican Republic and the World AIDS Day 2006.

   -       Peer Educator from the Dominican Republic was is selected and sponsored to participate in the First Latin American and Caribbean Conference for Women, Girls, and Adolescents living with HIV, held in Panama in October 2006.

   -       Guatemala Peer Educators include traditional dance in their World AIDS Day event.

   -       Parents, teachers, school administrators, friends, and community members attend the graduation ceremonies for Peer Educator’s at the culmination of their training and workshops.

The program is primarily funded by generous grants from the MAC AIDS Foundation
and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation