RTK - Guatemala Profile

Young people as a percentage of total population:
34% (age 10-24)

Estimated percentage of young people living with HIV/AIDS:
Female – 1.1%
Male – 1.2%

RTK INITIATIVE STATUS
Phase I: Planning for RTK -- Completed
Phase II: Participatory Action Research -- Initiated; to be completed upon receipt of funding
Phase III: Research development and Implementation of Communication Strategy -- To be initiated 2003

PURPOSE
The primary goal of Right to Know is to plan and implement adolescent communication strategies that provide adolescents (both in school and out of school) with information and lifeskills for the prevention of HIV/AIDS, and to ensure adolescent participation in all aspects of planning and implementation.

PRIORITY ACTIVITIES, 2002-2003:
RTK will investigate and develop communication strategies that build on the results of PAR to:

• identify the best ways to develop a set of messages to reach the groups of adolescents most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS
• identify the best channels, media, tone, appearance, etc. of these messages to design a communication strategy
• involve adolescents in the investigative process, with the idea that they themselves can best identify the most applicable strategies for communication

The Guatemalan Ministry of Health will take a more active stance towards HIV/AIDS education and prevention. The government of Canada is also supporting the initiative through funding.

PARTNERS AND LINKAGES

• Guatemalan Ministry of Health
• Funding provided by the government of Canada

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE

• Draft RTK proposal submitted to Regional and Global partners; October 2002;
• RTK Regional Training and Orientation Phases I, II, 14-19 July;
• RTK Phase II training December, 2002.