HIV in Liberia: My Journey to Consciousness

‘I want to become a policeman!’ little Abel confidently said to me, beaming heartily through his half-decayed deciduous teeth. Tears welled in my eyes involuntarily as I realized that he, by no fault of his, would almost certainly not live to realize his ambition. He, like thousands of other children around the world, was infected with HIV at birth by his parents, now dead from AIDS. Little Abel now lives at a home in Monrovia that cares for ‘the poorest of the poor’, including orphans of AIDS (I am not allowed to cite the name of the institution in a multimedia presentation). From that moment, I realized how non-discriminating HIV is. I thence vowed to work assiduously; in whatever way I can, to ensure that other young people are adequately educated on how to circumvent HIV infection. I want all other children born in Liberia- and the world- to lead full lives free of pain and filled with the blossoms of love, like mine.

While in Liberia, I co-hosted ‘Let’s Talk About Sex’ (LTAS) radio show, the nation’s first-ever exclusively youth-driven initiative for the prevention of HIV/AIDS and unintended pregnancy. As host of an HIV prevention radio show, I met health sector stakeholders and HIV/AIDS patients often, and it was on one of our tours that I met little Abel. It saddened me to note that about 8 out of every 10 of the HIV/AIDS patients I met were young people, in view of the fact that if adequately empowered, I believe we can hugely reverse this calamitous situation. For example, on an edition of our radio show in which we discussed the importance of getting tested, we received an unusual phone call- a young man wanted referral to a Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) center to go and get tested! Many young people usually tuned in to our radio show specifically to listen to the “What’s in Your Hood?” segment, in which we provided directions to VCT centers across the country.

My work as co-host of the LTAS show gave me a working knowledge on the actual realities faced by my fellow Liberian youth in the fight against HIV. As the show’s outreach team usually travelled to leeward communities and villages to teach the youth there about HIV, I became aware, first hand, of the economic and traditional issues many people are faced with, and how those issues contribute to the spread of HIV in Liberia. I also became aware of some bizarre myths young people harbor on HIV spread and treatment. A very huge percentage of the youth population in Liberia has practically no knowledge about the transmission and prevention of HIV, and this phenomenon is due in no small part to the country’s spiralling illiteracy rate. Even the youth who go to school have minimal information about HIV, as such reproductive health issues are not taught in Liberian schools. Hence, many myths abound amongst Liberian youth about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, prominent amongst which is the myth that smoking pot prevents HIV infection. Because of these potentially dangerous myths, the radio show’s team developed a ‘Myths vs. Reality’ segment, in which (in colloquial Liberian language) we addressed several of those myths on a weekly basis.

Today, the LTAS radio show is aired all over Liberia, and uses other reinforcement channels such as brochures, dramas, road shows, focus groups discussions, and peer training to spread the message about HIV transmission and pregnancy prevention. The show is so popular that the Liberian populace have even used the show to coin a joke in response to the recent shortage of chicken eggs on the Liberian market: chickens in Liberia now listen to ‘Let’s Talk About Sex!’ and practice safe sex! I am aware of the reality that not every single youth in Liberia will heed the health messages disseminated on the show. But even if one person’s life is changed in the process, that would a phenomenal success for me as a pioneer host on the LTAS show.

The prevalence of HIV and early pregnancy in Liberia is a social problem, and as such cannot be separated from the Liberian society, economy, and national psyche. However, as a Chinese proverb says, ‘a journey of a million miles begins with a single step.’ As Liberia gradually transitions from immediate post-conflict reconstruction to mainstream development, we are assured that all sectors of the society will follow suit. And although I am currently studying in a faraway country, I cannot help but continue to be humbled by the opportunity I had to participate in the rebuilding process of my motherland, in working to ensure that, unlike little Abel, at least one other Liberian child, if not children, lives to realize his dreams and full potentials.

The ‘Let’s Talk About Sex’ radio show is a component of Population Services International’s SMARTChoice® program in Liberia, which promotes responsible sexual behavior for the prevention of HIV and unintended pregnancy among youth in Liberia. Weekly, the show airs twice on UNMIL Radio 91.5FM and three times on Y FM 97.1 FM across Liberia.

Leave a Reply

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website

CAPTCHA Code