Art fights AIDS in El Salvador
9 February 2009
In El Salvador,
children and young people are being taught about HIV and AIDS through a range of
activities that bring out their creative sides.
Among other projects, the DFID-funded development agency Plan has set up a children's art workshop and a drama festival for teenagers. These have helped those living with HIV, as well as teaching others how to protect themselves against the virus.
Self-esteem
'The Colour of Hope' art group works with 35 HIV-positive children under 12 in the north-western Chalatenango region. By encouraging them to express themselves through drawing and painting, the group helps the children to win back their self-esteem.
Group members find themselves exploring issues such as children's rights, stigma and healthcare. In the early sessions, drawings tend to be sad and executed in dark colours. But over time, they become more colourful as they begin to reflect a more hopeful outlook.
Spreading awareness
Also changing attitudes in Chalatenango are HIV-focused performing arts groups. The recent Festival of Adolescent Art saw 11 rural communities show off their dramatic, musical and dancing talents while spreading awareness of HIV/AIDS.
The
"Arte y Vida" (Life and Art) group from the town of La Laguna was one of the
successes of the festival. Under the dynamic leadership of Manuel, 21, this group of eight
teenagers, two nurses and their children wrote original
scripts on themes from transmission
and prevention to discrimination and sexual orientation.
The group's own members benefited as much as its audiences. "I invited a girl to participate in the theatre group," says Manuel. "She had a reputation of being "a slut" - people called her names.
"At the beginning, the group questioned me for inviting her, but now everybody cares about her and she is one of the most active and talented members of the group. She used to have sex with different guys and didn’t protect herself, but she has changed and takes care of herself."
Real impacts
Alongside other Plan projects in the area, such as counsellor training through youth groups, these creative initiatives are helping to make a real impact in the fight against HIV.
Dr Humberto Andreu, who works at the local hospital, is pleased to point out that, within the last two years, there has been no increase of HIV among adolescents in Chalatenango.
There has also been a decrease in discrimination against HIV-positive adults, and thanks to the activities of special support groups, people living with the virus are getting advice on how to live life to the full. In the words of one member: "(The group) gives us emotional support, keeps us informed, helps us to take care of ourselves and continue being useful for our family and community. Since I joined the group I feel I can still do lots of things!"
Facts and stats
- Plan’s Partnership Programme Agreement (PPA) with DFID is worth £7.1 million over the period 2008/09-2010/2011 and is contributing to Plan El Salvador’s work on HIV and AIDS.
- The art workshops (set up by the Huellas Foundation) and related projects began in 2005 and cost approximately £64,500 over a three year period. Over 490 children participated in the project.
- In 2006, a baseline study on HIV/AIDS in Chalatenango discovered a limited understanding of sexual and reproductive health.
- In 2006, the World Bank reported an increase in the level of HIV infection among adolescent girls in El Salvador.
