Football Card

Report from Georgina Chima, Project Manager, Nigeria
          (STAY ALIVE HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM)

WMN is currently embarking on an aggressive outreach, targeting the window of hope age group (ages12-19 years old.) Our aim is to avert the window of disaster age group (20-29yrs and 30 - 39yrs). The age brackets represent the highest percentages of deaths occurring from AIDS, source - WHO. Targeting the window of hope age group offers hope of a reversal of the epidemic, not only because death from HIV/ AIDS in this group is low, but because it represents the onset of sexual activity and consequently the highest risk for HIV infections.

The very high percentages of deaths in the 20-29yrs and 30 - 39 yrs can be largely attributed to HIV infections acquired sexually during 15 - 19 years age group since it takes 2-15 years for HIV to lead to full blown AIDS, in some cases where treatment is available. If there can be an intervention in the window of hope age group, then the window of disaster will be automatically shut.