Can Tho city, April 2, 2023
The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Vietnam is most impacting young people under 29 years of age who are engaging in unprotected sex and Can Tho city is no exception. Concerningly, these young people including students have limited information and knowledge related to HIV prevention, treatment, and services, leading to a low utilization of health care services. Over the years, with the technical assistance of LADDERS project, Can Tho CDC has made significant progress in mobilizing resources and meaningful participation of local universities and vocational schools to various programs and interventions, which mounts collective efforts to address young audiences in terms of HIV/AIDS prevention and safe sex practices.
Can Tho CDC coordinated with LIFE Centre, 4 local community-based organizations and 13 universities and colleges to successfully organize a tremendous community event titled SAFE-UNI Festival |Color of Me at Can Tho University campus on April 2nd, 2023. In the format of a typical SAFE-UNI communication event, this festival was the biggest gathering of young people in Can Tho yet, engaging nearly 1000 students to celebrate diversity, pride and unity as well as raise awareness and enhance knowledge about HIV/AIDS as well as promote safe sex practices and health seeking habits. On this special event, participants enjoyed themselves in a variety of exciting activities including “Sketch your Dream”, the SAFE LOVE, LOVE SAFE parade outside, fun games on D.Health app, SMILE research, the HIV/AIDS trivia on stage, and guest performances of famous KOLs etc.
On top of that, 4 CBO booth display zone offered interactive games, gifting of communication materials and safe sex commodities as well as introduction of each organization and its key services in order to connect young students and their fellow friends with and increase service uptake to community HIV and health services provided by locally-based community-based organizations (CBOs). As a result, each CBO has collected personal information from good number of new young clients for further support and intervention and Can Tho CDC has even managed to provide HIV counseling and testing services to a number of young students with their mobile services. The festival has proven effective and impactful in the sense of deploying different dynamic tactics and ingenious approaches (influencers to engage hundreds of sexually active young people at one big venue, and delicately yet practically communicate key messages around regular testing, HIV prevention
This SAFE-UNI event is among key programs that LADDERS has been offering to strengthen technical capacities of Can Tho CDC and CBOs in terms of implementing impactful communication activities and sustaining community HIV and health service delivery in the hope to reduce and prevent HIV/AIDS transmission among young people in Can Tho City. The SAFE-UNI approach, which is feasible and impactful to advance and expand brings CBOs and universities/schools into a similar relationship as CBOs and HFs through the C2P+ model – utilizing and expanding the collaborations and impact of CBOs for serving the broader community through the power of engaging partnerships.
Figure 1. Nearly 1000 students gathered up at Can Tho Universtiy campus to participate in a variety of activities and interactions: Sketch Your Dream to draw images of happiness on a T-Shirt, D.Health & SMILE research booth to play games, complete the survey for presents, CBO Display Zone to learn and have fun. Young participants also sign on the “LOVE SAFE” petition billboard as a commitment to always love themselves and practice safe sex.
Figure 2. The LOVE SAFE, SAFE LOVE parade was among the highlights of the event where young students and esteemed guests (from VAAC, HCM Communist Youth Union, USAID, Can Tho CDC, LIFE Centre, …) showed out to celebrate diversity, love and encourage safe sex practices. Miss Supranational Nguyen Minh Tu and pop singer Lynk Lee joined the crowd to deliver the key messages louder.
