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.

Dong Nai – 23.2.2023 

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Vietnam is most impacting young people under 29 years of agre who are engaging in unprotected sex. Concerningly, these young people have limited information and knowledge related to HIV prevention, treatment, and services, leading to a low utilization of health care services. LADDERS currently supports 32 community-based organizations and social enterprises (CBO/SEs) in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Dong Nai, Can Tho and Kien Giang provinces to provide critical support and services to vulnerable people, including students. Through the SAFE UNI model, CBOs/SEs enhance the knowledge of students in universities, colleges and vocational schools, particularly among at-risk groups, on HIV prevention and safe sex practices.

Last week, G-Net Bien Hoa CBO managed to conduct an offline SAFE UNI event for young students of Dinh Tien Hoang 2 high school in Dong Nai province. More than 200 hundred local young adolescents from grades 10 and 11 were present with school leaders and teachers. They participated in various interactive and informative activities promoting key messages of self-love, healthy lifestyle, and health-seeking habits while introducing free HIV testing, counseling, and PrEP services. Esteemed guest speakers including health experts from Bien Hoa OPC and LIFE Centre managed to engage the young audience, piquing their curiosity and provoking their excitement. Through games and interactions, students broaden their knowledge of gender/sexuality, HIV/AIDS and STIs along with additional information and fun tips about love, safe sex practices and healthy living. The organizer, G-Net Bien Hoa CBO, took the opportunity to promote their brand and deliver their HIV testing and counseling services on site during and after the events.

SAFE Uni events offer a safe space for students to raise concerns, discuss misinformation and freely learn and explore topics about gender, sex, health, and HIV/AIDS through talk shows, arts and booths delivered and showcased by community organizations. The younger the audience reached, the more timely the intervention might be in terms of HIV/AIDS prevention. This approach 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 1,2. The school leaders expressed and offered their full endorsement and support to such programs and interventions for young people (i.e. SAFE UNI) as it is crucial to debunk the taboo and myths of sex, health, HIV/AIDS and love. Students should have the opportunity to be more open and have safe space/opportunities to learn and share as their concerns and curiosities should be heard and discussed in a timely and thoughtful manner to be informative and impactful for their future.

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Figure 3,4. Key messages related to sex and HIV/AIDS were sensitized, shaped and delivered that were age-appropriate for high school students in a witty GenZ way by community-friendly experts, capturing young participants’ attention and communicating in a way that resonated with them.