Education and Training
Educating the community about HIV is the most important step in reducing the incidence of the disease. The key objective is to train-to-hire local Medical Educators and youth programming leaders:
- - to reinforce the facts about HIV/AIDS
- - de-stigmatize the disease itself so youth aren’t afraid to learn their status
- - offer free, confidential testing at youth-focused events
TRIAD supports this objective by creating fun but formal training regimen; this, in turn, yields thorough understanding about the medical facts and societal factors about HIV/AIDS.
Medical Educator Training
Partnering with UNESCO, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and African-based educational institutions, TRIAD has created a powerful program to train local, community-based Medical Educators. We tailor these training programs to consider local resources and local challenges. TRIAD’s Medical Educators (MEs) work directly with our Sports, Arts, and Media programs on a daily basis; in fact, the MEs are the hub of all programming. By working directly with those youth and their leaders, coaches, directors, and mentors, these Medical Educators grow from merely a friendly face into a trusted resource for HIV/AIDS and other health-related issues. A TRIAD-certified ME not only receives a one-time credential that enables him or her to work for TRIAD or other HIV care organizations, but the ME receives continuing education to keep abreast of the rapidly-changing data that will continue to help the youth and their leaders make healthy decisions. These MEs eventually become instructors of future Care Workers and Medical Educators as the reach of TRIAD’s services expand.
Youth Program-Based Education
HIV/AIDS is not merely the result of unprotected sex. It is the result of a complex web of social and medical factors. In order to reduce the likelihood of transmission of HIV, TRIAD has designed its age-appropriate Medical Education curricula to cover a broad range of topics that have relevance in our fight against the virus. The Medical Educators are assigned to work with a specific cohort– a division of soccer players in our league, a school class engaged in a drama program with a drama troupe, an after-school care group. Throughout the term of their involvement with the cohort, the MEs train the coaches, trainers, and leaders of these youth activities to introduce relevant topics to their kids. The Medical Educators also work directly with the youth in workshops, facilitate group discussions, and act as reliable, non-judgmental role models and resources for those program participants. Most curricula cover these topics:
- HIV/AIDS
- STI
- Reproductive Health and Development
- Drugs and Alcohol
- Oral Health & Hygiene
- Goal setting and future planning
- Conflict Resolution and Violence Prevention
- Gender-Based Violence & Rape
- Nutrition
- Life Skills
Care Worker Training
Community Care Workers deliver needed emotional and physical support to those homebound and living with AIDS. In conjunction with local home-based care organizations, TRIAD’s physicians, dentists, and nutritionists bolster the Care Workers’ knowledge base in critical areas. In addition to holding topical workshops during TRIAD’s site visits, we provide the Care Workers with reference materials such as handbooks, flipcharts, photographs, DVDs, and anatomical models.
- Patient Care for Patients Living with HIV/AIDS
- HIV/AIDS, STI, and Reproductive Health
- Maternal Health and Mother-to-Child Transmission Prevention
- Wound Care
- Diabetes, Dehydration, and Dysentery Management
- Emergency Treatment & First Aid