Caribbean Education Sector HIV and AIDS Capacity Building Programme

“The first two decades of the HIV and AIDS epidemic in the Caribbean saw the response largely concentrated within the health sector. It is only in recent years that the need for an expanded response from the education sector has been considered.” .

As one vehicle to strengthen the education sector response to HIV and AIDS, CARICOM has recently awarded the contract, The Caribbean Education Sector HIV and AIDS Capacity Building Programme to EDC’s Health and Human Development Programs (HHD) working with The University of the West Indies (UWI). The goal of this programme is “to improve the response of the education sector as a partner in a multi­sectoral strategy for the prevention and mitigation of the HIV and AIDS epidemic in CARICOM Member States.” This programme is funded by the Inter-American Development Bank, acting in its capacity as administrator of Japan Special Funds, executed by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat.

EDC/HHD and UWI will aim to strengthen the capacity of the education sector to implement a comprehensive approach to HIV and AIDS, initially in four CARICOM countries, and eventually throughout the region. All efforts will draw on most recent findings of international research, as well as best practices in the Caribbean region. Over the next 18 months, the team will work closely with the Ministries of Education in Belize, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago to develop capacities in:

• Advocacy and Leadership: Using the material and strategies piloted in the UNESCO/EDC campaign, “Advocacy and Leadership to Enhance the Education Sector Response to HIV and AIDS” (http://www.caribbeanleaders.org), this new CARICOM Capacity Building Programme will allow expansion to more countries. The approach provides materials to prepare in-country people, who are selected to advocate for a comprehensive approach to HIV and AIDS. These leader advocates then participate in a day-long retreat with senior education sector staff to plan concerted action. The leader advocates also participate in key regional events.

• Policy Development, Endorsement and Dissemination: Schools and ministries are educational environments and workplaces that employ thousands of people in the Caribbean. Education systems must address the need to develop, support and protect those who work within them and the students who learn and play there. The Programme will develop guidelines and templates to guide ministries in advancing their policies, drawing on previous work by the International Labour Organization.

• Quality Assurance and Coordination with the NGO sector: The Programme will develop quality assurance guidelines and tools for ministries to use that will ensure quality, coordination and alignment with ministry policy of the many non­governmental (NGO) services delivered to young people in and out of school.

• Implementation of Interventions: Peer Education & Youth Drop-In Centres Once these interventions are piloted and evaluated in two target countries, EDC/UWI will develop tools and manuals to support their replication regionally.

According to Carl Browne, Project Manager of this initiative for CARICOM in Guyana, “The lessons learned from this unique partnership and capacity building program may inform HIV and AIDS prevention work around the world. It is expected that this initiative will contribute towards the development of education sector policies on HIV and AIDS prevention and mitigation, honing intervention models for HIV prevention and care among youth.”

EDC is an international, non-profit organization with 1000 staff, working in 50 countries. EDC’s division of Health and Human Development Programs creates innovations that foster healthy human development worldwide. EDC/HHD and UWI have joined together to serve and facilitate learning across the region. EDC/HHD contributes its technical expertise, drawn from HIV and AIDS projects the organization conducts around the globe. Working alongside education sector staff in Caribbean countries, EDC/HHD will provide overall management, selection of country partners and consultants, design of interventions, and conduct monitoring and evaluation. The role of UWI is to draw upon UWI faculty across all campuses and to use UWI’s vehicles for dissemination and capacity building.

Existing and new mechanism will be used for widespread dissemination of project materials and tools. For capacity building, there will be professional development and technical assistance activities. Ideas in the planning stages include, for example, the development of a network of HIV and AIDS education managers and distance education or web-based courses. Under the leadership of Professor David Plummer, the first ever UNESCO/Commonwealth Chair in Education, HIV and AIDS, plans are underway for an electronic journal and new UWI courses in health promotion, which focus on HIV and AIDS.

For more information, please contact:

Mr. Carl F. Browne Project Manager CARICOM/EU HIV/AIDS/STI Project 90-91 Duke Street Kingston Georgetown Guyana Telephone: 592-223-9030 Fax: 592-223-9012 E-mail: carlb@caricom.org

Ms. Connie Constantine Senior Project Director Health and Human Development Programs Education Development Center, Inc. 55 Chapel Street, Newton, MA 02458-1060 Phone: 617-618-2459 Fax: 617-527-4096 E-mail: cconstantine@edc.org http://www.hhd.org http://www.edc.org

Kelly, Michael, J; Bain, Brendan, Education and HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean, Ian Randle Publishers, Kingston, Jamaica, 2004.