Persons working in St. Thomas and St. Andrew will soon be better informed on how to protect themselves and their loved ones against HIV and AIDS.
Several workplaces in those parishes will be visited this Friday, January 18, by a peer education team from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s HIV and AIDS Project Unit.
The outreach exercise, which will take place in the form of an AIDS Awareness Bus Tour, is designed to educate and sensitise "hard to reach" workers about HIV and AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, stigma and discrimination, and prevention practices.
It will commence at 9:00 a.m. at C.O. Williams Electrical Ltd, in Cane Garden, St. Thomas. Other businesses at that location will also be visited. These include Structural Systems Ltd, Sundale Trading Co. Ltd and Mount Gay Distilleries Ltd.
At 9:50 a.m. the bus tour will make its second stop at B’s Bottle Depot, Cane Garden, St. Thomas. From there, it will proceed to the St. Thomas Post Office in Welchman Hall; the scheduled arrival time is 10:40 a.m.?? The fourth intervention will take place at Soil Conservation, in Haggatts, St. Andrew, beginning at 11:30 a.m.
Subsequently, at 1:15 p.m. the bus tour is scheduled to arrive in Belleplaine, St. Andrew. Interventions will take place at the St. Andrew Post Office, the Belleplaine Police Station and the Belleplaine Supermarket. In addition, a presentation will be made to the A. Dacosta Edwards Primary School.
The next stop is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at the Greenland Livestock Agricultural Station, St. Andrew. The final destination for the bus tour will be Farley Hill National Park.
At each location, brief informative sessions and demonstrations will take place, and workers will receive invaluable information and safety packages.??
Each year, the HIV and AIDS Project Unit participates in several sensitisation initiatives across the island, with this being its fourth annual AIDS Awareness Bus Tour. ????