New York City High School Foundation awards Jhpiego $19,000 to support HIV/AIDS prevention
programs in Caribbean
16 May 2003
Baltimore, Md. – Jhpiego, an international women's
and family health organization affiliated with Johns Hopkins University, on May 15
received $19,198.90 from Common Cents New York, a philanthropic foundation run by
New York City middle and high school students.
Jhpiego was one of four international health organizations that received
funds from Common Cents, which awarded over $66,000 to help their peers in the Caribbean
come to a better understanding about the risks of HIV/AIDS. Common Cents funds its
philanthropy through considerable hard work. Middle and high school students across
New York City collect contributions from their neighbors in pennies-hence the
philanthropy's name, Common Cents.
"Jhpiego extends its heartfelt thanks to Common Cents for recognizing
our efforts to support HIV counseling programs that clearly are effective in advising
at risk teenagers and adults about reducing their exposure to HIV/AIDS," said Leslie
Mancuso, PhD, RN and Jhpiego CEO.
"The Common Cents award renews our commitment to improving the health
status of all people at risk through our support of HIV counseling and prevention
programs in the Caribbean. We do this with a renewed commitment thanks to the brave
testimony of the 13-year old teenager who asked that her identity not be disclosed
because of the continuing stigma and discrimination experienced by individuals
living with HIV/AIDS," Mancuso said. " We also thank USAID whose support to date
enabled Jhpiego to develop and support counseling programs whose achievements
have been recognized by this award."
At the May 15 Common Cents 2003 Global Relief Conference, the
13-year old Jamaican teenager spoke from her heart about her family's crisis
with HIV/AIDS. The teenager received counseling and testing at CHARES, the Center
for HIV/AIDS Research, Education and Services, a nongovernmental health
services organization.
The Jamaican teenager described the CHARES program from her experience
with a close relative who is HIV positive. "The experience of receiving counseling
for voluntary testing has been a learning one for me. To have the opportunity to
interact with a counselor and assess my risk was very helpful in preparing me for
a closer relationship with my family," she said.
The teenager also counseled her peers that "I am very convinced that I
will do whatever is in my control to remain HIV negative. I have decided to wait
until I am older and capable of making a mature decision about the type of person
I choose for my life partner."
The teenager and 10 other adolescents with relatives who are
HIV positive came together to form a support group three years ago. The group's
recreational activities, which include a yearly residential camp, picnics and
visits to education institutions, reinforce family relationships.
CHARES' counselors, who are trained by Jhpiego, use a proven
behavioral counseling approach that focuses on risk reduction. The counselor
asks the clients to identify those risky behaviors they can modify to reduce
exposure to HIV infection.
About Jhpiego
For nearly 40 years, Jhpiego, (pronounced "ja-pie-go"), has empowered front-line health
workers by designing and implementing simple, low-cost, hands-on solutions that
strengthen the delivery of health care services, following the
household-to-hospital continuum of care. We partner with community- to
national-level organizations to build sustainable, local capacity through
advocacy, policy and guidelines development, and quality and performance
improvement approaches.
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