| Action Health Incorporated (AHI) joined others globally to celebrate the 2007 World AIDS Day on Monday, 3rd December 2007. The event which had as its theme, "Stop AIDS, Keep the Promise: Leadership" was held at the AHI Youth Centre.
The programme aimed at helping young people understand their roles as leaders in keeping the promise concerning HIV and AIDS. It was also to help young people understand the concept of leadership as well as improving their leadership abilities.
More than 180 young people from over 10 schools attended the program which featured a lecture on "Young people: leadership and HIV". The definition of leadership, qualities of a leader and the factors that distinguish someone that has leadership potentials from others were highlighted. She explained the rationale for the global theme, "leadership" because of its significance in the noteworthy advances made in the response to HIV pandemic globally.
Participants were given important facts about HIV and AIDS such as:
- AIDS being first discovered in Nigeria in 1986.
- Girls being 4-6 times more likely to get infected than boys because the female anatomy is more susceptible
- 1.7 million Nigerians dying of AIDS since 1996.
- 3.6% being the incidence rate among young people aged 15-19 years.
At the end of the session, young people were asked to write at least one action they would take as leaders in their schools, neighbourhood, homes, religious institutions, etc to advance interventions in HIV and AIDS.
Furthermore, the AHI Youth Interns presented a drama titled, "One is Infected, All are Affected: Be Responsible". This focused on interventions aimed at reducing the spread of the virus and caring for those living with it.
Fourteen (14) young people took part in the "Poster and Cartoon" competition which was on "Adolescence: The right to a meaningful Life". At the end, Mr. Segun Akinbowale of Ifako Comprehensive Senior High School; Mr. Adeoye Okedeyi (Baptist Academy) and Mr. Ikechukwu Ekechukwu ( International School , UNILAG" came out 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd respectively.
Other activities carried out to add fun to the event were a Comedy by students of Baptist Senior High School and Free style Dance presentation .
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