HIV/AIDS Projects

Information Outreach

Cornerstone staff and volunteers have access to a vast amount of information on HIV and AIDS. The most up-to-date studies and news are available via e-mail from the Centers for Disease Control in the United States, and we have files of articles, and books, as well as the ability to research any topic on the Internet. In order to put all of this information to use, we have begun distributing it in an organized fashion, especially to people who might not have access to information otherwise and who would not likely attend our presentations. For example, volunteers have developed informational pamphlets that they distribute through taxi drivers, bars, doctors' offices and shops.

Public Awareness Projects

Our HIV/AIDS Outreach includes public awareness projects carried out by volunteers. They are designed to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS amongst a large number of people and to keep HIV/AIDS in the forefront of the public mind. The main prerogative of these projects is focusing on catchy slogans or flyers that will be memorable to listeners and viewers as opposed to long-winded explanations that will be easily forgotten. Some possibilities include creating a puppet show, conducting a poster or essay contest and posting flyers. HIV/AIDS murals have also proven to have a powerful impact on a large number of people. Cornerstone Foundation publishes “Aids Link”, the only nationally published newsletter devoted entirely to HIV/AIDS. Cornerstone hosts National Aids Day, candle light vigils, community walks & condom distribution.

HIV/AIDS Presentations

Cornerstone's Outreach Coordinator and volunteers conduct presentations for groups as varied as school children, cosmetology students, and soldiers in the Belize Defense Force. The presentations are designed to convey basic information such as the definitions of HIV and AIDS, methods of transmission and prevention, and foster compassion for people living with HIV and AIDS. We also conduct specific presentations and workshops, focusing on prevention, disease management and caring for people with AIDS.

Peer Education - YAP

YAP, or the Youth Ambassador Program, works to recruit and train the youth of our community to do HIV/AIDS educational outreach work. This program works outside the constraints of the Belizean school system, which solely focuses on abstinence-only education. YAP sessions include discussion of transmission, prevention, treatment, and stigmas with the goal of utilizing the skills of our youth to provide information on HIV/AIDS to our community.

Caring for Children

Caring for children is a national program funded in part by UNICEF as a means to provide protection and care of orphans, vulnerable children and their families. Churches, organizations, and health professionals are joining together in response to the children's needs. Assessments are conducted, requests for assistance are generated, and families are adopted. With the help of volunteers, churches and organization members pull together to provide the various products and services needed by the family they adopted.

Participation in the Cayo AIDS Committee

The Cayo AIDS Committee is composed of professionals from health care, government, and education professionals as well as other interested community members. Our HIV/AIDS outreach coordinator is a member of the committee. Being part of the committee provides us with a network of people who support our projects and gives us access to the vast knowledge and skills of the various committee members. Working through them also allows us to reach a larger number of people and increases the range of projects that we can be involved in. Volunteers assist our outreach coordinator in working with the Cayo AIDS Committee.

Fundraising

As with any non-profit organization, fundraising is central to the functions and sustainability of the HIV/AIDS Program and all Cornerstone Programs in general. Fundraising ensures that the program is financially capable of carrying out its mission, and volunteers help by researching funding sources, writing grant proposals and gathering funds from local sources. Besides securing financial support, local (and even non-local) fundraising helps raise awareness and promote specific causes. If you wish to donate funds to Cornerstone, click here.

HIV/AIDS Outreach is an educational program offered separately. See our volunteer page for additional information.

• Outreach within the community, promoting HIV/AIDS initiatives.
• Observe cultural perspectives affecting HIV/AIDS education.
• Develop a visual or audio HIV/AIDS education project.