Fourteenth Ankoay Certification Festival and Launch of Red Card campaign

Commenting on the Ankoay program, Mme. Wendy Benazerga of USAID, stated, “the American People, in cooperation with the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, are happy to be supporting this CNLS-led program that is critical in Madagascar’s fight against STI/ HIV/AIDS.

Sixteen new troops were certified as “Ankoay Troops” during the fourteenth Ankoay festival held at Ampefiloha Modern High School on Sunday, October 29, 2006. Dignitaries, including the CNLS Executive Secretary and representatives of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Health and Family Planning, and Ministry of National Education and Scientific Research attended. Representatives of organizations involved in the Ankoay approach were also present, including USAID, SantéNet, Health Communication Partnership, GTZ, FIFAFI, UNICEF, PSI, UNAIDS, and UNFPA.

The Ankoay, or eagle, initiative is a program that educates youth about reproductive health and STI/HIV, and teaches them how to become community leaders in STI/ HIV prevention by promoting behaviors such as delaying sexual activity. It incorporates a diverse mix of educational methods, learning styles and personality types. Youth groups work through participatory activities, developing skills such as decision-making, goal-setting, and effective communication to successfully complete the program. One of these activities, the “Youth Passport,” is designed to promote individual reflection. It includes a role play kit containing scenarios of typical situations youth encounter. As young people act out the dramas in the kit, they connect emotionally to vital issues in a safe environment. Once a youth group reaches Ankoay status, it assumes a role of community leadership in the fight against AIDS and celebrates its success with a festival.

The ceremony on October 29 was also the launch of the HIV/AIDS “Red Card campaign: AOK’ALOHA.” The ”Red Card” is a tool to strengthen girls and young women’s empowerment and capacity to protect themselves from high-risk situations. Like the red card in soccer, the red card in this campaign gives young people a tool to identify and to avoid risky behaviors. The card also acts as a catalyst to engage youth in frank dialogues with friends.

In addition to training sessions on the use of red cards, the festival provided youth from in the Ankoay program from the Analamanga region to demonstrate various HIV/AIDS outreach and mobilization techniques being implemented. The Isotry CSB-II CTV team provided free and anonymous HIV/AIDS testing services.