OSCE Centre in Ashgabad supports training on HIV/AIDS and drug abuse prevention

ASHGABAD, 25 October 2007 - Teaching young people to teach their peers about the dangers of HIV/AIDS and drugs was the focus of an OSCE Centre-supported training course that ends today in Ashgabad.

"This training course not only prepares peer educators to deliver trainings on HIV/AIDS and drug abuse prevention, but also helps unite efforts of youth organizations from throughout the country and promotes their solidarity in combating drug addiction and HIV/AIDS," said Ambassador Ibrahim Djikic, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabad.

The four-day course represents the second phase of a training-for-trainers for young community leaders that was organized by the National Red Crescent Society of Turkmenistan with the support of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabad in August 2007.

Twenty-four young volunteers from Turkmenbashy, Turkmenabat and Abadan who had taken part in the first training course exchanged experiences from the seminars they have already conducted on HIV/AIDS prevention, and honed their training techniques and public speaking skills.

The course featured various interactive activities and concluded with a competition aimed at highlighting the most successful training techniques.

The OSCE Centre plans to continue working with the National Red Crescent Society of Turkmenistan to address other health issues relevant to communities in Turkmenistan.