Fact Sheet: Increasing Awareness and Education of HIV and AIDS in the Niagara Region
ST. CATHARINES, Ontario – On behalf of the Minister of Health Leona Aglukkaq, Rick Dykstra, Member of Parliament for St. Catharines, today announced support for a community-based project to improve knowledge and reduce the rate of HIV in that region.
“Through education and awareness programs, this project seeks to reduce the rate of HIV infection among high-risk populations including First Nations, Inuit and Métis,” said Mr. Dykstra. “Our Government applauds the work of AIDS Niagara as they continue to make great strides in addressing HIV and AIDS at the community level.”
AIDS Niagara’s mission is to improve the quality of life for those infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS and to reduce the spread of HIV. Through the “Community Development and Education Program” it will assess the learning needs of high-risk populations and produce new culturally appropriate educational materials and resources. It will also develop a media stigma-reduction campaign and provide training for peer educators to deliver presentations on HIV to local educational institutions.
“Education is key, not only to prevention, but also to reducing stigma related to HIV and AIDS,” said Glen Walker, Executive Director, AIDS Niagara. “This program will allow our organization to increase community members’ knowledge on all aspects of HIV/AIDS so we can in turn improve attitudes towards people living with this disease.”
This investment is part of the more than $72 million that the Government of Canada is currently investing through the Federal Initiative to Address HIV/AIDS in Canada. A large portion of these funds assist community-based projects like this one in helping to:
- prevent the acquisition and transmission of new infections;
- slow the progression of the disease and improve quality of life; and
- reduce the social and economic impact of HIV/AIDS.
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