Recognising that many youth feel more at ease when talking to their peers, TWC places an emphasis during peer educator training on helping young people (mostly aged 13 and 19 years) develop the skills necessary to conduct what are meant to be dynamic interactive educational activities such as role-play, group discussions, and quizzes - with what organisers describe as a non-judgmental approach. They are encouraged (and supervised) to act as information disseminators and behavioural change agents. The core areas of training include knowledge (e.g., identify family planning clinics, STI clinics, health centres, and pharmacies as places to get condoms), attitudes (e.g., express a willingness to interact in everyday situations with people living with HIV and AIDS), and skills (e.g., demonstrate the ability to tell others how HIV is transmitted and prevented).

For example, when the programme was launched in Suriname in 2007, approximately 25 Junior Red Cross volunteers were trained by an independent consultant. The use of printed materials facilitated this process (i.e., a peer educator's handbook and an activity kit for participants). Then, a pair of peer educators worked to facilitate at least 3 trainings with at least 10 peers in each. In Suriname, the TWC volunteers also visit primary schools with specially adapted awareness activities for children aged 10 and older, such as how to deal with peer pressure.

An interactive online forum is designed to act as a place where young TWC participants may exchange experiences, discuss issues, continue friendships, and engage in moderated sessions. The use of the internet here is a tool for - it is hoped - reducing the numbers of young people being infected with HIV while promoting care and support to those who have been infected and affected.

HIV/AIDS, Children, Youth.

The following statistics are provided by Tabiki Productions:

• 2.1 million persons in Latin America and the Caribbean live with HIV.
• With an average HIV prevalence of 2.3%, the Caribbean is the second most affected region in the world after sub-Saharan Africa.
• Approximately 740,000 young people between 15 and 24 years of age are living with HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• AIDS is presently the leading cause of death among Caribbean men and women between the ages of 15-44 years; in Suriname, AIDS is the second leading cause of death. In the Caribbean region, 36,000 persons died from illnesses related to AIDS in 2004, as did 95,000 people in Latin America.
• Nearly 50,000 children under the age of 15 are living with HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In 2004, a consultancy firm (Itaca Assesorias) was hired to develop a monitoring and evaluation TWC toolkit to be implemented in all National Societies in the Caribbean and Central America in 2005. This toolkit is designed to measure impact in TWC programmes in the region.

In Suriname, where the programme was launched in 2007, by the end of that year approximately 4,000 young people were reached, most of whom are between the ages of 15 and 25 years. Sahida Leerdam (age 21), a public administration student in Suriname who participates in TWC, says, "We use the same vocabulary as our peers. When trainers and trainees use the same language, you get this relaxed atmosphere where everybody feels on the same level....In my circle of friends and fellow students, I notice that HIV/STI only becomes a topic when they are somehow involved in working for an organization like Red Cross, or another voluntary job. That's why I think the educational materials we produce should be made in such a way that they have a strong impact. Is a brochure colourful, does it lead to action? I like the infomercials the region shows on television, as a young woman I feel connected, right then and there. A line like: 'Make your next date special. Get tested.' I love it!..."

Looking at the TWC programme as a whole, in 2004, 7,000 persons were exposed and trained in the programme, in over 30 territories in the many languages of the Caribbean region. (Click here to access specific statistics on each participating locale.)