During my third year as a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania, I worked with the adolescent programming team at Baylor's Center of Excellence for pediatric HIV treatment in Mwanza, Tanzania. I had the opportunity to be apart of an incredibly passionate and dedicated team committed to advocating for and improving the lives of teenagers living with HIV. My counterparts and I helped improve adolescent programming that supported teens attending our clinic by encouraging them to attend our monthly psychosocial support group, Teen Club. Each month about 100 teens would gather on a Saturday at the clinic to play games, meet new people, learn about HIV and practice important life skills, all with others who were just like them. To say being apart of a peer group that knows you and can support you during those years is important is an understatement. To many, this was the one place they could be themselves, be supported, and live open and free with HIV.
In addition to Teen Club, adolescents had the opportunity to be Teen Leaders, a peer-nominated group of teens who ''live positively" as leaders, have good adherence to their treatment, and are positive role models for their peers. This group of teens helped carry out the monthly Teen Club gatherings by participating in skits, co-leading groups with a staff member, or helping with transitions between activities. Teens also have the opportunity to be apart of a group called Stitch x Stitch, an initiative to teach sewing and small business skills to interested teens in order to develop life skills and create a sustainable living.
More information about Teen Club can be found by clicking the BIPAI logo above, or by checking out the Tanzania Teen Club blog by clicking on the photo below.
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