HIV Campaign: HFDI Partners Staged Innovation To Educate Young Adults in Osun
Hope for Family Development Initiative (HFDI) in partnership with Staged Innovation carried out a comprehensive HIV awareness campaign targeted at students and young adults from tertiary institutions within and around Osun State.
The campaign took place during the Osun Festival of Colour Night, a youth-centered event that brought together hundreds of young people for social interaction, entertainment, and cultural expression.
The festival, organized by Staged Innovation in partnership with HFDI and Glo Nigeria, created an avenue to integrate health education into a vibrant youth gathering.
With HFDI serving as the official health partner of the night, the organization leveraged the opportunity to reach a highly vulnerable population group – youths and students – who are often at risk of HIV infection due to risky behaviours, misinformation, and low uptake of HIV testing services.
During the campaign, over 250 young men and women were engaged and equipped with HIV prevention packages consisting of prevention messages, male and female condoms, and water-based lubricants. Interactive peer-to-peer conversations and awareness talks were also delivered, highlighting the importance of HIV prevention, safe sexual practices, and regular testing as part of responsible health behaviour.
Furthermore, a voluntary HIV testing and counselling session was conducted on-site, where 124 individuals willingly came forward to know their status. Encouragingly, all tested individuals were confirmed HIV-negative, a positive indication of the impact of prevention efforts while underscoring the need for continuous awareness to sustain such results.
This initiative was designed as part of HFDI’s contribution toward achieving HIV epidemic control in Osun State and Nigeria at large, aligning with the global UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets. By taking HIV education and testing services directly to where young people gather.
HFDI continues to bridge gaps in access, reduce stigma around HIV testing, and foster a culture of health consciousness among adolescents and young adults.