Living in Peru : your everyday companion

(published at IDRC Reports Canada - Stories on research in the developing world)


An IDRC-supported project in Peru employs youthful creativity and advanced communication technology in the battle against HIV/AIDS.

Photo: Rina Victoria Paredes Olivares

New information and communication technologies (ICTs) are becoming an increasingly common tool in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

One example of the innovative deployment of ICTs in this struggle is “Punto J,” an Internet portal based in Lima, Peru. Punto J’s mandate is to provide sound information to Peruvian youth who are disproportionately at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, partly because of a lack of information on how to protect themselves against sexually transmitted diseases and how to develop a healthy approach to their sexuality.





Jointly funded by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Institute for Connectivity in the Americas (ICA), Save the Children Canada, and Save the Children UK, Punto J is energized by the creativity of the young volunteers who write the text that appears on the site, design its graphics, and search for innovative methods of educating other young Peruvians as illustrated in their peer-to-peer training.

IDRC is highlighting the Punto J project at the XVI International AIDS Conference, August 13 – 18 in Toronto, Canada. IDRC funds projects addressing a wide range of aspects of the AIDS crisis — from the roll-out of anti-retroviral drugs, to monitoring the spread of the disease, promoting education, and reforming health systems to better deal with the AIDS epidemic — and has been working to help solve the AIDS crisis since 1987.

In advance of the Toronto conference, Peruvian filmmaker Ernesto Cabellos spoke with Punto J coordinator Alina Anglas Cárpena, promoter Fiorella Dávila Perez, promoter Tabris Morissette, and communications officer Rina Paredes Olivares. They spoke about the impact of Punto J in the lives of Peruvian youth, the origins of the projects, and their hopes for the future.

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Ernesto Cabellos:
What is the social context for Punto J’s work?

Alina Anglas Cárpena:
Youth in Peru make up approximately 30% of the population, and they need information and guidance to help confront the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic in our country. We rank fourth among South American countries for the number of registered cases of sexually transmitted diseases, in particular HIV/AIDS. The adolescent and youth population represents roughly 70% of all cases, and the majority occur through sexual transmission, because they don’t receive proper information at home or in school.

In our country there are a lot of taboos, restrictions, and moralism that make teaching sex education difficult. Young people don’t get enough information about their sexual and reproductive rights, including how they can protect themselves from Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) such as HIV/AIDS. Our portal is designed not only to provide adequate information, but also to provide it in a format that is attractive, engaging, entertaining, and written in accessible language — from peer to peer, youth to youth. Visitors to the portal also become conduits for information, passing on to others what they learn from our site.

EC:
What are the origins of Punto J?

AAC:
This project is an important part of the mandate of the Instituto de Educación y Salud (Institute for Education and Health, IES), which has been working for 15 years in the areas of sexuality and HIV/AIDS prevention in the youth population.

The IES team is multidisciplinary — it’s composed of psychologists, educators, communicators, and social workers — meaning that we can provide users with a broad overview of sexuality-related topics. What this means is that Punto J gives young people a reference point where they can voice their concerns, questions, and doubts in a climate of trust — in a secure climate where they can learn about a variety of topics from professional sources.

On the other hand, the youth who are involved offer their creativity and bring insight from their own experience. Each side has something of value to contribute, and by combining their efforts, these two generations can work more effectively. In our work environment — for instance, at our weekly meetings —everyone’s personal experiences and contributions are valued.

EC:
Does using the Internet allow Punto J more creative opportunities?

Fiorella Dávila Perez:
We’re always looking to incorporate new ideas and elements to make the page appealing, and the kids always come up with suggestions. The Comics section is an important component of Punto J, where we include personal stories and anecdotes, conveyed through what we call fotonovelas (photo-based graphic novels). Right now, we are also looking at using interactive games. So the Internet gives us flexibility and new ways of communicating.

EC:
And you use this flexibility to convey what kind of content?

Tabris Morissette:
We start by giving basic information, such as what AIDS is, what HIV is, and what the difference is. We also cover related topics, such as homophobia, machismo, etc. In our experience, you can’t talk about HIV/AIDS without talking about sexuality, and to talk about sexuality we have to be willing to talk about a lot of other topics as well, such as sexual orientation, gender identity, gender equity, and self-esteem. Sexual education is a lot more than biology and the technicalities of reproduction. One point we want to cover for our visitors is the stigma of living with HIV/AIDS, and issues of discrimination. That’s why we try to create a space that is welcoming and will be accepted by kids.

EC:
How do you integrate the youth volunteers into the project?

TM:
We start by defining a group identity. We explain that “this is Punto J, this is your space,” and this is really the first part of the training process, making the volunteers understand that this space is for them, so that they identify with the name, saying “we are all Punto J.”

At this point you can already see a change, because now they have a sense of belonging, so they are less likely to do things just because somebody else says so. Now they do things because they have their own reasons. They become activists by force of their own will, out of a desire to help other kids.

We also help our volunteers develop their capacities and skills. Some kids are quite good at doing research, and others are really good at graphic design and illustrating. Here they can develop their skills, in an environment where the only expectation is to do something that interests them. For example: “I’m going to draw.” I remember many drawing classes where some of the kids wanted to learn how to draw dragons, aliens, to work on style-related things.

But in the workshops they realize that we need to produce artistic material to illustrate the topics we cover. The adults give them direction on how they should handle the content — for example, not to depict women as sexual objects, not to stereotype gays as effeminate or lesbians as butch.

EC:
What is Punto J’s impact on youth who visit the site?

TM:
We often get e-mails with feedback about the answers we have given to our readers’ questions. Many kids say “Hey, thanks a lot, your answer really helped me out, and I feel a lot better now.” And lots of times they will reply not just once, but twice, three times, leading some to become volunteers. This positive exchange of caring between us, our volunteers, and our visitors is reflected in the content they see on the screen.

EC:
What does the future hold for Punto J?

Rina Paredes Olivares:
We are very interested in developing a strong regional component, and through internships we have made many contacts across Latin America. But I also believe it is important for us to promote local development — to really consolidate the strategy here so we reach the broadest possible audience within Peru.

EC:
Can you describe what Punto J means for you?

TM:
Punto J is an attractive space where what counts is that you can be yourself, express yourself, and give others the best you have to offer. It’s a space where you can talk about all those things that you might not talk about in public. It’s a place where you can make friends, a place where you can discuss sexuality, where you can get a sense of direction, and a place where you can get educated and also examine your own attitudes.

Punto J is more than just a website. Punto J is a portal with a heart, because behind the screen there’s a whole group of kids who love the work they’re doing and put a lot of care into it.

A video highlighting Punto J, "Punto J — Youth and the Internet in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS" will be shown at the XVI International AIDS Conference, 13-18 August 2006.

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Contacts:

Rina Paredes Olivares
Communications Officer
Instituto de Educación y Salud - IES
Tel: (511) 433-6314 ext. 104
E-mail: rinaparedes@gmail.com
www.puntoj.com.pe

IDRC is a public corporation created by the Parliament of Canada in 1970 to help developing countries use science and technology to find practical, long-term solutions to the social, economic, and environmental problems they face. Support is directed toward developing an indigenous research capacity to sustain policies and technologies developing countries need to build healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous societies.

tags : Peru health youth AIDS HIV PuntoJ sexuality prevention

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