In commemoration of World AIDS Day on December 1st 2018, the 4Youth By
Youth (4YBY) Group rewarded 3 winners - Tony Akeju, Ginika Nzokwe, and
Idris Badmus - for their participation in the social media-driven HIV
Self-Testing Contest which ran from October 25th to November 25th 2018,
in a bid to crowdsource innovative ideas to promote HIV self-testing in
Nigeria. The winners also went home with cool gadgets, as well as
mentorship opportunities from leading business and health professionals;
this training will be based on the ideas they have pitched.
The
4YouthByYouth (4YBY) Group is a team of Nigerian researchers and
scientists backed by the United States National Institute of Health
(NIH). They have identified the adoption of HIV self-testing as an
additional way to create demand for HIV testing, thereby increasing
knowledge of HIV status and reducing the accelerated spread of HIV/AIDS
nationwide among young people in Nigeria. The HIV testing in the privacy
of one's home will help to address issues of access and the stigma
known with the disease. Dr. Oliver Ezechi of Nigerian Institute of
Medical Research, Lagos (NIMR) and Dr. Juliet Iwelunmor of Saint Louis
University, Missouri lead the team.
Speaking
at the World AIDS Day HIV self-testing awareness event, 4Youth By Youth
Principal investigator, Dr. Juliet Iwelunmor said, “Our goal is to
drive the increased participation of young Nigerians in the fight
against HIV/AIDS through generating demand and adoption of self-testing.
This we hope to achieve by rewarding innovative and creative ideas that
encourage self-testing amongst Nigerian Youth, which will ultimately go
a long way in helping to end the AIDS epidemic as a public health
threat.”
The
4YBY Group in collaboration with Lagos AIDS Control Agency (LSACA) had
earlier in the day organized a walkathon, which took place before the
commencement of the award ceremony. Free condoms were given out, while
oral and confirmatory blood-based HIV tests were administered to over
300 attendees by medical practitioners at the event. Over 1000 attendees
got a chance to enter a raffle draw to win lots of exciting prizes.
