Lowering the AIDS Risk for Teens


	The room falls silent every time Silvana Gomes dos Santos shares her story. It is a painful, yet powerful, journey that includes the death of her husband and infant son due to complications from AIDS. “What motivates me to continue my work is sharing my knowledge of how to take care of yourself and the rights for those infected, and to share happiness and sadness with those I work with,” says Santos. “Together we are stronger and can do much more.” Santos is co-founder of Associação Londrinense Interdisciplinar de AIDS (ALIA), an organization established in 1989 by HIV-positive professionals. ALIA’s mission is to protect the civil rights of people living with HIV/AIDS and to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS through the creation and implementation of scientific and social programs. Programs for teens are especially in need in Brazil. According to a survey of 600 adolescents from the impoverished community of São Jorge, 60 percent of adolescents do not use contraceptives; 30 percent have used illegal drugs. To protect these vulnerable teens from infectious diseases, ALIA began the Saber para Reagir (To Know Is to React) program. Knowledge Is Power The program’s workshops educate 80 participants at a time about sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV/AIDS), early pregnancy, correct use of male and female contraceptives and citizen rights. In addition, monthly meetings with families in the community spark dialogue and empower their involvement in the education process. Saber para Reagir is among a variety of projects run by ALIA, which is now the largest HIV/AIDS-related organization in Brazil. Since the partnership with Johnson & Johnson began in 2005, ALIA’s Saber para Reagir program has reached nearly 2,400 teens at high risk for HIV/AIDS infection. “More people have been reaching for male and female contraceptives, and from initiating more family dialogue, we have seen a decrease in domestic violence too,” Santos says. “With the right information, we can make responsible choices. With the support of Johnson & Johnson, we can disseminate the knowledge that will protect the individual, reduce HIV transmission and give back the dignity of those suffering.”

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Home > Our Caring > Our Giving > Preventing Diseases > HIV/AIDS Portfolio > Preventing Infections in Youth

Lowering the AIDS Risk for Teens

	The room falls silent every time Silvana Gomes dos Santos shares her story. It is a painful, yet powerful, journey that includes the death of her husband and infant son due to complications from AIDS. “What motivates me to continue my work is sharing my knowledge of how to take care of yourself and the rights for those infected, and to share happiness and sadness with those I work with,” says Santos. “Together we are stronger and can do much more.” Santos is co-founder of Associação Londrinense Interdisciplinar de AIDS (ALIA), an organization established in 1989 by HIV-positive professionals. ALIA’s mission is to protect the civil rights of people living with HIV/AIDS and to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS through the creation and implementation of scientific and social programs. Programs for teens are especially in need in Brazil. According to a survey of 600 adolescents from the impoverished community of São Jorge, 60 percent of adolescents do not use contraceptives; 30 percent have used illegal drugs. To protect these vulnerable teens from infectious diseases, ALIA began the Saber para Reagir (To Know Is to React) program. Knowledge Is Power The program’s workshops educate 80 participants at a time about sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV/AIDS), early pregnancy, correct use of male and female contraceptives and citizen rights. In addition, monthly meetings with families in the community spark dialogue and empower their involvement in the education process. Saber para Reagir is among a variety of projects run by ALIA, which is now the largest HIV/AIDS-related organization in Brazil. Since the partnership with Johnson & Johnson began in 2005, ALIA’s Saber para Reagir program has reached nearly 2,400 teens at high risk for HIV/AIDS infection. “More people have been reaching for male and female contraceptives, and from initiating more family dialogue, we have seen a decrease in domestic violence too,” Santos says. “With the right information, we can make responsible choices. With the support of Johnson & Johnson, we can disseminate the knowledge that will protect the individual, reduce HIV transmission and give back the dignity of those suffering.”

The room falls silent every time Silvana Gomes dos Santos shares her story. It is a painful, yet powerful, journey that includes the death of her husband and infant son due to complications from AIDS.

“What motivates me to continue my work is sharing my knowledge of how to take care of yourself and the rights for those infected, and to share happiness and sadness with those I work with,” says Santos. “Together we are stronger and can do much more.”

Santos is co-founder of Associação Londrinense Interdisciplinar de AIDS (ALIA), an organization established in 1989 by HIV-positive professionals. ALIA’s mission is to protect the civil rights of people living with HIV/AIDS and to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS through the creation and implementation of scientific and social programs.

Programs for teens are especially in need in Brazil. According to a survey of 600 adolescents from the impoverished community of São Jorge, 60 percent of adolescents do not use contraceptives; 30 percent have used illegal drugs. To protect these vulnerable teens from infectious diseases, ALIA began the Saber para Reagir (To Know Is to React) program.

Knowledge Is Power
The program’s workshops educate 80 participants at a time about sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV/AIDS), early pregnancy, correct use of male and female contraceptives and citizen rights. In addition, monthly meetings with families in the community spark dialogue and empower their involvement in the education process.

Saber para Reagir is among a variety of projects run by ALIA, which is now the largest HIV/AIDS-related organization in Brazil. Since the partnership with Johnson & Johnson began in 2005, ALIA’s Saber para Reagir program has reached nearly 2,400 teens at high risk for HIV/AIDS infection.

“More people have been reaching for male and female contraceptives, and from initiating more family dialogue, we have seen a decrease in domestic violence too,” Santos says. “With the right information, we can make responsible choices. With the support of Johnson & Johnson, we can disseminate the knowledge that will protect the individual, reduce HIV transmission and give back the dignity of those suffering.”

Employees