![\"btvi-hiv3\"](\"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/btvi-hiv3.jpg\")
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As an 18-year-old who already has a baby, a Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institution (BTVI) student spoke candidly about why she recently participated in the school\u2019s free HIV testing. The teenager said she takes every opportunity to know her status.<\/p>\n
![\"btvi-hiv1\"](\"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/btvi-hiv1.jpg\")
\u201cYou have to take your sexual health seriously. Abstinence is best, but I encourage people to wrap it up. There are a lot of sexually transmitted diseases out there. It could happen to you,\u201d said the young woman.<\/p>\n
HIV\/AIDS is one of the leading causes of death among young people in the country. Hence, BTVI recently held its 5th annual campus-wide \u2018Know Your Status\u2019 HIV testing initiative. Before the rapid testing, there were brief informational sessions to strengthen awareness of the deadly disease. Discussions included how the virus is spread and preventative measures – all a part of the educational component to help people make informed decisions.<\/p>\n
BTVI has had nearly 1,000 students, staff and faculty tested for HIV over the past five years, according to Dean of Student Services, Racquel Bethel.<\/p>\n
Ms. Bethel said BTVI\u2019s collaboration with the HIV\/AIDS Centre shows the importance of partnership regarding the nation\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that BTVI plays a vital role in building the nation\u2019s workforce, we want our students to be good citizens and healthy. It\u2019s important to not just educate them with technical and vocational skills, but to provide them with resources to keep them well,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to United Nations AIDS statistics for 2015, there are just over 8,000 Bahamians living with HIV and the prevalence rate of adults aged 15 to 49 is 3.2%. The reality is, young people will make their own decisions, but if educated, they can make the right choices,\u201d said Ms. Bethel.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, Health Educator, Emile Lesbott, underscored the importance of education.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople die for the lack of knowledge. Rapid testing is the way to go. It\u2019s a free line before you get into trouble. Get yourself tested,\u201d he advised, \u201cit arms you to make good decisions and not take risks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another Health Educator, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said today\u2019s youth are easily exposed to sex.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are exposed to sexual images on social media like WhatsApp and Facebook. We want them to be responsible. They must link the reality of sexual activity and HIV,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While waiting to be tested, an Auto Mechanics major said too many people are not practicing safe sex.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t have money to buy condoms or diaphragms. They still have sex based on mood and time. I think it is important for organizations like this to provide information on viruses that can be caught during sex. I\u2019m not shy about it. So that\u2019s why I came to be tested,\u201d said the 21-year-old.<\/p>\n
During the testing, the Red Cross manned what it dubbed as a condemize booth. They were distributing pins and badges strung on necklaces. The idea was that wearing them would encourage others to ask questions about condoms and safe sex.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, an Electrical Installation student also believes sexual safety is important.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether young or old, it is important to be educated on HIV. It\u2019s best to know. Put pride aside. Sex is not a game. At least protect yourself,\u201d the 18-year-old stressed.<\/p>\n
Another student was frank about why she was being tested.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs someone who is sexually active, I want to make sure I am healthy. We have a lot of people having unprotected sex. They feel they can trust their partner. They don\u2019t realize they can only trust a condom. I am very strict about condoms. I don\u2019t want to open myself to diseases,\u201d said the 23-year-old.<\/p>\n
It is one of the reasons BTVI\u2019s Student Affairs department\u2019s programs expand six dimensions of wellness including physical health. Therefore, the HIV testing was an attempt to educate about HIV and sexual health.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery year, students show up willingly to be tested. That\u2019s quite encouraging. It shows a level of responsibility and self-awareness,\u201d said Ms. Bethel.<\/p>\n
Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institution (BTVI)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Captions:<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n HIV\/AIDS Health Education Officer, Emile Lesbott, conducted pre-counseling with BTVI students who were about to take free HIV\/AIDS tests during a campus-wide Know Your Status campaign.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n BTVI cosmetology students visited the \u2018condomize booth\u2019 at the Know Your Status HIV testing event. Pins and badges strung on necklaces were distributed with the hopes that wearing them would encourage others to ask questions about condoms and safe sex.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As an 18-year-old who already has a baby, a Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institution (BTVI) student spoke candidly about why she recently participated in the school\u2019s free HIV testing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":174813,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_10223285771444175_51037792744":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[204,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-174812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-tech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174812"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174812\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}