Shell Takes HIV/AIDS, Wellness Campaign To Communities, Schools

Shell companies in Nigeria, in conjunction with some Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) held an HIV/AIDS awareness and wellness campaign in Ota community in Ogun State. The enlightenment programme also involved youth corps members, interns and Lagos State secondary school students, as part of a sustained effort to raise awareness on diseases and promote good health among the populace.  
The campaign was targeted at the most vulnerable segments of the population, to help get people better informed on how to prevent and manage the diseases and generally take to healthy life styles. Shell partnered with three NGOs; Society for Family Health (SFH), Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH) and Hope World Wide (HWW) for the events. The campaign also involved drama and distribution of pamphlets produced in both English and Yoruba languages.
Mrs. Bose Oladayo, a nursing mother positively living with HIV for more than eight years, shared her story with them, encouraging all to know their status after which most of the women took the tests to determine their HIV status. The programme at Ota, a key host community for operations of Shell Nigeria Gas in Ogun State, held as the paramount ruler of the community, the Olota of Ota, Alayeluwa Oba Mashood, Alani Oyede, Arolagbede III celebrated the 11th anniversary of his coronation.
The Olota had invited the Shell team as part of the Women's Day of the one-week celebration, and the joyous women heard lectures on the transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS as well as malaria and other diseases.  The programme equally involved members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) and interns serving in all the Shell companies in Lagos. According to Precious Molokwu, the Shell Training Facilitator for the campaign, “the idea was to reach out to the youths and get them to change possible high-risk behaviour”.  In addition to lectures and general discussions, participants watched a movie titled “Catch them Young” produced by youths from Bayelsa State and sponsored by Shell. The movie provoked discussions on casual and unprotected sex, stigma and prevention of HIV/AIDS.
The Lekki arm of the campaign was attended by gifted students as part of the programme, Vision 2020: Youth Empowerment and Restoration Initiative Career Awareness Summer Retreat. Twenty schools participated in the session, with the exceptionally brilliant students receiving lectures on HIV/AIDS, malaria and healthy life style and also watching the movie, “Catch them Young”. The participants were enjoined to pass on the knowledge to their schools and “influence their peers for goo
 Also speaking, Dr. Martins Obasohan of Shell explained that the involvement of the company in the initiative arose from its understanding of the important role of the education and empowerment of youths in stopping the spread of malaria and HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. “Most Nigerian youths are at a stage in their lives where they require the tools and knowledge necessary to prevent them from making the mistakes previous generations have made, and passing the knowledge they have to the next generation. Shell is honoured to be playing its own little part in facilitating this very important process”, he explained.