In the 15^th International AIDS Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) was prepared in Dakar, Senegal.  For the programme, we were all coming from different African countries.  The programme started on November 29, 2008 through December 2, 2008. The Pre-Conference program focused on youth issues.  I attended the conference as a member of the Ethiopian Youth Council for Higher Opportunities (ECHO) with my fellow council member, Fuad.  We  are participating in ICASA as a part of the International Youth Speak Out (iYSO) Project and two Nigerian youth are here with us from their national youth leadership council that is supported by Advocates for Youth.  In the Pre-Conference, the youth program is very interesting.  Every program is coordinated and facilitated by youth and SOO many issues were discussed!

The Pre-Conference’s main objectives are:

1)    Enhancing information and exchanging ideas on strategies

2)    Research for health to develop stakeholders

3)    Enhancing public awareness

What is ECHO doing by this opportunity?  

Fuad and I distributed approximately 700 Advocates for Youth and ECHO promotional fact sheets and promotional materials.  We also registered youth at ICASA to join Advocates’ International Youth Activist Network (iYAN) by signing up with the postcards we passed out.  On December 2, 2008, we marched with our African brothers and sisters in Dakar, Senegal to say that we are in this together to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa.