NYC Student Initiative for AIDS, Inc. donated more than 10,000 $USD to Africa Directions in the 2003-2004 year. A laptop was also sent to Africa Directions to assist in their administrative duties as well as funding for a new sound system to attract youth to the Center. Both of these donations sustain the holistic approach Africa Directions and NYC SIA adopt in fighting the pandemic. By supporting a fellow grassroots youth initiative like Africa Directions, NYC SIA furthered its mission of empowering youth communities.

To learn more about NYC SIA's support of this initiative, click here.


The Africa Directions Bauze Community Youth Center based in Lusaka’s Mtendere compound is an HIV/AIDS project targeted at vulnerable youth who are in and out of school, from the ages of 8 -25. The main aim of the center is to give reproductive health information, especially related to HIV/AIDS, to the youths of Mtendere and Lusaka. The center provides various services and facilities to youth.

• Recreational facilities and services that include games such as pool, table tennis, draft, chess, mini soccer etc, TV/video-information on HIV/AIDS. These video shows include motivational video shows, sports, gender, human rights awareness, civic awareness, entertainment etc. 
   

• Counseling services are provided at the center every day of the week from 9 to 17. These counseling services include two visits every week by a nurse from the local clinic, who provide family planning information, STD and pregnancy counseling to the youths.
   

• The Center holds regular workshops for youth, on various youth related issues, with an emphasis on HIV/AIDS. The various youth workshops include topics such as motivational workshops, Training of Trainers (TOT) in HIV/AIDS, dissemination workshops, training of football coaches, netball coaches, basketball coaches and youth reproductive health (RH) rights awareness workshops.
   

• The Center also provides a Resource Center for the youth to access various information on HIV/AIDS, youth and other youth related information for their well being.
   

• The Center has a drama group, which gives information on HIV/AIDS to the community of Mtendere and Lusaka population, with an emphasis on youth. The drama group uses a new scientific theatre technique used in HIV/AIDS dissemination called Theatre for Community Action (TCA). The technique monitors all its performances, outcome, impact of the intended messages and the best way to reach different communities that have different needs. This is all achieved by doing mini surveys before and after the drama shows are conducted in the community targeted.
   

• Peer education program.