12 October, 2006
About twenty-five Health Promoters affiliated with BRA participated in a daylong training organized by Population Services International (PSI). The town of Don Juan in the Monte Plata province was the meeting place for the promoters, and other local grass-roots organizations, which will collaborate in a nation-wide project aiming at increasing the correct and consistent use of condoms among adults living in poverty-stricken rural areas, including the bateyes of the Dominican Republic. To achieve such goal, the project will combine educational campaigns in reproductive health with the widespread sales of affordable condoms. Health promoters will be charged of reaching the stores and individuals around their communities to make the distribution possible. The training imparted key strategies to be a successful salesperson and also provided important information about condoms. In a lively and engaging manner, Dr. Llodys Abreu from PSI debunked common myths about condoms so that health promoters are prepared to face people who might have a negative attitude towards them. Through role-playing and interactive exercises, participants were able to gain practice and forget shyness getting ready to approach storeowners and costumers. The training was also an opportunity to speak about an underlying theme of this project: the urgent need to take protective measures against Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
