Making HIV prevention work in the north

Meeting the challenges of diverse cultures, numerous languages and great distances, the Northwest Territories discovered innovative ways to promote AIDS prevention. This article discusses obstacles to HIV prevention and techniques used to overcome them commonly found in health services for the NWT. For example, techniques for improved service delivery include reliance on decentralized services provided by regional health boards and Community Health Representatives. Further, the challenges posed by language diversity and cultural taboos against speaking openly about sexual matters have been partially overcome through the conversion of materials and concepts into aboriginal languages which are culturally appropriate. The article specifically discusses two AIDS education campaigns in which these techniques were utilized: namely, Health is a Community Affair Campaign (or the Door-to-Door Project) and local initiatives which hosted presentations by an Aboriginal person living with AIDS.