HIV and prostatitis. What is the threat?

 Representatives of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) organized and held an unusual training for students of madrase located in Jany-Jer of the Sokuluk rayon. Young devots and devotes were much subverted but listen to trainers with strong interest. It is obvious because training covered important themes such as reproduction health, family planning and sexual relations.

Project of the international organization, which goal is to increase awareness of the religious community in such sensitive issues, is being implemented during several years in the country. Initially, trainings were held for the mullahs. They acted as conductors/messengers among parishioners as they disseminated information on healthy life style at the joint Friday namaz. At present, it is decided to cover the madrase students since they will be religious teachers in the future and disseminate information.  

 Today, 60 people learn Islam in the religious educational institution in Jany-Jer village. First, they were divided into male and female groups.  Since a contingent is religious one, it is necessary to consider things from religious point of view. Training sessions were conducted under direct participation of Ms. Frontbek kyzy Jamal who is a leader of the Women's Progressive Public Association "Mutakalim". By the way, she is one of the authors of the book "Family problems in Islam". Several years were required to produce this handbook. It was tested and approved in the Religious Department of Muslims of Kyrgyzstan, and it is disseminated in the religious community today.   

 Initially, the students poorly concealed their confusion - they looked down and blushed. They did not discuss such sensitive issues with somebody else. Later on, they devoured every word of the trainers.

 - We had feeling that they had informational starvation, - Frontbek kyzy Jamal said. - Some of them did not know even anatomy of the human body.

However, a barrier of communication was eliminated during training, and students started to ask questions.  Girls were more interested in question - how a conception process happens. It was important to see their surprise when the trainers explained features of female body, which is able to breed a fetus. They were illiterate in terms of sexual education.  Many of them do not know what happens after wedding in the wedding night.  At the same time, some of the female students were already proposed to somebody as a wife, and family life with all consequences was waiting for them. Therefore, it is very clear why majority of the girls is not aware about HIV/AIDS and STIs. They wanted to ask many questions even after the training.  

 Boys were not advanced in this area of knowledge also. Certainly, they know little bit more, but it is "a drop in the ocean". It was interesting for them to hear information about anatomic features of two sexes. However, they were very interested to know more about men's health issues. For example, what are the prostatitis, STIs, AIDS and impotency?  It was very useful that the urologist took part in training sessions; he provided young boys with detailed answers.    

 By the way, during sessions the trainers broke some stereotypes stable in the society based on scientific studies. For example, sex of the child depends only on woman, and she should care about ways of contraception.  However, in reality, it is an opposite situation.  

 Family issues were also covered at the training. Girls were asked: why do they marry? Most of them responded that they marry first of all to subordinate to husband, respect his mother, clean wash cook and etc. Definitely, nothing is bad in their answers. Nevertheless, none of alternatives was expressed. For example, to give birth to child, to be in love, to feel that somebody needs you, to be self-realized. Male contingent was mainly interested in following questions: what is the best age for marriage and size of the bride price/kalym.   

 Questionnaire conducted after training sessions showed to what extent our youth desires to know about THAT. They requested to organize such trainings more often.

 Author is Gulchekhra KARIMOVA

Translated by Gulsara Ilyasova

UNFPA does not bear any responsibility for the content of this article.