AIDS and prevention: a retrospective view at social projects with young people in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

Since 2010, there has been a dismantling of sexual and reproductive health and rights. This article aims to recover the memory of social interventions aimed at fighting HIV/AIDS. To this end, it analyzes two social projects with young people, developed by governmental and non-governmental organizations in the 2000s, in the favela of Maré, in Rio de Janeiro. It is a socio-anthropological study that involved desk
review and interviews with the project coordinators, aiming to identify guiding principles, methodological approaches, and lessons. The findings indicate that the HIV/AIDS prevention work considered the demands of young people and addressed, in a participatory way, conceptions on rights, sexuality, gender, and vulnerability. The stimulation of youth activities in the production of interventions and institutional partnerships resulted in activities on everyday topics linked, directly or indirectly, to HIV prevention. This approach is opposed to preconceived models of action, often imposed in contexts of social vulnerability. The projects were not exempt from tensions in adult vs. youth relationships. However, the challenges were narrated from a learning perspective, indicating the importance of retrieving the experience through memory, which helps to identify lessons learned and guide future actions.