In a municipality with one of the highest HIV infection rates in Cuba, customers of the Afrodita Hairdressing Salon in Havana, learn about prevention of sexually transmitted infections, as part of a project to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.
“The idea came up as a way to reach women of all ages, because women go to the hairdresser to meet up and chat openly, and they talk about sex too”, says Leticia Santa Cruz, founder of the project. “Here, the idea is that apart from the typical chit chat about the price of bread and the neighbors, women can also learn about and discuss prevention-related issues.”
All hairdressers at the salon are also community health workers, trained with Global Fund support. Through conversations with their customers and by organizing fashion parades, video screenings, theater performances, and awareness-raising events, they work to open up discussion on these sensitive issues.
For more information about Global Fund photos, please e-mail: photos@theglobalfund.org. Copyright: The Global Fund / John Rae.